Moz: Also, does anyone have an exact date for the day Jeremy left the band?
Well the band was in the midst of the Fillmore West run in SF when the Sylmar quake occurred [Feb 9], one of the true "biggies" that crumpled a swath of SoCal. That shaker claimed some 65 lives and rung up more than half a billion dollars in damage, to include the destruction of a few freeway interchanges, two hospitals, and part of the Van Norman Dam. While still in NorCal, Jeremy saw all that occurred as a bad portend. He was already in a pretty uneasy state of mind as it was, his self-doubt regarding his star-power having risen to the fore, and then there was an untimely dose of mescaline compounding matters. All helped to create a pretty fiery psychological mix.
It is well known that JS disappeared on the day the group arrived in L.A., not long after they checked into that ramshackle hotel. They were scheduled to perform that night at the Whisky on the Sunset Strip. The recurring aftershocks from the earlier earthquake, the gray and yellow smog that prevailed in the air partly from the destruction, all must have seemed eerie beyond belief. Then again, perhaps it was just his time. After all, he saw his pal Peter begin to mentally unravel due to the pressures of rock success before him, coupled with excessive substance indulgence and personal insecurities (as would Danny but a few short years after him). That makes for a rather sad
c'est la vie summation for any and all involved.[*]
However in Spencer's case, he was always predisposed to a more religious view of things going back to his first days in the band (stage appearances notwithstanding), so it could be argued he simply found his true calling with the Children Of God in the wild haze of LA. Be that as it may, one would have to determine (or confirm) the last date the band performed at the Fillmore to pinpoint things better. They had a series of engagements there, that I know. Or of course the nixed Whisky A Go Go concert date!
[*] Heck, even Lindsey Buckingham admitted that touring, and the myriad of pressures and temptations that come with it, would have destroyed him after the Tango project! And so he refused to take the plunge (well, for an additional 10 years anyway).
EDIT: You're doing a good job as it is zeroing in on it Moz. You just need to pinpoint the Last Fillmore SF or first Whisky LA date. Where is sharksfan and that Hjorte bible he packs when you need 'em!
