by David Smith
The band always mixed in some humor, some ad lib, and, a conversational in-between song banter that kept people interested in the band even when they weren’t playing music. They even enjoyed poking fun at the fact that all the men in the band indeed were ‘captains of some ship’ at Disneyland’s Magic Kingdom: Blain worked canoes, Joe Dennis on drums and Bill Roberts on bass both worked on Jungle Cruise, and Grant Downing, who played keys, skippered the Mark Twain. Only J.T. Vaughn, the female lead singer, didn’t work in the Park. However, she did work for the Walt Disney Company in their Disney Dream Vacations division which was part of the popular time-share division of the company; her office was located in the lobby of the Bonita Tower at the Disneyland Hotel Resort area.
Blain was on the microphone, talking to the crowd about the drink specials and remembering to tip the waitresses who were working hard for each and every person there.
“We have time for one more song this set,” Blain said, running his hand through his blond hair. The energy was high; he was sweating a bit, as much from playing under the hot canister lights that were mounted overhead as from the high amount of energy that was passed between the dancers on the floor and the band. “This is one that everyone will want to be out on the floor for, and it certainly describes the feeling here tonight. Hope you like it, it’s from Loverboy…” J.T. struck a cow bell four times and the band kicked into high gear playing Working for the Weekend.
As usual, the classic rock song’s energetic beat brought all the dancers and even some non-dancers out on the floor. Over a hundred people singing, “Everybody’s working for the weekend…” during the chorus added to the fun and energy in the large club. (The owners loved having SECOND EXIT play, especially since a great number of Disneyland employees would come in after work and listen to the band. Because many of the band members were well-known to fellow cast members, and that the Caper’s Club was located only a few blocks away from the Park, SECOND EXIT worked as one of the “house bands” for the club always drawing good crowds.) Disneyland employees were not only a good looking group of patrons but as a whole they were very well-behaved, even after having a number of drinks.
Just as the band held the ending cord of the song, Joe Dennis filling in with a solo drum lick, Blain looked over at one of the tall counters that bordered the dance floor and watched as two women sat down on the high stools. Blain smiled; he raised his guitar neck up, and like an orchestra conductor, signaled the climatic ending beat on the song. Cheers went up all over, with people on the dance floor clapping and whistling.
“Thanks everyone! Don’t go anywhere…we will be back in about fifteen minutes!”
A DJ in an elevated booth next to the stage took over, keeping the energy up by playing Mony Mony by Billy Idol.
Blain slipped his guitar strap over his head and put the white Fender Stratocaster on a guitar stand alongside his customized sunburst yellow and brown Gibson Les Paul guitar, a guitar whose distinctive sound he preferred when playing a few songs.
“Good set!” Joe Dennis said to Blain as the drummer set his sticks in his side bag that hung off a peg on his floor tom. “Great crowd, too!”
“No kidding!” Blain said grabbing his bottled water from the top of his Traynor amplifier. Blain looked across the dance floor at the two women he saw come in. “Hey, Joe, I want to introduce you to a couple new friends of mine,” Blain said as Joe came around his drum kit and stepped off the drum riser, a platform that was another foot above the main stage.
“Sure! Let me say hi to a couple guys from work and I’ll come over and join you.”
“Cool,” Blain said as he hopped down from the elevated stage and joined several people he knew on the dance floor, saying hi and asking how everyone was doing. Excusing himself from the group on the floor, he walked over to the counter where the two women he was most interested in were sitting.
Taking a sip from the bottle, Blain set the bottle down and screwed the cap back on, not saying a word. He smiled, looking at the two women, shaking his head.
“What, you didn’t invite your boyfriends from the Park?” Blain finally asked.
“Well, we tried, but some guy scared them away,” Malaysia said with a grin.
“I am so glad you decided to come out tonight,” Blain said, specifically looking at Missy. He then looked at her sister. “How are you doing, Laura? Expanded your English vernacular more since this afternoon?” He asked, smiling his infectious smile. He figured from hearing her speak, Laura was far more fluent in English than what her sister had claimed on the canoe. Especially hearing her talk to Janette, the security guard earlier, Blain knew it was all a ruse.
“I’m good, Thanks. You guys sound really good!” Laura said, sincerely complimenting Blain. Both she and Malaysia were most impressed with Blain’s band.
Blain glanced up at the stage. “Heck, we just do it for fun...takes the pressure off, you know? But really, thank you for saying that!”
“Blain, how do you find the energy to work all day then come out and play for what, three, four hours?” Malaysia asked, nodding at the stage.
“Well,” Blain started, running his hand through his hair. “I guess I don’t think of working at Disneyland as ‘work’ and this,” he held his hand out to the stage, “well, this is a lot of fun too.”
“Do you do anything else?” Laura asked.
“Believe it or not, I teach high school Biology during the school year.”
Malaysia and Laura looked at each other. “How old are you?” Malaysia asked looking back at Blain.
“I’m twenty-three. I actually just completed my first full year of teaching.”
“Your students must love you,” Malaysia said with arching eyebrows.
“Actually, I’m pretty tough. And to answer your next question, they don’t know I also play in a band.” Blain hesitated, and then added, “At least I don’t think they know. But enough about me; I want to know about you guys. I know absolutely nothing about you except that you’re Missy, you’re Laura, and you are sisters from Switzerland.
Laura and ‘Missy’ glanced at each other, both knowing what each other was thinking: Blain, you don’t know the half of it all.
“Well, as we told you earlier, we are here with family,” Laura started. “This is our first trip to the U.S. We had heard all about Disneyland and wanted to see it for ourselves.”
Malaysia added, “And, well,” she paused, looking around at her surroundings, “here we are!”
“Yes you are,” Blain said smiling. He took another sip of water. “So, what was your second favorite ride at Disneyland?” Blain asked, looking from Missy to her sister, then back to Missy.
“Second favorite?” Laura asked, wondering why he would ask that.
“Well, we all know the incredibly exciting canoes had to be number one.”
Both laughed. “Oh, of course!” Malaysia said and then added, “We both loved Space Mountain, went on that twice. Splash Mountain was fun. But, my favorite, besides the canoes, was the Matterhorn.”
“But of course!” Blain said, slapping his forehead with the palm of his hand. “Matterhorn, Switzerland, yodeling! You two must have felt right at home!”
“We don’t do much yodeling, Blain,” Laura said with a grin, and everyone laughed.
“Actually, we didn’t get to go on much else,” Malaysia said. “It was kind of crowded. I wanted to go on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and that one ride,” she stopped and was trying to think of the name, “Star Wars?”
“Star Tours,” Blain said.
“That’s it. But hey, we did go on the ‘world famous’ canoe ride!”
As Blain laughed, taking another sip of water, Joe Dennis walked across the dance floor and joined Blain.
“Joe,” Blain said, clasping his shorter friend and drummer on the shoulder. “I want to introduce you to Missy and Laura. They are visiting from Switzerland,” Blain said.
“A pleasure meeting you both!” Joe said, just as a new
song started playing by the DJ.
Laura and Malaysia shook hands with the good-looking drummer wearing a Banana Ball 2008 shirt.
“What’s a ‘Banana Ball,’ Joe?” Laura asked.
Joe looked down at the stitching that was across his classic black button-down shirt. “Oh, it’s a huge, end-of-summer bash for Disneyland Employees that started something like forty years ago,” Joe said.
“Sounds like fun,” Laura said, sucking on her diet Coke through a pink straw.
“It is…unless, of course, you have to work the next day!”
“Joe works on Jungle Cruise,” Blain said and then asked, “Did you guys make it to the Jungle Cruise today?”
“I don’t think we did,” Malaysia said, not recognizing the ride’s name, looking at her sister. Laura shook her head no too.
“Too bad,” Blain said. “These guys put on a good show,” Blain added, putting his arm around his friend. Joe looked more like a line-backer standing next to Blain who was a good four inches taller.
“Hey, I’m going up to get a drink before we start our next set,” Joe said. “Anyone need anything?”
“I think we are set here, Joe. Thanks,” Laura said, smiling at the drummer.
“Hey, I’m good too, Joe,” Blain said. “But, hey, go tell Bill and Grant that we need to get back up there in a couple minutes,” he added, pointing toward the stage. “You know how those guys like to wait until the last second to start a set!”
“Will do. Nice meeting you both,” Joe said towards Malaysia and Laura before turning toward the bar area.
After Joe left, Blain said, “You didn’t get to go on Jungle Cruise. A pity, really.”
Laura looked at Blain who was suddenly quiet. “What’s the matter, Blain?”
“Well, I don’t know if this is even possible…but….”
“But…..what?” Malaysia said, prompting him to continue.
“Well, see, tomorrow is Sunday. And I’m off. Normally I work out with some of the tennis players at Cal State Fullerton on Sundays. But…” Blain looked directly at Malaysia. “How would the two of you like a personal guided tour of Disneyland tomorrow? Take you on the rides you missed, maybe see the Fireworks, which you obviously missed tonight on the account you both came here instead?”
“What? You mean you would take us back to Disneyland?” Laura asked. “Both of us?”
“Of course both of you! How could I leave one of you out?” Blain asked, almost offended. “Unless you have other plans or something with your family, which I would totally understand.”
Malaysia looked at Laura with an almost pleading look in her eyes. “Come on, Laura,” Malaysia almost begged. “It would be sooo much fun.”
“What about Gen?” Laura asked quietly. They had called her several times during the day, and even though she was not happy about them taking off to Disneyland without telling her, she actually was happy for the girls to go out and enjoy doing something together.
“Gen should be okay. We don’t have…you-know-what until Thursday,” Malaysia said, whispering the second line and referring to their full-band rehearsal at the Honda Center the day before their Friday night performance.
“Hey, if you have someone else that would like to come,” Blain said, hearing them mention another person, “I can get three of you in. No problem.”
“You mean you can get us in free?” Malaysia asked. “All of us?”
“Sure. I can sign up to three guests in on most days.”
Laura said, “Well, we can’t promise until we get back to the hotel tonight and talk about it with Gen…she is our tour, uh, organizer and family friend.” Laura grabbed her purse and pulled out a pen. Taking a clean, dry napkin from the stack on the counter, she started writing a phone number on it, handing it to Blain after she was done. “That is our cell phone while we are here on tour…I mean vacation.”
Blain looked the number over, then folded it carefully and put it in his jeans pocket.
“Don’t lose it,” Malaysia said a little over-concerned.
“Missy, I will protect this with my life,” Blain said patting the pocket of his pants.
“Call us tomorrow around nine. Would that be okay with you?” Laura asked.
“Absolutely. Even though we finish up here about one in the morning, I’m an early riser,” Blain said. He paused, taking in Missy’s eyes. “I’m really glad you came here tonight,” Blain said earnestly.
“We are having a good time,” Malaysia said, returning Blain’s gaze.
“I hope you guys can join me, tomorrow. I would hate for you to return to Switzerland without having been given a real taste of Disneyland. There is so much that people miss.” Blain was being very sincere as he truly believed what he was saying. He looked at Malaysia. “I really do want to see you again.”
Malaysia blushed. Blain heard a whispered, “Me too,” just before she took a sip of her coke.
The guys in the band were getting back up on stage.
“I need to get back up there for the next set,” Blain said. “Hope you can stick around for some of this next set. We do a song from one of your Swiss up-and-coming stars, Malaysia Hosner.”
Laura, in the middle of a sip of coke, almost blew it out through her nose.
“Hey, are you okay, Laura?” Blain said, coming around to her side of the counter.
“Yes, yes…” Laura said, trying to clear her throat. “I’m fine. Whew, you would think I’ve never had a Diet Coke before!” She held a small square napkin to her lips.
Malaysia was looking at her with a ‘what are you doing?’ look. Malaysia then said, “I can’t take her anywhere.”
“If we can’t stay until your next break, please call me…I mean us, Blain,” Malaysia said.
“You can count on it. Thank you both for coming to the show tonight!”
“Break a leg, Blain!” Malaysia shouted and then laughed as Blain hopped back up on the stage, acting like he almost tripped.
“I would like to dedicate this first song to some friends who have come to the U.S. all the way from Europe!” Blain said as he got his guitar strap over his neck and stepped up to the microphone.
“A little something by the Romantics,” Blain said, and then looking right at Malaysia, he continued, “A song titled, ‘What I like About You!’”
Blain started the song with the well-known guitar lick. The dance floor immediately got full and the place was once again rocking.
Several men asked Laura and Malaysia to dance. They politely turned them down, saying they just came to hear the band.
It was a little surreal for Malaysia and Laura a few minutes later when J.T. Vaughn, the band’s female lead singer announced, “Hope you like this next one, a song by a singer who will be playing right down the street at the Honda Center this coming weekend, Malaysia Hosner.” Malaysia got goose bumps on her arms when she heard a cheer by some of the dancers waiting on the dance floor. J.T. continued, “This is a song from Malaysia’s first album, a song titled, Heart Wide Open.”
Laura elbowed Malaysia in the side, saying, “This should be interesting!”
“[Walt Disney] was an original; not just an American original, but an original, period. He was a happy accident; one of the happiest this century has experienced…”
Eric Sevareid, CBS News, December, 1966
CHAPTER 14
Got it!
Thursday, December 15th, 1966
10:12am
Nathan sat with his back against the wall, his head well below the open window of the administration office where he heard the news; he contemplated the information: “Walt Disney had died.” He had heard that the entertainment icon was sick, but dying? Dead? Nathan immediately thought about the repercussions emanating from that news. What would he see in the newspapers? How would it affect the Florida project Nathan had heard so much about? What would happen to Disneyland and the Disney Studio and such?
Nathan then thought about the pendant, still hidden inside Walt
Disney’s apartment he assumed. Could Walt Disney “see” his own death coming in the pendant? Was the gem a ‘portal’ to the future? Jeez, what would something like THAT fetch? Nathan thought. He first flirted with the idea of using the pendant for ransom. But that seemed so dangerous, so personal. And, now with Walt Disney dead, and the fact that Nathan knew that the pendant was well concealed, there was the very real chance that Walt had never revealed the pendant to anyone else.
Nathan then thought about the visions the pendant offered him when he touched it: first the images of the canvas bags which proved to be prophetic. Then there were the other images, images that he had yet to understand…a hole in the ground, a concrete bridge, and the one with Walt Disney himself. These were alien to him, yet he knew they were powerful and of great importance. Prior to touching the pendant and seeing the powerful visions it offered, Nathan never believed in anything supernatural or in real magic. Heck, he was working in the greatest ‘magical illusion’ known, Disneyland, the “Magic Kingdom.” This place was no different than the so-called magic that went into making movies except this magic was actively experienced by people who came here.
However, he now believed differently. He was like a person who had personally seen Christ healing the blind or walking on water; he had to touch the pendant again! Hold it again! Own it! To Nathan, the pendant was the equivalent of owning the goose that laid golden eggs or owning a crystal ball that actually worked. Look what Walt Disney was able to do. Maybe Nathan could turn his life—and his fortunes—around.
Or, maybe he would use the gem for a lifetime of clairvoyance. Certainly if it had worked magic for Walt Disney, it could it do the same for him.
Thursday, December 15th, 1966
8:22am
Almost two hours before Nathan had overheard the news about Walt, one of the men he heard talking through the open office window, the Blond-Haired Man, had been at the hospital with Walt Disney. In the Blond-Haired Man’s possession was a special box; a small felt-covered wood box that was lined with a fine, silk-covered padding that he used to transport the most unique red-diamond pendant in. Seeing the pendant, the very same one that Nathan Duncan had spied Walt Disney holding in his hand six months earlier and the same one that he himself held and saw future images, was one final request of Walt Disney’s as his body began shutting down in his hospital bed.