The Great White Wonder Bootleg Adventure - Los Angeles 1969
"I got a call from a guy I'd known for a while. His name was Dub and he was a record collector and he knew that I had been around the rock and roll scene. He wanted to know if I wanted to make some money. Dub said that he'd already talked to my friends Dennis and Arnold. (Dennis was on his way to becoming a doctor and Arnold's father was the Dinette King Of Houston) We picked up a van load of the great White Wonder Dylan boots and hit the road up the California coast."
"Dub had contacted all the record stores from LA to Berkeley and we hit everyone of them. All three of us were wrecked on weed and LSD. I sat in the back and drew on the blank, white record covers. I don't remember what I drew nor how much we sold them for nor how much we made nor anything of our final stop-UCB."
"In the 70s I became pals with The Big D hisself after producing a live show from Colorado titled "Hard Rain." I told him this story and of my complicity in it. He thought it was hilarious, but more interesting was his take on the Great White Wonder-"Why would anybody listen to that crap record?"
The above, verbatim, is the story pried out of Hudson Marquez, one of my personal heroes. Many of you will know the "legitimate" accomplishments of Mr. Marquez, including his involvement in creating the famous "Cadillac Ranch" (one of the best known site specific art installation sculptures in the United States) and his later artwork (Hudson Marquez is currently represented by the La Luz Gallery in Los Angeles.) Thanks for the story Mr. Marquez!
A fabulous, essential, hilarious interview with Hudson Marquez is HERE
The work in his La Luz De Jesus Gallery show, along with more information is HERE.
Essential reading on Cadilac Ranch is HERE
For those of you who may not know of the Great White Wonder, it was the first modern day bootleg record, and included the tracks below:
A1. Candy Man = MINNESOTA TAPES 22 Dec. 1961 A2. Ramblin' 'Round = MINNESOTA TAPES May 1961 A3. Black Cross = MINNESOTA TAPES 22 Dec. 1961 A4. I Ain't Got No Home In This World Anymore = MINNESOTA TAPES 22 Dec. 1961 A5. The Death Of Emmett Till Broadside Show, WBAI FM, NYC May 1962 A6. Poor Lazarus = MINNESOTA TAPES 22 Dec. 1961 B1. Bob Dylan's New Orleans Rag TIMES ... CHANGIN' sessions, Columbia studios, NYC, uncomplete Aug. 1963 B2. If You Gotta Go, Go Now = BOOTLEG SERIES Vol. 2 15 Jan. 1965 B3. Sitting On A Barbed Wire Fence = BOOTLEG SERIES Vol. 2 15 June 1965 B4. Only A Hobo = BOOTLEG SERIES Vol. 1 12 Aug. 1963 B5. Quinn The Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn) = GENUINE BASEMENT TAPES Vol. 2 \#1 B6. This Wheel's On Fire = GENUINE BASEMENT TAPES Vol. 3 Apr.--Oct. 1967 C1. I Shall Be Released = GENUINE BASEMENT TAPES Vol. 3 Apr.--Oct. 1967 C2. Open The Door, Homer = GENUINE BASEMENT TAPES Vol. 2 \#1 C3. Too Much Of Nothing = GENUINE BASEMENT TAPES Vol. 2 \#2 C4. Nothing Was Delivered = GENUINE BASEMENT TAPES Vol. 2 \#1 C5. Tears Of Rage = GENUINE BASEMENT TAPES Vol. 2 \#1 C6. Living The Blues Johnny Cash show, Nashville 1 May 1969 D1. Baby Please Don't Go = MINNESOTA TAPES 22 Dec. 1961 D2. Dink's Song = MINNESOTA TAPES 22 Dec. 1961 D3. See That My Grave Is Kept Clean = MINNESOTA TAPES 22 Dec. 1961 D4. East Orange, N.J. = MINNESOTA TAPES 22 Dec. 1961 D5. Man Of Constant Sorrow = MINNESOTA TAPES May 1961
I have personally seen numerous copies of the white label release of Great White Wonder LP with hand-drawn covers, but have no way of knowing today if any of them were embellished by Hudson Marquez. Feel free to scan and forward any you think possibly be from his original trip!
Books by Jim Linderman (and $5.99 ebooks) are available HERE
