This is the infamous Michigan Brand Name Nuggets Bootleg
album on the Belvedere (we do good records) label. It has several early Bob
Seger cuts on it along with rarities by other great Michigan acts. While
bootlegs are illegal, they were readily available in local record stores and
underground stores that did most of their business through mailings. Punch
Andrews was alert to the scam has been searching for those damn bootleggers for
years. He was the sentry at the door that protected the access to Seger’s
golden catalog of music. Andrews never found that dastardly villain who so
wantonly usurped the early Seger catalog for his own evil reward
Well, search no more...I've got the answer
It all began in 1975 while I was attending U of M's Graduate
program in the School Of Social Work. I was making my way through the first
year until I stumbled a bit at my practicum assignment at Jackson Prison. It
was touted as the largest walled-in prison in the world.
I was there as a student intern learning about psychiatric social work. I did what was supposed to be individual and group therapy. I diagnosed inmates from my trusty DSM II - before the axis system was fully developed. The inmates thought I had "something". Yep. I had "something" alright. I had long hair down to my shoulders. And at 140lbs I had a tight little booty. Those cons knew I was green as green can be and they all requested therapy with me...S-E-X therapy
I was scared shitless
My supervisor Ron Gilles (a Saginaw native) just laughed and continued to send me the malingerers as a learning experience or maybe because he was so totally depraved. Gilles is the one who taught me the "Ruptured Cowboy Song". It went something like this...
I was there as a student intern learning about psychiatric social work. I did what was supposed to be individual and group therapy. I diagnosed inmates from my trusty DSM II - before the axis system was fully developed. The inmates thought I had "something". Yep. I had "something" alright. I had long hair down to my shoulders. And at 140lbs I had a tight little booty. Those cons knew I was green as green can be and they all requested therapy with me...S-E-X therapy
I was scared shitless
My supervisor Ron Gilles (a Saginaw native) just laughed and continued to send me the malingerers as a learning experience or maybe because he was so totally depraved. Gilles is the one who taught me the "Ruptured Cowboy Song". It went something like this...
"I am the ruptured cowboy"
"I ride my horse all day"
"I got the gonorrhea"
"I got it from Maria"
"Under the apple tree-ah"
"She gave it to me for free-ah"
"It hurts me when I PEE-AHHHH!!!!"
"I ride my horse all day"
"I got the gonorrhea"
"I got it from Maria"
"Under the apple tree-ah"
"She gave it to me for free-ah"
"It hurts me when I PEE-AHHHH!!!!"
One of the most memorable events during my tenure at Jackson Prison involved an inmate who escaped by helicopter. He was hanging out in the yard (which was huge) and at the right moment, hopped the wall to a nearby helicopter - just sitting' there in plain sight, idling in neutral
Free at last...Free at last...LORD ALMIGHTY I'M FREE AT LAST.
He was caught a few hours later.
When the helicopter pilot buzzed waaaay too close to a state police copter goin' the other way
"DAMN"...he thought; his "freedom" encircled...his infamy locked at the moment of capture
But for several years thereafter he was a hero!
I was also honored with the opportunity to present a case to a consultant from MSU who had developed a Rorschach Inkblot. I remember that I was more frightened than my patient. But I mostly remember the good professor’s thick and bushy eyebrows. It was like he didn't have any eyes at all - just a couple of furry little bushes where his eyes should have been.
I had more fun interpreting those bushy eyebrows than the damn inkblots. At any rate my patient and I agreed, the Rorschach dude IS the nutty professor
I was also honored with the opportunity to present a case to a consultant from MSU who had developed a Rorschach Inkblot. I remember that I was more frightened than my patient. But I mostly remember the good professor’s thick and bushy eyebrows. It was like he didn't have any eyes at all - just a couple of furry little bushes where his eyes should have been.
I had more fun interpreting those bushy eyebrows than the damn inkblots. At any rate my patient and I agreed, the Rorschach dude IS the nutty professor
Anyway, I digress...
I dropped out of school but continued to work at Bicycle Jim's Restaurant, positioned quite conveniently by a very cool Discount Records store. It was here that I met Risti and we hit it off right away.
We both loved records and music. Risti was a serious collector. I was just a music fan on the periphery of the collecting scene. The record collecting hobby was too expensive for me to get seriously involved especially if the object of my desire was hopelessly rare...like the Beatles' Butcher Cover or the "Meet the Supremes" LPs. Risti had collected about everything (almost). He had tens of thousands of records from all over the world. His goal was to possess every Beatle record released across the planet. And by the looks of his collection he was very close. His apartment was dedicated totally to his collecting. Risti claimed he was on disability for Schizophrenia and had all the money he needed to finance his hobby. Risti was soft spoken, very intelligent, and very odd and I loved him like a brother
We attended a Beatles Convention in Boston in 1976. Alan Williams, the keynote speaker, authored a book about his experience as the manager of the Beatles entitled "The Man Who Gave The Beatles Away." He was funny and profane, a true rapscallion to be sure and a superb storyteller. I spent most of my money on Beatle's bootleg albums. Risti's purchases were more carefully considered. He was an incredibly sophisticated collector who knew values and leaned more toward legitimate releases.
I dropped out of school but continued to work at Bicycle Jim's Restaurant, positioned quite conveniently by a very cool Discount Records store. It was here that I met Risti and we hit it off right away.
We both loved records and music. Risti was a serious collector. I was just a music fan on the periphery of the collecting scene. The record collecting hobby was too expensive for me to get seriously involved especially if the object of my desire was hopelessly rare...like the Beatles' Butcher Cover or the "Meet the Supremes" LPs. Risti had collected about everything (almost). He had tens of thousands of records from all over the world. His goal was to possess every Beatle record released across the planet. And by the looks of his collection he was very close. His apartment was dedicated totally to his collecting. Risti claimed he was on disability for Schizophrenia and had all the money he needed to finance his hobby. Risti was soft spoken, very intelligent, and very odd and I loved him like a brother
We attended a Beatles Convention in Boston in 1976. Alan Williams, the keynote speaker, authored a book about his experience as the manager of the Beatles entitled "The Man Who Gave The Beatles Away." He was funny and profane, a true rapscallion to be sure and a superb storyteller. I spent most of my money on Beatle's bootleg albums. Risti's purchases were more carefully considered. He was an incredibly sophisticated collector who knew values and leaned more toward legitimate releases.
It was around this time that Risti and I hooked up with an
East Lansing DJ by the name of Dick Rosemont who had an incredible collection
of vinyl. Both of us had previously purchased records at Dick's apartment when
he would periodically weed out duplicates etc.
Dick had a fairly comprehensive collection of rare Michigan
rock 45's and at Risti's request, Rosemont made a tape of some of his favorite
acts. I thought it was cool - especially the Seger and Rationals songs - but I
was disappointed with the basic song selection and the absence of Dick Wagner
material (my favorite artist of that era). Still there was nothing like it in the realm
of current legitimate releases. So Risti and I went to a studio in Dearborn and
had vinyl copies made for our personal collections. It was a one of a kind LP.
The fella at the studio said that he engineered many of the original recordings on the tape and he was thrilled to help us preserve a small part Michigan History. We felt validated that he understood our passion
This 2LP set included seven Bob Seger songs including Looking Back, East Side Story, Persecution Smith, Heavy Music PT 2, and Sock It To Me Santa as well as a sampling of other obscure songs by the Underdogs, Woolies, MC5, The Wanted, Amboy Dukes, the Tidal Waves, and others. It was not a coherent or comprehensive body of music but it was quite daring in its scope and its naughty good humor.
In 1977, I saw Risti for one last time. I was living in Saginaw and working at White's Bar for my father. Risti stopped by for an afternoon and sold me several Dave Clark 5 albums (still one of my favorite bands). He looked good, healthy and reasonably happy. He told me he was moving to England or somewhere safe. We agreed to keep in touch and meet again someday in service to our interest in music.
I never saw him again.
Years later I read this book by Clinton Heylin entitled Bootleg; The Secret History of the Other Recording Industry. Heylin profiled Risti’s accomplishments as one of the most knowledgeable and notorious bootleggers in this burgeoning underground industry. Risti not only produced a deluxe edition of our Michigan Nuggets but he developed a massive box set of Dylan rarities as well as incredibly crafted Beatles bootlegs with deluxe full color covers and unreleased obscurities from the Beatles’ vaults.
The fella at the studio said that he engineered many of the original recordings on the tape and he was thrilled to help us preserve a small part Michigan History. We felt validated that he understood our passion
This 2LP set included seven Bob Seger songs including Looking Back, East Side Story, Persecution Smith, Heavy Music PT 2, and Sock It To Me Santa as well as a sampling of other obscure songs by the Underdogs, Woolies, MC5, The Wanted, Amboy Dukes, the Tidal Waves, and others. It was not a coherent or comprehensive body of music but it was quite daring in its scope and its naughty good humor.
In 1977, I saw Risti for one last time. I was living in Saginaw and working at White's Bar for my father. Risti stopped by for an afternoon and sold me several Dave Clark 5 albums (still one of my favorite bands). He looked good, healthy and reasonably happy. He told me he was moving to England or somewhere safe. We agreed to keep in touch and meet again someday in service to our interest in music.
I never saw him again.
Years later I read this book by Clinton Heylin entitled Bootleg; The Secret History of the Other Recording Industry. Heylin profiled Risti’s accomplishments as one of the most knowledgeable and notorious bootleggers in this burgeoning underground industry. Risti not only produced a deluxe edition of our Michigan Nuggets but he developed a massive box set of Dylan rarities as well as incredibly crafted Beatles bootlegs with deluxe full color covers and unreleased obscurities from the Beatles’ vaults.
It made my heart race with joy. Now I knew that my old
friend was alive and well and still thumbing his nose at convention and lifting
the veil on the Music Industry's hypocrisy.
This is for my old friend Risti. You are an inspiration.
Peace,
Bo White
Bo White
