Trappers of The North

More (mis)adventures in The Midwest and Canada!

Chicago radio was one of the cornerstones of Bubble Puppy’s success. Hot Smoke and Sassafras was number one on Chicago’s WLS Radio for three weeks. Since WLS's signal covered the entire Midwest, we were also number one in Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Detroit, and any other city that WLS radio serviced. Bubble Puppy was in demand in the Midwest, and we gigged there extensively.

The WLS radio signal also covered most of Canada, so we received airplay there and ranked #2 on the Canadian charts.  We should have toured Canada, but our booking agency, Artists Management (a subsidiary of International Artists), only booked one Canadian gig. 

On our way to that one gig, we drove through Detroit. In 1969, the entire city of Detroit was in a state of economic and social decay. The automobile industry was shedding jobs, and as a result, people fled to the suburbs. I remember seeing vacant houses and storefronts for mile after mile. It was all very depressing to my 17-year-old self. 

Detroit’s devastation distracted us, and we lost track of how close we were to the US/Canadian border. We needed to get rid of our weed before we went through Customs. When someone said, “I wonder how close we are to Canada?” I looked up, noticed the border crossing was only two blocks away, and startled everyone by exclaiming, “The checkpoint is right there!” We “disposed” of the weed by smoking it.

Canada was beautiful. As we drove in from the U.S., we passed through tall, dark green forests, and to our great wonderment, there were giant signs every few miles that said “BP.” We wondered if the Canadians knew we were coming and erected Bubble Puppy signs everywhere. Was the band that popular? Our imagination ran wild. But those BP signs stood for “British Petroleum.” Remember, we had just “gotten rid” of our weed before we crossed the border!

In Detroit, International Artists (I.A.)  threw a party for all the DJs, program directors, promoters, and distributors responsible for Hot Smoke’s success.  I.A. rented one floor of the prestigious Pontchartrain Hotel in downtown Detroit for an extravagant affair. We found out later that they charged the party’s cost against our royalties. 

Before the party, we opened for Parliament at the Detroit Civic Center. Our producer, Ray Rush, had an assistant named Michael Barker. Michael was in town for the party and came to our show. After our set, Michael and I entered the audience, meeting two women. For some reason, they didn’t recognize me. I don’t know if they arrived late or paid no attention to the opening band. We asked them, “Would you like to go to a party?” They accepted, not realizing who we were. When we arrived at the party, the whole place erupted in cheers when Michael and I walked in, surprising the @$#!% out of the two girls.   

Several weeks into our first tour, Todd and I returned to our motel room after a gig. We were hungry, and I was exhausted. Todd went out for burgers, and I was in a deep sleep when he returned. Remember when you were a kid and slept so soundly that you were disoriented when you woke up? That was me because when Todd came back and banged on the door, I had no idea who he was when I answered it. I let him in but needed to figure out where I was and what was happening.  

To me, success meant losing track of everything except Bubble Puppy’s shows.  I wanted nothing more than to play so many shows in so many cities that I would wake up one day and not know where I was. I got my wish. Sometime during our five-week tour, I woke up in the motel without knowing what city we were in. Someone had to tell me where we were. 

I loved touring, but I had a set of touring rules. They were “always eat,” “always pee,” and “there’s always time for a swim.”  If Roy were driving the van, he wouldn’t make an unscheduled stop if you were hungry or had to use the facilities.  Hence the “always eat” and “always pee” rules. You never knew when you would get a chance to do either. 

Here’s the reason for the “always time for a swim” rule. Roy was the first one up in the mornings. He would bang on the door to our room and wake us, usually before I woke up naturally, so I was always groggy. Roy always acted like the band’s departure was imminent, whether it was or not. Still, I figured there was always a little time before we got in the van. After Roy woke us, I would immediately change into my bathing suit and hit the pool to wake up. 

The band occasionally put Roy’s energy to good use. For example, late one night in the cold, snowy Midwest, we were pulled over by the cops. In the sixties, you could leave your car to speak to the police without alarming them, so we sent Roy out to talk to them. I can still see the scene in my head: Snow drifting across the headlight beams of the cop car while Roy and the two cops were talking. Roy was flailing his arms about, talking wildly about who knows what. For quite a while, the cops patiently listened to Roy, probably without getting a word in. The cops finally gave up. Roy had worn them down. I’m pretty sure the cops let us go to get away from Roy.    

Roy Cox

Anything could happen on the road in the 1960’s.  During our touring, we were fortunate to escape unscathed by negative experiences, except for one brief fistfight in Indianapolis, where Bubble Puppy was to play two shows at the State Fair. After our first show, we had time to return to the motel and rest. I arrived at the motel first. After a while, I wondered where the rest of the band was, so I looked out the window in our room and saw Rod, Roy, Todd, and many big guys wearing raccoon hats like Davy Crockett’s. We discovered they were attending a “Trappers of The North” Association convention in Indianapolis. I watched the two groups converge. Later, I learned Roy said, “Hey, nice hat!” to one of the Trappers.  The Trappers responded, “Fuck you, hippie!” and then the two groups started fighting. Fortunately for Roy and Todd, Rod was bigger and stronger than all of the Trappers. Shortly after the fight began, a Trapper flung a fist at Roy, and Rod grabbed it midair. Rod said, “That’s enough!” Amazingly, that stopped the fight.  

Rod Prince backed down the Trappers of the North.

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