I heard on a San Francisco radio station that Paul died of a heart attack. January 2016 is not a good month for classic rock musicians. RIP to a San Francisco rock pioneer.

Horrible. My father just said he must be next with all these deaths. So sad in the last 2 months.

Oh no. Is this true? He had been back on the road with Starship and I had tickets to see them on Saturday.

Damn sad....

"We got something to learn from the other side.
Something to give, we got nothing to hide,
I wanna ride, ride the tiger..."

RIP Paul Kantner.


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Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane Dies at 74
By Dave Lifton January 28, 2016 7:35 PM

Paul Kantner, who helped pioneer psychedelic rock as the guitarist and founder of Jefferson Airplane and its splinter group Jefferson Starship, has died of multiple organ failure and septic shock. He was 74.

SF Gate reports that he had suffered a heart attack earlier in the week. He’d endured numerous health problems in recent years, including a previous heart attack in March 2015.

Ultimate Classic Rock have more information on this breaking story as it develops.

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Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-01-29 03:09 by Hairball.

Loved JA in its hey day. Another loss to the world of rock. Here's a fave from the JA co-written by Kantner. Play it loud, brothers and sisters. Let your freak flag fly.

[www.youtube.com]

Goodbye Paul! ALWAYS Loved & found SO much inspiration for writing from The Jefferson Airplane. Sad!

"Well my heavy throbbers itchin' just to lay a solid rhythm down"

Man the reaper is making the rounds. What a giant in the San Francisco music scene Paul was. Really sorry to hear this today. RIP dude and thanks for being you. Damn.

Here is one of my favorites by them, just love it. A bit obscure but a totally rockin' tune. From the Long John Silver record that you could make the sleeve into a cigar box filled with weed. How friggin' cool was that?!

This one should definitely be played loud. Eat Starch Mom!

[www.youtube.com]

RIP Paul. Volunteers is one of my favorite records. Another giant taken.

They are at that age I guess, given the lifestyles they led early on, the lifestyles we all idolized, in a fashion, that means they are all the more susceptible. Bugger.

I mean no disrespect by the use of the word 'they' when describing 'them', just too whacked to try and think of something more appropriate at this time. Sorry.

Rod

How heartbreaking.

Wow, sad news. My first thought when I saw the subject line was the scene in Gimme Shelter during Altamont where he comes to the mic and sarcastically thanks the Hells Angels for hitting Marty.

I remember hearing the Airplane often when I was a kid, between their heavy airplay on local SF AM radio and having an older sibling who owned some of the albums. I even sang "White Rabbit" at a recital when I was nine years old. Later, the Starship became the local icons, with their string of hit singles. They played "Jane" on the radio station that announced his death, but it seemed to me they should have played one of the songs sung by his former wife Grace.

White Rabbit a great song

Volunteers, Blows Against the Empire, the recordings with Grace Slick ( Sunfighter, Baron Von Tollbooth), KBC ( great song "Amerika") Kantner was a real American musical treasure---
Songs like 'Have You Seen the Stars Tonight" 'Wooden Ships" are classics.
Rest in Peace Paul

'We are all outlaws in the eyes of America
In order to survive
We steal, cheat, lie, forge, f*ck, hide, and deal
We are obscene, lawless, hideous, dangerous, dirty, violent, and young...'

Jefferson Airplane (w/Nicky Hopkins)- We Can Be Together




'We are forces of chaos and anarchy
Everything they say we are, we are
And we are very
Proud of ourselves...'

-Paul Kantner (RIP)

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Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-01-29 05:13 by Hairball.

This is sad news. Paul Kantner was still very much a fixture in San Francisco--you could run into him down in North Beach, hanging out at his favorite haunt. He was that accessible.

People here in the Bay Area are bumming heavily today at what for them is truly a personal loss, an extinguished living flame, relegated now to History and memory.

Paul and I met and spoke once--he said he'd be happy to be interviewed & filmed for Altamont 360°. Alas...as Keith would say, "Another good one gone."

In this scene, from the day of the Altamont concert (Dec 6, 1969), we see the Jefferson Airplane taking the stage--Grace Slick fired up and delighted--most Hells Angels respectfully and more or less gently moving people off and away from the stage--and then fracas breaking out among concertgoers and Hells Angels recruits--into the middle of which Jefferson Airplane's Marty Balin jumps from the stage, shouting "Fock you" in his frustration and indignation that one of his audience members is being manhandled--Marty is said to have been coldcocked, and when he came to, spat "Fock you" again to an Angel, who knocks him out again.

The following exchange occurs between Paul Kantner (RIP, January 28, 2016) and then Frisco Hells Angel, Bill "Sweet William" Fritsch (RIP, March 14, 2015)--who, by this point, have known each other for half a decade from being in intersecting social circles in San Francisco.

Paul Kantner: Hey, man, I'd like to mention that the Hells Angels just, uh, smashed Marty Balin in the face--knocked him out for a bit. I'd like to thank you for that.

Sweet William (getting up from sitting stage left): Hey--wait! (grabs a mic) Is this on? You talking to me--I'm gonna talk to you.

Kantner: I'm not talking to you, man. I'm talking to the people who hit my lead singer in the head.

William: You're talking to my *people*. Let me tell you what's happening---*YOU* is what's happening. You know what's happening? We're partying--like you!
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RIP guys -- you're both an important part of Bay Area and American social and cultural history. Hope you're rocking out and laughing about it all in heaven.



Altamont: Jefferson Airplane, Paul Kantner, Sweet William - What's Happening?









Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2016-01-29 08:31 by swiss.

RIP Paul, can't believe your gone.

December 6, 1969: Paul (red shirt) looking out over the Altamont crowd

Kantner aint dead man, I am done with my guys and gals dying, I decided recently that no more of them are going to pass away, nope... no more... ever. They will all live forever and I refuse to believe anything else.

I went all Jefferson Starship crazy during a slice of their history over 4-5 albums and 10-15 live shows during the late 70s through the mid 80s when an incarnation of the band was loaded with rocking talent... and then Grace came back and it was as rock and roll as anything I ever seen.

Those shows were spectacular, they were really awesome... and I was in right in front of Paul at several shows and he was GREAT!! I am still huge fan of that era. I saw Paul much later during another incarnation of his band and it was back to a more folksy Airplane style, but it was still cool.

Paul aint dead, Paul will live forever, rock and rollers never die their music makes them immortal. I was just listening to him and his band last week and even posted it up on one of the threads here... Yeah Paul, rock and roll is good time music, damn right it is

Ride the Tiger Paul and take that Stairway to Cleveland Rock and roll man, rock and roll!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-01-29 06:54 by everwest1.

I've always said Airplane and its members lost me with so many offshoot bands. I hear they're actually all pretty good, but they just did so many different things it was hard for me, as someone that wasn't around at the time, to follow them. I like most of the Airplane stuff. Solid band, a lot of great songs. A highlight of Woodstock.

I hear Starship is great too, at least Dragonfly, Red Octopus and Spitfire. But they lost me with the bands and the lineup changes and what albums are actually considered good. Then you've got Hot Tuna, where again I hear the first 3 albums are good and then its spotty after they. And they were all around the same time so it all just kind of got lost to me. So I kinda just always stuck with Airplane and never sought out the other stuff.

I don't know which ones Kantner was or was not a member of, cause aside from Grace I don't really know who was in any of them, but I know I really like Kantner's work with Airplane and he will definitely be missed.

Some people are not fans of "We Built This City," including me. Starship lost me when they added Mickey Thomas, who was pretty good when he was with Elvin Bishop. Starship adopted that synth-heavy MTV sound. The Airplane music is dated, but dated in a better way than Starship.

Quote
swiss
Paul Kantner: Hey, man, I'd like to mention that the Hells Angels just, uh, smashed Marty Balin in the face--knocked him out for a bit. I'd like to thank you for that.

Sweet William (getting up from sitting stage left): Hey--wait! (grabs a mic) Is this on? You talking to me--I'm gonna talk to you.

Kantner: I'm not talking to you, man. I'm talking to the people who hit my lead singer in the head.

William: You're talking to my *people*. Let me tell you what's happening. YOU, man, you're NOT happening. You know what's happening? We're partying--like you!

Hey swiss yeah I imagine it is an especially sad day in San Francisco. JA and Paul were definitely theirs, and proudly so. Condolences to China and his family.


Also, no biggie but I think you might be misquoting Sweet William a bit there. Pretty sure he says:

"YOU, is what's happening" . The "Not" I think comes from another source (Paul maybe) and I wouldn't mention it but it changes the meaning considerably. William surely knew the Airplane was happening.

Goodbye Paul and thank for the great music. JA were one of the great psychedelic era bands and made a wonderful string of albums from 66 to 71. RIP Paul.

Here's a great version of Volunteers.







Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-01-29 12:06 by Silver Dagger.

Quote
Naturalust
William: You're talking to my *people*. Let me tell you what's happening. YOU is what's happening. You know what's happening? We're partying--like you!

LOL, Naturalust, right on! Knowing him, "happening" wouldn't have meant what is cool or hip. He never cared about that aspect of things. It's both more literal and more existential than that.

But back to Paul Kantner -- his death has cut people here very deeply indeed, as you say and from your knowledge of this area.

- swiss

great loss, i am very sorry about that

Very sad news..... RIP Paul Kantner. God bless you

What a drag it is gettin' old

R.I.P.

Love and light to him - love and light, and thanks and praises

There goes another one (as Keith might say)...RIP Mr. Kantner. Performed at the infamous Altamont gig as leading member of Jefferson Airplane. Bravely addressed the actions of the Hell's Angels there.

Sad news

RIP and thank you.................

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RIP. We need to put the brakes on, losing too many Rockers to fast, but we're living in the times now that it can happen, they're all getting up in that age..