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mooser
Trad climber
seattle
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Aug 30, 2010 - 11:06am PT
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Hi. My name is Tom. I like John Denver. ("Hi Tom" [w/accompanying applause].)
Yep. Saw him in concert in San Diego in the early 70s, and was already a diehard fan by then. Though his general influence on backpacking and environmentalism is certainly up for debate, he definitely had an impact on me.
My brother John learned to play guitar to John Denver songs (one of a bozillion, no doubt, who did). He and I were even hired by the McDonald's in Poway, CA to be the background music at their grand opening back in the mid-70s. If any of you Poway STers were around on that day, we were the goofy looking duo in yoked 70s John Denver-type shirts playing one John Denver song after another on guitar (John) and 5-string banjo (me). Sort of a "cringy" memory, but I believe that McDonald's is still open, and therefore have decided to attribute its success to our musical contribution (and vicariously...to John Denver himself).
(Did you follow my logic?)
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BLT&P Sandwich
Social climber
Amazon
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Aug 30, 2010 - 11:16am PT
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Hey Cosmic- I could say the same back at you for Kate Bush! BLEK!
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Tarz
Mountain climber
Calli
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Aug 30, 2010 - 12:36pm PT
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Big fan of John Denver! He wasn't perfect, but man he could sing and write songs. I like to call him one of America's great poets. He just put his rhymes to music. Trajedy he died.......
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Tony Bird
climber
Northridge, CA
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Aug 30, 2010 - 12:53pm PT
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john denver at macdonald's--clash of cultures? or am i missing something again?
my second favorite of john's is "calypso", his tribute to jacques cousteau, putting yodeling into a sea song. i think of it every time we get decent snow from a pacific storm.
when i was selling construction projects i made a presentation to a fella in OC who had been john's flight instructor for the long-easy in which he died. the crash occurred shortly after takeoff, crashing into monterey bay, as i recall. this fellow had been involved in the subsequent lawsuit. he said the accident probably involved an awkward transfer of fuel tanks, something you have to do with your feet in a long-easy. (my recollection of a conversation two years ago.)
any long-easy buffs out there? i kinda felt john was too experienced a pilot to make a goof like that, but you never know.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Aug 30, 2010 - 01:23pm PT
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Poetic lic, Grubb, I was using the term "neighbor", loosely, sheesh.
There was Doonsbury where HST, I mean, Uncle Duke shot Icicles off JD's eve with a high powered rifle. Funny stuff.
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mooser
Trad climber
seattle
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Aug 30, 2010 - 01:28pm PT
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"john denver at macdonald's--clash of cultures? or am i missing something again?"
I like to think most of the customers that night became environmentalist-backpackers.
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john hansen
climber
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Aug 30, 2010 - 10:46pm PT
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Ghost ,you are right in calling me on that one. I know he did not "start" the environmental movement,, I guess since I was in my early teens when he was big, I associate his songs with all the young high school kids wearing hiking boots and down vest's and everyone getting into backpacking during the early 70's.
"Thank God I'm a Country Boy,, "
Mooser , Me and a friend once played at a grand opening for a hardware store.. I think we were in the garden tool section or something... one of the best paying gigs we ever did , $100 bucks each for an hour.
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 30, 2010 - 10:57pm PT
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At the time his music was coming out, I thought: gag me. The xmas shows, specials and assorted media hype caused me to cringe. But listening to it now I have more respect for his lyrics and see some relevance. Maybe I'm getting sappy in my old age, but I appreciate his expression for being outside and in the mountains.
I was moved by the portrayal on KCET. Never having met him, from the KCET show he seemed like a good guy, dealing with thoughts and demons like the rest of us.
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Phantom X
Trad climber
Honeycomb Hideout
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Aug 30, 2010 - 11:20pm PT
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I'm surprised at all the climbers who didn't know he invented the backpack. I think he's a great songwriter and enjoyed his muppet work very much. I'm surprised Hunter outlived him (timewise). Extra points for dog plinking.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Aug 30, 2010 - 11:29pm PT
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Well put, sis.
Um, phantom, neither of them exactly died of old age.......
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Aug 30, 2010 - 11:32pm PT
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John Denver started the backpacking movement?
Charles Barkley is rollin over in his grave.
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John Moosie
climber
Beautiful California
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Aug 30, 2010 - 11:35pm PT
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If you read this thread backwards, it says..." Obama will be president in 2012". Pretty freaky man.
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Phantom X
Trad climber
Honeycomb Hideout
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Aug 30, 2010 - 11:45pm PT
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Um,I know that. Troublemaker!
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Seamstress
Trad climber
Yacolt, WA
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Aug 30, 2010 - 11:52pm PT
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Second concert I ever saw - John Denver at the New Haven Coliseum with my high school guitar playing buddies. The slide show behind the music was state of the art at the time.
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john hansen
climber
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Aug 31, 2010 - 02:01am PT
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Didn't he work for Chouinard...
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Todd Eastman
climber
Bellingham, WA
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Aug 31, 2010 - 02:12am PT
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Far Out!
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Brunosafari
Boulder climber
OR
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Aug 31, 2010 - 05:23pm PT
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This just in from Natl. Enquirer: "Ammon McNeely tazered for listening to John Denver! Attempts to Flee scene of the crime."
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Aug 31, 2010 - 05:37pm PT
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I'm glad we got to the bottom of that one!
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Jim Clipper
climber
from: forests to tree farms
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Jan 25, 2012 - 12:19am PT
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that's it. was gonna take a nap ... i'm doing some pullups
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