Robben Ford Discussion

Phill_B

This was the one that was in Robben's living room and I'm pretty sure that there was only 11 of us, including me and my dad. Just wondering if the other nine people were on the forum.

Phillip

sfhalo · Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 3:10 pm Post subject:

Hi, Phillip..........I was one of the "other 9." I think I was the oldest person at the clinic and was sitting directly behind you and your dad. That was definitely a day to remember...........Robben & Anne's living room......it will probably never happen again. Keep playing!

Phill_B · Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 3:58 pm Post subject:

With the blonde 335 right? And I don't think that there will ever be another clinic in his living room either... But yeah that definitely that was a day to remember! You don't by any chance have the clinic on tape? (I didn't even think of bringing a recorder...)

Phillip

sfhalo · Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 5:28 pm Post subject:

Close......it's a blonde Telecaster. And, yes, I have the clinic in 5-part mp3 files. I'd be happy to burn them to a CD for you. Send me your mailing address in a PM and I'll get it out to you in the next few days. You can then import them into your mp3 player program.........I use iTunes but any mp3 music program will work. Glad to do it for you.

Danny · Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 9:38 am Post subject:

I wasn't there, but this really sounds like it was a once in a life time opportunity...I'm not really familiar with how these clinics work, how do you apply to go to them?
_________________
"Music is the only thing that you can share with a million million people and you don't lose, you gain. It helps you to get energy and to live long, because when your soul is very happy then you don't want to die." - Ali Akbar Khan

AlChuck · Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 12:56 pm Post subject:

He does them a couple of times a year since back in 2002 or so. They are posted on his website, and usually his wife Anne posts it here on this site. I don't know if they do any other type of promotion of it. Basically they are limited to 25 students. He typically rents a small hall for the day in Ojai, CA and it goes from, oh, say 9:30 to 12, then a break for lunch, then back about 1:30 until 4 or so. Costs something around $175 or so? (it's been a while since I looked, I think it was $150 or so when I took it in December 2002).

Danny · Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 2:12 pm Post subject:

It looks like it's $200 now. I can't afford that now but what happens, you send in a form with some money and if you're within the first 25 you're in and if not they keep the money?
_________________
"Music is the only thing that you can share with a million million people and you don't lose, you gain. It helps you to get energy and to live long, because when your soul is very happy then you don't want to die." - Ali Akbar Khan

JohnnyZ · Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 7:17 am Post subject:

FatTeleTom · Senior Member Joined: 12 May 2004 Posts: 191

JohnnyZ · Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 2:51 pm Post subject:

Actually, one of my awkward Robben-meeting moments came the day after the March '05 clinic that I attended. I had a great breakfast at the diner-like shop (Annie's?) in the downtown Ojai main street shopping strip, then ventured onto the other main road a block behind the main street where the Sunday "farmer's market" was (and probably still is). Anyway, after checking out the market which was full of the best and biggest in-season strawberries I'd ever seen along with some of the most unusual herbs and grasses only found in CA, I wandered off and eventually bumped into Robben who seemed to be on a shopping mission. Robben wearing a hat, I didn't immediately recognize him until I was just passing, then I said an enthusiastic "hi", which he responded with a "hi" as we passed each other. I almost wanted to turn around and catch up to him, but I hesitated and the moment was gone. Just as well, I supposed...

jconstant · Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 3:21 pm Post subject:

I was at the living room clinic. That's an experience I'll never forget. I even said to Robben when we were both sitting in our chairs waiting for everyone to reassemble after a break, "You know, this is pretty surreal for a lot of us, if you think about it." He thought about it for a sec, smiled, and then said, "Yeah, I guess it might be, huh?"

You don't have to worry about sending in your money and not getting it back if it fills up too quickly. Anne goes out of her way to take care of everyone and she would never do something like that.

Heck, Anne is the reason we ended up in her living room. Someone who books the Women's Center in Ojai messed up and double booked us that day. Anne took off somewhere to try and straighten it out and before you knew it, she was back and said, "Rob, come on, we're going to our house.". Robben looked at a couple of us and said with a big smile, "Well, I guess we're going to our house." And the rest is history.

To this day I still can hardly believe I spent the day in his living room in what he later told me was his favorite chair.

Oh and by the way, he mentioned to me last weekend when I saw him at Catalina Bar & Grill that they are looking into making the clinics more interactive. I mentioned something about wanting to stand up and play with him next time like others have done and that's what prompted him to mention that.
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"Somebody's got to make some music around here." - Robben Ford

JohnnyZ · Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 3:46 pm Post subject:

jconstant, great post. really...