Happy Forever – Mark Volman’s musical adventures with the turtles, Frank Zappa, T Rex, Flo and Eddie, et al

Author:Mark Volman and John Cody

“Happy Forever” is a book covering the life and career of Mark Volman, “world famous funny fat person”, as Frank Zappa once accurately but cruelly described him. Working with Howard Kaylan for over 50 years in The Turtles, Flo and Eddie, with Frank Zappa, and adding their distinctive backing vocals to T Rex, Bruce Springsteen, Alice Cooper, David Cassidy, Blondie, and The Ramones, you’ve probably heard them, even if you think you haven’t. Volman was the archetypical smart school slacker clowning due to undiagnosed ADHD, falling into music as he could sing excellent harmonies with Kaylan. The Turtles had the fortune to bag a handful of perrenial cheerful, tuneful hits (“Happy Together”, “Elenore”, “She’d rather be with me”, etc) early in their careers. Live, Volman and Kaylan continued the spirit of vaudeville in their performances, with skits, musical jokes, ad-libbing, and many parodies, along along with organic changes to their sound; the brilliantly-titled track “Illegal, Immoral, and Fattening”, for example, was a classic bit of 70s rock. I remember finding their version of “The Wall” hysterical, and a great deflating of the pomposity of original version (see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXjVJXjj0dM)

For a while they were the stadium-filler’s ideal support act, entertaining the audience and then the bands on the private plane. Unfortunately, rock n’roll’s more decadent side intruded when their guitarist, Phil Reed, was found dead a few days into a 100-date Doobie Brother enormodome tour in 1976, it not being sure if he had jumped or been pushed from a high balcony in his hotel. There was dark talk of the band’s management being involved in cocaine importation. Volman and Kaylan had, of course, been on stage when Frank Zappa was pushed off the stage of the Rainbow and badly injured in 1971.. Whatever happened, their exposure went back to small stages, and “more selective appeal”.

Volman is another Rock n’ roll Zelig, and the book takes quotes from about 200 people, organising them thematically and historically. The book covers a variety of eras, as Volman went from being an unashamed mid-60s square core entertainer, to looning hippie, rock-pig with Keith Moon and John Lennon, associate professor in the music business, and then, in the all-American boomer way, cleaned up his drug use, lost weight, got into business, and became religious. However, he remained a performer in academia, and continued working with Kaylan for Summer tours, where their good humour, tunes, and stagecraft enabled them to keep their careers long after many peers couldn’t get arrested.

I found the book interesting in places where I expected it to drag; the early pre-“rock” years, how he changed with the years, his family life, moving into academic life, the business, and the 60s and 70s rock’n roll glory years all racing by. Those looking for juicy details involving “creamed corn, BJs, … knotted nylons” will be disappointed, as this is elegantly elided, our times now antithetical to enthusiastic descriptions of the mudshark and other goings-on described on the “Frank Zappa at Filmore East ” album Flo and Eddie so memorably contributed to. I found coverage of the radio years dragged a bit, as this was very niche for a UK reader, though of course we know who Howard Stern is, and the cartoon soundtracks (more like adverts for toy products) never appealed.

The book is not afraid of contradictory views, with Jim Pons and Jeff Simmons (amongst others) providing some still-bitter counterpoint to the lauding by other commentators, who included family, management, and co-workers. Volman and Kaylan are, like many other vaudeville double acts, a marriage that has survived far longer than those with wives, and Volman and Kaylan have had the sense to keep working together, rather than think they can do it without the other side’s dead weight. One can imagine a future biopic about them akin to “Stan and Ollie”, working well.

Length of Read:Medium

Might appeal to people who enjoyed…

Zappanalia, the 60s.

One thing you’ve learned

Howard Kaylan was considered as vocalist for Steely Dan when the latter were recording “Can’t Buy A Thrill”. How the world might have been if The Dan had done a melody of “Happy Together and Elenore”, and they realised they needed Mark Volman: Flo and Eddie with Becker and Fagen? NOW WE’RE TALKING.

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