Newsletter 2nd Qtr 2006.pub

Los Angeles Parrot Head Club
The Lost Shaker...
Second Quarter
May 2006
Vol. 10, Issue 2
...Still Searchin’...
Inside
This Issue
Capt Cove
Page 5
PH Cruise
Page 6
Membership
Page 7
Calendar
Page 7
Valentines
Page 8
St. Pat’s
Page 9
Meet The
Larsons
Page 10
Charity
Page 11
Rafting
Page 12
April Party
Page 13
I Met The
MAN
Page 14
Coconut
Telegraph
Page 15
LAPHC and OCPHC really know how to throw a
party…assisted by the MAN himself, Jimmy
Buffett. Finally Buffett returned to Verizon
and we were all there in all our feathered glory!
Parrot Head Clubs came from all over to party
with old PHriends from Left Coast, Inland, High
Desert, San Diego. LA and OC got together and
tossed a high intensity parking lot party with
Bob Karwin at the mic that rocked Verizon .. a
perfect prelude to a PHantastic Buffett concert. Rain or not, nothing was going to dampen
Parrotland's Party Parade!
(Continued on page 2)
“Hoot” Private Screening and MORE…
By Tom Overstreet
Jimmy Buffett’s new movie “Hoot” premiered in Irvine, California
on April 13th to a select crowd made up of teachers, librarians,
an environment conscious kids club and some lucky Parrot
Heads. Lesile and I didn’t know what we were getting into.
We were given the choice to "…have a good movie seat, or a
good seat to see Jimmy himself". What we had heard just
couldn’t be true; was the “King of Good Times” really here?
Without hesitation we took the worst movie seats and sat right
up front where Jimmy would be.
(Continued on page 4)
The Lost Shaker
Party At the End, Continued...
(Continued from page 1)
The day all started about 10 a.m. at Gators Upsouth where the first of many RVs lined up for the
caravan to the Verizon tailgate party and concert.
Bloody marys and scrambled eggs got everyone
started. Soon there were a dozen or so RVs. What
a sight--all in a line facing the driveway! To the
unsuspecting, it all looked
Pals Kelli & Christi quite ominous, like something big was about to
happen!
Exactly true…
Buffett was in town and we
were readying to party big
time!
Rod Lang and Bob McLaughlin were the wagon
train's spotters as we didn't want to leave until
Verizon's gates opened, ….excitement built till
their calls came in just before 2…"The Gates Are
Open, Let's Roll!!!" Engines
were gunned and all together
in one long line the LAPHC/
OC caravan wheeled on out
to the party zone.
Jeff
Stevens (OC) led the wagon
train followed by Frank Bellino driving the first of LA's
RVs. John Larson had his in
line and the train caboose
was driven by a new Club
member Big Al Staley. If a
prize woulda been given, Big
Al's RV woulda won for carrying the most people, judging by how flat the tires
were.
Within a half hour, we were
in the lot and setting
up….decorations, Club banners,
Head ‘em Up, Move ‘em Out
Parrot Heads and stuph were moving in sync in
the perfectly controlled chaos that it was, and
Party Central got going with everyone cooperating! Grilling Mistress Patti Kochanek scooted
around and got all the food started; donated
salads and the like were quickly dropped off
and in no time Patti & Ed and John Larson had
the cheeseburgers grilled and the feeding
frenzy began. Bill Hignite brought a much
Fins to the Left, Right!
tables, and grills.
Second Quarter 2006, Volume 10, Issue 2
(Continued on page 3)
May 2006, Page 2
The Lost Shaker
without, this concert rocked! Right about Son
sought after beer keg to the popular watering hole of a Son of a Sailor, the 17th song of the
beside John Larson's gas powered blender. Blender- night, the rain started….it began gently
man had enough then opened up big time. Parrot Heads
bizzy
look great wet…didn't stop the party one bit!.
No! It’s MY Keg! (steady boyz)
biceps
Because the wet stuff was falling, Jimmy just
pumping
Krowd Kaptivating Karwin!
up that
blender
to keep
up with
the margarita
demand!
(Continued from page 2)
As soon as the Michaels set up their tiki bar, jello
shots by the hundreds arrived, fav shots were Deb
McCall's all cubed up and labeled. The tiki bar was
at party central right beside Bodacious Bob Karwin
who was belting out Buffett songs for all to hear, to
dance to, and sing along. And along came a cute little
blonde, Carey Little, who came up with a rendition of
Me and Bobby McGee which thrilled the hundreds of
Parrot Heads and Concert Goers. Not to be outdone, Scott Sperber sang along as well...strumming
his uke. Parrot Land was a flutter with talent?!!
Karwin was exceptional with his high energy that
played off the huge crowd, and many people said..we
had the best party in the lot! LAPHC and OC really
know how to toss a party!!
sang the encores straight through.
time!
Thursday's concert had a phenom! A guy
named Jake who did his Thief In The Night,
almost stealing the show with his uke routine,
made such an impression on the crowd that
many people were stunned.
This guy is
GOOD…he's Jake Shimabukuro, an under 30
Hawaiian, who tours with the Coral Reefers.
Jimmy asked Mac McAnally…"You want to follow this guy?" Yeah, Jake is a welcome addition to the Coral Reefers!
At some point, taken by the prevailing party spirit
and horror of wife, Audrey...Robert climbed aboard
an RV roof to check out the crowd and snapped a pix
of the crowd doing Fins. He got to orchestrate the
Fins to the Right, Fins to the Left….felt like a big
time rock star…bet he won't forget that feeling!
Oh yes, there was an unforgettable Buffett concert
too!! Jimmy, by himself, opened the show by singing
Boat Drinks. It was a bit different without Amy
Lee and her sax and some of the gang, but even
Second Quarter 2006, Volume 10, Issue 2
What a
Thursday’s Parrot Heads
May 2006, Page 3
The Lost Shaker
“Hoot” premier continued...
(Continued from page 1)
To kill some time, we went after free popcorn and sodas
and just after we got back to our treats, Jimmy walked
into the theater through a side door. This is the closest I
have ever been to him in person. For all I knew he was
five inches tall cause that’s how he appeares from where
my seats usually are at his concerts.
Director Will Shriner told the crowd that after the movie,
we would have a question and answer period with the
cast of the movie and that this interview would be simulcast across America to forty different cities all watching at
the same time.
Jimmy was seated about twenty rows back behind us.
The movie began to play and the crowd cheered every
time Jimmy appeared on screen and we laughed out loud
at every joke whether it was funny or not. After about
forty-five minutes into the movie, reality hit. Extra large
sodas don’t sit comfortably in regular size bladders. How
could we possibly get up and go to the bathroom during
Jimmy’s movie while he was sitting right above us. Could
he possibly understand? Would he have us thrown out
immediately for being rude? At the risk of making eye
contact with the “Man”, we took turns running up the stairs
and took care of some over due business. When we returned, our seats were still there, and no beatings were
handed out.
The movie ended and we all cheered. Jimmy was joined
by director Will Shriner, producer Frank Marshall, Carl
Hiasson the author of “Hoot” and teenage actor’s Brie
Larson and Cody Linley and were now sitting about ten
feet directly in front of us. We went live across the America and became the envy of Parrot Heads everywhere.
We thought that we had seen it all. Wrong! It not only got
better but it got unbelievable for this Buffett fan.
Mac McAnally walked out of nowhere with Ralph MacDonald and Jimmy donned his guitar and asked if he
could sing a few songs for us. My Gal and I looked at
each other and couldn’t stop laughing or smiling. We had
decided at the last second to make this premier. Had we
decided not to come, we would probably still be on antidepressants. Jimmy and band stepped up to the edge of
the stage and began to sing. We could now have leaned
forward and touched him if we wanted to. I felt like a chic
at a Beatles concert. I was shaking inside. My scream
could only be heard by dogs in the area surrounding the
theater.
Jimmy sang “Good Guys Win” from the “Hoot” soundtrack. Next he broke into “Volcano”. He regrettably
Second Quarter 2006, Volume 10, Issue 2
asked us to sing along and without a moment’s hesitation, we were all singing louder than he was. Finally he
wrapped it up with “Margaritaville”. I could have died
and gone to heaven. My life as a Parrot Head peaked at
that moment.
Jimmy exited the stage and signed a few autographs as
he left the theater. I could have squeezed my way in for
a hand shake or autograph, but everything seemed just
perfect the way was. As I turned to see if Leslie was
ready go, I found myself standing shoulder to shoulder
with Carl Hiaason, author of “Hoot” and many, many
other Florida based books. After reminding myself not to
stutter and counted to ten using only the even numbers, I
said hello to Mr. Hiaason. He was pleasant and returned
the greeting.
During the interview he had mentioned that he and
Jimmy had been friends a long time before the making of
the movie. My question to him was, “Were you and
Jimmy already friends back when he wrote the “Ballad of
Skip Wiley” taken from your book “Tourist Season”?
Carl shook his head as though I had caught him off
guard. Up until that moment, he had been pretty quiet
and reserved with his answers about his work. Suddenly
my question caused him to think back and realize that
that was when they had originally met. Carl had written
his book in 1986. Jimmy read the book and called Carl
out of the blue and introduced himself and asked if he
would mind if he wrote a song about Carl’s story. Jimmy
wrote the “Ballad of Skip Wiley” and released it on his
“Barometer Soup” Album. The rest is history and they
have been friends ever since. Carl went into more details and I felt like I could have talked with him for some
time, but time was short and we left the theater still in
disbelief of what we all had just witnessed just five feet in
front of us.
Matt Meets Jimmy
Two days later another showing of “Hoot” was held in
Los Angeles. Our own Matt Fritch attended the preview
and had the chance to get even closer to Mr. Buffett then
we did. Matt probably got closer to Jimmy than anyone
else other than Mrs. Buffett. It seems while Matt made a
pit stop in the men’s room, he noticed he was shoulder
to shoulder with Jimmy himself!
Now put yourself in Matt’s shoes…would you look?
Maybe just a quick glance out the corner of your eye? Be
honest. Matt had the opportunity to discover the “Lost
Shaker” itself, but Matt claims he stuck with proper bathroom etiquette and stared straight ahead. Matt washed
his hands and waited for Jimmy outside the bathroom
and shook Mr. Buffett’s freshly washed hand. It seems
that Matt’s golden opportunity went down the drain.
(Editor’s Note: See page 14 for Matt’s version.)
May 2006, Page 4
The Lost Shaker
While there were high
notes, a sad note was when
By Robert Plasky
Lynne Michaels choose not
to continue as Special
Events Director. Lynne hit
What can I say about the first four months of 2006—
the ground running with her
Fun times, hard times, much accomplished and
innovative party ideas, and I
much to do come to mind. Being your President
and the Board really apprewas so much more than I had ever imagined it would
ciated her energy and what
be!! One of the great points was having an outrashe accomplished in the
geous January New Year’s phlocking attended by
short time she served in this
over 100 Parrot Heads and Parrot Heads'
PHriends...followed by Valentines and St. Paddy's capacity. Thanks Lynne!
Day parties that raised my expectations and met the
goals the Board set….To have fun and increase We are enjoying a significant accomplishment by
using a new membership database given to us by
membership. And we did that!
Nina Hill (our former Membership Director). This
We just experienced an extremely successful joint greatly improved our membership contact informaJimmy Buffett Concert tailgate party with Orange tion and we are grateful we have it.
County PHC that will be remembered for a long
time, with hopes for more. Throngs of Parrot Heads I’m pleased to say Rod Lang, our Charity Director,
were packed around all of our RVs, listening to Bob is keeping us all busy...he’s organizing the Revlon
Karwin perform. Good food, good friends and good Breast Walk in May, encouraging us to assist the
times were in abundance. If you haven't yet experi- Santa Clarita Boys and Girls Club with an auction,
enced a tailgate party at Irvine and a Buffett concert, and is getting us all lined up to volunteer to help
plan on it the next time around...it’s an amazing hap- out at the Special Olympics also in June. And on
an equally high note...2006 is the 10th anniversary
pening!
of the LAPHC! We are planning a big party for
We had our first ever Splish Splash River Rafting 10/14/06 so mark your calendars!
trip...thanks to Frank Bellino who had the dream and
organized a great fun party. We only lost one And finally, thank you for allowing me to be your
LAPHC Parrot Head in the Level 3 Kings River, but President. It is such a pleasure to know Parrot
Terry Seck proved to all, that Parrot Head Heads and all of you are special to me. Thank you
for the good times! They are many!
PHeathers can float.
The Captain’s Cove
...sat on the beach and made up this song...
Somehow we survived the double talk and jive
Things are looking better all the time
I owe her all I can 'cause she made me understand
The simple way that we should live our lives.
'Cause I don't want the thing that brings confusion
Where people recognize you on a plane
All I want's the quiet and the comforts
That livin' with my lovely lady brings.
My Lovely Lady, A White Sports Coat and A Pink Crustacean, 1973
Second Quarter 2006, Volume 10, Issue 2
May 2006, Page 5
The Lost Shaker
Adventures in Paradise! Cruise ‘06
Gardner McKay woulda been proud! The 2006 Parrot Head Cruise, coordinated by the Atlanta Parrot
Head Club, was a huge success! This PHun PHilled
8th Annual PHlocking hosted 448 Parrot Heads from
39 states and provinces and 61 PHiP clubs who
traveled Back to the Islands and Back to the Seas.
The LAPHC was decked out in all their feathered
splendor by the likes of Lynne & Dave Michaels,
Terry & Nancy Seck, Audrey & Robert Plasky, Ginger Blake, Tammy Richter, Scott Sperber aka Sperber Pirate or Dome Head and his lovely Anne Marie
Wotkyns, Stephanie Woodbury & Jeff McRae, and
Big Al and Maureen Staley, combo members from
Some of the Cruisin’ LAPHC
PHine PHeathered PHlock
The festivities
began at
a
bon
voyage
party in
F o r t
Lauderdale with
J a c k
Mosely
on hand
to enterLAPHC was on Fine Display
tain the
adoring females…the guys kinda liked him too.
The next morning we set sail on the Carnival Liberty for Buffett's Margaritaville…Puerto Rico, St.
Thomas, Tortola, Antigua and the Bahamas. We
took our entertainment along with us, Jim Asbell,
cutie pie John Frinzi, KD Moore and Jim Morris and
the Big Bamboo Band were fantastic musical companions as we cruised the British Virgin Islands.
It was
truly a
Party
with a
P u r pose…
w i t h
money
earned
Shutterbugging the Shave Off
toward
breast cancer research and awareness reached
$38,009. All the while we enjoyed concerts, pub
crawls, toga nights, pool invasion with live entertainment, our own Mallory Square at sunset, and
pajama party. We even pulled an all-nighter sunrise party…and more. Thinking back, how did we
do it all?!
the OC Clan. We raised a lot of fun on the cruise…
with major party guy Sperber Pirate hatching the
idea for the LAPHC boyz to shave their mustaches
for charity. A big $800 was raised for charity in the
silent auction augmented by major passing of the
hat action by Mo Staley and Scott Sperber prior to
the much heralded "Shave Off" at poolside.
Parrot Head Cruise 2007: Cruise to St. Somewhere
will depart Ft. Lauderdale March 16, 2007 for St.
High Desert Club Prez Linda Bengiveno placed the Maarten, St. Lucia and St. Kitts, returning March
highest bid in the silent auction and was given the 24, 2007.
dubious honor of chopping the lip fur from the boyz.
Scott Sperber took an even longer leap by offering So shine up your passport and call NOW….800up his head for a thorough defrocking and waxing! 771-9300. Ask for Brent or Stella Jones and tell
All coconut and grass skirts aside, and his antics in them you calling about the Parrot Head Cruise
the hairy chest contest….Sperber represented the 2007. Don't be left on the dock…our Cruise to St.
LAPHC Phlock right proud!!
Somewhere is filling up fast!
Second Quarter 2006, Volume 10, Issue 2
May 2006, Page 6
The Lost Shaker
Membership Report
By Matt Fritch
It has been a great quarter for the club! We are already at 36 new members this year,
well on our way to 100 by year end. It is clear that our expansion of phlocking locations to
new venues has brought new life to the club, as we are finding new phriends to play with
every month. We also have a redesigned membership package going out to our newest
members.
Please join me in welcoming some of our newest members:
Judy Belue and Bob Geiman of Santa Clarita. Bob and Judy are involved with the Santa Clarita Boys and Girls
Club, which will feature LAPHC at their next major fundraiser, “Five O’Clock Somewhere”.
Larry Norman of Laguna Woods. Fun guy Larry was brought to the Pasadena phlocking by his friend Ginger Blake,
and has been an active member ever since.
Al and Maureen Staley of Fountain Valley. “Big Al” and Mo have been members of the Orange County chapter and
are familiar faces at many of our events.
Todd and Amy Clatterbuck of Marina del Rey. We got to meet Todd and wife Amy at our pre-concert phlocking in
Redondo Beach.
Debra Medina and son Cruz of Pomona have joined the club. Debra has been spotted at several Parrot Head
events from Hermosa Beach to Irvine.
Nancy Hand is a new Phriend from Canoga Park who joined us at the Sagebrush St. Pat’s Party.
V. Troy Zefferinni joined us from Palos Verdes Estates by way of member Mary Lou King.
Yvonne Lyall of Frazier Park is now a Parrot Head...and she’s Di Michael's sister!
Cathie Wartelle joins us from San Leandro. Cathie came all the way down to Pasadena from Alameda County to
join our club.
Deb McCall, a new resident to Pasadena also joined us in Pasadena. We have found Deb perched at many events.
She is a long time, dedicated Parrot Head..and PHiP Secretary!
Kimberly Brown of Pasadena discovered us at the Doo Dah Parade last year and made it to Moose's in Pasadena.
Deanna Anderson found us on the Web and joined us in Redondo Beach. Deanna is an engineer residing in El Segundo.
Robbi and Tony Villalobos of Torrance are longtime friends of our friend and raffle helper Carol Attanasio. You can
find them spontaneously taking a Captain Morgan stance.
Greg Cherep of Manhattan Beach is a friend of Robert & Audrey Plasky...worked with them for years!
William Walker is our newest member from San Pedro.
Bill and Jennifer Lockard also joined our phlock from San Pedro and partied with us at the tailgate party.
Mr. and Mrs. Randy Carpenter of Canyon Country joined us at the Thursday Buffett concert.
Lisa Marie Taub of Oakdale, MN, was referred to us by our active member and phriend Phyllis Mortimer.
Second Quarter 2006, Volume 10, Issue 2
May 2006, Page 7
The Lost Shaker
Valentine’s Day Arrived 3 Days Early This Year at Moose McGillycuddy’s
By Tom Overstreet
About 1:00 pm, Parrot
Heads descended upon
Moose McGillycuddy’s in
Pasadena to celebrate
an early Valentines Day.
It was our monthly
phlocking and Parrot
Heads from all over
shed their mild manner
disguises and slipped
into
their
Hawaiian
shirts, beads, sandals,
and rum and let their
hair down amongst their
fine feathered peers.
Both old and new members were greeted by
Matt Fritch and his crew
of volunteers. Nobody
got by our greeters without donning name tags
and Valentine beads.
Trowbridge, long time lover of
dance and women folk in general,
made his way into the spot light.
We three judges….. We three
upstanding men of character
were prepared to do our very best
to keep the contest both safe and
tasteful. We were not prepared
for the events that followed.
To our amazement and down
right shock, we found that our
contestants thought that we pillars of the community could be
bribed! After receiving complimentary shots, nothing less then
steamy lap dances, and eye popping flashing from some of the
Bob Karwin could be
A Valentine’s Heart-felt Hello
heard throughout the bar
entertaining the gang with original tunes and a few eager contestants,
were
offiold favorites. New Parrot Heads were thrown out of we
their nests and deep into the mix. Ginger was sell- cially…..bribed.
ing raffle tickets and waitresses were kept on their Bribed and proud
toes supplying drinks, food and more drinks. Co- of it! Visuals were
rona sent one of their girls armed with blinking par- created that could
not be rubbed out
rot medallions for all to wear.
with any amount of
Entertainment Director Lynne Michaels got every- alcohol.
one’s attention late in the party for the first of the
raffles and to announce an “All Woman Dance Con- After all was said
done,
the
test”. The dancing would be to the song “Tequila and
Tequila Makes her
opinions
Makes My Clothes Fall Off”. It turns out that that judges’
were ignored and
was quite the appropriate song.
Clothes Fall Off..or not
the
audience
Volunteers were asked to step forward to judge the clapped the loudest for the two contestants who
contestants in action. Being the newest “Member bared their…souls and gave us their very best efAt Large,” I was asked to make a sacrifice and do forts. I then cracked a tear and was never prouder
what I could do to help out. So I stepped forward to to be a L.A Parrot Head then that very moment.
help judge the debauchery. Two other brave men
decided they too would take one for the team. Tom A great time was had by all!
Quick, Inland Empire’s newest plebe, and Ronny
Second Quarter 2006, Volume 10, Issue 2
May 2006, Page 8
The Lost Shaker
OUR IRISH SPIRITS MARCH IN STRUTTIN’ FEATHERS
By Phyllis Mortimer
Freshly returned from the Atlanta-sponsored
PHCruise
were bronzed and beaming
Nancy & Terry Seck, Lynne &
Dave Michaels and Robert &
Audrey Plasky - the boyz were
still recovering from the loss of
mustaches.
Heard Scott
Sperber went full throttle on
the cruise—had not only his
stach buzzed off but returned
A bit of the Blarney with Kris,
with a shaved Budda head as
well – all part of a fund-raiser
John & Nancy
on-board which ponied up
March’s charitable focus $800 on behalf of breast cancer research.
was the Valley Food Bank.
Managed by the Midnight Dancing girls galore – We got ‘em! Led by Lava
Mission’s outreach pro- Lynne Michaels and Patti Kochanek there’s almost
gram, Director Will Hernan- a routine for Migration in July, or an up-coming Dodez was on hand to re- Dah Parade. Once we get the idea of a straight line
ceive enuf stuff to fill a util- and rhythm, we could get Big Bucks for this act!
ity van’s cargo area. This Come, be part of the funniest, be-feathered chorus
well-established organiza- line since Mae West scandalized the “civilians”!!
tion provides much needed
food/household/baby sup- Any phlocking has it’s moments and catching Prez
plies to many Valley fami- Robert and nimble wife, Audrey, doing an Irish jig
lies who have a real “gap” was one not to be missed…Just remember my
to fill before paydays. The motto, it’s harder to hit a moving target!!! Robert
Food Bank Thanks Food Bank’s always there and Audrey were a blaze of high-steppin’ wonderfor them when “necessity” ment – with Unkle Monkey serving up some hearthappens. Will was most gracious in thanking the pounding Celtic dances and reels that built to a
sweaty climax!!
crew for our interest and response to their work. The genLeslie Morrissey’s redesigned and reerosity of the LA club spoke
stocked Mini-Mart boasted a fresh aslouder than our off-keyed singsortment of Beach Bling for the surf
ing and shameless dancing.
set. Ably assisted by Fireman Tom
We showed our true colors for
Overstreet, this enterprise provides the
sure!
finest in Parrot Head must-haves!
Ted Chubbuck’s return to the
Sadly we bid a fond ‘Happy Trails” to
phlock was a welcomed surShelia Suarez who is now settling into
prise – Phinz Up Ted!! - and
another real reason to dance a jig. Ted and his wife, life in The Lone Star State…“Adios, Amigo”.
Gail, were so happy to receive well-wishes from their
many fans. Ted’s recovering from a stroke in Febru- St. Patrick’s Day brought out fair sails and “Surf’s
ary. We’re all looking forward to many more times Up!” for the whole Club and proved once again that
Margaritaville is a great state of mind to visit regutogether. ‘Way to go, Chubbucks!!
larly. PHinz Up!!
Well, it was a typical phlocking
for the LAPHC ‘s faithful as we
celebrated St. Paddy’s Day at
the cowboy Sagebrush Cantina
in Calabasas with a beach
band (Unkle Monkey) playing
Irish jigs (and really well, too).
What a fine example of Parrot
Heads’ mixed bag of sensibilities…SurfSounds, Irish coffees
and ‘ritas, Ole!!
Second Quarter 2006, Volume 10, Issue 2
May 2006, Page 9
The Lost Shaker
Member Spotlight — John and Robbie Larson
John was born in Washington
in 1948, and moved with his
family to the Valley in 1952.
John
attended
Catholic
School and went on to Granada Hills High, where he majored in Architecture and became a Varsity Cheerleader.
That's where he learned all of
his social graces (such as
looking up girls' skirts and
drinking Slow Gin). After
graduation in 1966, John attended Pierce College during
the day, worked in a machine
shop at night, and juggled two
girlfriends (who eventually got
together and compared notes). Feeling a little
stressed, he joined the Navy where he became a
specialist in detecting and classifying Soviet submarines. He was shot off of aircraft carriers, flew
around in helicopters, and ended up on admiral's
staff in Hawaii, where he spent his last year surfing,
training air crewmen, and occasionally flying off to
Midway (where Chivas Regal was 10 cents a
glass) to chase a sub and study gooney birds.
Robbie was born in Santa Monica in 1949, briefly
lived in Chico, and has been a Valley Girl ever since.
Robbie had the full Catholic School Experience,
graduating from "find out what life was all about".
That's when she started smoking and bowling!
About that time, John's Mom noticed a cute (blonde,
with a huge smile) little (85 pounds) hair stylist at the
local beauty salon, and since she had a nice (son of
a son of a) sailor at home on leave, would it be OK
to get her phone number? That's when John met
Robbie, and he totally flipped for her! They were
married six months after his discharge from the
Navy in 1971. Robbie was 21, and John was 23.
Shortly thereafter, Robbie earned her nickname of
"Dirty Bert" (because she doesn't get mad...she gets
even). John had also considered naming her "Filthy
Irma" (because of her other great talents).....Thanks,
Mom!
We started our family with the birth of our daughter,
Second Quarter 2006, Volume 10, Issue 2
Dana in 1973, followed by
the birth of our son Jeff, in
1975. A year later, we
moved from North Hollywood to Simi Valley,
where we lived for 19
years. On the
weekends
you could find us in the desert, where the kids went
from "Big Wheels" to motorcycles. During the summers, we always spent a
week in the high Sierras,
hiking and water skiing with
family and friends, running
the blender, and perfecting
what
would later become
the "Pink Titty". There's something special about
sitting around a campfire at night under the big
trees with 40 of your closest friends singing "God
Bless America", and having the rest of the campground all join in from somewhere out in the dark.
Hoooo,Yeah!
How Blender Man Got His Name
John has been a Desert Racer since 1965, and in
1986 he was president of the Rovers motorcycle
club, which was the No. 1 racing club in the
dez. One day in July, he hitched up a little trailer
to Robbie's ATC and loaded it up with an E-Z Up
canopy, a Honda generator, a blender, some ice, a
crate full of booze, and headed out to the farthest,
nastiest, dustiest reaches of the race course and
set up shop! According to John:
"The summer races usually went about four 12 mile
laps due to the heat. On the first lap, everyone went
hauling ass by me, and the only guy to pull over
was running dead last. By the 2nd lap, they were
scattered out a bit, with about 10 guys still going for
it, and the next 20 or so came by with their tongues
hanging out and glancing longingly over their shoulders as they faded into the dust. On the third lap,
there were maybe three guys dicing it out, and the
rest of the pack was way behind. So one-by-one,
they pulled off the course and joined about 6 of us
under the canopy, and pretty soon there were 30 of
(Continued on page 11)
May 2006, Page 10
The Lost Shaker
Charity Director’s Report
By Rod Lang
Your LAPHC has started the year with a strong “purpose”
from of our “party with a purpose” motto. In February the
Club donated $400 to the “Nataly Fund” through the Door of
Faith Orphanage in Chula Vista. Our donation was in conjunction with High Desert PHC. The Nataly Fund has been
established to help defray surgical costs for a very sick young
child at the orphanage.
At our March St. Paddy’s Day phlocking we collected: 264
canned food items, 8 condiments, 56 packaged items, 40 lbs
of rice and 120 hygiene items for the San Fernando Valley
Rescue Mission’s Food Bank. For you who attended the
March phlocking I think you would agree that it was very gratifying to hear Will Hernandez, Director Valley Food Bank express his thanks to the Club for our generosity. It was amazing to realize that each month thousands of families, seniors
and homeless access the resources of the Valley Food Bank
for help out in times of need.
During the next few months, LAPHC will participate in the following events to benefit the following charitable organizations.
(Continued from page 10)
us yelling at the last two guys still racing as they came
by. We were mooning, giving them the finger, throwing
rocks, and making loud statements about their questionable parentage. Pretty soon, word got back to the
pits about a party out in BFE, and before long there
was a stampede. Before the end of the day, I was to
be forever reverently known as the "Blender Man".
How They Got To Be Parrot Heads
"In 1994, we moved to Phoenix, where they knew absolutely no one. After about a year of movies, TGI Fridays, and cowboy bars, we heard that Buffett was
coming to town. While standing in line waiting to buy
tickets, a member of the Arizona Parrot Head Club
handed me a membership form, which was soon forgotten. About six months later, we were in a cowboy
bar in Carefree, and the entertainer was playing
"Fins", so we naturally assumed the secret handshake
position. He started cracking up and everyone else
thought we were nuts. Afterward, he handed us a copy
of the AZPHC application, and this time we did it. We
joined the club in 1996 and became hard core members until I left the family business and we moved back
to California in 1999, when we joined the LAPHC. We
still miss Arizona, but we're glad that we have brought
Second Quarter 2006, Volume 10, Issue 2
May 5th-7th - Phins to the West:
a portion of the funds collected by the Club will
benefit the Aha Macav
Boys and Girls Club.
May 13th – Revlon Breast
Walk. Michele Levinson
has offered to lead the Parrot Head contingent on the
5K walk.
June 10th – “5 O’Clock Somewhere” charitable auction sponsored by the
Santa Clarita Boys and Girls Club. We’ll be volunteering to work at the bar and the auction
floor.
June 17th – Special Olympics at California State University Long Beach. We’ll be working at the various event venues and then off for some post
Olympic grog and food.
August 12th phlocking – we’ll be performing a work
project at the Marine Mammal Center in San
Pedro.
Please be sure to check the Club web-site calendar
for information or email me at rlang@LAPHC with
any questions.
the two clubs closer. With all the stuff our clubs
now do together, it seems like we're never far
apart".
John and Robbie have enjoyed Jimmy's music
since the early 80's, but didn't attended their first
Buffett concert until 1988: "I don't recall if it was at
the Hollywood Bowl or the Universal Amphitheatre, but we "swallowed the hook". We have since
seen him at the Greek Theatre, the Desert Sky
Pavilion, the MGM, and Irvine Meadows. One
year, I went to his concert with a severed Achilles
tendon. I had them delay surgery so I wouldn't
miss the show. My foot was flopping around like a
swim fin, but I was plumbed up with plenty of
"spectating fluid"!
Robbie and I will be married 35 years this summer. Two years ago, Dana gave us a Grandson,
and every day I thank God for our wonderful family and friends.....and for living through a few
memorable experiences! Have fun....After all, no
one gets out alive!
May 2006, Page 11
The Lost Shaker
April Fool’s Rafting Trip
By Frank Bellino
Splish splash, I fell outa' the raft
Long about a Saturday noon
A rubba dub dub, I was partyin' with the club
Lookin' for that calm la-goon
Well, I picked up my oar, 'cause I new what was in store
I quickly looked around me
Stuck my foot into the floor and then
Splish, splash! I fell right as we crashed
How was I to know that the ride could be so long
There was a-splishing and a-splashing, reelin' with the feelin'
Moving and a-grooving, rocking and a-rolling, yeah
Bing bang, soon I saw the whole gang
Dancing in Sal-azar's back room, yeah
Flip flop, they were partyin' with Bob
And his 'keets had the dancing bug
There was Rita Jo with Larry and you know who
Good golly, Deb McCall was-a even there, too
A-well-a, splish splash, I forgot about my back
I went and put my dancing shoes on, yeah
I was a rolling and a-strolling, reeling with the feeling
Moving and a-groovin', splishing and a-splashing, yeah
Yes, I was a-splishing and a-splashing, I was a-rolling and a-strolling
Yeah, I was a-moving and a-grooving, we was a-reeling with the feeling
We was a-rolling and a-strolling, moving with the grooving
Splish splash, yeah
Yes, I was a-splishing and asplashing
I was a-splishing and a-splashing
I was a-moving and a-grooving...
Second Quarter 2006, Volume 10, Issue 2
May 2006, Page 12
The Lost Shaker
LAPHC At Redondo Beach
By Lynne Michaels
At long last, Los Angeles Parrot Head
Club has come to the
South Bay. Our April
8th PHlocking was at
the new Mickey Finnz
Fish House & Bar.
This great new bajaribbean-themed
venue is located the
Rivera Village section
of Redondo, next to
Hennessey's
Irish
Pub. The ocean view,
just 1 block away, is
magnificent.
The theme for the PHlocking was a pre-party for
the “Party at the End of the World” concert tour.
Leslie setup her mini-mart, Dianna revealed her
donated beautiful hand-made bracelets and Matt
manned the membership table… we were rollin’.
Jerry Gontag took the tiki stage and the party
really began in earnest! Believe it or not, it was
Jer’s birthday and he gave us
a truly memorable performance. We all got special Jer
PHinz Buttons and gave him a
great new tour shirt and
shared his delicious birthday
cake. Special thanks to
Robert and Patti Kochanek for
Jerry’s present.
CJ our favorite former Margaritaville, Key West,
bartender tempted us with some his wonderful
cocktails made with the new Margaritaville flavored tequilas. Audrey out did herself with great
raffle prizes and a “guess the number of jelly
beans” contest which Nancy Seck mc’d and Dave
Michaels won. Chris Lang was 2nd runner up and
Wendy Cook was 1st.
Second Quarter 2006, Volume 10, Issue 2
As the fun progressed, we welcomed
5
new
South Bay members
and
look
forward to learning
all
about
them in the near
future.
They
are:
Bill and Jennifer
Lockard from San
Pedro discovered
us by accident.
William
Walker
also from San
Pedro was spon-
Seeing eye to eye with
sored by people
Dave and Nancy
who were at the
right place at the right time.
Deanna Anderson from El Segundo found us on the
web.
Gregory Cherep from Manhattan Beach used to
work with the Plaskys.
All too soon, 5 pm rolled around and we had to pack
it up for the time being to rest up for the next
party. We look forward to many more successful
events in the southwestern area of LA County… the
South Bay.
Todd and Amy Clatterbuck
were in the house!
May 2006, Page 13
The Lost Shaker
I Finally Met the Man
Due to the high efficiency of the "coconut telegraph", I feel it is im-
By Matt Fritch portant to address the any questions and rumors surrounding an
incident that took place on April 15th in Los Angeles. Yes, it is true
that while I was visiting the facilities after the premier of Mr. Buffett's new family film "Hoot", I was
stunned to hear the all too familiar voice of the man himself speaking behind me, and yes - he
took the spot next to me. I kinda figured that one day I would probably meet the man, but I never
thought it would start this way. Now is where I must clear things up.
In keeping with men's room etiquette, I stared straight ahead at the blank wall and didn't make
small talk. This answers the first question of many of the ladies in the club - no, I did not look! So
next time our buddy Bob Karwin dedicates a song to
"anyone here that has seen Jimmy Buffett's wiener", he
is probably speaking of Jimmy' wife Jane.
Now that we have that cleared up! After the movie, Mr.
Buffett kindly shook hands and accepted congratulations on a job well done with his many fans that
were fortunate to see him in the theater lobby or at the
after party. I proudly say that I was one of the fans that
got to shake his hand!
Keets are Welcome at
Migration, go to
migrationsocal.com
For details.
UPCOMING PHUN
Date and Time
Event
Location
May 5-7, 2006
PHINS TO THE WEST
Avi Resort Laughlin, NV
May 13 Morning
Revlon Breast Walk
LA Memorial Coliseum
May 13, 2006
MAY PHlocking
Burbank Bar & Grill
May 29, 2006
Cajun Festival
Simi Valley
June 10, 2006
Santa Clarita Boys & Girl Club
Santa Clarita
June 17, 2006
Special Olympics
Long Beach Cal State
July 1, 2006
Left Coast PHC Golf Tournament
Simi Valley
July 8, 2006
JULY Phlocking — Pool Party
Jim & Nina’s home in Granada Hills
July 21-22, 2006
Migration
Coast Hotel, Long Beach
Second Quarter 2006, Volume 10, Issue 2
May 2006, Page 14
The Lost Shaker
Coconut Telegraph
You know you are at Buffett Concert when you see a guy with a 3 foot
Corona bottle on his head relieving himself by the fence and a thousand
people applaud and yell… "Hey Corona head guy show us your hands."
OOPS!!!!! That guy was me. Scott Sperber
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I would like to congratulate the LAPHC board on a great parking lot party.
It was very well organized and executed, and the coordination with OC Club was great. Bob Karwin's playing was super. It is one of the best we've been to, Great job!! Jim and Nina Hill
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Wow!!! What a great and amazing time.... Even the rain was perfect! For me, this was the best
concert ever!! Favorite quote: Bob Karwin told Matt ref. the Hoot Men's room story " His golden
opportunity went right down the drain." Lava Lynne
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Thank you all so much for all your hard work preparing, setting up and putting on the best every
JB parking lot party...we had a blast! We appreciate how fortunate we are to belong to such a
group/organization with its wonderful flock. Leslie Morrissey and Tom Overstreet
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Thanks to everyone for an amazing time on Saturday. A terrific tailgate followed by, in my humble
opinion, one of the best Buffett shows in years. I would like to send out a special thanks to everyone who had a hand in organizing the event. What an undertaking! From where I was standing, it
looked like it went off without any noticeable hitches. Phins way up!
Bob Karwin
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
What an outstanding party. Cameron (my son) said our party totally blew away any of the tailgaters he went to at Notre Dame. Outstanding job! And Bob Karwin - ay karamba he was on fire.
Rod Lang
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Well, my first Buffett concert I must say was the best experience I've had. After almost 3 hours
of sitting on the freeway waiting to get to Irvine we pulled into the parking lot and I was overwhelmed by the number of people and RV's that were suited up in the proper Jimmy Buffett attire.
Every person there was having an awesome time. I've been to many concerts before and it was
totally different. It was more of an interactive experience then it was a concert. Seeing Jake Shimabokura was an bonus, he was so amazing playing his ukulele. Saturday's show was just the
same. The party before the show was so intense and fun, everyone waiting to go see their favorite musician. Even though it rained, Jimmy still played on putting on a show for everyone to enjoy.
It was honestly the greatest thing I've ever done and I cannot wait until I go to my next Jimmy Buffett concert.
Bryan Sperber
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Oh my god"; What did you do?"; "You have no hair"; You're bald"; "We have another sub";
“thought Mr. Sperber was only going to be sick for a week."; "What the f…"; "I am blinded"; "Dude,
get a tan"; and the classic: "Why did Mr. Sperber paint his head?"
Comments from Scott Sperber's high school students on his newly shaved head.
Second Quarter 2006, Volume 10, Issue 2
May 2006, Page 15
The Lost Shaker
Los Angeles Parrot Head Club
The Lost Shaker
17739 Arvida Drive
Granada Hills, CA 91344
Web site:
http://www.laphc.com/
The Lost Shaker
Published for the
los angeles parrot head club
FOUNDER OF CLUB
MIKE McLAIN
OFFICERS
President—Robert Plasky
Vice President—Patti Kochanek
Treasurer—Kenny Levinson
Secretary—Jeannette Teti
Director of Communications —Frank Bellino
Director of Special Events—Patti Kochanek
Membership Director —Matt Fritch
Charity Director — Rod Lang
Web Master—Dave Goodale
Editor of the lost shaker—Robert Plasky
Editor-in-Training—Tom Overstreet
Member At Large—Jim Hill
Second Quarter 2006, Volume 10, Issue 2
Parrot Phact—- by Jimmy Buffett
On How To Be A Good Writer:
The basic way to be a good writer is to keep your
eyes and ears open and keep an open mind. If you
can listen and you have a bit of imagination, you can
create. I listen to everything. But don't go to a particular place and listen to the bellman at the hotel that
caters to the tourists. Go down to the local bar, to the
waterfront, where the fish are cleaned, and listen to
the local people. That's where you get your information." He likes to cite another well-known Key West
resident when he talks about his work. "If you go back
over my music in sequence over the past 20 years,
you'll find it's pretty much autobiographical. You can
figure out a lot of the things that have happened in my
life. Hemingway said, "There are two kinds of stories,
the ones you live and the ones you make up. And nobody knows the difference". I don't ever tell which is
which!
May 2006, Page 16