Traveling with the Ethnogs 1975

As you know,The Ethnogs performed all over the world -- not only in countries like England, Germany, and France but also in places like New Guinea, Tonga, Nepal, the Lesser Antilles, Namibia, Kampuchea, Pittsburgh, and Yemen. I think Rickie Dick took this picture of me (I'm the guy standing) and one of our now deceased drummers, Teddy "the flea" Harkness, while we were on a boat off the coast of Mexico after purchasing some "crops" from the local farmers. This was shortly before Teddy died of some rare jungle disease or he just fell off the boat and we never found him or maybe we forgot to look for him. And I don't remember who the babe was. Can anyone identify her?

Train to Purgatory 2008

Here's a recent remake of our greatest hit ever -- "Train to Purgatory." Joining Gory and me is Tommy Hassandrianos (we call him Tommy H). Tommy H. played with us for a while back in the early 70s and actually played on the 1972 original release of "Train to Purgatory."

Notice the now famous "Dougie Mac playing position." Compare this still from this video with the picture of me from my days in The Coalition. You can see just about the same exact playing angle of the guitar neck and tilt of my head. I guess some things never change.

Guitar from my collection

Here is my trusty 1959 375 Rickenbacker. All my fans know that I love Rickenbacker guitars and almost exclusively play them. You can't beat an American made Rick.

This is the guitar I was playing the night The Ethnogs got caught in "the loop" playing the opening to "New Guinea Swamp Blues" in Madison Square Garden. The Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame wants it, but I won't give it up. It would be like losing my best friend -- well my second best friend after Gory.

Playing bass with The Coalition 1964

Here's a picture of me playing bass along with John "madman" Matinock on drums in my band The Coalition. The picture was taken on October 15, 1964 at a performance at the old Arie Crown Theater in Chicago. We were one of the warm-up bands for the Stones.

Discography

The Ethnogs Discography


“The Ethnogs” (1967)
Individual songs on the album included:
"The Muse of the White Goddess"
"My Dog's Bladder"
"Eatin Alive by Love"


“The Ethnogs Live at Filmore East” (1968)
Individual songs on the album included:
"Eatin Alive by Love" (Long version)
“Wild Thing” (Long version)
“Douse your Flame” (Long version)
“Route 66” (Really really long version)


“Oral Traditions” (1969)
Individual songs on the album included:
"Train to Purgatory" (later to become known for some as “A-Train”)
“Spit Me Out and Take it Back.”


“Going Native — Live Tongues in Tonga” (1970)
Individual songs on the album included:
"New Guinea Swamp Blues"


“The Ethnogs and Friends” (1972)
Individual songs on the album:
“Hey Joe” (with the Leaves)
“B-Train” (with Jimmy Paige and John Paul Jones)
“The Loop” (with Mott the Hoople)
“It’s a Weird World” (with Alice Cooper)


“The Taste of All Things Ethnographic” (1975)
Individual songs on the album included:
“The Taste of Ethnographic Things”


“Fieldnotes from the Edges of the Earth” (1977)
Individual songs on the album included:
"New Guinea Swamp Blues" (the remix)


“Live at the Maddog Café” (1979)
Individual songs on the album included
"Nights in White Satin" (cover of the Moody Blues)
“Pinball Wizzard” (cover of the Who)


“Music for Culture Wars” (1980)
Individual songs on the album included:
“The Narrative Turn”
“My Ethnocentric Lover” (the ballad)
“My Ethnocentric Lover” (blues version)


“Speaking in Tongues: The Ethnogs Retrospective” (1987)

The Ethnogs Reunion

The Ethnogs are a legendary mythic American rock band formed in 1966 in Seattle by Dougal Macrorie, Gory Bateson, and Dick Diver. They were one of the most influential bands of their time, due mostly to their eclectic brand of rock and blues and their incredibly talented and constantly changing ensemble of musicians who coveted performing with the original trio. The Ethnogs had numerous hits in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s until their dissolution in 1986 shortly after the death of fellow touring band member Chris “Crisp” Peterson.

The three founding members reunited in February 2007 after attending the funeral of Jeffrey Michael, an early manager of Jimi Hendrix who arranged for Dick, Gory, and Dougal to play with Hendrix. The Ethnogs performed “Wild Thing” at their reunion performance, the hit song that they encouraged Hendrix to play at the Monterrey Music Festival in 1967. For more of The Ethnogs History please click the "click here to add your memories" link right below "remember the history of the ethnogs?" See if reading their history will jog your memory and then use the Wiki to record whatever you recall.

History of The Ethnogs forthcoming

It all began in 1966.