9/26/06: Plato and the Philosophers
                                “Doomsday Nowhere City” (1967)

You may have heard that there was a lot of social upheaval in 1967. It was left to Plato and the Philosophers, however, to address the true burning question of the time. Mainly, “What are these freaks doing in my town?”

While others ran off to catch social diseases in San Francisco and New York City, teenage Ken Tebow was perfectly happy to write great rock tunes from his home base of Moberly, Missouri. The band became rightful obscure legends thanks to the precious blues-pop 45 of “I Don’t Mind,” backed by the infectious rock of “C.M. I Love You.” “Doomsday Nowhere City” was an unreleased follow-up single, and it could’ve changed the world.

The wistful song addresses the traditional teen topic of ditching hometown for somewhere far away. The catch is that our narrator isn’t bemoaning the stodgy old folks. He’s bummed out by his own generation. The part about the local girls is pretty mean—in fact, probably fatally so for the band’s career. You have to like the take on his fellow young men, though:

    Doomsday Nowhere City
    Quiet days in the shade
    Guys who think they’re hippies
    Sipping lemonade
    The Doomsday City Motorbike Brigade

There’s a guy less interested in making the scene than fleeing it. This past Sunday, incidentally, was the 39th anniversary of the song’s recording. Have a drink.

And if “Doomsday Nowhere City” doesn’t sound right-wing enough, then admire the rugged individualism of the earlier B-side “Thirteen O’clock Flight To Psychedelphia.” It’s probably the only tune about turning on in which the singer wants it to be a solo flight. In fact, he sings about the joy of not having to put up with the hippie girl in his life. Moberly must’ve been crawling with them.

Make it your own: As with the ’70s punk movement, there were many lost ’60s garage bands that should stay lost. The Collectables label has compiled a lot of them. Fortunately, Thirteen O’clock Flight To Psychedelphia is a stellar collection of 14 Plato tracks, augmented by fine contemporaries Something Wild, The (non-UK) Smoke, and The (non-UK) Fortunes. Don’t forget that Collectables is also your best source for The Fe Fi Four Plus 2.

Plato and the Philosophers are still rocking in Moberly, although mainly as a traditional oldies cover band. It’s kind of neat that they’re playing American Legion Halls. We’ll honor their preference of selling their record through Wal-Mart.

 

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