He moaned about being God and what a drag it was but he was no Manson, fortunately. Former members have also complained that his astrological work was flawed. Mel’s sprees involved indulging in large quantities of chocolate fudge, which cost him his teeth. The truth seems to be more Sponge Bob than Jim Jones. The Rolling Stone magazine feature tried to pin the ‘east coast Manson’ label on Lyman and hinted at dark deeds behind the walls of its properties in the Roxbury neighborhood of the city. Lyman made the cover of Rolling Stone and Mark Frechette, a member of the community, appeared in the film Zabriskie Point before ending up in prison for armed robbery. They published a popular newspaper called Avatar, made films, hosted gigs, and appeared on television. In 1968, the group was everywhere in Boston. Somehow, this guy became the leader of a cult that continues to this day. He appears at the beginning of Murray Lerner’s film Festival, chatting amicably with the interviewer but, from my perspective, making no sense whatsoever. Mel was the harmonica player in Jim Kweskin’s Jug Band, which also featured Geoff and Maria Muldaur. Let’s start with Mel Lyman and the Fort Hill Community. The drop had to be made in a dark underground carpark. Eventually, Wassel demanded twenty big ones in unmarked bills to sever his connection with the singer. It’s possible that Morrison only moved to Boston to hide from the thug. His son, not so nicely, broke a guitar over Van’s head.

He might have been small time but his father was the model for Nicely Nicely in the musical, Guys and Dolls. Or what about this one? The story of Van Morrison’s break with Bert Berns’ Bang Records is well known but I didn’t know that after Bert died suddenly in 1967, Van was at the contractual mercy of a minor gangster called Carmine ‘Wassel’ DeNoia. The Irish singer was not impressed by the hook-handed drummer’s warlike style and the relationship ended there. Who is the most famous drummer ever from Boston? Yes! You’ve got it! Moulty, the one-handed timekeeper from The Barbarians! Moulty, who told the story of his pipe bomb mishap in an eponymous 1966 single! That guy auditioned for Van Morrison. Where to start? How about a bit of trivia? In the summer of 1968, Van Morrison was looking for a drummer. Astral Weeks: A Secret History of 1968 by Ryan Walsh, Penguin 2018

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