As we walked toward Gough Street and passed in front of the Red Cross building, we heard, out of nowhere, “Your money or your life!”

What the hell? I thought. I was still trying to figure out what was happening when I saw two desperate-looking African-American dudes, both hyper and nervous. One held a knife and the other kept both hands in his pocket. I wondered if he had a gun.

“Take my life. My money’s too important,” Chad said seriously.

From my perspective, everything moved in slow motion at this point.

Chad looked at me and calmly said, “Run.” The word “run” seemed to take thirty seconds to say. The math in my head was already processed. No, I don’t want to get my ass kicked again. No, I really don’t want to get stabbed. No, I really don’t want to get any surprises from whatever your buddy has in his pocket. No, I don’t want to lose my money. And yes, I want to live to see tomorrow, but no, I don’t want to go to SF General.

Music from “The Langford”

If you’ve read “The Langford” you’ll certainly recognize the many references to music. I followed hundreds of bands at the time and to this date I’ve probably seen more than a thousand concerts.

Probably the most important band reference in the book is Pink Floyd. I started listening to Pink Floyd back in the late sixties. However, it wasn’t until the album “Meddle” was released that I became a huge Pink Floyd fan. The Pink Floyd song “Echoes” was the first song that I listened to often. Later I really grew to like the song “One of These Days.”

Then Pink Floyd released “Dark Side of the Moon.” I loved this album. I felt Pink Floyd became one of the best psychedelic bands ever at this point. I listened to Pink Floyd more than any other band while attending high school. Since I was raised around mental illness, I liked the references Pink Floyd made to mental illness in their songs. Pink Floyd continued their success with the release of “Wish You Were Here.” There isn’t a song on the album that I don’t like. Once again Pink Floyd focused on the subject of metal illness when writing the tunes on “Wish You Were Here.”

So, it is with out a doubt, that Pink Floyd is mentioned in my book, more often than any other band.

The Grateful Dead was a band I grew to like better later on in my life. I’ve seen the Grateful Dead somewhere around 80 times and I still don’t consider myself a Deadhead. I actually met Jerry Garcia a few times and he was always very kind. The Grateful Dead was mentioned in the book, primarily due to the free concert I attended not long after I moved to the city. But my roommate loved the Grateful Dead. He was a Deadhead all the way. I did enjoy several Grateful Dead tunes, too many to list. Grateful Dead concerts were always fun. The Grateful Dead had a huge following and I loved to watch the Grateful Dead Hall Dancers.

Another band from SF that I liked was Santana. I loved their first three albums. I loved Santana’s percussions. I am a fan of many Santana songs. But I really liked “Evil Ways,” “Soul Sacrifice,” “Back Magic Woman,” “I Hope You’re Feeling Better” and “Samba Pa Ti.” I saw Santana four times over the years. I don’t know why I didn’t see Santana more often.

Continuing on with SF bands, Hot Tuna was another one of my favorites. I was a fan of Hot Tuna back in the 70s but I grew to like them even more as the years passed by. Hot Tuna never sold out. Jack and Jorma are the core of Hot Tuna, and they have kept country blues alive. Hot Tuna is one of those bands that I get the luxury of seeing in small venues. I hope Hot Tuna continues on for many years to come.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of Jefferson Airplane, even though there was a time I thought Grace Slick was sexy on stage. But after Jorma and Jack left to form Hot Tuna, the Jefferson Airplane was done. Then they formed the Jefferson Starship. The Jefferson Starship was okay and my girlfriend at the time loved them. But the original Jefferson Airplane is part of the original SF Haight Ashbury scene as is the Grateful Dead.
I can’t move away from the SF 60s scene without mentioning Janis Joplin. I wasn’t the biggest fan of Janis Joplin and I never saw her live. I do listen to her music once in a while. Many women I dated back in the 70s loved Janis Joplin so I grew to tolerate and eventually enjoy her music. I felt Janis Joplin would end up being a good blues singer, but she died way too soon. 

I was a big Jimi Hendrix fan. I loved the Jimi Hendrix version of “All Along the Watchtower.” I listened to Jimi Hendrix a lot. It was a real bummer when Jimi Hendrix died at such an early age. I always believed that Jimi Hendrix would be a great blues guitarist after he got over the rock n roll era. I never saw Jimi Hendrix in concert. To this day, I hear Jimi Hendrix music at the various parties I attend.

Led Zeppelin. What can I say that you don’t already know? I remember seeing Led Zeppelin in Kezar Stadium (in SF) back in 1971. I predicted in high school that “Stairway to Heaven” would be a hit. I was laughed at, but I laughed last. Led Zeppelin was a band I listened to almost as much as Pink Floyd. I had every Led Zeppelin record. I saw Led Zeppelin three times before Bonzo died. Led Zeppelin was played so much back during the time of The Langford, I had to be careful not to burn out on them.

Another British metal band that I listened to often was Black Sabbath. I enjoyed Ozzy’s vocals and once again they dealt with subjects related to mental illness. I like the Black Sabbath songs “Paranoid,” “Iron Man,” “Children of the Grave,” “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” and “Electric Funeral” to name a few. Black Sabbath music was popular in The Langford. I only saw Black Sabbath twice. I still listen to Black Sabbath today.

Continuing on with British Bands, I really enjoyed the Rolling Stones. The Rolling Stones music was probably played on the radio, more than any other band. The Rolling Stones were always good in concert. As mentioned in the book I first saw the Rolling Stones back in the summer of 1975 at the Cow Palace in SF. My favorite all time Rolling Stones' song is “Sympathy for the Devil.” I’ve seen the Rolling Stones five times and every concert was great. It’s great to see the Rolling Stones still going strong today.

Yes is another band that I listened to frequently over the years. Yes had great musicians and Jon Anderson sang like an angel. Yes is a progressive band. I enjoyed many Yes concerts over the years and they were always very tight concerts. I have no favorite Yes songs. I like them all depending on the mood I’m in. I love Howe’s acoustic pieces, “Mood for a Day” and “The Clap.” Maybe the Yes song “Heart of the Sunrise” is probably the song I listened to the most over the years.

Queen was an okay band. My musician friend Miles, loved the band. I found some Queen tunes to be catchy and enjoyable, but I didn’t care to see Queen live. It’s sad about Queen front man Freddy Mercury. I still listen to Queen once in a while. My wife likes Queen better than I do.

I was never a big David Bowie fan. However I liked a lot of David Bowie songs. I liked an obscure song by David Bowie called “Panic in Detroit.” I also like David Bowie during the “Ziggy Stardust” days. I still listen to “Changes” too. My roommate in The Langford was a huge David Bowie fan. David Bowie was everything to his music scene back then. I never saw David Bowie live. 

Deep Purple was a band I listened to often. The Deep Purple song “Smoke on the Water” was overplayed on the radio, but Deep Purple had lots of other good music. I thought the original guitar player for Deep Purple, Ritchie Blackmore was a great guitar player. I only saw Deep Purple once and it was a great show. I was amazed at how much my Japanese friends loved Deep Purple.

I was never a big fan of Elton John but I did listen to some of his early music. My favorite Elton John tunes were “Rocket Man” and “Tiny Dancer.” I worked with a woman who grew up with Elton John. She told me hilarious stories about him as a child. I respect Elton John but I haven’t listened to him much over the past twenty years.

Humble Pie was another band I really enjoyed. The best album Humble Pie ever put out was “Live at the Fillmore East.” I wore that Album out. I only saw Humble Pie once and it was a crazy concert. I was bummed when Peter Frampton left Humble Pie, but for Peter Frampton, it was a good move. I did see Peter Framptom at Winterland right before his Frampton Comes Alive album was released and well the rest is history. I still listen to Peter Frampton once in a while. My wife and I both like the song “Do You Feel Like We Do?”

The Who was a band I loved and still listen to today. I became a fan of The Who after the
“Live at Leeds” album was released. I like almost all of The Who albums and I’ve seen them several times over the years. The Who was a great live band. I think my favorite song by The Who is “Won’t Get Fooled Again.” It sad that half of The Who are dead, but it’s good to see Roger and Pete still playing.

I was never a big fan of Rod Stewart, but most of the women I dated were. So that meant I had to learn to like Rod Stewart. I only saw Rod Stewart once when I was in high school and I worked the concert. That was back when Ronnie Wood was still in his band. Rod Stewart is okay and I like how he pumped new life into some old hits later in his career.

The Allman Brothers Band was mentioned several times in the book. I loved the Allman Brothers Band “Live from the Fillmore East” album. The Allman Brothers Band had several songs I loved, such as “Little Martha,” “One Way Out,” “Whippin’ Post,” “Jessica” and “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed,” to name a few. I’ve seen the Allman Brothers Band several times but I never saw them with Duane Allman. So I missed out on seeing the legend.

I saw ZZ Top for the first time when living in the city. Back then ZZ Top was considered a party band and the radio stations were wearing out Tush and La Grange. ZZ Top is a great band that I saw many times over the years. It’s amazing that the three members of ZZ Top can put out so much great music. Billy Gibbons is a great guitarist too.

Lynryrd Skynyrd is a band I saw twice while I was in high school.  Lynryrd Skynyrd was an opening band that blew away the headliners. Lynryrd Skynyrd had lots of bad luck over the years, losing key members to death. But the Lynryrd Skynyrd song “Freebird” is my all time favorite from the band. Lynryrd Skynyrd was loved by so many people who hung out with me that I heard the rest of their music too much. I probably didn’t listen to a single Lynryrd Skynyrd song from 1980 through 1995. Then I grew to like Lynryrd Skynyrd all over again.

The Guess Who is a band I never saw live, but I enjoyed their pop hits. I think I heard The Guess Who song “American Woman” more than any of the others. But I thought The Guess Who was a good pop band. I heard The Guess Who music often on the radio when I lived at The Langford.

Procol Harum was another band I never saw live, but I enjoyed the music of Procol Harum. Anyone who knows anything about Procol Harum should remember the song “A Whiter Shade of Pale.” I felt I achieved that state many time in my life. Procol Harum had several songs I liked and I still listen to them today.

I saw The Turtles in a bar in Sausalito when I lived at The Langford. Their music led to a night of wild sex. I think the best song The Turtles ever had was, “Happy Together.” I wasn’t a big fan of The Turtles, but that one night they were a ton of fun.

Little Richard was a musician I loved to hear at parties. Little Richard albums were usually played after we were all feeling no pain. Little Richard is credited with helping me get lucky more than a few times. I think my favorite Little Richard song is “Lucille.”

Please note, that this is a small list of bands or music I listen to.

In closing, I must mention Woodstock. I did not attend Woodstock, but I certainly enjoyed the music. Jimi Hendrix, Ten Years After, Santana, Joe Cocker and The Who were my favorite bands from Woodstock. Woodstock cemented my love for music, primarily due to the intent of the music (love-peace-freedom) and the relentless effort to play on despite the rain and too many people.

Michael Coen spent over twenty-five years in senior management positions with two different Silicon Valley companies. When it came to managing personnel, he was influenced most significantly by the fourteen months he spent living at the Langford, a dilapidated San Francisco residence hotel.

Coen grew up in a quiet suburban neighborhood. The day after he turned eighteen in July 1975, he left to attend college in San Francisco, where his life was never the same again. Living amongst mentally ill, violent, and desperate individuals, Coen learned to survive using his instincts, sense of humor, and the ability to negotiate, as maturity was shoveled down his throat at a rapid pace. Early in his stay at the residence hotel, Coen woke up to a fellow resident, Otto, pounding on him, accusing him of something he didn’t do. Another resident even set the walls of the Langford ablaze.

Filled with sex, drugs, rock and roll, and fascinating people, The Langford showcases many examples illustrating the emotional growth Coen acquired while at the Langford. After narrowly escaping death more than once, he acquired insights regarding human nature that helped him build a solid foundation for all future human interactions.

Contact Michael Coen

michael-coen1@gmail.com

Credits

• The Lanford cover illustration was done by Jackie Hickman.
• The Langford book cover design was done by Dana Adams Designs.
• Website music is by Greg Cooper.