Song of the Day: 'Go Where You Wanna Go' by the Mamas and the Papas

The Mamas and the Papas with Scott McKenzie, for whom John Phillips wrote and produced the hit single "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)." Keep an eye out for Scott in the Vanity Fair article I linked to below!

I went into a deep Mamas and the Papas spiral over the weekend, with too much mind-blowing information learned to share it all here. But of particular interest was that Chynna Phillips and hubby Billy Baldwin filmed a long chat on the porch with Mama Michelle, something I've been wanting to do with my mom for years; that a harrowing childhood experience -- or two -- has helped me better understand how Chynna slipped into Creepy "Christian" mode (whatever it takes to get through it, girl). And that the juicy Mamas and Papas "Behind the Music" barely even scratched the surface of the band drama -- oh-my-fucking-god -- which is fascinatingly spelled out in this 2007 Vanity Fair piece about Michelle Phillips, for whom my respect has never been greater despite discovering the sad hypocrisy of her disbelief in stepdaughter Mackenzie's incest allegations against Papa John. (Anyone know if she ever apologized for that?) 

And if you're wondering if Michelle Phillips used a voodoo doll on true love Warren Beatty, watch THIS.

Song of the Day: 'Creque Alley' by the Mamas and the Papas

In honor of the correction we had to do yesterday at work in which my colleague misspelled Swarthmore without the first "r." (You might recognize this is the photo that Michelle Phillips had been replaced in when John Phillips (briefly) threw her out of the band!

When Cass was a sophomore, planned to go to Swarthmore

But she changed her mind one day ...

Cass the First Stone

So this is how that (untrue) story about choking on a sandwich got started. (I guess "ham" was added to embellish as it was the most popular kind in those days.) RIP, Cass Elliot, who died 40 years ago today. She was just 33.  (Hat tip to Find a Death.)