Jefferson Airplane's Surrealistic Pillow, memories & reaching out across the miles

By Rick Olivares

I was watching this video where this dude was talking about buying second hand records and wondering about the previous owner – if he felt the same way he was feeling listening to the music; if his appreciation for vinyl was the same way he felt ad infinitum. 

While I have been listening, and collecting records since I was seven years old, I almost always bought brand new records. I only started to acquire second-hand records after I lost most of my collection to a fire that gutted my home. However, I never thought about them as pre-owned or even the previous owner.

That is until I purchased a second-hand copy of Jefferson Airplane’s Surrealistic Pillow. 

I didn’t really listen to Jefferson Airplane/Starship I was in sixth grade when their Freedom at Point Zero was released along with its lead single, “Jane.” I got their Spitfire album because it was on sale. But the album that I was transfixed on was Surrealistic Pillow. 

It had something to do with the cover and its pink color and well… I will be honest here… I thought that for a young lad soon to hit adolescence… that Grace Slick was one of the prettiest dames I ever saw. I eventually saved enough to buy the record but I didn’t get into the music – which sounded like a psychedelic Mamas and the Papas -- until I was well into my adult life. This was the time when punk was breaking through and New Wave was coming up. “Jane” sounded so different from tracks from Surrealistic Pillow such as “Somebody to Love” or “White Rabbit.”

Note, that I also somewhat felt the same about the Velvet Underground and it would be decades later when I completely made an about face and thought that the Velvets and Jefferson Airplane (Surrealistic Pillow for the matter) were awesome. 

Anyways, I got me a new second-hand copy. For the past couple of years, I wanted to get a very good copy but they have been hard to come by. And the price for this copy was dirt cheap. So, got it I did.

It was a first for me because I never pick up second hand records with any writings on them. This one had the name of its previous owner on the label of Side One as well as on the back cover – one... Merrill B. Kalkwarf.

Then I decided to do something I have never done before… look up its previous owner. Why? I have no idea? Maybe to talk to someone who loved this record as much as I do.

And this is what I saw in the Belmond Independent, a Colorado newspaper:

Merrill B. Kalkwarf, 64, died May 15, 2008 in Mexico City due to complications of Parkinson's disease. His remains were cremated and a service was held May 21 at the church in Mexico City where he and his wife were married.

Merrill Bruce, son of Ernest and Florence (Tanner) Kalkwarf, was born March 10, 1944 in Belmond. He graduated from Belmond High School in 1962 and went to Wartburg College for one year. He earned a BA in mathematics from the University of Iowa. He was drafted into the army during the Vietnam War and served two years at Edgewood Arsenal in Maryland. He lived in Chicago, San Francisco and Houston before moving to Mexico where he resided for more than 30 years.

His first wife, Carolina, died of cancer. Merrill married Anjelica Cortez Vasquez on April 29, 1995. Within a short time, he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Parkinson's disease. Anjelica was his main caregiver until his death, an angel in his life. Family and friends will remember Merrill's intellect and quick wry wit. Preceding him in death were his parents and first wife. Survivors include his wife; siblings Janis (Larry) Hase of Arvada, CO, Paul (Bonnie) Kalkwarf of Golden, CO, Miriam Kalkwarf of Larkspur, CO, Adrienne (Jim) Pasquariello of Belmond, and Neil (Anna) Kalkwarf of Conifer, CO; seven nephews; three nieces; four great-nephews; seven great-nieces and two great-great nieces.

May 23, 2008 

©Belmond Independent 2008 

After reading the obituary, I went, “Oh.”

Like what am I going to say?

If Mr. Kalkwarf spent one year in college before going to the Army, he would have been – what 19 years old? He would have about 23 or 24 years old when he picked up Surrealistic Pillow. At that time, the war had already escalated in Vietnam. The obituary is vague as to whether he served in Vietnam or was just assigned Stateside. Nevertheless, it was a different time – the anti-Vietnam War movement was starting. What was he feeling with regards to the time as well as the music of Surrealistic Pillow (that was is considered one of the greats of this era as well as the one that opened the floodgates for Bay Area bands). 

If Mr. Kalkwarf were alive, I would have asked him three things – one, how did he feel about the music of this album at the time that he purchased it; two, why did he let go if this record; and three, would he like it back? Yes, I would gladly send it back. Nothing like being reconnected to something that you grew up listening to.

And I thought to myself – would I let go of my records too? I did let my record collection go when compact discs became the rage (they gathered dust in my home) and began to discover girls. But I did go back and you cannot believe the emotions I felt in doing so. It was not only rediscovering an old life, but it rekindled my love for music and helps me move forward. I never stopped liking music. I collected compact discs right up to the time I returned to vinyl. 

Since I got this second-hand copy of Surrealistic Pillow, I think not only of the songs and Grace Slick but also of Mr. Kalkwarf (how can I not when his name is on the record label and the back of the jacket). Come May 11, 2019, it will be the 11^thdeath anniversary of Mr. Kalkwarf.

I started trying to look up his family. Just to share this. About this connection some 7,632 miles away.