Weird Scenes Inside The Canyon (2014)
The title and subject matter refer to the famous Laurel Canyon, a large residential canyon on the north side of Hollywood. It's main road is Laurel Canyon Blvd. which leads from Hollywood up over the hills, past Mulholland Dr., and down into Studio City in the L.A. Valley.
Author David McGowan puts forth a theory that most (if not all) of the bands and musicians who lived in Laurel Canyon were somehow connected via their parents to the military industrial complex. To be sure, there are lots of coincidences pointed out in the book regarding pop icons like David Crosby, the Mamas and the Papas, the Doors, Frank Zappa, Buffalo Springfield, the Beach Boys, the Monkees, and many others who resided in the Canyon.
His hinted-at conspiracy theories are fairly silly, but his biographical material on many of the early '60s rock and folk rock celebrities are pretty well researched. There are many behind the scenes revelations. I learned a few things that I didn't know.
It is true that the Canyon was home to scores of famous music artists, but to suggest that they all ended up there for any other reason than it was a hip place to live, is more than a stretch.
He's also left out a bunch of rock stars who resided there. John Mayall, the Animals, Captain Beefheart and others all lived there during the '60s. I also rented a home there from '69-'71.
But if you have a fascination for Laurel Canyon, or are interested in how it was in the '60s/'70s, this is a nice companion book to anything else you may have read about the area.