I hate this January. It seems like every day this month a star from my past has died. Today it was Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane and (later) Jefferson Starship. I know that in some cases it’s nearly a miracle some of these musicians have lived this long, but still. Kantner was one of the leaders of the quintessential San Francisco band in that brief psychedelic era. The Grateful Dead may have lasted longer, but Airplane shone more brightly from about 1968 – 1973.

Here’s one of his songs from the post-Airplane album Baron von Tollbooth and the Chrome Nun.

Note: Amazon seems to be having a sale on Airplane CDs: you can get them for $4.99 apiece, which is a helluva buy.