Skip Spence

 Skip Spence was born in Windsor Ontario but grew up in America. He was born on April 18, 1946.
He was one of the early members of Jefferson Airplane. I loved Jefferson Airplane in their early days and played Surrealistic Pillow  again and again in the late 60s and right up to the 21st-century. But Skip apparently was a troubled soul. he left the airplane and joined a bunch of other groups before cofounding Moby Grape,  another great 60s band.
I met Skip  in London in a friends flat in Tottenham Court Road. It was August 1969  Skip had flown in to see the free concert that Blind Faith was putting on in Hyde Park and my friends and I had gone as well and when I return to my friend’s flat, his flatmate introduced me to Skip.  They had become friends when he was studying in California. I have to admit I was a little silly and starstruck and didn’t say anything sensible.  And that particular day though Skip was full of fun and bright, and didn’t foreshadow a terrible breakdowns that he suffered in the 70s .
Skip wrote My Best Friend, a lovely tune the Airplane put on Surrealistic Pillow.