What happened to Fuller's Footdilla?

[Lyle Lofgren]

I was watching a web video of Jesse Fuller from 1968, and noticed he
was playing a better looking Footdilla than the one he had in the
mid-1960s, so he must have built at least two of them. Does anyone
know what happened to either? It would be great if someone were still
playing them, but I suppose that's too much to ask. Maybe they're in
a museum somewhere?

Lyle

[Tud Jones]

Have you tried posting at the Weenie Campbell forum?
http://weeniecampbell.com/mambo/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=128

[Lyle Lofgren]

Thanks for the tip. I'll try posting there.

Lyle

[Peter Feldmann]

HA!!!

I'd suggest a local junkyard.

I loved that thing, which I saw "in person" when I did a radio
appearance with Jesse in Chicago for Studs Terkel in '61. Besides the
footdilla, he wore a headset with a mic, an electrified harmonica, and
an electrified kazoo -- so many wires -- looked just like an astronaut
ready to blast off! Thing was, there was a bad ground somewhere, so it
hummed like a son of a bitch. I thought he'd electrocute himself when
he bit into that thing.

-Pete

--

Peter Feldmann
BlueGrass West
PO Box 614
Los Olivos, CA 93441 USA
+1 805 688 9894 // 805 350 3918 (cell)
www.BlueGrassWest.com

[Lyle Lofgren]

I hit paydirt at Weenie Campbell. It turns out it's at the
Smithsonian, which is a lot more appropriate place than a junkyard.
Another piece of information from that query: Jesse had originally
built a casket for his 8-year old grandson, who was very ill. Then the
grandson recovered, so Jesse built a fotdilla out of the casket. I
can't think of a more appropriate use for an unused casket. It's one
of those stories that rings so true that it doesn't matter whether
it's true or not.

I'm very familiar with hum, having fought it with 1960s equipment,
whether PAs, or tape recorders. But at some time when I wasn't
noticing, hum disappeared. Maybe it has to do with polarized power
plugs? But, even plastic-encased equipment doesn't seem to be bothered
by hum or other types of radio interference (I occasionally received
police calls on my tube Hi-Fi set). I know there were some FCC
requirements put in place in the late 1980s or 90s, but I thought they
mainly were concerned with equipment not transmitting unwanted
spurious signals. By the time those FCC requirements took effect, I
was no longer involved with circuit design.

Lyle

[Bill Martin]

In 1966 or 67 I was idling at the local junior college in Vancouver,
Washington, trying to avoid dying in Vietnam like four of my friends had.
One day as I headed across the main square to the lunch hall I heard my kind
of music piping out of the outdoor p.a. speakers. Holy cow! When I got in,
there was Jesse Fuller, who I didn't know, playing his heart out while
nobody listened. That bastion of ignorant whitedum, my hometown. I was too
shy to talk to him, but I think I was his only audience. His music gave me
goosebumps and I was fascinated by the fotdilla. I bought his Lp and wore it
down to a shiny plate. There couldn't have been but two or three of us in
the school who listened to that kind of music. I think he just came in and
asked to play and sell records, traveling around the west coast by car.

Bill

[Lyle Lofgren]

Hi, Bill --

How great to hear from you again! I hope you're doing well.

When I stumble on a miracle such as the one that Jesse was, and I
notice that everyone else is just walking by, not paying a bit of
attention to it, I wonder how many other miracles I walk by without
noticing.

Lyle (Proud Member of Friends of Bill)

[Bill Martin]

"Lyle Lofgren" <lylel...@visi.com> wrote>

>
> How great to hear from you again! I hope you're doing well.

And I can't express how bloody thrilled I am to be back. I'm sometimes
afraid to talk about how I'm doing because I might jinx it. I went from a
three year death sentence to the cancer now being treated as a long term
chronic illness. My oncologist is more optimistic than me, and he's betting
I'll have a long life based on how the cancer is responding to treatment.

But I sure don't feel ill, chronic or otherwise. In fact I feel better than
I have in about 20 years! There are still memory problems from the chemo, an
impaired but growing immune system, and foot pain also from the chemo. But I
feel wonderful, full of energy, happy much of the time, busier being
creative than any other time in my life. I've been walking all over the old
part of town discovering all kinds of amenities. I've come to treasure my
two hours at the neighborhood coffeeshops, reading the paper, sipping good
coffee, ogling the leetle gals, and sticking with the daily crossword puzzle
until I nail it. There are great advantages to being involuntarily retired.
I NEVER, EVER, want to work again so help me Gawd!

> Lyle (Proud Member of Friends of Bill)

Ah, health insurance. Whenever I hear one of those well heeled,
self-righteous, flag-waving, bible-wanking, Republican sons of bitches
defend the insurance companies' exclusions for prior medical conditions I
pray there's a Hell and an eternity, and that Jesus will request Satan
shovel out some of his private reserve of the cruelest fuel. Friends of Bill
is truly saving my ass, thank you very much. I was able to pay all of my
deductible for 2009 with the donated funds.

Bill