CASE HISTORY NO. 099: BOB WELCH

It ain’t cool to be into mystic stuff anymore. Know what I mean? Like nobody asks you your sign or talks about all that spiritual claptrap that flourished in the 60’s. I mean, can you imagine finding out that Johnny Rotten is a disciple of Guru Mahara Ji or that Joey Ramone takes off his wig and turns into a Hare Krishna? Unlikely; but you’d better believe that Carlos Santana, John McLaughlin and George Harrison aren’t the only pop stars still interested in highs that aren’t drug-induced. Sammy Hagar was doing songs about close encounters of the third kind—and their spiritual implications —when Spielberg was still making flicks about over-sized fish. Hagar was in Montrose when Bob Welch was still a member of Fleetwood Mac. Today they’re each into solo careers and share a producer, John Carter; a label, Capitol; and some very interesting perspectives on what life is all about.