I happened upon this channel last night and I binged it all! I have always wondered about Laurel Canyon and you brought it to me and just blew me away. You are fantastic and should be HUGE. Excellent narration and fantastic filming. Thank you
I was going to be so mad if you ended this series here. I’ve really enjoyed this as someone who has fallen into the laurel canyon obsession. There’s so much to explore here and it’s such a great escape to jump into. Keep the content coming!
I love Laurel Canyon still. It seems that after the Tate, Labianca murders Charles Manson and the family, everything changed. It was just not weed anymore it was Cocaine which as David Crosby put it and I am paraphrasing Mr. Crosby, It was like it starts out with flowers and sunshine and then you're driving over the cliff. We saw the end of the innocent years. I was living in Laguna about this time and I can remember that same innocence where no doors were locked and peace and love really was ruler of our days and nights ended. I think it began with the Cocaine. I distinctly remember these times. I lived through it though no fault of my own.
Unfortunately, theres only so much content from Laurel Canyon..And sadly, nothing like that will ever be, as writing music will never happen like that..Just look at what 2024 music is..there are no small areas of people living and writing music together without any cell phones or social media distractions..just like this YT channel I'm commenting on..
Now that the Laurel Canyon series is wrapped, how about a look at Topanga Canyon? Lots of music legends lived there too, with plenty of stories. Several 60s-70s artists lived in Laurel *and* in Topanga, at different times. If you ever do a video on Topanga, it's worth mentioning one of the greatest-yet-overlooked L.A. bands - *SPIRIT*. @@memoryfield
I moved to Laurel Canyon a few months ago and this series has been really interesting since I drive past many of these places daily. Cheers for the history!
Adding that Christina Applegate the one who played Susan Lanius actually lived on Wonderland at the time of the murders. She remembers seeing the bloody mattresses on the curb for garbage pickup. Just thought I would add that also the pictures of the murder scenes one was a picture of the Amityville murders ( I THINK THATS WHERE) i just know only one isnt from Wonderland. Other than that this was a great video!
Fabulous videos, really fascinating. Thanks so much 👍Love the shirt too- I was lucky enough to see Page in action with Zeppelin in 1979 as a stoned 16 year old kid.
Billy, I have binge watched this entire series today. Couldn’t stop watching. A nice slice of SO CAL history, told with facts, heart and humor. Thanks again.
Haha, time for a good long nap then, right? That's about 8 hours of watching, I think. Thanks for taking the journey with us and glad you enjoyed all of it!
Thank you. This was incredible. In depth and connected extraordinarily well.. My uncle was the principal of a very large high school in the valley. He would say, it was like the United States had been shaken hard from the East Coast and didn't stop shaking until all the nuts and crazies from every where had fallen into California. Great work.
I have been reading about these events recently, such a sordid tale really, makes me happy to have a boring plebeian life. Here in NZ we have a nasty undercurrent of meth and all the other things that come with it...and like you quite rightly said there are drugs and then there are drugs. Horrible story. But as usual you told it so well. Sad to see the tents of homeless people. I hope you continue to do more stories for UA-cam, you are a good story teller. All the best for 2022.
Thanks Joanne! Happy New Year to you! Yes, Hollywood itself has taken a turn for the worst in these recent years. You were actually seeing the somewhat "cleaner" areas. Underneath the freeway overpasses are just outrageous and I stayed away from them because I didn't even want to get near any of that!
@@memoryfield Yeah, I've seen some clips on the homelessness in LA and various other parts of the US. We have the same problems here, I think it's pretty much an issue in Western countries. There's lots of money in the world but in the hands of the few, certainly the case here and no doubt chez toi as well. A sad indictment on western democracy.
@@joannehughes5249 It's amazing the huge populations of homelessness in the US. Literally 10s of thousands in every city. Tent cities. Its almost as tho its a normal way for many people to live. I don't see of it getting better. Sorry to here its also in NZ
Yeah, it's a sad indictment on the human race...I just find it hard to fathom the vast wealth of some and the abject poverty of others. It isn't fair really....I don't know if it's the same in the US but here in NZ we have the working poor, those whose wages can't keep up with inflation and tone deaf politicians who are so far removed from the reality of a great many NZers struggling to get along. It's about time that a more fair and equal division of wealth took place, but I doubt that would ever occur.
Hi, I happened upon your channel last night and had to binge all episodes on Laurel Canyon. As a NY girl I was always interested in this area and these people. Drugs is always the demise. Great series and great story telling!
I watched all the episodes of this series & they are amazing!!!!! Thank you sooo much for that, they were so interesting & informative to learn about all of these people & were they lived... You should have a series about hippie community of San Franscisco area... Happy new year.....
Thanks so much! I've thought about the San Francisco area too, just have to find the time and money to get out there for several days. It's expensive to stay there! Happy New Year to you too. :)
I watched all the episodes too I can't imagine the research you did, thank you so much, I used to work and live out in LA and never visited the Canyon.
Crazy how cramped these canyons are…How close the dwellings are and how narrow the streets are. I live down south and my yard alone is like over an acre and a half. Lots to upkeep sure, but I don’t think I’d enjoy being in such close proximity to all the neighbors. That feels too claustrophobic …Just a thought…Great series!
I watched them all but waited until here to comment...I have to say.. Well done! I know you did a lot of research and investigating..I really enjoyed this series..Thanks✌️
I've enjoyed the series. This is the kind of area I'd gravitate towards; and seeing my fav oldies songs created here is so atmospheric. I keep coming back to Wonderland murder and area seems so peaceful.
Oh, yes it is quite peaceful in some of these areas. Traffic on the main boulevard is quite heavy as its now being used as a cut thru between Hollywood and Studio City. Wonderland Ave. will forever have a really weird kind of a vibe to it though.
Thanks, Ian. Some of these stories end up telling themselves, so it was actually pretty easy. And a lot of fun, too. That was really the whole point. I just went out there to have an adventure and to share some of it with everyone else. That was an awesome summer!
Love your videos because they feed my addiction to Laurel Canyon. I eat up looking at these houses and what may have gone on inside! I wish people would stop tearing down these fascinating houses. Keep up the good work! xo
@@memoryfield Terrible. I live in SC and people are tearing down the most beautiful old southern homes, especially on the coast and building ginormous mansions.
This episode is so well done, you stayed true to the Laurel Canyon series. Then the other stuff, omg. I've watched 7 and 7A, now onto finish 8 part 1, 2, 3. You have explained all of this so well and wow omg.
I used to dance at the Odyssey and then it burned down and everybody was talking about it so nice to know what caused it after all these years. Thanks Billy
Yes!...and I even like your thoughtful commentary on the various situations/people involved. I am a total Hendrix fanatic, and enjoyed seeing him, hanging out with a few of the Canyon superstars!...He really got around, during his brief three years or so, in the spotlight. And for sure, you should do your thing, by visiting the old Haight-Ashbury scene that happened from around 1965, through the early 70s....that area also became an infested drug location, for many sleazy dealers to exploit, after the whole, extended "Summer of Love" crowd had left the area.
Excellent Series, you guyz!! I was actually in L.A. in the late '60's and early '70's? Clarifications you made were essential to nowadays, for all of those who were not around in those days, it was very fun and innocent in those crazy days! I didn't know much about Laurel Cyn or any of the rest of those locales, being a Mudhead from Montana? The closest I got was Santa Monica working at KCRW for awhile before I moved overseas, my original plan after leaving Montana where opportunities were (and still are) very limited! Now, I've been working in West Africa for the past thirty-some years? Thanks much, again!! Cc
Hey Charles, that's cool. We lived in Missoula for about 6 years back in 2000-2007-ish and we loved it there. Wanted to stay but it just wasn't in the cards. Thanks so much for watching and for sharing your comments. What exactly are you doing over there in West Africa?
I still have a few more to go but thank you. I have really enjoyed the Laurel Canyon videos chronicling the beautiful as well as the ugly history of this storied place.
Are we up to that already? Humbling, for sure. I didn't plan for more than about 50 people to ever even see any of this or care that much. I just did these for fun and I was working in California by myself and away from the family for 4 months so I needed a project to keep me from going insane. So I decided to focus on other peoples' insanity and I guess it struck a nerve somehow. Thanks for watching!
Wonderland Ave is a no go for me. I remember that murder, that house has to be haunted. Did you run into the owner? She’s quite mean and crazy to be living there. She knows the history. Thank you Billy, great series on Laurel Canyon ! Whitley Heights is a treasure trove, that could be worth it.
No I didn't, really. It seems like I was hanging out in front of the house for a long time but I really wasn't. I made sure I knew what I wanted to say, did the shot(s) and then moved on as quickly as I could. I tried to do that just about everywhere I went. My goal was never to bother people or creep them out by hanging out in front of their homes for too long. As for that house being haunted, I think you could be right and I would never want to find out.
I've been around that Whitley Heights neighborhood a few times and about all I know about it is that at one point the residents of the area wanted to illegally close off the public streets to anyone who didn't live up there but the courts shot it down.
Been enjoying your series very much. Avoiding this particular episode because of the creepiness. Difficult subject contrasting everything to adore about blissful Laurel Canyon and its more romantic stories of the great renaissance. You do a fine job telling that story well. Plus I enjoy your theme music too 😊
Superb series, you should continue like that. There are two books on mainstream Pop / Rock music that you should not miss and that are very inspiring: Just Kids by Patty Smith (a lady we love on this side of the Atlantic) and Life by Keith Richards😃. Two really, really big topics on how high mainstream works. Do not hesitate to seize them.😚Thank you.
'That kind of thing just doesn't happen here.' How many times have we heard this on any 'real crime' documentary you care to name? Unlike most, what the legal profession refers to as 'justice' never came in this grisly incident. Unfortunately, the cases just keep coming. Great work again, Billy. You're certainly no shirker, dealing equanimously with the harsh realities and the 'dream' that was once there. And judging by the attitudes of many residents, it still is.
Yeah, crazy things happened in that place. Both good and bad. Delightful and horrible all in the same area. It was fun to cover all of this and so much is left out. This series could have easily gone another 10 episodes, but I had to get back to my "real" life and job. LOL.
Thanks, Wendy. Glad to hear that you're enjoying it. And yeah, that John Holmes story is just an absolutely crazy one. Hard to believe that it happened that way out there in that lovely little canyon.
Thanks for this one … I can’t help think back and shudder how close I maybe came in 1974, when I came back to live in Malibu for a summer as it was my childhood home … and at 24 years old working at the Malibu Colony drug store where I came in contact with so many famous stars … and because I was so emotionally needy insecure wanting to fit in … I could have easily fallen into something really bad … but can see now how my world of surfing isaved me … I was attractive and was offered a surfing spot for an ad … but declined because something inside said NO … looking back it could have turned out really bad … who knows? Surfing in the 50-early 60’s was the golden era … a counter culture era … yes there were drugs but not like this! Grateful my dad took us out of Malibu in 1963 for the North Shore Oahu!!! … as I remember I was starting to do some naughty things like breaking into Malibu Colony homes to party with petty theft … WHEW! Oh and when I got caught stealing some makeup in a Santa Monica Woolworths … he threw me into Our Lady of Malibu … he was an atheist 😂
The country store is still in business on Laurel, been cool to see that in your journey. The doors Love Street was written about it. Lots of history there!!
Really enjoyed this series! I was already a fan of the whole scene, but now this series has ended, we need our Laurel Canyon fix! Can anyone recommend any documentaries? I've seen a fair few, but I'd love to see some related to the darker side, as in what Dave Mcgowan discussed in Weird Scenes in the Canyon. Thank you for a great series - very enjoyable to watch and very well delivered! :-)
Glad you enjoyed it! I still have about an hour's worth of unused footage that I'm piecing together right now for some extra outtakes and analysis. There's a new Jim Morrison episode coming up in about 6 hours from right now!
@@memoryfield Oooh that sounds great - I'd love to see the outtakes! Im a huge Jimbo/Doors fan too, so sounds great! I've just finished Robbie Kriegers book 'Set the Night on Fire' - would highly recommend! Many thanks again and will look forward to the upcoming additions! ✌😊
Oh, I've heard that they most definitely know all about it and you have to be careful hanging around in the front or snapping photos unless you want them to come out on the patio and start yelling. I actually did all of this footage a lot faster than it would appear from the video and I made sure to limit my time directly in front of the actual house, lol.
While heroin and cocaine do come from plants, I agree with you. Where and how they can be grown or obtained is irrelevant. It's the effect these drugs have on people that matters. The guys I grew up with, who I'd known since kindergarten, got into coke in high school. Our social group quickly became a scary, unsafe place. I stopped going to our usual Friday/Saturday night beer parties. The arrival of coke in our scene was the end of my presence there. I no longer recognized these people I'd known for years. Fighting and anger became the norm, people ripping each other off to be able score more, or get a bigger share of what they bought. Every where coke and opiates go, destruction of many kinds follows. No one with any sense stays around where these things appear.
An interesting footnote in the history of criminal investigation- The Wonderland Murders is considered to be the first murder case where a crime scene was videotaped- vs the traditional methods of solely using still photos, drawings, and in some cases motion picture filming to document a crime scene.
I agree with you about the drug use. No one smoking dope is going to flip out & get violent. You just want to chill & eat & listen to music, etc. Cocaine, meth, speed are totally different.
Totally 100% agree with that. Excessive alcohol leads to violence as well. When's the last time you heard about two stoners knifing each other in a bar or behind the local meth lab?
I think that the cannabis concern was about the profound sexual freedom and enjoyment users reported in the early studies. Also, the very real threat to Big Pharma profits.
I saw another Vlogger do a video on this place. The owner came out on the balcony and flipped him off. She was not happy about him being there! I guess she was in a better mood when you were there.
Haha, no probably not. I had already been pre-warned and I made sure the coast was clear before I got up close to the place. And I did my thing quickly and got out of there, which is how I handled pretty much every place I visited in the area.
@@livingadreamlife1428 Look up the Norfolk 4.... the apartment the crime happened in IS haunted. People have rented it and have moved out a few days later .
The late David McGowen wrote an unpublished book called ''Inside the Hippie Generation''., an okay read. Years ago , the Doors last album LA Woman had me interested in moving to So. Cal. , but I never did.
The iconic Dusty Springfield lived in the Donas on Dona Therese and sold after leaving her Canadian relationship in 1981. Wonder if she heard about these murders in her neighborhood and said that's it for me...
Yes, I had heard somewhere that she was living in that area for a while. But I certainly hope that there was no one out there who was hoping to kill the wonderful Ms. Dusty Springfield! She was a delightful and talented woman.
The song ‘The Pusher’ is a contemporary take on what you are saying here about there being ‘drugs’ and then there are ‘drugs’ and the difference between the distributors, the dealers ( ok) and the pushers ( not) and the dark and seedy side of the drug world.
I also remember the famous line from the movie Risky Business, when Guido the pimp said to Joel (Tom Cruise): "Let me give you a little advice so you know. In times of economic uncertainty, never ever f*** with another man's livelihood." I think I see a few similarities here with regards to these idiots on Wonderland Ave. who thought it was a great idea to rob the most notorious drug-dealer in the Los Angeles area and then brag to all of their friends that they actually did it.
@@memoryfield cocaine is a helluva drug.....isn’t that how the saying goes? That really does have to be one of the most coked up plans to have ever been hatched. Maybe you could go on and mention Three Dog Night, and the fact that Chuck Negron was meant to be coming by to score, but for some reason never showed up..but, ironically, or intentionally, we’ll never know, a Three Dog Night album is part of the crime scene. I feel so bad for Butterfly Richardson, she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, she was just a kid sleeping on the couch, and her open book and coffee cup are in stark contrast to the brutality of her demise. But there are question marks still hanging in the air about who knew what. Barbara was Dave Lind’s girlfriend, but Lind wasn’t there, nor was Chuck, so, you can’t help but wonder about who knew what at the time, or if word got out that there was going to be trouble. Either way, those who might have known something probably knew they’d meet the same fate if they talked.
Anyone who had half a brain would had to have known that being in that house at that time would have made anyone inside an easy target. Nobody acted smart or with any sense of self-preservation, except for possibly the ones like Lind who knew enough to steer clear of that house after what they had all done and to whom.
I'm for legalization, but even cannabis can lead to some dangerous interactions. There are places in Humboldt county where you do NOT go hiking, camping, etc. There are cannabis cartels, and they are on the same level as those who are behind the cocaine, heroin and other drug trades. But your point still stands, cannabis can and often is grown and used on a small, personal scale and harms no one. Cocaine, heroin, meth and other hard drugs are not known for friendly, small scale production.
Wow very cool place! But them drugs can make the best of people lose direction. Drug dealers are not a true friend! What they like about you is your habit 🙃✨
The next level of all this can take you to See eye ay connections .....why no convictions ,,,Manson also had a free pass in his earlier days .... A book by Tom O'neill - CHAOS , is a well documented story for those open minded ..
Sooner or later, all of it will be razed. LOL. That place seems like it's changing on a daily basis all over back in there. Mega-mansions going up, everything else coming down.
@@memoryfield Appreciate people like you getting footage before it's gone. I was so surprised that so many funky old places still existed on what's probably million dollar land.
Don't forget about our new series that just started too! Vinyl Record reviews. Only 2 episodes so far but many more to come. ua-cam.com/video/ddxnQ2spqHc/v-deo.html
Interesting. Do you think the Wonderland gang didn't know it was Nash's house they were going to hit that night? Good point about the robbery of Nash's money placing him in danger from his suppliers, I'd not thought about that.
For it’s time- The Wonderland case was filmed impeccably by law enforcement. Media was limited , but they went in room to room. It was brutal. Those were some VERY bad people in that house that were victims. Very scary also, are the people that murdered them. Only one accidentally survived I believe she is still alive
I’m so glad that I found your channel. I’ve sent it along to a few people. Excellent stuff! Do you know the official location of what was known as “Burrito Manner”? The place where Chris Hillman lived with Gram for a bit. Cheers!
Actually, no I don't know anything about that place or where it was. It certainly wasn't the one up on Magnolia because that one burned down long before the Burritos ever came into being. Could it have been somewhere else outside of Laurel Canyon(?)
Your excellent miniseries fills in a lot of holes from Dave McGowan's exhaustive work on Laurel Canyon and surrounding area, especially the Wonderland murders. The only thing I would've liked you to have included would be the role Vito Paulekas played in the rise of the hippy movement. It didn't start in San Francisco, as is commonly thought. He and his followers had an interesting connection to Frank Zappa and slummed on his "log cabin" property for a while. The cast of characters in this bizarre place almost defy the imagination. Oh, another thing. You didn't mention anything about the military installation that was at the top of Lookout Mt. at this same time. That has some really serious implications you might consider exploring in a future series. Hint, hint.
Certain topics are never to be discussed, especially on YT, censorship. Plus, it is a dangerous topic to discuss as people fear for their safety as well as their families'. Nothing is new under under the sun 🌞
A lot! And thanks for asking. We have a brand new series that is filming right now and it's a mixture of classic album reviews, starting in the mid-60's up to the present-day (almost), and some historical context about each and every album that we review. From The Beatles and The Stones all the way to Radiohead and The White Stripes.
This whole series has been absolutely amazing wonderful job my freind
What a great story teller you are, sir!
I can’t get enough of your Laurel Canyon videos💙🙏🏻 thank you
I want more
I happened upon this channel last night and I binged it all! I have always wondered about Laurel Canyon and you brought it to me and just blew me away. You are fantastic and should be HUGE. Excellent narration and fantastic filming. Thank you
Awesome! Thank you!
I was going to be so mad if you ended this series here. I’ve really enjoyed this as someone who has fallen into the laurel canyon obsession. There’s so much to explore here and it’s such a great escape to jump into. Keep the content coming!
More to come!
I love Laurel Canyon still. It seems that after the Tate, Labianca murders Charles Manson and the family, everything changed. It was just not weed anymore it was Cocaine which as David Crosby put it and I am paraphrasing Mr. Crosby, It was like it starts out with flowers and sunshine and then you're driving over the cliff. We saw the end of the innocent years. I was living in Laguna about this time and I can remember that same innocence where no doors were locked and peace and love really was ruler of our days and nights ended. I think it began with the Cocaine. I distinctly remember these times. I lived through it though no fault of my own.
Unfortunately, theres only so much content from Laurel Canyon..And sadly, nothing like that will ever be, as writing music will never happen like that..Just look at what 2024 music is..there are no small areas of people living and writing music together without any cell phones or social media distractions..just like this YT channel I'm commenting on..
Now that the Laurel Canyon series is wrapped, how about a look at Topanga Canyon? Lots of music legends lived there too, with plenty of stories. Several 60s-70s artists lived in Laurel *and* in Topanga, at different times. If you ever do a video on Topanga, it's worth mentioning one of the greatest-yet-overlooked L.A. bands - *SPIRIT*. @@memoryfield
All your Videos are absolutely amazing. Thank You So Much. ZoSo 🤘👍✅
Excellent series all around. The good, the bad and the ugly
Thanks for saying so. Everything there wasn't perfect and that's what we were trying to show.
I moved to Laurel Canyon a few months ago and this series has been really interesting since I drive past many of these places daily. Cheers for the history!
Adding that Christina Applegate the one who played Susan Lanius actually lived on Wonderland at the time of the murders. She remembers seeing the bloody mattresses on the curb for garbage pickup. Just thought I would add that also the pictures of the murder scenes one was a picture of the Amityville murders ( I THINK THATS WHERE) i just know only one isnt from Wonderland. Other than that this was a great video!
Fabulous videos, really fascinating. Thanks so much 👍Love the shirt too- I was lucky enough to see Page in action with Zeppelin in 1979 as a stoned 16 year old kid.
So cool! I would have only been 12, LOL. Just a bit too young for that activity but a Zeppelin fan all the same. Thanks for watching!
Excellent content! Appreciate you!
I've read/heard most of these stories before, but your style is compelling.
Well done sir !
Many thanks!
Really great storytelling and thoroughly enjoyable. Thank you for your work. Liked and subscribed.
Awesome, thank you!
I have watched all episodes so far and all I can say is 'Outstanding'!
Well thank you so much for saying that. Glad you found us!
Billy, I have binge watched this entire series today. Couldn’t stop watching. A nice slice of SO CAL history, told with facts, heart and humor. Thanks again.
Haha, time for a good long nap then, right? That's about 8 hours of watching, I think. Thanks for taking the journey with us and glad you enjoyed all of it!
Billy Ray - so proud of you man! Nice stuff!
Hey! I hope some people will be calling you shortly for some references. I'm tryna get outta here, lol.
Thanks for the memories. I enjoyed your videos soooo much❤
What a wonderful series this was. Still luv that old pic of Neil Young with "Kyo the Astrologer". Nicely done.
Thank you. This was incredible. In depth and connected extraordinarily well.. My uncle was the principal of a very large high school in the valley. He would say, it was like the United States had been shaken hard from the East Coast and didn't stop shaking until all the nuts and crazies from every where had fallen into California. Great work.
Thanks for sharing! Great quote, too. We appreciate your comments!
I have been reading about these events recently, such a sordid tale really, makes me happy to have a boring plebeian life. Here in NZ we have a nasty undercurrent of meth and all the other things that come with it...and like you quite rightly said there are drugs and then there are drugs. Horrible story. But as usual you told it so well.
Sad to see the tents of homeless people.
I hope you continue to do more stories for UA-cam, you are a good story teller.
All the best for 2022.
Thanks Joanne! Happy New Year to you! Yes, Hollywood itself has taken a turn for the worst in these recent years. You were actually seeing the somewhat "cleaner" areas. Underneath the freeway overpasses are just outrageous and I stayed away from them because I didn't even want to get near any of that!
@@memoryfield Yeah, I've seen some clips on the homelessness in LA and various other parts of the US. We have the same problems here, I think it's pretty much an issue in Western countries. There's lots of money in the world but in the hands of the few, certainly the case here and no doubt chez toi as well. A sad indictment on western democracy.
@@joannehughes5249 It's amazing the huge populations of homelessness in the US. Literally 10s of thousands in every city. Tent cities. Its almost as tho its a normal way for many people to live. I don't see of it getting better. Sorry to here its also in NZ
Yeah, it's a sad indictment on the human race...I just find it hard to fathom the vast wealth of some and the abject poverty of others. It isn't fair really....I don't know if it's the same in the US but here in NZ we have the working poor, those whose wages can't keep up with inflation and tone deaf politicians who are so far removed from the reality of a great many NZers struggling to get along. It's about time that a more fair and equal division of wealth took place, but I doubt that would ever occur.
They don't allow tent cities in Florida.@@lastnamefirst4035
Hi, I happened upon your channel last night and had to binge all episodes on Laurel Canyon. As a NY girl I was always interested in this area and these people. Drugs is always the demise. Great series and great story telling!
Your videos are Awesome, Thanks
Fine production.
Much appreciated!
I watched all the episodes of this series & they are amazing!!!!! Thank you sooo much for that, they were so interesting & informative to learn about all of these people & were they lived... You should have a series about hippie community of San Franscisco area... Happy new year.....
Thanks so much! I've thought about the San Francisco area too, just have to find the time and money to get out there for several days. It's expensive to stay there! Happy New Year to you too. :)
I watched all the episodes too I can't imagine the research you did, thank you so much, I used to work and live out in LA and never visited the Canyon.
@@davidherringgo same here. Never really think about going there. Bit of a drive 😃
@@memoryfield even the cheap hotels aren't cheap. Or rather there are no cheap hotels
Thank you for this fabulous series. I knew quite a bit on the stories but you have put it all into context. Excellent
Glad you enjoyed it and thank you for the nice comments, Douglas. Please come back anytime and visit us again.
Much appreciated, Douglas. Thank you for watching and commenting.
Crazy how cramped these canyons are…How close the dwellings are and how narrow the streets are. I live down south and my yard alone is like over an acre and a half. Lots to upkeep sure, but I don’t think I’d enjoy being in such close proximity to all the neighbors. That feels too claustrophobic …Just a thought…Great series!
Thank you……. So interesting.
Well done 👍
Well thank you for watching! Much appreciated.
Wow!! Enjoyed the information! I did hear about this, but you sparked my interest!❤
I watched them all but waited until here to comment...I have to say.. Well done! I know you did a lot of research and investigating..I really enjoyed this series..Thanks✌️
Very kind and thank you so much for saying that. Thanks for watching and I hope you will come back when we start our next series!
@@memoryfield You can count on it 👍
I've enjoyed the series. This is the kind of area I'd gravitate towards; and seeing my fav oldies songs created here is so atmospheric.
I keep coming back to Wonderland murder and area seems so peaceful.
Oh, yes it is quite peaceful in some of these areas. Traffic on the main boulevard is quite heavy as its now being used as a cut thru between Hollywood and Studio City. Wonderland Ave. will forever have a really weird kind of a vibe to it though.
Man you know how to tell a story . Love this series keep the channel going ! Regards, Ian
Thanks, Ian. Some of these stories end up telling themselves, so it was actually pretty easy. And a lot of fun, too. That was really the whole point. I just went out there to have an adventure and to share some of it with everyone else. That was an awesome summer!
Love your videos because they feed my addiction to Laurel Canyon. I eat up looking at these houses and what may have gone on inside! I wish people would stop tearing down these fascinating houses. Keep up the good work! xo
Glad we could help out with that! Yep, the older ones are coming down and gigantic mansions are springing up at the tops of the hillsides.
@@memoryfield Terrible. I live in SC and people are tearing down the most beautiful old southern homes, especially on the coast and building ginormous mansions.
@@scarlettohara3947 Very sad to hear that. I think it happens just about everywhere. :(
Heavy story.
This episode is so well done, you stayed true to the Laurel Canyon series. Then the other stuff, omg. I've watched 7 and 7A, now onto finish 8 part 1, 2, 3. You have explained all of this so well and wow omg.
Thanks so much, Patricia. We're glad you're here and happy you're enjoying all of this craziness.
I used to dance at the Odyssey and then it burned down and everybody was talking about it so nice to know what caused it after all these years. Thanks Billy
I've really enjoyed this series, thank you 😊
You’re welcome 😊 Thank you for watching!
I love this series, please keep it going! ☮️
That's the plan! I've got a lot more footage I'm trying to figure out what to do with, lol. :)
Dude....way to go! Excellent!
Glad you liked it!! Thanks for your continued participation. Much appreciated ! :)
Yes!...and I even like your thoughtful commentary on the various situations/people involved. I am a total Hendrix fanatic, and enjoyed seeing him, hanging out with a few of the Canyon superstars!...He really got around, during his brief three years or so, in the spotlight. And for sure, you should do your thing, by visiting the old Haight-Ashbury scene that happened from around 1965, through the early 70s....that area also became an infested drug location, for many sleazy dealers to exploit, after the whole, extended "Summer of Love" crowd had left the area.
OMG more fire for hire. I am just blown away.
I've watch the all the episodes thus far with one more to come.Excellent research and commentary.
I appreciate that! It's been a ton of work, but a lot of fun too. :)
Great series. I'm glad I caught them all. I'll be watching other videos. Great job.
@dutyaccountabilitymedia Agreed, nice reply.
thanks a lot for nostalgic and intelligent dive into memory lane. It was fun to watch it.
Thank you so much and happy to hear that!
Not "fun" but exciting to watch.
thank you for this great video I love watching your videos keep up the hard work......
Thank you! Will do!
Excellent Series, you guyz!! I was actually in L.A. in the late '60's and early '70's? Clarifications you made were essential to nowadays, for all of those who were not around in those days, it was very fun and innocent in those crazy days!
I didn't know much about Laurel Cyn or any of the rest of those locales, being a Mudhead from Montana? The closest I got was Santa Monica working at KCRW for awhile before I moved overseas, my original plan after leaving Montana where opportunities were (and still are) very limited! Now, I've been working in West Africa for the past thirty-some years?
Thanks much, again!! Cc
Hey Charles, that's cool. We lived in Missoula for about 6 years back in 2000-2007-ish and we loved it there. Wanted to stay but it just wasn't in the cards. Thanks so much for watching and for sharing your comments. What exactly are you doing over there in West Africa?
@@memoryfield I was in Australia in 2006-2007 where I was engineering the beginning of the World-Wi
@@memoryfield The World-Wide tramsition to Digital Television!!
This is what I am still doing, only now in West Africa??
Cc
Briliant series and facts and spot on insight! thanks for the whole series..
Our pleasure! Thanks for coming back.
I still have a few more to go but thank you. I have really enjoyed the Laurel Canyon videos chronicling the beautiful as well as the ugly history of this storied place.
Thanks mate. Really enjoyed this series.
Very pleased to hear that!
Very pleased to fear.😮
Thank you for the Hollywood history lesson. Wow what a story 😮
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching!
Love the series. A very interesting shirt for this segment.
It was laundry day, lol. It's been said that Led Zep spent a few days up in Laurel Canyon at parties, while they were on tour in LA.
SO interesting. Glad I found you!
Awesome! Thank you!
GREAT Led Zep shirt !!
Thanks. It was laundry day, LOL. I didn't have a John Holmes shirt to wear, or I most definitely would have. :)
It was an honor bringing your likes to 500 , I wish it could have been 5,000. You're videos are fantastic. As always I was spellbound.
Are we up to that already? Humbling, for sure. I didn't plan for more than about 50 people to ever even see any of this or care that much. I just did these for fun and I was working in California by myself and away from the family for 4 months so I needed a project to keep me from going insane. So I decided to focus on other peoples' insanity and I guess it struck a nerve somehow. Thanks for watching!
Thanks again, Phillip. We appreciate your comments and the 5000 likes.
Have thoroughly enjoyed your series.
You have a Natural charisma for commentary....well done sir.
Thank you kindly! It's also fun to do these, and that's important too, lol.
Really interesting job of putting this together. Great work!
Thank you very much!
Wonderland Ave is a no go for me. I remember that murder, that house has to be haunted. Did you run into the owner? She’s quite mean and crazy to be living there. She knows the history. Thank you Billy, great series on Laurel Canyon ! Whitley Heights is a treasure trove, that could be worth it.
No I didn't, really. It seems like I was hanging out in front of the house for a long time but I really wasn't. I made sure I knew what I wanted to say, did the shot(s) and then moved on as quickly as I could. I tried to do that just about everywhere I went. My goal was never to bother people or creep them out by hanging out in front of their homes for too long. As for that house being haunted, I think you could be right and I would never want to find out.
I've been around that Whitley Heights neighborhood a few times and about all I know about it is that at one point the residents of the area wanted to illegally close off the public streets to anyone who didn't live up there but the courts shot it down.
@@memoryfield So many film stars lived there, quite a history.
The sinister element is always the abundance of power lines and poles.
Or lack of them...been to 3rd World?
Been enjoying your series very much. Avoiding this particular episode because of the creepiness. Difficult subject contrasting everything to adore about blissful Laurel Canyon and its more romantic stories of the great renaissance. You do a fine job telling that story well. Plus I enjoy your theme music too 😊
Superb series, you should continue like that. There are two books on mainstream Pop / Rock music that you should not miss and that are very inspiring: Just Kids by Patty Smith (a lady we love on this side of the Atlantic) and Life by Keith Richards😃. Two really, really big topics on how high mainstream works. Do not hesitate to seize them.😚Thank you.
Thanks for your comments and recommendations! :)
'That kind of thing just doesn't happen here.' How many times have we heard this on any 'real crime' documentary you care to name? Unlike most, what the legal profession refers to as 'justice' never came in this grisly incident. Unfortunately, the cases just keep coming. Great work again, Billy. You're certainly no shirker, dealing equanimously with the harsh realities and the 'dream' that was once there. And judging by the attitudes of many residents, it still is.
Yeah, crazy things happened in that place. Both good and bad. Delightful and horrible all in the same area. It was fun to cover all of this and so much is left out. This series could have easily gone another 10 episodes, but I had to get back to my "real" life and job. LOL.
@@memoryfield what's your "real" job, Billy?
@@lastnamefirst4035 I'm a biologist with the US Forest Service.
@@memoryfield Im impressed. Sounds very interesting and quite a contrast from laurel canyon tours which Ive much enjoyed, thank you
@@lastnamefirst4035 You're very welcome. Thanks for being here!
Damn this is an awesome little series. I had not heard the name John Holmes since the late 1970s early 80s😹
Thanks, Wendy. Glad to hear that you're enjoying it. And yeah, that John Holmes story is just an absolutely crazy one. Hard to believe that it happened that way out there in that lovely little canyon.
Thanks for this one … I can’t help think back and shudder how close I maybe came in 1974, when I came back to live in Malibu for a summer as it was my childhood home … and at 24 years old working at the Malibu Colony drug store where I came in contact with so many famous stars … and because I was so emotionally needy insecure wanting to fit in … I could have easily fallen into something really bad … but can see now how my world of surfing isaved me … I was attractive and was offered a surfing spot for an ad … but declined because something inside said NO … looking back it could have turned out really bad … who knows? Surfing in the 50-early 60’s was the golden era … a counter culture era … yes there were drugs but not like this! Grateful my dad took us out of Malibu in 1963 for the North Shore Oahu!!! … as I remember I was starting to do some naughty things like breaking into Malibu Colony homes to party with petty theft … WHEW! Oh and when I got caught stealing some makeup in a Santa Monica Woolworths … he threw me into Our Lady of Malibu … he was an atheist 😂
Thanks for sharing your personal experiences with us. Glad you were able to make it thru those years and come out for the better on the other end!
Whew! A close call. We all did things in our youth...😮
The country store is still in business on Laurel, been cool to see that in your journey. The doors Love Street was written about it. Lots of history there!!
You mean like right here? LOL. ua-cam.com/video/9AXoThQmAwQ/v-deo.html
Really enjoyed this series! I was already a fan of the whole scene, but now this series has ended, we need our Laurel Canyon fix! Can anyone recommend any documentaries? I've seen a fair few, but I'd love to see some related to the darker side, as in what Dave Mcgowan discussed in Weird Scenes in the Canyon.
Thank you for a great series - very enjoyable to watch and very well delivered! :-)
Glad you enjoyed it! I still have about an hour's worth of unused footage that I'm piecing together right now for some extra outtakes and analysis. There's a new Jim Morrison episode coming up in about 6 hours from right now!
@@memoryfield Oooh that sounds great - I'd love to see the outtakes! Im a huge Jimbo/Doors fan too, so sounds great! I've just finished Robbie Kriegers book 'Set the Night on Fire' - would highly recommend! Many thanks again and will look forward to the upcoming additions! ✌😊
thank you that was excellent...I wonder who lives there now, there is no way they cant know the history of the place.
Oh, I've heard that they most definitely know all about it and you have to be careful hanging around in the front or snapping photos unless you want them to come out on the patio and start yelling. I actually did all of this footage a lot faster than it would appear from the video and I made sure to limit my time directly in front of the actual house, lol.
While heroin and cocaine do come from plants, I agree with you. Where and how they can be grown or obtained is irrelevant. It's the effect these drugs have on people that matters. The guys I grew up with, who I'd known since kindergarten, got into coke in high school. Our social group quickly became a scary, unsafe place. I stopped going to our usual Friday/Saturday night beer parties. The arrival of coke in our scene was the end of my presence there. I no longer recognized these people I'd known for years. Fighting and anger became the norm, people ripping each other off to be able score more, or get a bigger share of what they bought. Every where coke and opiates go, destruction of many kinds follows. No one with any sense stays around where these things appear.
Glad I found your channel greaT STUFF!
Hey, thanks!
An interesting footnote in the history of criminal investigation- The Wonderland Murders is considered to be the first murder case where a crime scene was videotaped- vs the traditional methods of solely using still photos, drawings, and in some cases motion picture filming to document a crime scene.
Who in the HELL would want to live in that house on Wonderland now??? Crazy.
LOL. Good question. I guess you'd have to not be bothered by such things.
Truly wild that by the time the Wonderland movie came out, the raw crime scene police video was available online. A FAFO story if there ever was one.
Quite simply, a terrific job! (Sheesh, I used to live near The Seventh Veil strip club a zillion years ago!)
Yeah, that whole area has just gone to hell hasn't it? Wow.
The "starwood" which Nash owned was a very popular club.
Yep, and I think several LA bands got their start there.
@@memoryfield Van Halen comes to mind.
so theres still one more episode??? hope so, sad to see this brilliant series end.
Yep. I still had a bunch of unused footage and material that I wanted to do something with. :)
I agree with you about the drug use. No one smoking dope is going to flip out & get violent. You just want to chill & eat & listen to music, etc. Cocaine, meth, speed are totally different.
Totally 100% agree with that. Excessive alcohol leads to violence as well. When's the last time you heard about two stoners knifing each other in a bar or behind the local meth lab?
I think that the cannabis concern was about the profound sexual freedom and enjoyment users reported in the early studies. Also, the very real threat to Big Pharma profits.
Only watched a few but fully agree with your take on drugs 'can't grow heroin in your back yard' lol 🙌
Yeah, I've never heard of a heroin tree either. And I work full-time for the US Forest Service, so I probably would know about it, LOL.
@@memoryfield you can grow poppies in your backyard.
The "Swedish Erotica" style soundtrack around the 5 minute mark... I find in extremely "Bad Taste" , which is exactly why I had to watch it twice!
I saw another Vlogger do a video on this place. The owner came out on the balcony and flipped him off. She was not happy about him being there! I guess she was in a better mood when you were there.
Haha, no probably not. I had already been pre-warned and I made sure the coast was clear before I got up close to the place. And I did my thing quickly and got out of there, which is how I handled pretty much every place I visited in the area.
@@memoryfield I’m glad she didn’t cuss you out!
Dawn Schiller was John Holmes young girl friend at the time, she wrote a book ( Surviving John Holmes ) covers this also 👍
Man, how does someone live in a house where something like that occurred? How does someone sleep in a room where that happened?
Good question. I have no answer, lol.
It’s not the dead people that are gonna harm you. It’s the “live” ones you have to worry about.
@@livingadreamlife1428 Look up the Norfolk 4.... the apartment the crime happened in IS haunted.
People have rented it and have moved out a few days later .
There should be zoning considerations/allowances where the unit is demolished and rebuilt w/o city red tape.
No way.
City of the (Fallen) Angels. Court and Spark.
Great song! Stellar album!
The late David McGowen wrote an unpublished book called ''Inside the Hippie Generation''., an okay read. Years ago , the Doors last album LA Woman had me interested in moving to So. Cal. , but I never did.
You probably saved a lot of your life's earnings by not moving there. LOL. :)
The iconic Dusty Springfield lived in the Donas on Dona Therese and sold after leaving her Canadian relationship in 1981. Wonder if she heard about these murders in her neighborhood and said that's it for me...
Yes, I had heard somewhere that she was living in that area for a while. But I certainly hope that there was no one out there who was hoping to kill the wonderful Ms. Dusty Springfield! She was a delightful and talented woman.
Hollywood looks like a bomb went off.
The song ‘The Pusher’ is a contemporary take on what you are saying here about there being ‘drugs’ and then there are ‘drugs’ and the difference between the distributors, the dealers ( ok) and the pushers ( not) and the dark and seedy side of the drug world.
I also remember the famous line from the movie Risky Business, when Guido the pimp said to Joel (Tom Cruise): "Let me give you a little advice so you know. In times of economic uncertainty, never ever f*** with another man's livelihood." I think I see a few similarities here with regards to these idiots on Wonderland Ave. who thought it was a great idea to rob the most notorious drug-dealer in the Los Angeles area and then brag to all of their friends that they actually did it.
@@memoryfield cocaine is a helluva drug.....isn’t that how the saying goes? That really does have to be one of the most coked up plans to have ever been hatched. Maybe you could go on and mention Three Dog Night, and the fact that Chuck Negron was meant to be coming by to score, but for some reason never showed up..but, ironically, or intentionally, we’ll never know, a Three Dog Night album is part of the crime scene. I feel so bad for Butterfly Richardson, she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, she was just a kid sleeping on the couch, and her open book and coffee cup are in stark contrast to the brutality of her demise. But there are question marks still hanging in the air about who knew what. Barbara was Dave Lind’s girlfriend, but Lind wasn’t there, nor was Chuck, so, you can’t help but wonder about who knew what at the time, or if word got out that there was going to be trouble. Either way, those who might have known something probably knew they’d meet the same fate if they talked.
Anyone who had half a brain would had to have known that being in that house at that time would have made anyone inside an easy target. Nobody acted smart or with any sense of self-preservation, except for possibly the ones like Lind who knew enough to steer clear of that house after what they had all done and to whom.
I'm for legalization, but even cannabis can lead to some dangerous interactions. There are places in Humboldt county where you do NOT go hiking, camping, etc. There are cannabis cartels, and they are on the same level as those who are behind the cocaine, heroin and other drug trades. But your point still stands, cannabis can and often is grown and used on a small, personal scale and harms no one. Cocaine, heroin, meth and other hard drugs are not known for friendly, small scale production.
Yep, I think we're in agreement on all of that.
everyone grow and there would be no profit for a weed farmer
Wow very cool place! But them drugs can make the best of people lose direction. Drug dealers are not a true friend! What they like about you is your habit 🙃✨
That whole area looks pretty run down. I imagine coming home at night must be a bit unnerving.
The next level of all this can take you to See eye ay connections .....why no convictions ,,,Manson also had a free pass in his earlier days .... A book by Tom O'neill - CHAOS , is a well documented story for those open minded ..
Surprised that the house wasn't razed
Sooner or later, all of it will be razed. LOL. That place seems like it's changing on a daily basis all over back in there. Mega-mansions going up, everything else coming down.
@@memoryfield Appreciate people like you getting footage before it's gone. I was so surprised that so many funky old places still existed on what's probably million dollar land.
Hasn't it been?
Please don't stop ,Billy Ray, I will go into withdrawal if you do. Have you anymore in the pipeline.
I don't want to see you end up in UA-cam video rehab... Have you seen the new series that just started last week? 😉
Don't forget about our new series that just started too! Vinyl Record reviews. Only 2 episodes so far but many more to come. ua-cam.com/video/ddxnQ2spqHc/v-deo.html
The late John Holmes," Mr.Twelve and half inches ."
11 3/4 according to what Bob Chin told me. I am a painter and met & painted many people from this industry. ua-cam.com/video/32VFFiK2bWM/v-deo.html
Interesting. Do you think the Wonderland gang didn't know it was Nash's house they were going to hit that night? Good point about the robbery of Nash's money placing him in danger from his suppliers, I'd not thought about that.
Harry Balls was one of John Holmes' characters.
yerrrggh...
For it’s time-
The Wonderland case was filmed impeccably by law enforcement.
Media was limited , but they went in room to room.
It was brutal.
Those were some VERY bad people in that house that were victims.
Very scary also, are the people that murdered them.
Only one accidentally survived
I believe she is still alive
I’m so glad that I found your channel. I’ve sent it along to a few people. Excellent stuff! Do you know the official location of what was known as “Burrito Manner”? The place where Chris Hillman lived with Gram for a bit. Cheers!
Actually, no I don't know anything about that place or where it was. It certainly wasn't the one up on Magnolia because that one burned down long before the Burritos ever came into being. Could it have been somewhere else outside of Laurel Canyon(?)
Your excellent miniseries fills in a lot of holes from Dave McGowan's exhaustive work on Laurel Canyon and surrounding area, especially the Wonderland murders. The only thing I would've liked you to have included would be the role Vito Paulekas played in the rise of the hippy movement. It didn't start in San Francisco, as is commonly thought. He and his followers had an interesting connection to Frank Zappa and slummed on his "log cabin" property for a while. The cast of characters in this bizarre place almost defy the imagination. Oh, another thing. You didn't mention anything about the military installation that was at the top of Lookout Mt. at this same time. That has some really serious implications you might consider exploring in a future series. Hint, hint.
Certain topics are never to be discussed, especially on YT, censorship. Plus, it is a dangerous topic to discuss as people fear for their safety as well as their families'. Nothing is new under under the sun 🌞
I'd love to live there, it's beautiful, but lack the 1,000,000 or more for a house.
Ah yes.....The Police....the Largest Gang in existence.....
There are drugs & then, there are DRUG$!! 😂
Welcome to my hometown lol
What’s next billy?
A lot! And thanks for asking. We have a brand new series that is filming right now and it's a mixture of classic album reviews, starting in the mid-60's up to the present-day (almost), and some historical context about each and every album that we review. From The Beatles and The Stones all the way to Radiohead and The White Stripes.
Gene Clark and what really happened up in Mendo that night at Crown Hall.
The Good. the Bad, and the Ugly !
Indeed. This was a crazy story that we couldn't resist including here in this series since it happened right in Laurel Canyon.
Looks like a slum...