[bomp] rock 'n' roll hooliganism

["Will Shade" <willshade@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

   For those of you reading the Ravens article in the new "Ugly Things"
   take note that their hooliganism during the summer of '62 wasn't
   confined solely to burning down diners or breaking into churches...
   due to the length of the article, I had to edit out this funny
   incident from the UT story, which will have to be read solely
   online...
   Wilding
   Throughout August 1962, the Irrepressible Intolerables of Stephen
   Blodgett, Brian Lyford and Peter Young engaged in adolescent wilding.
   Surplus hormones and youthful vigor demanded action of some sort or
   another.
   "We were vandals. Especially Peter and I. We liked breaking
   things. Brian to a lesser degree, but Peter and I definitely liked
   busting things up," Stephen Blodgett said.
   While Brassard was pathologically aggressive in his pursuit of the
   female of the species, his friends were More Talk Than Walk. If they
   couldn't get laid, the trio usually found some other way to burn up
   energy. They lived by a simple motto: "Let's do something, even if
   it's wrong."
   One night, Mike & The Ravens played a gig at the NCO Club on the
   Plattsburgh Air Force Base. The show itself went off without a hitch
   and afterwards most of the band left their equipment setup onstage,
   planning to return for it later that night. Ever responsible, Bo
   Blodgett packed up his guitar and two amplifiers, departing solo for
   the Little Dutch Cabins.
   "I spent most of my time alone and that tended to keep me out of
   trouble," the lead guitarist declared.
   As for his comrades, Brassard and his girlfriend de jour got into
   one car while the other three Ravens piled into another automobile.
   The two parties exited the airbase and made their way down the street
   to Brodi's to drink beer and watch The Monterays in action. The
   Vermonters imbibed plenty over the next few hours before the
   troublesome trio decided it was time to return to the NCO Club to
   pick up their instruments and amplifiers. Lurching to a stop beside
   the guard booth at the airbase's main entrance, the inebriated and
   mischievous threesome quickly caused an incident.
   "We were trying to get back on the base and a smart remark was
   directed at the sentry. It was probably Stephen. A middle finger also
   might have been inadvertently displayed. I might have lisped in an
   effeminate manner," Peter Young said coyly. "Anyway, he was one irate
   airman. Made us pull the car over to the side of the road and
   detained us."
   Brian Lyford decided his recent stint in the service gave him an
   acute understanding of the military mindset.
   "Brian said, 'Look, I know how these guys think. I'll take care of
   it.' He got out of the car, which was the equivalent of throwing fuel
   on the fire," Young concluded.
   The puckish drummer and sardonic rhythm guitarist gazed
   through the window as Lyford and the guard exchanged heated verbal
   volleys. They aided their band mate, directing caustic remarks at the
   airman. This was the scene Brassard stumbled upon.
   "I left Brodi's about 25 minutes after they did and as I came
   to the gate I saw the MP had them pulled over," the singer said. "The
   Dungster was taunting him, 'Go ahead and shoot me!' I about fell
   down."
   Brassard intervened, but to no avail.
   "I couldn't get the MP to let them go. I had no idea what to
   do so I called Peter B. at WIRY," Brassard explained.
   Although it was well after 2 am Brassard was lucky enough to
   get a hold of Peter B. Guibord, who was DJ'ing the midnight shift.
   Guibord somehow extracted himself from the radio station and hustled
   toward to the airbase. Brassard's continued attempts to placate the
   sentry proved futile. Upping the ante, Blodgett, Lyford and Young
   refused to relent, baiting the air policeman with demands that he
   execute them promptly. Finally, Guibord arrived. Even the golden-
   tongued and self-confident Guibord was at a loss to spirit his
   charges away.
   "I tried to smooth the situation over, but the guard wouldn't
   release them," Guibord said, eyes twinkling nostalgically.
   Empire's owner then summoned the air policeman's immediate
   superior, who realized the potential public relations disaster. He
   asked his subordinate to relinquish custody of the jeering juveniles.
   Sufficiently enraged by the teenagers' complete disrespect, the
   sentry rebuffed his commander's request. According to military
   protocol, it was well within the guard's jurisdiction to hold any
   gatecrashers until relieved by an officer with sufficient authority.
   "And that's what eventually happened. A staff officer came
   down to the gate and ordered their release," Guibord finished.
   In short, the recalcitrant Ravens aggravated the air
   policeman so much that he was willing to suffer the inevitable wrath
   that would stem from summoning a sleepy officer out of bed at 4 am.
   Dawn was breaking as a haggard Brassard and worn Guibord shepherded
   the unrepentant scalawags back to the Little Dutch Cabins. Unlike the
   unfortunate sentry, the three Vermonters suffered no consequences
   save a mild tongue-lashing from Brassard and Guibord. The reprimands
   were shrugged off. The trio reverted to their usual behavior within
   days. There were ramifications that the unruly band members remained
   blissfully ignorant of at the time.
   "Peter Guibord and I were negotiating with an officer, who
   wanted the group to play at Strategic Air Command bases throughout
   the world. We would have been flown on transport planes and been
   housed in nice quarters. It would have been a good way to get our
   name and records known nationwide. Well, once he found out about the
   gate incident" Brassard sighed before trailing off.
   The US Air Force contract fell through.

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