The enemies of life force
Don’t want us tired and broken.
They want us dazzled by their lies,
our truth unspoken.

Machines will always be devised
to cage the human spirit.
They cannot throw away the key,
though they come near it.

Today the tyrants wear no crowns; 
They speak in ones and zeros,
Yet here we stand to introduce
your new Greek heroes

.

How did John Cipollina achieve the chirpy, tremolo-heavy electric guitar sound on the Happy Trails album?

Poe replied:

John Cipollina achieved his signature chirpy, tremolo-heavy electric guitar sound on Quicksilver Messenger Service’s Happy Trails album through a combination of unique equipment, innovative techniques, and his distinct playing style. Key elements include:

1. Custom Amplifier Setup: Cipollina used a dual amplifier setup, with one amp for a clean tone and another for effects, blending their outputs. His favorite amps included Fender Twin Reverbs and Standel and Kustom amps.
   
   Cipollina:

   “I like the rapid punch of solid-state for the bottom, and the rodent-gnawing distortion of the tubes on top.”

   

2. Tremolo Effect: Cipollina’s heavy use of tremolo came from both built-in tremolo units on his amps and external effects, creating a pulsing, wavy sound that defined much of his tone.

3. Custom Gibson SG: Cipollina’s guitar, a modified Gibson SG, was equipped with unique pickups and wiring to allow multiple tonal variations, including brighter, more piercing tones.

4. Finger Vibrato and Picking Technique: His expressive finger vibrato and light picking added to the “chirpy” character, accentuating the tremolo’s rhythmic pulse.

5. Steel Picks: Cipollina often used steel picks, which contributed to the sharp, chiming attack of his notes.

This combination of gear and technique gave Cipollina his instantly recognizable, psychedelic tone that defined Happy Trails.

I presented the same prompt to perplexity.ai and was not disappointed:

John Cipollina achieved the chirpy, tremolo-heavy electric guitar sound on the Happy Trails album through a distinctive combination of custom equipment and playing technique. He used Gibson SG guitars wired uniquely with two pickups: one for bass frequencies fed into two Standel solid-state bass amps with 15-inch speakers, and the other for treble frequencies fed into two Fender tube amps (a Twin Reverb and a modified Dual Showman driving six Wurlitzer horns). This setup created a symbiotic blend of low-end crunch and sharp, spiky cleans simultaneously.

Cipollina’s playing incorporated heavy use of tremolo and vibrato effects, notably using a Bigsby B5 vibrato tailpiece that he manipulated continuously to produce warbling, reverb-like sounds. He utilized fingerpicking techniques developed from classical and blues influences, often wearing custom-shaped plastic picks. Distortion, feedback, echo, slide effects, whammy bar vibrato, and tremolo effects were hallmarks of his style, giving the guitar lines a chirpy, psychedelic texture. He also used effects pedals like Vox wah pedals and a Gibson Maestro fuzz to further shape his tone.

This unique rig and technique are showcased prominently on the live version of “Who Do You Love” on the Happy Trails album, which spans almost the entire first side and features nearly every guitar effect known at the time, delivering the iconic sound Cipollina is remembered for[1][7][8][5].

In summary, the chirpy, tremolo-heavy sound was achieved by Cipollina using:

- His Gibson SG wired with bass and treble pickups split to separate amps (Standel bass amps and Fender tube amps)

- A custom amplifier stack mixing solid-state and tube amplification

- Use of Bigsby vibrato to produce warbling tremolo effects

- Fingerpicking technique combined with whammy bar vibrato and multiple effects pedals (wah, fuzz, echo)

- Driving Fender amps to power Wurlitzer horns for additional tonal richness and distortion

This blend of gear and technique created the distinctive electric guitar sound on Happy Trails.

Sources

[1] John Cipollina - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cipollina

[2] Wow, heavy man! John Cippolina’s rig : r/Guitar - Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/Guitar/comments/n4k1x/wow_heavy_man_john_cippolinas_rig/

[3] JOHN CIPOLLINA of QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE and ... https://www.reddit.com/r/psychedelicrock/comments/18k9b75/john_cipollina_of_quicksilver_messenger_service/

[4] For all you weird rig fans, here’s John Cipollina’s rig : r/GuitarAmps https://www.reddit.com/r/GuitarAmps/comments/xrbn7o/for_all_you_weird_rig_fans_heres_john_cipollinas/

[5] Quicksilver Messenger Service - John Cipollina http://www.johncipollina.com/quicksilver.htm

[6] Hear lead guitarist John Cipollina’s unique rig in action - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/guitarplayermag/posts/hear-lead-guitarist-john-cipollinas-unique-rig-in-action/10160236512331063/

[7] Happy Trails: John Cipollina’s Guitar Rig + Technique Analysis http://doyouevenpsychedelic.blogspot.com/2014/10/happy-trails-john-cipollinas-guitar-rig.html

[8] Happy Trails: John Cipollina’s Guitar Rig + Technique Analysis http://doyouevenpsychedelic.blogspot.com/2014/08/happy-trails-john-cipollinas-guitar-rig.html

[9] John Cipollina’s guitar sound and career - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/johneinarsonremembers/posts/2598423713825767/

[10] JOHN CIPOLLINA - Karl Straub Guitar http://karlstraubguitar.blogspot.com/2009/02/john-cipollina.html

I followed up with another prompt to perplexity.ai:

Was Barry Melton’s guitar style influenced by John Cipollina, and did he make similar equipment modifications?

Barry Melton’s guitar style was influenced but distinct from John Cipollina’s. While Barry Melton played alongside Cipollina in the band the Dinosaurs for about 10 years, he explicitly stated that he did not sound like Cipollina. Melton acknowledged the influence of a “Frisco lick” associated with Cipollina, such as bending the high E string up to a squealing double-octave E—a technique that Cipollina commonly used on his Gibson SG guitar. However, Melton emphasized that each guitarist, including himself and Cipollina, developed very unique and individual sounds.

Regarding equipment modifications, Cipollina was known for distinctive guitar setups, including heavily modified Gibson SG guitars and a one-of-a-kind amplifier stack, which contributed to his signature tone. Melton mentioned playing with modified Fender Princeton and Mesa-Boogie amps but did not note directly copying Cipollina’s gear modifications. Instead, each guitarist sought their unique sound partly through folk influences and personal passion for innovation in tone.

In summary, while Barry Melton was aware of and influenced by Cipollina’s style and incorporation of specific techniques, their guitar sounds and equipment modifications were personal and distinctive rather than directly imitative or duplicated [5][1][2].

Sources

[1] John Cipollina - An Appreciation - Shadaux http://www.shadaux.com/cipollina/

[2] John Cipollina’s guitar sound and career - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/johneinarsonremembers/posts/2598423713825767/

[3] SMART ASS: John Cipollina - Joel Selvin https://www.joelselvin.com/cipollina121010.html

[4] Quicksilver Messenger Service - Toppermost https://www.toppermost.co.uk/quicksilver-messenger-service/

[5] Barry Melton - Vintage Guitar® magazine https://www.vintageguitar.com/2975/barry-melton/

[6] John Cipollina - The Fat Angel Sings https://thefatangelsings.com/tag/john-cipollina/

[7] Barry Melton , aka Barry “The Fish”, co-founder of Country Joe and ... https://www.reddit.com/r/psychedelicrock/comments/1cesxyc/barry_melton_aka_barry_the_fish_cofounder_of/

[8] She Put the Whammy on Me, Pt. 2 - Premier Guitar https://www.premierguitar.com/she-put-the-whammy-on-me-pt-2

[9] John Cipollina - Guitar, Vocals Barry “The Fish” Melton - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/710741457862907/posts/739387731664946/

[10] [PDF] ZAB Staff Report Template - The City of Berkeley https://berkeleyca.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2024-12-05_LPC_Item%206_2500%20San%20Pablo_Combined%20Staff%20Report.pdf

If you’re still reading, please email me at alan@grahamcreativegroup.com and tell me who your favorite rock guitarist is.

“Laka” Recordings

• Sly & The Family Stone (some original and live versions): The earliest studio versions and many live recordings feature the chant as “boom-laka-laka-laka” (sometimes spelled with ‘laka’) .

• Authentic funk and soul covers: Artists aiming to closely mirror the 1969 original tend to use “laka” .

“Shaka” Recordings

• Sly & The Family Stone (some official and remastered releases): Certain well-known releases, possibly remastered or with alternate arrangements, use “boom-shaka-laka-laka” as evidenced by official lyrics and audio .

• Ike & Tina Turner (cover): The iconic cover by Ike & Tina Turner uses “boom-shaka-laka-laka” .

• Many later pop culture references and covers: Various artists, live performances, and adaptations—especially in the 70s and beyond—adapt the chant as “shaka” .

Summary Table

THIS ARTICLE IS A SPOOF (see if you can detect the spoofery!)

This just in: the global “Boom-Laka-Laka-Laka vs. Boom-Shaka-Laka-Laka” debate has reached historic proportions! Music fans everywhere are divided as nations squabble over this critical syllabic difference—because nothing matters more than which nonsense word is correct at Woodstock.

### The Original Funk Council

In Funk Parliament, Sly & The Family Stone strolled in with their classic “boom-laka-laka-laka”—a phrase so funky, it’s believed to power disco balls worldwide[2]. Every time someone says “laka,” another platform shoe gets its groove[9]. But beware! True funk scholars claim using “shaka” in a Sly context is a criminal offense punishable by involuntary bell-bottom wear[2].

### The Cover Revolution

Enter Tina Turner: armed with electrifying legs and a microphone, she shimmied onto the scene singing “boom-shaka-laka-laka.” Purists fainted in horror as “shaka” began appearing everywhere—from NBA Jam dunk contests to planetary celebrations of ‘Boom Shakalaka Day’[5][10]. Young music fans worldwide began to chant indiscriminately—some at concerts, others at sporting events, and many while waiting in line for coffee[5][6].

### The Pop-Cultural Apocalypse

No one was safe. Bill Murray chanted “boom-shaka-laka-laka” in _Stripes_, cementing the phrase as the ultimate signal to drop whatever you’re doing and break into dance[7]. Linguists, anthropologists, and party planners now gather annually to debate the merits of each chant, unable to agree on which one opens more interdimensional portals to funk[2].

Thus, as we contemplate the future, remember: one man’s “laka” is another’s “shaka.” Only by uniting both sides can the groove truly take us higher[2][5][9][10].

Sources

[1] Boom Shaka - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boom_Shaka

[2] Chakalaka. - languagehat.com https://languagehat.com/chakalaka/

[3] Where Did The Saying Boom Shakalaka Come from | TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/discover/where-did-the-saying-boom-shakalaka-come-from

[4] BOOM Shaka-laka-laka! | Timeless - Library of Congress Blogs https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2015/03/boom-shaka-laka-laka/

[5] boomshakalaka Meaning & Origin | Slang by Dictionary.com https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/boomshakalaka/

[6] #Boomshakalaka” - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/shaggypalms/videos/boomshakalaka-a-phrase-with-various-originsmany-believe-it-is-derived-from-sly-a/173566352259047/

[7] What is the etymology of “Boom-shaka-laka”? : r/AskReddit https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/qd21g/what_is_the_etymology_of_boomshakalaka/

[8] Why did we used to say boom shakalaka? - Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/237225786368449/posts/8952497288174545/

[9] Sly and the Family Stone I Want to Take You Higher with Lyrics in ...

[10] I Want To Take You Higher - song and lyrics by Ike & Tina Turner ...

Fuzzy Wuzzy Bugaboo
found a cell phone in his shoe
made a call to Air Force One
launched a missile at the sun

Watched the sparks begin to fly
Told reporters he’d been high
never found a place to land
found a cell phone in his hand

Made a call to Air Force Two
told them he was Vlady-Poo
said he had a deal to broker
put the phone back in his shoe

Magnolia blooms open,
whiteness echoed in puffs of cloud;
daytime slice of moon.

He was utterly fearless when it came to attacking the vacuum cleaner.

But it wasn’t until this morning, twelve years after poor Vito’s demise (may he rest in peace, or at least not be reincarnated as a vacuum cleaner salesman), that I realized how profoundly he influenced me.

When Maggy asked me to vacuum the house before our dinner guest arrives, I said “Sure!” But my immediate thought was “over my dead body.”

When I told Maggy this story, she not only insisted that I push past my vacuum reluctance.

She asked me not to bark at the machine.

I’m going to try.

Tell us one memorable thing about you.
I am a poet. 
How can the staff help you?
Get me home.

And you, as a poet… 
is it safe to talk about this here?
You want precision. You want control.
You really don’t want to fall on your knees 
and hear the angel voices.

No, that’s the last voice I would trust.
I'm only sure of the sun and my landmarks.
I’m going to anchor that sun 
in a corner of my sky 
so I never have to search for it. 

The sun should be a permanent fixture in anyone's sky. 
I don’t know why this is never mentioned.
If you’re afraid of losing the sun, 
you won’t leave the solar system, 
and that means missing out 
on all the best theme parks.

Look, you've tracked stardust
into the house.
The mop didn't help.
We're surrounded by buckets of light.
It's going to end up everyplace.

Soon, not a single dark corner
will remain.

Look, the sizzle and snap
has come indoors.
The irreverent sunlight
has come indoors now,
and there's nowhere to hide.

They left holes in the sky, 
promising to replace the stars later, and later
they had to make sure nobody was around who
remembered the stars as they were 

because new ones had to be made in haste,
which looked nothing at all like the originals, 
just tinfoil stars pinned to a black curtain, 
just sparks stirred from a dying fire.

What if the world went away for a second 
and your friends weren’t afraid? 
Would you make bodies for them from the stardust?
Would you take pity on the begging spirits
clamoring for bodies to hide in?

Would you reconstruct the past from 
what you know of history 
to bring back the playing field, 
bring back the games? 

Would you bring back the tragedies 
as lessons to learn?
Would you know which tragedies were 
trumped up to set wheels in motion, 

set men in motion marching in lockstep?
Would you stuff those false memories in a trunk, 
throw them on the fire, or 
parade them on the stage?

What if you suddenly knew 
you could vault mountains, 
would you rush off in search of mountains? 

And what if the world couldn’t hold you, 
you were no longer a creature of gravity?
If the secret were out and you knew it all,
Would you tell me?

There was a young hat from Manhattan
That felt like it always got sat in.
That scarcely was odd,
Since that was its job,
But there was already a cat in
it.

Our poverty is so profound
we look around and can't find 
anything we've made.

But every flash of brilliance
left a trace, until traces became
great heaps and clouds of color.

We built romantic fortresses
against those who did not believe.

And here we are again, disputing
the role of creator and whether
such an individual ever existed.

Talk to me about important stuff.
We've come too far to deny who we are. 

All we need now is a viewpoint 
that spreads outward to the horizons,
clearing obstacles, painting the day.

Do we come gifted into the world?
If we shed our baggage, is anything left?

Use your gifts generously, not wisely.
Spread your light as far as it will reach.

Strike a balance between 
brilliance and shade.

I come bearing gifts, but the best gift
is a new page.

The most important target
is the one not yet attained.

Invent the day.
Trade up by giving things away.

Then make up little soft boxes of light,
my gifts to those who allow me to give,

who make my life meaningful
by finding meaning in my gifts.

Who do you know that needs an editor?

Hey guys,

I’m looking for freelance assignments as a writer or editor. I’m fast, accurate, and easy to work with. Please send me contact info of any prospects.

Best, Alan

For me, the “wow” factor of these gimmicks has worn off. I want to hear from a person. I want to feel what they feel.

Is this true for you as well?

Today’s content creator must:

1. Be genuine in your affinity. Be recognizable as you.

2. When real affinity reaches you, cherish it. Reward the sender. Smile.

The shadows wait for you,
and you slip gracefully through.
You’re so slinky that other girls
mimic your moves.

They shift and shimmy
within their outlines,
trying on poses
to find their groove.

Slinky, you find doors
that didn’t exist,
unrolling the world as you go,
and the wind brings gossip to you.

Echoes of your laugh
lilt and linger
in the corridors of power
and promises start to come true.

Ibis in the twilight

They connect me to the world,
These ibis out my window
shining white in the twilight.

Shades of innocence, the undisturbed, 
the pouting wonderment, 
the bruised and battered innocence.
The rose tint of flower power 
lending color to the intervening haze, 

A smog intermingled with 
twining curling snakes of 
hashish smoke, flower tops, 
the corners of a mouth 
turned up in an ironic smile.

We blew out our heritage,
Replaced it with an uneasy vacancy:
A seductive set of values, introduced
by a grinning shrink from Harvard
with his new book of the dead.

Timothy Leary persuaded me that all my role models were phony and American society was worthless. “Dropping out” was the answer, and I could do that by hitting a disconnect switch in my own mind.

His breakthrough technology was “ego death,” which meant simulating body death with drugs and taking a spiritual journey formerly reserved for people who had actually died. It involved a series of elaborate hallucinations, suggested by the words of his “guidebook,” a loose interpretation of the Tibetan Book of the Dead.

The goal was abandonment of your former life and everything you had cherished.

It was a CIA operation.

My Daddy was a Texan.

So was I, but it didn’t take. The Air Force uprooted Daddy, Mother, Marthalyn, Marilyn, and me, from the dust of San Antonio round about 1954.

If you protest that San Antonio isn’t known for being dusty, I guess you’re not a three-year-old.

Mostly I remember heat, dust, horny toads, lots of open space, and a floor furnace that branded the soles of my feet with a checkerboard pattern that stayed with me for a couple of years.

I never knowingly put down roots until we reached Japan. Two and a half years in Japan naturalized me, you might say. I had found my natural home.

So, of course, the Air Force uprooted me again.

I have portable roots now. All the South gave me was a second-person plural pronoun—which nobody can truly function without, but everyone tries, with doubtful results.

My pronoun is “y’all.”

My more alert readers will be asking what this has to do with bandwidth.

In a word: everything.

“Bandwidth” is defined as “that which nobody has enough of to take on one more effing problem.”

Being fluent in Texan, I can say that y’all probably don’t have enough problems, so I’m going to spread the wealth. Just like anybody can do, if they have the gumption* to set up a Substack account.

My wealth is problems, and y’all are my bandwidth.

* gumption: To put it plainly for non-Texans (or anyone unfamiliar with the term): If you tackle problems head-on, show common sense, and don’t give up easily, you have gumption. Synonyms include initiative, spunk, moxie, grit, and get-up-and-go.

It’s a pun on “nanoparticles,” which some say are little injectable tracking devices, each one a miniature replica of Bill Gates, dispatched to navigate the blood-brain barrier and connect you to the cloud.

Oops, I dropped the body!
A copy of me was saved in the cloud.
But how will I know
the copy was faithful?

Ah well, no matter!
you can always come back
as a virtual Hatter.
You can be anything at will,
or nothing if it suits you better.

But whose will?

In a perfect world,
as long as your helmet is charged,
you’re the boss of me,
the boss of you,
the boss of God.

If you don’t like the North Star,
You can move it.
Take that, you stupid piece of light!

Make no mistake about it,
You can make any mistake you like.
Nothing is ever tragic.
Wait, do you see this spike?

Is that the spike before the flatline?
Try our handy mind eraser.
It’s basically nanny particles
With a brandy chaser.

We’re all in it together.
We’re all out of it together.
We’re all laid out on the floor together.

We’re petals of a flower,
Arms of a starfish,
Ink of a squadron of squid.

Ink is cheap, but life is cheaper.
Tell me where to meet my reaper,
Father confessor in a chat room.

I hope there’s chocolate
In my virtual tomb.

OR a lifetime get the ID and live with your decision.

https://www.chooseliberty.org/stop-the-real-id-mandate/

Love is your footprint on my shore,
a half-remembered snatch of rhyme,
the shadow of a passing cloud
and your heart close to mine.

Love is daybreak on a hill
where poppies burst in orange flame,
the footsteps of a skipping child
in some lighthearted game.

Love is the canvas overreached,
the colors splashed on floor and wall,
the art our masters could not teach
who knew it least of all.

Love is life in life’s embrace,
a path that takes us home,
the recognition of our place,
the gift of being known.