Saturday, April 10, 2004
11:08 AM
The place the music died.
Clear Lake, Iowa, the site of The Surf Ballroom and the Buddy Holly plane crash February 3, 1959.

My dad was only 6-years-old the day the music died, so I have no idea what it felt like that February day. All I know is what I've read, Don McLean's song American Pie, the movie La Bamba, and any TV specials. But still I felt compelled to visit the crash site where four men perished some 45 years ago, the three musicians and their pilot.

The silver records and guitar were made by a fan. (I will include his name and more details about his work when I get back home. I have a small write-up about him.) The records each show each artists' record label and a hit song of theirs - Donna from Richie Vallens, Peggie Sue by The Big Bopper and Chantilly Lace by Buddy Holly.

The site is about 600 yards from the nearest road and is gotten to by walking along a fence and through a vast cornfield. Pennies, personal writings from fans, pictures, cigarette butts and beer cans, among other things, lie below the flowers. From a distance all you see is nothingness, with a few farm houses almost miles away. Certainly when the corn's fully grown in, the crash site takes on whole different look and creates a seemingly numbing feeling hidden inside the tall green stalks.

The Surf is where the trio played just before their plane crashed. Clear Lake is a small town maybe 45 miles from the Minnesota border, located in North Central Iowa. The ballroom is huge with another small room adjacent to it. On the night I visited there was another 3-man band playing the small room. Fans numbered about 20 by the time I got there after my show. My show was just across the parking lot in Lu's Lounge, aptly located on Buddy Holly Place. Many of the great musicians of my time and those of my grandfather's and those in between have played The Surf. Their pictures line the walls as do the pictures of the articles about the tragic accident.

Check back for more pics and more info soon.

Friday, April 09, 2004
1:47 PM
The Field of Dreams movie site, Dyersville, Iowa

I had hoped the smaller pics would appear side-by-side but obviously no such luck. The guys in the top picture were from Bettendorf, Iowa, about 90 minutes from The Field of Dreams. They let me shag some balls and even hit a few around. I felt kinda bad when I broke their wooden bat on my last hit, though. It was a cold day and it hurt like hell.

The next pic is of the fileld from the right behind home plate, almost as if I was the catcher. Surely it's a better shot in mid-summer when the corn's at its height. The other shot is on the wooden stands where Kevin Costner (Ray Kinsella) wrote "Ray loves Annie" as seen in the movie. It wasn't in the script either. Costner was simply doing it to kill time in between shots.

That's me hitting lefty. I'm a right-handed batter, but switched over to get a shot with the house in the background. Good swing though, no? Great arm extension and follow-through. My footwork was a little suspect - need to shift my weight from my back leg onto my front - but I'm not trying out for any Major League time at this point in my illustrious comedy career. Not turning down any invites or movie roles, though. Thanks to Big Luke for capturing a great shot.