For today’s blog post, I’ve asked Christopher Styles of Material Things by Larry Spencer to tell us about a scary incident he had back in the 60s. He had a lot to say. Without further ado, take it away Christopher…
I probably shouldn’t admit to the fact that I am a close personal friend
of Larry Spencer the author of this invigorating novel with the denim revolver
cleverly illustrated on the cover. I also must confess, Larry has invaluable
insight into my character. Into my soul. It’s almost as if he is me and I am
him. That we carry the same DNA. He knows what makes me sad, what makes me
smile and what pisses
But there was one thing I failed to share with my doppleganger. A scary
moment that took place while I was living in Laurel Canyon with my roommate
Craig Fergus, an aspiring film director. It was on Craig’s 24th
birthday that we found ourselves in a panic stricken state of mind. He received
a card from a female admirer — inside was a nicely rolled spliff with a warning
in bold letters DO NOT SMOKE THIS ALONE. Being young and living in a
world of the 60’s counterculture, we were not threatened by the warning. We
were skillful druggies. We lit up; each took a couple healthy hits and in a
matter of seconds were flying above the clouds visualizing psychedelic abstract
patterns swirling around the entire room like we were transported into a huge
kaleidoscope. Groovy? Not really. A bummer actually. The high came too fast and
too strong. We freaked. Started hyperventilating. Hallucinating. Birds of prey
were hovering over us waiting to swoop down and have our flesh for a snack. In
my vision, Craig suddenly morphed into Grace Slick and began performing White
Rabbit on top of the dining room table. It was both amazing and frightening. I
had to get some air to combat the heavy breathing and get my heart rate back to
its normal pace. Overdosing was not something I wanted to encounter at such an
early age.
Later, when we came down from this turbulence, we learned the weed was
laced with an opioid —heroin actually. Not cool. That day changed my life and
my attitude towards mind enhancing drugs forever. I never touched weed again.
Was too paranoid to ever alter my state of mind. Anyway, this is just one of
the escapades, I managed to elude during the tumultuous 70s. And this book, Material
Things, where I am a primary character, covers how three of us owned a
boutique shop and almost died by an organized international body of criminals —
the Mafia.
If you want my advice, I’d go out and buy a copy of the book just to
find out how it all turns out. How I managed to survive the 70s and come out of
it unscathed. Something know one knew is that I carried a baseball bat under my
car seat for protection during most of the year.
About the Book:
Larry
Spencer’s riveting, interlocking narratives circle the lives of Matthew Street,
Jon Lewis and Christopher Styles, in a 1970s California backdrop that takes
them from owning and operating a fashionable clothing boutique into the
gripping world of an FBI under cover operation, drug trafficking, prostitution
and a nefarious criminal element, that brings to light a Mafia contract killer,
who’s out to bump off a stoolie in their midst.
Material
Things is based on true events surrounding the store that introduced bellbottom
jeans to a hip Southern California crowd and how it
became, not only a cottage industry but also an arena fraught with danger and
moral strife that put the store and it’s owners under close scrutiny after an
alarming number of felonious activities surface.
The
climax is anything but conventional as Matthew, Jon and Christopher are
confronted with a life threatening reality that they never imagined could
happen just by selling bellbottom pants.
ORDER YOUR COPY:
Amazon
About the Author
LARRY SPENCER published his first novel, The Tipping Point Of Oliver Bass in the
summer of 2017. A story that covered the life of a pathologically arrogant,
wealthy young man who sets off on a journey of self-discovery, family tragedy,
and sexual conquest in a modern California
noir backdrop. Spencer has been a
Writer’s Guild of America member since the late 70s, having written and
produced a multitude of highly successful TV shows, which culminated into
writing several feature films. He was then encouraged to pen his second book, Material Things, a story based on true
events that takes place in the 60s &70s and tackles organized crime, drugs
and embezzlement during a time when bellbottom pants ruled the fashion
scene. He lives in Valley
Village, California.
Visit his website at www.larryspencerauthor.com.
