From the Tiger Beat Archives, March 1967
Phil:
Friendship is like the old saying “getting to know you.” Getting to know you is getting to love you, because that’s what friends are doing–they’re in the process of getting to know each other. When you get to know a person, you get to know their hangups and their good points. You put their good points up high and overlook the bad points because you accept them. If I have a friend, he (or she) accepts my bad points along with the good.
I don’t like to classify friendship because that almost sounds commercial. I just like to say “yes, he’s a friend” or “I haven’t met him yet” or ” he’s an acquaintance.” I think it goes from not knowing someone to a business acquaintance to a friend.
The only time I classify friends is when I speak of my family, because I say they’re my best friends. That’s the way I described my family. We really are close, and we do love each other and have a ball together and that’s the way friends are. Friends can always have a ball together.
Actually, I consider myself a loner. I know lots of people, but those I really know as close friends are very few. With those that are very close friends, I have a very warm relationship, very honest. But I like to get to know a lot of people. It’s groovy to talk to people long and serious. It’s fun to get into those discussions.
I remember the first time I saw Mark it was like the general public sees him. The first time you see him you’re very impressed. The more you know him, you’re impressed, because you know that he’s hiding a lot from people. It’s hard to penetrate that shell that exists around him. I’ve managed to do it while I’ve been with the band.
The best time I ever had with Mark was when we have laughed wholeheartedly together. Of course, we laugh over many things, but not always this hard! I don’t know how it starts. We probably do something very silly, very stupid–but kind of fun, kind of real-and we laugh out loud for real. It’s not a stage left, but it’s Mark Lindsay laughing and Phil Volk laughing and it’s really fun. You can feel how real it is.
Mark is a very real person. He’s very likable, very kind. It sounds funny, but I would like to get to know Mark even better!
Mark:
Friend–to define a friend–is one that you may share similar likes or dislikes. You may agree or disagree on things, but a friend is someone you can always depend on. A friend should be fairly sympathetic to your vibrations and understand why you may act a certain way in a certain situation. A friend can understand this. He (or she) is able to console you or help you with your problems with life or whatever.
There are casual friendships. I like to think most of what are called fans are really friends. I like to think of them as casual friends, and potential good friends. I’d like to get to know them better. Then there are friends–like most of the “Action” cast are my friends. But as far as very, very close friends, I don’t really have very many. It’s nice to have really close friends, but it’s hard to find people you can rely on that much.
Even though in my childhood I was not too popular in class, I usually had one or two people in the class that were friends I could rely on. I was very trusting in those days, so trusting that I often got hurt through friendship. Now it’s very hard for me to give my complete faith and trust people.
I remember my first impression of Phil. I had seen him when he was working with Drake in a band called The Surfers in Boise, Idaho. I thought, here was a grinning kid. The other guitar players were older than Phil and he did everything they told him. My first impression of him was one of a loud, noisy kid with buck teeth.
Phil has changed a great deal since he joined the Raiders. When he first joined the group he was Joe-College with short hair. Even though he was very unsure of himself in our medium (which was new to him) he was very sure of himself as a person. When he first joined the group he was like the world’s worst bass player. Through his perseverance and wanting to be a good Raider and a good musician has become one of the best bass players around, I think. And, one of the greatest guys!
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