"Close, but no Cigar"

The Cookin' Mama Story

By Tommy Thompson

Tommy Thompson

Jul 17, 20202 min read

SHOWTIME AND OVERTURE

In the Beginning...it all started on a wee, speck-island town across the bay from San Francisco, called Alameda...'twas 1968 and...

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Tommy Thompson

Jul 10, 20203 min read

1st Movement: Tommy & Vince

Like all high school kids, at least of that time period, I had to have some kind of day job in order to earn spendin’ cash….

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Tommy Thompson

Jul 3, 20203 min read

2nd Movement: Tommy, Vince & Larry

"You can learn a lot by just watching.” -- Yogi Berra

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Tommy Thompson

Jun 26, 20209 min read

3rd Movement: Tommy, Vince & Lou

It was now sometime near the beginning of 1969 when ol’ Vince n’ I decided it was time to put out the feelers to Lou...

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Tommy Thompson

Jun 19, 202020 min read

4th Movement: Glenda

Glenda Plant was in my high school graduating class of ’69. She was tall, gorgeous, kind, sexy, intelligent, voluptuous, loving...

226 views

Tommy Thompson

Jun 12, 20201 min read

1st Interlude: "Chronology"

Lest y’all think that these 3 episodes with Glenda have been constructed by your humble narrator in a manner in which...

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Tommy Thompson

Jun 5, 20206 min read

4th Movement: "Deck the Halls"

After the previously a’feared fireworks in Connor’s office had fizzled out, and we were released back into the general population...

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Tommy Thompson

May 29, 20203 min read

2nd Interlude: "Glenda Finale"

“Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgement ye judge, ye shall be judged..."

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Tommy Thompson

May 22, 20202 min read

5th Movement: Tommy, Vince, & Lou

We were back to Square Three: Tommy, Vince, and Lou…though, truth be told, I went by “Tom” back then…Geez, what was I thinking?...

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Tommy Thompson

May 15, 20208 min read

5th Movement: "Louie the Lip"

“Welcome to St. Elizabeth’s High School, the happenin’ place to be on a Friday night."

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Tommy Thompson

May 12, 20207 min read

3rd Interlude: "Tommy & Religion"

"Every day people are straying away from the church and going back to God” -- Lenny Bruce

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Tommy Thompson

May 8, 20204 min read

5th Movement: "The Anniversary Game"

So, by far, up to this point at least, the biggest professional “feather in our cap,” came in September of ’69, about 3 weeks into the...

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4th Interlude: "Pat - In His Own Words" Pt. 1

Tommy Thompson

May 1, 202016 min read

4th Interlude: "Pat - In His Own Words" Pt. 1

I was born in Alameda, California - it was my first home - and lived there until I was about 16, then moved to Oakland in the Rockridge...

190 views

Tommy Thompson

Apr 24, 202014 min read

6th Movement: Pat, Tommy, Vince, Lou

I first met Pat Thrall one late-afternoon in the summer of '69 right after Cookin’ Mama had just finished an early-afternoon gig at the...

158 views

Tommy Thompson

Apr 17, 20208 min read

6th Movement: "Rockwell"

Pat and his younger brother Preston (to whom I have already briefly alluded earlier in this tawdry tale, and about whom...

90 views

Tommy Thompson

Apr 10, 20205 min read

5th Interlude: "St. Mary's"

Also, by this point in time (very late-1969), I had begun my freshman year at St. Mary’s College in Moraga. Got in there....

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Tommy Thompson

Apr 3, 20205 min read

6th Movement: "Kathy"

"If your ship doesn't come in, swim out to it." - Jonathan Winters

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Tommy Thompson

Mar 27, 20203 min read

6th Movement:"Sons of Champlin"

Pat called me the next day and told me about this band that he'd heard the night before at Winterland called: "The Sons of Champlin"......

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6th Interlude: "Paul - In His Own Words" Pt. 1

Tommy Thompson

Mar 20, 20205 min read

6th Interlude: "Paul - In His Own Words" Pt. 1

Life is strange sometimes. Especially when you are young and adrift in your own confusion. I had been told what I could do, what I...

98 views

Tommy Thompson

Mar 13, 202011 min read

7th Interlude: "Tommy Meets Paul"

Paul Hahn was one year ahead of me at Alameda High. He graduated in ’68. Me in ’69. And although I didn’t know him personally until his...

108 views

The Story Continues...

Coming Soon

Suzanne Somers & “The James Gang”

COOKIN' MAMA

Featuring Pat Thrall

"Close, but no Cigar"

The Cookin' Mama Story

By Tommy Thompson

COOKIN' MAMA