The Iconic Fullerton Rock Band That Never Was

 

By Allen Bacon, BOSCO Fullerton

When I was eight years old, my second grade teacher, Mrs. Cahill, (shoutout to Richman Elementary in Fullerton, CA) gave us the assignment to write a story and then draw an illustration to go with the story.

My story was of a fictitious band called the Removers in which I was the frontman. My brother was the drummer and two of our relatives were the bass and lead guitarist.

I had a hard time drawing a guitar so I went to just putting tambourines in my hands. But you can tell it’s me because I drew myself with my signature crew cut.

I ran out of space so I ditched the fourth member of the group. I found out later, from my artist/art teacher wife that I actually made the right call artistically. It’s called “the rule of thirds”.

Plus my cousin wasn’t a great guitarist anyway.

So we became a power trio.

Check out our outfits. So Mod.

To make an already long story shorter... This crayon drawing ended up on the walls of the Muckenthaler Center. Each year they would highlight the "best" art from the grade schoolers in Fullerton.

To this day...I wonder how I got in that exhibit. Was Mrs. Cahill on the board that chose the winners? Look at this drawing...It's horrible! Now my neighbor friend Larry Dodson could draw and paint! He was an artist! Me....not so much....but I digress.

So, I ended up as the answer to a trivia question. If you want to win a bet and the question is. “Whose art was displayed at the Muckenthaler Center first? Is it Fine Artist Marta Bacon (whose had more than one of her pieces displayed over the years at the Muck) or her husband Allen Bacon? .... the answer would be me, Allen Bacon .

The Removers were a cover band. We played a lot of Monkees, Beatles, Buffalo Springfield and whatever else I was listening to on KEZY 1190 AM on my AM Transistor radio in 1967.

Now if I can just find my story. It’s somewhere in my garage.

Tripping Through The Twilight Zone Live

Twilight Zone
Stages Theater Fullerton, CA
Directed by Darri Kristen and David Campos
Opening Friday June 21
Fridays and Saturdays at 10:30 PM
Created by Rod Serling
Five Scoops of Bosco

You're traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind; a journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That's the signpost up ahead — your next stop, the Twilight Zone. —Rod Serling

Preview By Allen Bacon, BOSCO Fullerton

When I was a teenager growing up in Southern California, one of my most frightening experiences was the night (while watching my Grandma and Grandpas house when they were on vacation) I decided to watch an episode of the Twilight Zone.

It was a cold January Friday night in the mid-70's. It was raining and the wind was howling. I had all of the lights off in my Grandma's big house and it was 11 PM. They used to show the Twilight Zone reruns on KTLA channel 5 in Los Angeles at 11 PM after the news.

This particular night they ran the episode "In The Eye of The Beholder".  That was the one where the young lady had just undergone radical plastic surgery on her face and through the whole show you never see her doctors or her face until a very unexpected plot twist at the very end.

If you haven't seen it, I won't give away the ending...Pretty cool stuff. Not the scariest Twilight Zone I would ever see, but mixed with the darkness, the rain, the wind, being alone in a big house by myself..it was scary enough.

So, how fitting, around 40 years later, that Stages Theater in Fullerton, CA is once again recreating, on stage, live, four of the shows coolest episodes directed by Darri Kristen and David Campos.

“It wasn’t merely the nostalgia aspect of the project, though, like a lot of people I can easily recall episodes, characters, and even lines that left an impression on me. It was really that (Rod) Serling was able to expose our darkest fears and turn our belief system on end. I think that’s why people are so drawn to the series fifty years later.”  , said Campos.

Twilight Zone at Stages Theater Fullerton opens on Friday June 21 and the shows are ironically shown, like the show was back in the 70's, late at night at 10:30 PM

If you are a fan of Twilight Zone you will absolutely love these episodes brought to life in the intimate setting of Stages Theater.

This new installment of The Twilight Zone will present four episodes.

"Person or Persons Unknown" in which David Gurney wakes up to find himself in a nightmare. No one, not even his wife or his mother, knows him and all evidence of his identity has disappeared.

"One More Pallbearer" where we find eccentric millionaire Paul Radin, who offers the use of his bomb shelter to three people who wronged him. But the price--an apology, might be too high.

"The Midnight Sun", when the Earth falls out of orbit, two women try to cope with increasingly oppressive heat in a nearly abandoned city.

"A Passage for Trumpet" where a suicidal, despondent trumpet player finds himself in a bizarre world where he presumes himself dead because no one can see him, except for another helpful musician.

This popular, critically-acclaimed theatrical adaptation of Rod Serling’s classic TV series features various self-contained stories, in an exciting mixture of fantasy, science fiction, suspense and horror, all of which lead to a deeper realization about human nature.

The Twilight Zone was an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, or disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising plot twist and was usually brought to closure with some sort of message.

That show would also eventually spawn graphic novels, a feature length movie, a great radio anthology series, books, and now on stage plays.

The television series was also notable for featuring both established stars (e.g., Cliff Robertson, Ann Blyth, Jack Klugman) and younger actors who would later became famous (e.g., Robert Redford, William Shatner, Burt Reynolds, Mariette Hartley, Shelley Fabares, Ron Howard).

In 2002, The Twilight Zone was ranked #26 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.

Show times for The Twilight Zone are Friday and Saturdays at 10:30p.m. Tickets are $18.00, $16.00 for students and seniors.

For reservations, go to www.stagesoc.org

The Twilight Zone stars: Richard Burnes, David Campos, Mark Coyan, Amanda DeMaio, Matthew Domenico, Barney Evans, Jon Gaw, Andrea Freeman, Amy Lauren Gettys, Sean Hesketh, Michael Keeney, Darri Kristin, Ken Lundegard, Mike Martin, Adam Poynter,Michael Skinner, Frank Tryon, Adrianna Valencia, Robin Watkins, Destiny Wayne, and Wade Williamson.

Fullerton Transportation Study Is Not Necessary

Op-Ed by Allen Bacon, BOSCO Fullerton

As a frequent user of the Southern California as well as the National Transportation Systems, I was more than a little concerned at the recent approval of spending over a Quarter Million Dollars by the Orange County Transit Authority to conduct a study relating to the feasibility of a transportation system from the campus of Cal State Fullerton to Downtown Fullerton.

Our City Council in my hometown of Fullerton, California generously agreed to chip in $30,000 for this study. $30,000 that we really shouldn't be spending when we have other things to worry about like dilapidated water/sewage pipes, bad roads and out of control pensions.

No one asked me, but if they did, I could have saved the Taxpayers over a Quarter Million Dollars.

Here's The Secret.  Are you ready for this?

That transportation system already exists.

It's called OCTA Routes 26 and 24.  And when the Metrolink Placentia Station opens you will be able to take the Metrolink from Downtown Fullerton to Downtown Placentia and jump on the 26 or 24 there...and go on to nearby CSUF. Or, for the more adventurous or health conscious...Walk or bicycle a mile from the Placentia Metrolink Station to the campus.

OCTA Route 26 runs every 35 minutes or so during peak hours from Cal State Fullerton to the Fullerton Downtown Transportation Center.

So maybe you spend a fraction of the quarter million dollars to promote that route, then as ridership increases and pays for itself, then you add more frequency on that line.

Maybe you have a Route 26A at that time which just goes from the University to Downtown. (Route 26 currently continues on to Yorba Linda to the East and Buena Park to the West).  And maybe you do a nice advertising bus wrap in Cal State Fullerton Titan Orange and Blue that calls Route 26, are you ready for this, the Campus-Downtown Connection.

The point is, that spending over a quarter million dollars of our hard-earned taxpayers money on a study that we already know the answer to, is pointless and a waste of money.

Cereal For The Soul

Our Daily Bran
Warren Anderson
Self Published
Five Scoops of Bosco

Reviewed by Allen Bacon, BOSCO Fullerton

One thing I love about self-published books is that usually these are books that the big publishers don't have the vision, patience or the courage to produce. A lot of these books miss the mark, mind you, but every once in a while you run across a real gem.

Our Daily Bran, a collection of poems by Fullerton Resident Warren Anderson definitely falls in the latter category.

First of all, you have to love an author who paints his own cover. Anderson is an accomplished landscape artist and his cover sets the mood for his book of poems. It is calm and pastoral with just a hint of mischief. As a publisher myself, I would have tied into the Bran theme more. I would have probably created a faux Bran cereal box for the cover. But that's just me and my graphics background coming through.

I love where Anderson gets his inspiration for his interest in the written word . "My word hero is Vin Scully (the LA Dodger broadcaster), says Anderson. "who can colorfully describe the action without distortion, use metaphors and similes that sparkle and call a game without umpiring or rooting for the home team. For instance, Vinny described a huge base runner who stumbled, fell down and tried to get back to the bag, as looking "like a beached whale trying to get back in the water! He described the floating knuckle ball as a butterfly or debris and described the pitchers for tomorrow's game as a Dodger with all of his strikeouts and a pitcher who has a long name as the Cub with all of his syllables.", continued Anderson.

In fact one of my favorite poems/stories in the book, The Sights of Mexico is an account of Dodger pitcher Fernando Valenzuela pitching. Or the hilarious Next of Kin is another personal favorite.

I suppose the best way to describe Anderson's style is that he is like a cross between Charles Osgood of CBS radio, Shel Silverstein, Garrison Keillor and Billy Graham. The first part of his book is devoted to religious themes while the second part is primarily whimsical and clever poetry on everyday life.

The son of Swedish immigrants, Anderson grew up in Minneapolis. He earned his degree in Southern California and entered public school work as a teacher, counselor and administrator. He is a Christian and enjoys writing poems on Biblical themes. "I will read a text several times for inspiration, not looking for doctrinal evidence or debate but for pathos, triumph, personal edification or even enjoyment. I am interested in what the text says to me, rather than what I can prove from the text.", Anderson said.

Mr. Anderson's book is available through BOSCO Books. This book is $12 plus $5 for shipping and handling. Paypal is accepted. Email orders to: boscotheblog@earthlink.net

Want to Get To NoCal Fast? Take a Plane

By Allen Bacon, BOSCO Fullerton

I can't believe that I of all people do not want High Speed Rail in my home state of California.

Don't get me wrong...this avid train and public transportation rider would love nothing more to ride a Bullet train from my home town in Fullerton to San Francisco. That would be very cool.

But at what cost?

The price tag for this boondoggle is now estimated over 100 Billion Dollars which is going to come out of the taxpayers pocket.

The original plan was to get from Los Angeles to San Francisco in less than five hours. With changes in the route plans that trip is going to take longer.

This is why God invented airplanes. If the goal is to get to San Francisco from Orange County fast...then, and I can't believe I am saying this: Take a plane! That works for speed.

The rest of us that take rail know that it takes around seven hours to get to San Francisco from Fullerton by train. That's why we plan ahead and take our work, our lap tops, cel phones, etc. We have meetings on the train and we get work done while we are going toward our destination. There is no reason to throw over 100 Billion Dollars so we can get there a couple hours faster when we can hop in a jet and be in San Francisco in under half the time.

But you know what we can spend money on? The infrastructure of the current train system and the trains itself. Tracks need to be repaired and trains need to be brought into the 21st century.

This will not take over hundred billion. We can do it for the fraction of the cost and this will still...the other goal...put a lot of Californians back to work.

And by the way, while we are on that subject... let's stop hiring people from out of state to work on our projects. Keep it in the family. Put Californians back to work. We're paying for this...we get to choose who builds it.

As I was on a recent train excursion...through the Northwest from Southern California to Seattle, I was reminded of what the nation's passenger rail service, Amtrak, is and I thought about what it could be.

First of all, the scenery from Los Angeles to San Francisco and on to Seattle, as seen from the comfort of the Amtrak observation lounge rivals the best in the country. From the ocean views to the Northern California and Oregon mountains to the lushness of Northern Oregon into Washington and the Puget Sound area near Seattle..it's hard to beat for breathtaking beauty not only in the US but in the world.

The people I met on this journey were incredible. People from Northern California and the Northwest are generally generous, educated, and progressive, and this makes for wonderful and interesting conversation. And since you have to sit with somebody at the dining car you have the opportunity to get into some wonderful discussions with fascinating people.

But, those are all the benefits of taking the train...anywhere. What I want to talk about is what Amtrak is doing right and where they fall short.

I was actually on two trains this trip through the northwest. For those who were not following the trip on this webzine as it was happening, my son Felix and I took the Coast Starlight from Fullerton, CA to San Francisco...stayed two days in San Francisco...got back on the CS and went to Eugene, OR where we stayed with my good friends Mark and Greg. After we left Eugene we switched to the Cascades which is the run from Eugene to Seattle. The two trains were like night and day.

First of all, in all fairness, the train they use for the Coast Starlight is similar to the trains they use on the Southwest Chief (LA to Chicago) or the Zephyr (Chicago to San Francisco). These trains were built in the 70's in an era where there were no cel phones, no laptops, no personal DVD players. So there are very few electrical outlets and the first thing that everybody looks for is an outlet but with an average of one or two per car it's tough going.

The second thing, I noticed was the service is suffering and I had wonderful experiences last year on the Zephyr and Southwest Chief. I think it has to do with teams that they put on the train. All it takes is a couple of disgruntled employees to permeate the group and the experience becomes less than satisfactory. The service from LA to Oakland fell into the less than satisfactory category. But the Emeryville to Eugene ride was much better.

On the LA to Oakland run, the Amtrak employees were rude, obnoxious, and let you know that they were understaffed and overwhelmed. OK that last part is probably true...but it doesn't mean you have to take it out on the customers. We're trying to have a good time and get to where we need to go...lose the attitude and work out whatever differences you have with your employer.

I was really disappointed in the service in the dining room. Plastic eating utensils, high prices, paper table cloths, less than satisfactory food and again waiters with bad attitudes. What happened to the golden age of train travel where you had wonderful service, china, cloth table cloths, and beautiful silverware and glasses for your drinks? No wonder people don't like taking the trains anymore.

Then the lounge is not showing movies anymore because the motion picture industry wants a cut for them showing the movies. Give me a break.

Contrast that with what I experienced on the Amtrak Cascades train from Eugene, OR to Seattle, WA. This train service is a cooperative between the states of Oregon, Washington and Amtrak. It's all the things Amtrak does right. First of all the train is always generally on time because they split the ride in two trips. One train starts in Eugene and runs to Portland. Then another train takes you to Seattle. Also, I understand they don't have the freight train right of way issues that are experienced in other parts of the country.

This train was built within the last few years and they did it right. An electrical outlet at every seat, tv screens for movies in every car with plugs on the console for headsets to listen to the movie, a wonderful lounge and Bistro, large and beautiful bathrooms, an onboard systems for telling you time, weather, how far ahead or behind the train is on schedule. This is on when the movies are not going. And by the way, with every Amtrak train I've been on...much more leg room than an airline seat. And the crew on this train were happy, neatly dressed, and extremely helpful.

And now comes my modest proposal.

Why can't they run Amtrak like National Public Radio or Public Television? Since it is a government subsidized service, get corporate sponsorships and have fundraisers to create more money. Here's some ideas what you could do with corporate and individual involvement.

Have a major restaurant run the Dining Room. Have Outback Steakhouse, as an example, be responsible for the dining room. They would staff it, they would design the inside of the rolling restaurant, they could have their menu. And they would do a great job, because it would be a great advertisement for their traditional restaurants.

Create free enterprise aboard the train. There could be a mini McDonalds, a Starbucks, some small shops like a mini-mall all on the train. Can you imagine the bidding war companies would get into to get those spots and how much more money it would generate for the railroad?

Yes, have a movie theatre, sponsored by AMC or another chain or at least do what they did in the Northwest with a screen in view near the seats with a plug to listen at your seat.

Get an interior designer to sponsor a redesign of the interiors of the trains. Again, a bidding war would insue and the winning bidder would generate a lot of publicity. And of course, put an electrical plug at every seat and hook up the trains for wi-fi. Because of these innovations, train travel would be fun and sexy again.

There is so much that could be done with the current Train system in America. We have a beautiful country and traveling by train is a wonderful way to meet the people and see the sights of this great land. Europe and other countries are way ahead of the US on this So any investment we put into this venture is going to pay dividends in the economy as more people get out and spend more money in the areas around the country.

Baseball Season Interuptus

By Allen Bacon, BOSCO Fullerton

The start of the month of February used to be a very happy time of the year for me. This is the month that my baseball season used to start.

This used to be the month that the Cal State Fullerton Titans, the four time national champions, my hometown team, and my alma mater, with their ballpark within "hearing and throwing distance" from my home would usually start the baseball season against our longtime rivals the Stanford Cardinal.

But five years ago the powers that be at the NCAA (the same people that refused for so long to have a playoff in Division 1 football) decided that the teams in Southern California and Florida had a distinct advantage by being able to start the season at the end of January over schools whose baseball fields are covered in four foot of snow at this time of the year.

So, the NCAA decided to move the start date for the College baseball season until after the middle of February.

I can't help it if your school is not smart enough to locate itself in a sunny climate.

I can't help it if your school won't build or play in a stadium with a retractable roof and astroturf.

I can't help it if your students and coaches are unwilling to get on a bus and do a Western swing to start the season.

You have interrupted the joy of starting the College Baseball Season for me!

So in the meantime, I have to get my baseball fix by watching the Carribean Baseball Playoffs on ESPN3 or my DVD of the Japanese Pro Yakyu 2007 allstar game...or even my DVD of the Angels 2002 World Series victory over the Giants.

I love the Spanish announcers on ESPN Deportes. One guy described a strike out this way...Buenas Dias, Buenas Tardes, y Buenas Noches Yes, baseball announcing cliches are universal.

Of course, baseball is a birthright here in my hometown of Fullerton. Hall of famers Walter Johnson, Arky Vaughan, and Gary Carter all played on Fullerton fields before heading to the Big Show along with Del Crandall, Keith Ginter, Jeff Robinson, Steve Trachsel, Steve Busby, Tim Wallach, Aaron Rowan, Phil Nevin and many other major league greats.

Last week, my neighbor was up early taking his son to tryouts for Pony League baseball...a scene that is repeated every year at this time for decades with hundreds of dads and sons and daughters.

My son Felix and I were no exception.

Nobody knew it except me, but Felix could have been in the Hall of Fame if he hadn't been called away by the movie business.

Felix has the only distinction, I think, of getting a base hit in his last at bat in all levels of baseball that he played. He got a base hit in his last at bat for West Fullerton Little League. He got a base hit in his last at bat for Fullerton Pony in the Western Regional playoffs. And he got a base hit in his last at bat for Fullerton High School.

Felix was a slap hitter, like Ichiro Suzuki, except nobody knew about Ichiro at the time (this was when he was playing Pro Yakyu in Japan before coming to Seattle) He wasn't flashy. He never hit an over the fence homerun in his entire baseball career. But he had a phenomenal on base percentage and batting average.

Because I kept score for the teams he played on, I had to bring this to the attention of the coaches who always had a tendency to bat him low in the order because of his lack of flash and power. And he also hustled like Darrin Erstad. In fact, even to this day people will remind me how he used to run full bore out to his position when he took the field and run back just as fast back to the dug out after the inning was completed.

My favorite baseball moment with my son, and there were lots of them, and the instant that I realized he would not be long for this game was on one Saturday afternoon.

Felix was playing for the Angels in a game against the Yankees in the West Little League Major division. There was a great pitchers dual going on between the two pitchers, our guy RJ Hively (who went on to pitch for Mississippi State and is currently in the Minor Leagues) and another guy for the Yankees, Geoff Henderson who would go on to have a great High School career and remain a good friend of Felix.

The game went into extra innings. In the top of the eighth RJ was walked by Geoff. Felix was the next batter. RJ stole second base. Felix battled Geoff to a 3-2 count.

Geoff didn't throw a bad pitch but his slider was within Felix's reach on the outside corner and as Felix would often do, he lunged and slapped the ball over the Yankee second baseman's head in front of the center fielder, scoring RJ and winning the game. His team mates mugged Felix for being the hero and the parents were going wild in the stands.

I'll never forget what happened next.

Felix went to his bag in the dugout, quietly put away his gear, and said, "Let's go dad." As we were walking back to the car...the baseball hero and the proud Dad, side by side, he turned to me and said, "I have this idea for a movie..."

I knew he wasn't going to be a ballplayer for long.