Three versions cursed around the fact that a member of the Mothers of Invention was fired by chiefmaster Frank, while playing a new composition in a typical singersongwriter-manner. First, the man just seemed to be too talented for not having his own band. Second reason: he played a 15 minute solo on an acoustic guitar, without amplifier. And third, he had drug references („weed, whites and wine“). So he came to his own band („Willin‘ to be movin‘ …“) with a funny name having references to his small shoesize.
Years later Andrew and John, youngsters from Germany, were going on a tour to England – no rockets but fresh baken A-level examinations in their pockets and on the backseat of their olivegreen Peugot a bunny bunch of guitars, a mandolin and a bouzuki. In their mind was – beside girls – all that musical stuff from that time: James Taylor Songs, Joni Mitchell and John Martyn Tunes, the Jazzrock of Weather Report and a lot from the Folk Scene, including Steeleye Span and the Albion Dance Band.
They first rested in the Lowlands of Holland, near Zwolle, where folk singer Christin gave them the copy of a demo tape from an unknown band as a provision – containing a song, which later became famous and was titled „Sultans of Swing“. On the island, starting from Londontown, for six weeks they would have a gig nearly every night, mainly in English Folkpubs spread all over the country. They played in Exeter and the magic mushrooms, they received from a „Hippie“-Family in Falmouth, were tested later, back in Torquay.
Not running on empty nor running blind, on the bright side of life and the left side of the road – and no blizzard was down in Britain in Seventyeight. A great time, garnished by those brilliant lines of golden september tree crowns that contrasted the clearblue sky like in a painting of Max Ernst. Young Andrew mostly wrote love letters and Johnboy read the Glasperlenspiel by Hermann Hesse, preferably relaxing in English Landscape Gardens. They were forecasted to have a worldcareer, which was not proven true.
Decades later – meanwhile he got used to analyze popsongs of his pasttime paradises – Captain Senior John is listening to that special Album and Song, which gave the main soundtrack for their ´78 Roadmovie: Lowell George sings and plays „Time loves a Hero“ – on Waiting for Columbus, with his band Little Feet. John, now with his headfones on, the Strat at his knees, thin hair on his forehead, tries to work out what it means, when they said: the words were not build on the song as usual but the harmonic and rhythmic changes were build on the lyrics, meandering like roaming taoistic rills and snuggling skills.