TOM COSSIE
 He was married to a beautiful woman named Gloria from Pittsburgh. I'm guessing it was March or April 1968 when we met him because by the time we went to Princeton University in May he was there with us, and he came to Rev. Paine's farm in August. Cossie showed up at the Olympia one night after we had been performing the Mass for a few months. I don't know how he knew of us. I never asked. We had been making some noise, been in the middle of some controversey, were original, and sparking debate in some local papers, and that's the kind of thing a manager looks for. Maybe he heard about some wild and crazy psychedelic band, and he had to check it out for himself. Whatever he saw, he must have seen potential because he wanted to manage us. Cossie never tried to change us, maybe that's why we accepted him. It wasn't easy for him because we were resisting. Until then we had managed ourselves, but he started proving himself and more and more. Rev Paine thought we should say yes, so finally we did. |