"Bards Stories" with their 'Legendary Producer" ~ Curt Boettcher

Curt & memorable moments went together. One day we returned to Curt's house after one of our LA adventures &I sat on his couch to relax. His pet miniature anteater, that had managed to claw a hole completely through a solid wooden door in the house to escape while we were out, climbed up the back of the couch & was sniffing around my neck. The next thing I knew he had poked his little nose into my ear & shot a tiny but very long tongue clear to my tonsils! My scream probably shocked the poor thing but I couldn't hold back. You just don't forget moments like that! (from Chuck)

Part of Curt's genius was that he got to know the group he was producing. He came to our small town to see where we lived & rehearsed & where we had written the Creation. The first morning he was here we were up at 8:00 AM ready for rehearsal. When we called him he thought we were kidding, "What is this, some kind of rural humor?" he asked. He was a good sport though & soon adapted to our "rural" routines. (Chuck)

 

THE DESERT HOT SPRINGS TRIP~

After weeks of recording, Curt decided that a break for rejuvenation was required & we all packed into his tiny Toyota & headed for Desert Hot Springs. On the way, we stopped at a tram that went to the top of a mountain in the Jacinto Wilderness. To this day I have no idea where we were -- nor do I ever want to ride that tram again. I expected to plunge to my death as we rolled & bobbled over each tower at each precipice. The towers that supported the Tram lines were built on little peaks and by my estimation, we were about 10,000 feet in the air, give or take a few thousand.

When we finally arrived at the top, Curt insisted that we hike to a remote lake where we achieved a more "communal" state of mind with which to regard the panorama laid out before us. As dusk fell, we suddenly realized that the last tram was leaving in about 15 minutes, and made a mad dash to catch it--which we did. As it turned out, we were the only ones on the tram, along with a couple of crew people who were not enamored of our particular brand of communication and hilarity. I should say the guys were laughing. I, on the other hand, was hyperventilating & giggling hysterically praying for it to end. We piled back into Curt's tiny car & continued the trek to Desert Hot Springs. Suddenly, there was a monstrous desert storm & the rain began to fall in sheets. We could barely see but Curt just barreled along oblivious to our imminent demise. Without warning, a river of water appeared over the road. We stopped to contemplate this new development, & Curt, ever brash and bold, hit the gas undaunted. Once again, I was sure that my untimely death was just a few minutes away. Obviously we made it, because I'm writing this remembrance.

The rest of the trip was no less eventful, however I'll leave that to one of the other guys to complete. Just thinking about the first part of the trip makes my palms sweaty all over again. That was also the night I shaved off my carefully cultivated moustache. The only person that noticed was Chuck -- which I suppose is a commentary on what a pitiful moustache it was. I've never attempted another -- nor have I ever been back to Desert Hot Springs. Some experiences are best left to just once a lifetime. (from Mardig) Back