1966-1969: Moby Grape and Oar
Spence was a guitarist in an early line-up of Quicksilver Messenger Service before Marty Balin recruited him to be the drummer for Jefferson Airplane. After one album with Jefferson Airplane, their debut Jefferson Airplane Takes Off, he left to co-found Moby Grape, once again as a guitarist. It was with Moby Grape that Spence found his greatest musical fame, writing among other songs, "Omaha", from Moby Grape's first album (1967)--a song identified in 2008 by Rolling Stone Magazine as one of the 100 greatest guitar songs of all time.
Spence is acknowledged as having been instrumental in the formation of the Doobie Brothers, by way of introducing John Hartman to Tom Johnston, and encouraging their musical development.
During the recording session of Moby Grape's second album, Wow, in 1968, Spence attempted to break down a bandmate's hotel room door with a fire axe, while under the influence of LSD. Spence's deterioration in New York and the "fire axe incident" are described by bandmate Jerry Miller as follows: "Skippy changed radically when we were in New York. There were some people there that were into harder drugs and a harder lifestyle, and some very weird shit. And so he kind of flew off with those people. Skippy kind of disappeared for a little while. Next time we saw him, he had cut off his beard, and was wearing a black leather jacket, with his chest hanging out, with some chains and just sweating like a son of a gun. I don't know what the hell he got a hold of, man, but it just whacked him. And the next thing I know, he axed my door down in the Albert Hotel. They said at the reception area that this crazy guy had held an axe to the doorman's head."
As described by bandmate Peter Lewis, it appears that both Jerry Miller and bandmade Don Stevenson were targets of Spence: "We had to do (the album) in New York because the producer (David Rubinson) wanted to be with his family. So we had to leave our families and spend months at a time in hotel rooms in New York City. Finally I just quit and went back to California. I got a phone call after a couple of days. They'd played a Fillmore East gig without me, and Skippy took off with some black witch afterward who fed him full of acid. It was like that scene in The Doors movie. He thought he was the anti-Christ. He tried to chop down the hotel room door with a fire axe to kill Don (Stevenson) to save him from himself. He went up to the 52nd floor of the CBS building where they had to wrestle him to the ground. And Rubinson pressed charges against him. They took him to the The Tombs (and then to Bellevue) and that's where he wrote Oar. When he got out of there, he cut that album in Nashville. And that was the end of his career. They shot him full of Thorazine for six months. They just take you out of the game."
During his six months in Bellevue, Spence was diagnosed with schizophrenia. On the day of his release, he drove a motorcycle, dressed in only his pajamas, directly to Nashville to record his only solo album, with no other musicians appearing on it, the now-classic psychedelic/folk album Oar (1969, Columbia Records).
1970s and continuing decline
Spence continued to have minor involvement in later Moby Grape projects and reunions. He contributed to 20 Granite Creek (1971) and Live Grape (1978), though his bandmates always included at least one of his songs on group recordings, irrespective of whether he was capable of performing with the group at the time. He had been similarly remembered by Jefferson Airplane, whereby his song, "My Best Friend" was included on the group's definitive Surrealistic Pillow album (1967), despite his departure from the group.
Due to his deteriorating state and notwithstanding that he was no longer functioning in the band, Spence was supported by Moby Grape band members for extended periods. Voluminous consumption of heroin and cocaine resulted in a further involuntary committal for Spence, based on "Aqualung"-like behaviours. As described by Peter Lewis, "Skippy was just hanging around. He hadn't been all there for years, because he'd been into heroin all that time. In fact he actually ODed once and they had him in the morgue in San Jose with a tag on his toe. All of a sudden he got up and asked for a glass of water. Now he was snortin' big clumps of coke, and nothing would happen to him. We couldn't have him around because he'd be pacing the room, describing axe murders. So we got him a little place of his own. He had a little white rat named Oswald that would snort coke too. He'd never washed his dishes, and he'd try to get these little grammar school girls to go into the house with him. He was real bad. One of the parents finally called the cops, and they took him to the County Mental Health Hospital in Santa Cruz. Where they immediately lost him, and he turned up days later in the women's ward."
Mental illness, drug addiction and alcoholism thus prevented Spence from sustaining a career in the music industry. Much of his life was spent in third party care, as a ward of the State of California, and either homeless or in transient accommodations in his later years. He remained in and around San Jose and Santa Cruz, California. Peter Lewis regularly visited Spence during the latter years of his life: "The last five years I'd go up‚ he lived in a trailer up there‚ Capitola. I used to hang around with him; we'd spend the weekends together. But he just basically kind of hit the…he was helpless in a way in terms of being able to define anything or control his feelings."
As one of his four children, son Omar Spence, recalls, "When I saw my dad, it broke my heart. ...There were moments of clarity when he was genius smart, and then he'd wander off having a conversation with himself. Here's a homeless guy that most people would walk past and pity, and he'd say, 'I've been working on a song', and he'd scratch out some bar chords and musical notes on a napkin."
Death and postscripts
Spence died in 1999 from lung cancer. He was 52, just two days shy of his 53rd birthday. More Oar: A Tribute to Alexander "Skip" Spence, an album featuring contributions from Robert Plant, Tom Waits, Beck, among others, was released a few weeks after his death. Prior to its release, the CD was played for Spence at the hospital, in his final stages before death. As Peter Lewis recalls, "He was in a coma‚ and the last thing to go is your hearing. And they had More Oar in there and were playing it for him as they pulled the plug and we were holding his hands. I mean‚ it was like this death of Van Gogh or something. That's the drama of it. You know…it was just so intense."
Spence's "Land of the Sun", one of the only post-Grape recordings he ever completed, was nearly placed on the X-Files soundtrack, Songs In The Key of X. He had been commissioned to write the song.
In June, 2008, a Skip Spence Tribute Concert was held in Santa Cruz. The concert featured Spence's son, Omar Spence, who has sung with various configurations of Moby Grape in recent years. Omar Spence, singing his father's songs, was backed by the Santa Cruz White Album Ensemble, with Dale Ockerman and Tiran Porter, both formerly of the Doobie Brothers, and both of whom have played with various members of Moby Grape in several bands over the past three decades. Keith Graves of Quicksilver Messenger Service played drums. Peter Lewis joined the group onstage for the finale. An additional Skip Spence tribute concert was held in October, 2008.
Little Hands
Alexander "Skip" Spence Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Children are laughing
Little hands clapping all over the world
Piper is piping
Drummers are drumming
Little hands clapping all over the world
Children are sharing
Little loves loving, all little boys and girls
Children are singing
The truths that they're bringing
Freedom is ringing all 'round the world
Come let us meet them
Ah, yes, we will greet them
Little hands clapping
Children are caring
Piper is calling all over the world
Out in the street
The sick that you meet
How many friends do you call your own?
Come let us meet them
Yes, we will greet them
Children are clapping
Children are caring
Children are shattering records and rules
Little hands caring
Little hands sharing
The old ones and the gold ones and the family jewels
Come let us meet them
Yes, we will greet them
Little hands clapping
Children are happy
Little hands loving all 'round the world
Little hands clasping
Truth they are grasping
A world with no pain for one and all
And they are learning
Their souls, they are yearning
A nice place to play and no place to fall
Come let us meet them
Ah, yes, we will greet them
The song "Little Hands" by Alexander "Skip" Spence is an uplifting tune about the joy and innocence of children. The lyrics paint a picture of children all over the world, their hands clapping together and their voices united in song. The piper pipes and the drummers drum, accompanying the children's singing and clapping. The message of the song is one of love, caring, and sharing, with all the little boys and girls of the world coming together in unity.
The central theme of the song is the idea of children being the hope and future of the world. They embody the qualities of love, innocence, and kindness that should be present in all human beings. The lines "Children are clapping, children are caring, children are shattering records and rules" suggest that children have the power to break down barriers and create positive change in the world. The chorus, "Little hands clapping all over the world," emphasizes the idea of unity and global connection.
The song is a tribute to the beauty of childhood and the potential that all children have within them to create a better world. It is a call to action for all of us to welcome and embrace the next generation with open hearts and open minds.
Line by Line Meaning
Little hands clapping
Children are happy and excited, expressing their joy through applause
Children are laughing
Kids are having fun and enjoying themselves
Little hands clapping all over the world
This joyous and celebratory sound can be heard everywhere, uniting children around the globe
Piper is piping
A musician is playing a woodwind instrument
Drummers are drumming
Musicians are playing percussion instruments
Little hands clapping all over the world
The musicians' lively and rhythmic performances inspire applause from children everywhere
Children are sharing
Kids are exchanging objects or ideas
Little loves loving, all little boys and girls
Children are showing affection and compassion towards each other, regardless of their gender
Children are singing
Kids are expressing their thoughts and feelings through music and lyrics
The truths that they're bringing
The children's songs carry messages of honesty or wisdom
Freedom is ringing all 'round the world
The songs of children are symbols of liberation and hope, resonating globally
Come let us meet them
We should reach out to these young singers and invite them into our society
Ah, yes, we will greet them
We promise to welcome and accept these children, showing them kindness and generosity
Children are caring
Kids are showing concern and empathy for the people and creatures around them
Piper is calling all over the world
The musician is using their instrument to invite children from every region to join in the universal celebration
Out in the street
In the public spaces
The sick that you meet
The people who are unwell and need help
How many friends do you call your own?
Do you have enough people in your life who care about you and can offer you support?
Children are shattering records and rules
Kids are breaking barriers and expectations, achieving feats beyond what was thought possible
Little hands caring
Kids are expressing concern and thoughtfulness to those they care about
Little hands sharing
Kids are giving and receiving from each other, learning the value of generosity
The old ones and the gold ones and the family jewels
Children are learning to respect and cherish their family heirlooms and traditions, passing them down from one generation to the next
Little hands clapping
Children continue to express joy and appreciation through applause
Children are happy
Kids are content and joyful, experiencing positive emotions
Little hands loving all 'round the world
Children are spreading affection and compassion, reaching out to everyone regardless of race, creed, or nationality
Little hands clasping
Kids are holding hands, expressing solidarity and support for each other
Truth they are grasping
Children are gaining insight and understanding about the world and their place in it
A world with no pain for one and all
Children dream of a future where everyone is free from suffering and hardship
And they are learning
Kids are absorbing knowledge and gaining wisdom through their experiences
Their souls, they are yearning
Children feel a deep craving or desire for something they haven't yet attained or understood
A nice place to play and no place to fall
Children envision a safe and enjoyable world, free from danger and harm
Come let us meet them
We should seek out these young learners and engage with them, offering guidance and support
Ah, yes, we will greet them
We pledge to welcome and affirm these children's curiosity, creativity, and unique perspectives
Contributed by Chloe B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.