End of An Era

As time went on, Mike Reilly eventually wore out his welcome at the house. And I probably didn't help matters for myself, either. I remember I started a project to repaint the kitchen cabinets. That involved removing all of the doors and the hardware in preparation for the painting. I think removing all of the doors is as far as I got.

In time, Mike was asked to leave the house. I really don't know why. We remained friends and I would see him frequently. I was still at the house, but it would only be a matter of time until I, too, was phased out. I found a little apartment off of Franklin Avenue and went to work for a contractor who hired veterans. He made 1/2 of my salary from the government, in some kind of training program.

One of the jobs I had was remodeling the basement of Neil Diamond's house. It was actually a small house in the Hollywood Hills. I remember a conversation I had with Neil, one day. I went upstairs and asked where the bathroom was, and he said "Down the hall". I'll never forget that day.

Anyway- we had to move his upright piano out of the basement, while we were working. My workmate and I struggled to get it out of the room. I asked him if he knew why the piano was so heavy. I intended to show him the heavy steel frame that held the strings in place. When I lifted the lid, what I ended up showing him was a bag of grass, gently resting on the high keys (no pun intended). Now it all made sense, why Neil Diamonds songs featured such a heavy bass.

You don't want to blow your stash on a high note.