Prologue Part 1 1974

During her ski-holidays 1974 in Zermatt, Graziella gets to know Rod from Canada who is on a trip through Europe since Christmas 1973, at the Hotel Bahnhof.


Russ, Rod, Mark, Pam + Jerry, Hotel Bahnhof, Zermatt, March 1974

On March 13th, Graziella returns to Basel and brings along Rod. He is accommodated at Scholi’s place, a friend of ours who has a flat in one of the old parts of the city.
Rod 2008: Not sure if you remember, his flat did not have hot water and he depended on burning scrap wood from a local furniture maker to heat his flat. He had this shared courtyard with the furniture maker. It was somewhat cold existence.
In the next few weeks he will become one of us. We are taking him to the Disco Tenne, we meet at Scholi’s or at my place, he is also present at one of our rehearsals. I have just finished my apprenticeship as salesman at the Migros and at that time I am a member of Marino’s band Flying Carpet Airlines, with Marino on guitar, Bruno on bass and Nöggi on drums.


Flying Carpet Airlines 1974

At the end of March, Rod is leaving for a city trip.
Rod 2008: On March 30 I travelled to Amsterdam. I then travelled to London, then Paris and then back to Basel. In my memory, I spent probably 3 days in Amsterdam, 2 and 1/2 weeks in London and 2 days in Paris. It was all fun. London was the highlight.
In the meantime it is Easter and we are off to our traditional Camp at Huggerwald.


Jimi, Marco, Marino + Graziella at the Huggerwald Camp, Easter 1974


Graziella at the Huggerwald Camp


Jimi at the Huggerwald Camp

On April 24th, Rod is back in Basel and his 4 months vacation in Europe is coming to an end. It is Saturday night the 27th. of April and we are all having a ball at the inauguration of the Burggarten schoolhouse in Bottmingen. We, that is amongst others Graziella, Bruno, Marino, Thomy, Marcel Wehrli and me. It is Rod’s last night in Switzerland, he’s flying back home to Edmonton in Canada the very next morning. It’s a long night and we drink a lot and we talk a lot. Shortly after midnight Rod says good bye as he’s got to get up pretty early in the morning to catch the bus at 6.30 from the trainstation to the airport. I suggest that we all accompany Rod to the airport. Of course, matter of honour is the answer of everybody. It’s pretty late as I grab my moped to return home for a couple of hours of sleep. It is around 6.15 when I arrive at the trainstation, only little later Rod arrives. Unfortunatley none of the the others shows up so the two of us catch the bus that brings us to Basel-Mulhouse. We say good bye on the departure terminal with the promise that someday we will meet again.

2 weeks later I am at the Emerson, Lake & Palmer gig at the Hallenstadion in Zürich with Sibylle, Marianne, Max and Pit. A mind-blowing show.


11.05.1974 ELP im Hallenstadion Zürich ©Ueli Frey

Rod and me, we stay in touch and we start to write letters back and forth. I have no idea if Rod understands all what I am writing, after all I never had any english lessons. All I know is what I learned translating Hendrix lyrics by myself using an old dictionary...

Well, I think it was not that bad, because a few months later, in August ’74, I get a first letter from Rod.





12.12.2008 The flag is still there

My older brother Albert has become hotelier in Geneva in the meantime, and he offers me a job. Good enough for me to quit my job at the Migros per October 31st an move to that beautiful city close to France where I also find my Lake Placid Blue Strat. It is back and forth between Binningen and Geneva. On the 19th of November I get a letter from Sibylle.



On 21. November I am going to see Gentle Giant in concert



As there is not really work for me in Geneva I return home at the beginning of December. After a couple of Jam-Sessions with the Band Pearwood they accept me as their new guitarplayer.

Before Christmas Rod's second letter arrives



One night sitting around with Fritz and Sibylle at our hangout, the Café Bijou in Binningen, we talk about life and what could be done. My idea to go to Canada and visit my friend Rod seems to be a good plan and we decide there and then to do just that. We also decide a date of departure already. It is the 1. September 1975.


Pit + Fritz December 1974

Just before Christmas we play our notorious Pearwood gig at the HC.


21.12.1974 Holee-Center Binningen

By the end of December we have to move out of our rehearsal at the Jolie Theater at the Holee-Center. It is at this occasion that I tell my friends about my plans to go to Canada. Beat, Hanspi and Ramon decide to look for a new guitarplayer immediately.