History

Love that 'Dirty Water'

Bill Plaschke in today's Times reconstructs how the Standells, an L.A. garage band from the 1960s, showed up at Fenway Park before the second game of the World Series playing their one legit hit, "Dirty Water," for delirious fans. The Red Sox victory anthem has an honored place in Boston rock and roll history, all because of some lyrics written by the band's late producer Ed Cobb:

Yeah, down by the river
Down by the banks of the river Charles
That's where you'll find me
Along with lovers, muggers, and thieves
Well I love that dirty water
Ohhh, Boston, you're my home

Plaschke's Sports column talks to band members, among them a La Canada barber and a restaurant owner. Being from L.A., they have their showbiz connections. Drummer Dick Dodd was a Mouseketeer on Disney's "Mickey Mouse Club" in the 1950s, and Larry Tamblyn is the brother of actor Russ Tamblyn and uncle of Amber Tamblyn, the star of "Joan of Arcadia." Boston Magazine recently revisited the band too.

Recent posts on L.A. history


More by Kevin Roderick:
Standing up to Harvey Weinstein
The Media
LA Times gets a top editor with nothing but questions
LA Observed Notes: Harvey Weinstein stripped bare
LA Observed Notes: Photos of the homeless, photos that found homes
Recent History stories on LA Observed:
Kevin Starr, 76, the historian of California
Winter solstice cave pictograph at Burro Flats
Pink Lady of Malibu Canyon
LA's first presidential election was different
Pink Lady of Malibu Canyon: 50 years ago
James Dean died 61 years ago today. Now the famous gas station is gone
Code 7 in Sherman Oaks: A little bit of history
1932 Olympics tourist map
Previous story: More trouble for Hahn *

Next story: Middlebrook moves on


 

LA Observed on Twitter