If you lived in the Bay Area in the '80s or '90s you probably remember the piss-poor music rag BAM (Bay Area Music.) And if you remember BAM it is likely that you remember a small classified ad that ran in the back of every issue, an ad with a photo of a wizened Asian man with long hair and the word "LELAND" in large print above his head. No other information was given, just a vague reminder of Leland's existence. I was pretty shocked to find out that Leland had been making albums since 1976 and they ain't bad. Here's his first, titled This Is My World. Leland's vocal delivery is pretty unique, it's hard not to really like the dude after hearing this. Clearly he was one of those weird musical eccentrics who exist in every city, the ones who've been financing their own heavy trip for decades, so sure that soon the big break will come, the ones who wear capes every day whether they're rocking or just going to cash that SSI check, the ones who take out uninformative classified ads in corny local rock mags. God bless 'em all, God bless Leland!
16 comments:
Killer style. I wanna hear this. I dont know about the dude with the gun though. If this was my first time here I might just click some where else.
Oh, Hippies.
I remember Leland from those BAM ads and I just remember being totally at a loss as to what to do with that information. I always thought it was a joke but I can hear from this that Leland was not fucking around!
Thanks Aesop!
sorry about your computer hassles. Hope you can overcome without too much bloodshed.
gun picture is a'ight though - I'm sure Meir Kahane would be proud of you!
Who let you hold their fucking gun? hahaha! You look thrilling, in the original sense of the word.
I met Leland. He came up to me after a show, don't remember which band, don't remember which venue. He chatted to me, very straightforward, almost banal, gave me a tape. I listened to the tape, liked it, but didn't want to call him. Always felt bad for not calling and telling him I liked the tape.
Ha. Of course you get to meet Leland, Janis. Do you still have the tape? I wonder if those BAM ads were meant just for you.
Dearest Aesop,
As you played drums on one of my all-time favorite LPs, I want to cut you some slack here... but seriously, who taught you to hold a gun like that???
And since you are anonymous and so full of flattery, I won't kill you.
Speaking of full time cape wearers, I am reminded of a guy that used to attend all the really big (i.e. Cow Palace, etc) concerts in the bay area wearing pelts and wailing at the top of his lungs. He was always alone and I wondered how he got to and from the events. I never saw him get into a vehicle, and he wouldn't have lasted on the 9 San Bruno
I found a copy of Leland's LP about 12 years ago at Open Mind, in the cutout bin. Kinda reminds me of Chrome at times, but that may be mental association. Funny banter at the end from Dirk Dirksen, asking him why he does it anyway. A fun LP.
Remember kids, always load your gun before pointing it at someone, even a cameraman.
Coming back here to comment. This guy is pretty amazing. Thank you.
In case you're wondering what ever happened to good ol' Leland, he's given up his honest music career and is now in a very shady business.
http://dist08.casen.govoffice.com/
Your Leland record is totally different than mine. It only has 2 of the same songs...
Is he not wearing any pants on that album cover?
Hi, Anonymous here. As you can see, I'm a fairly big fan, despite my obvious bipolar disorder and varying level of English comprehension.
Anyways, this is pretty great. I've found very little info on him (except for the fact that his last name is Yoshitsu, not Lee, and he appears to still be a cape-wearer).
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