[AGL] more Fletcherizing

[Gerry]

Billy Lee was a sponsor and long time supporter of the Conqueroo who lived
in his big house at one time. It was at this house that the Merry Pranksters
stopped when they visited Austin (writer connection between Kesey and Billy
Lee).

I met him when the Conq played in San Antonio where he was living with
Dorothy in 1968. Not long afterward he was in Denver managing the Denver Dog
with Simmons when we spent a week there. We all lived in the enormous hall
which had offices, press boxes, and big dressing rooms in the basement. Very
cold in winter. A few years later we were both living in West Lake Hills and
used to get together. He was writing a book with musicians as the main
characters and wanted me to edit his dialogue to see if it was the way
musicians talked. He loved music and musicians.

My favorite Billy Lee story was the one in which he had his pill stash in
the pocket of his swimsuit and forgot about it later and went swimming. As
they dried, all the pills congealed into a big lump, no telling what all in
the lump. Not knowing what else to do with it he swallowed the whole lump.
Apparently that one did not cause a stroke, he said he really enjoyed it.

Billy Lee was a gentleman with highly polished manners when he chose to
employ them. I always thought of him as a modern day (1950's/60's) F. Scott
Fitzgerald. He and Fitzgerald were both Taurians. Beautiful cats. I know
that he left behind lots of manuscripts. At one time his daughter was
organizing them for possible publication. Never heard how that came out.
Seems like the Ransom Center or it's like might be interested in them.
G











----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Fontaine Maverick" <fmaverick at austin.rr.com>
To: "survivors' reminiscences about Austin Ghetto Daze in the 60s"
<austin-ghetto-list at pairlist.net>
Sent: Thursday, November 22, 2007 9:25 PM
Subject: Re: [AGL] more Fletcherizing



> Thank you so much for all your words, Mike. I recall Sidney Brammer

telling

> me that Billy Lee had called before he died and telling her he had some

> money "socked away" - as it turned out, there was about $800 in a sock in

a

> drawer for her.

> ----- Original Message ----- 

> From: "Michael Eisenstadt" <mike.eisenstadt at gmail.com>

> To: <austin-ghetto-list at pairlist.net>

> Sent: Thursday, November 22, 2007 9:50 AM

> Subject: [AGL] more Fletcherizing

>

>

> > pretty good friend with Billy Lee Bramer too but only in last

> > few years of his life. i had never spoken with him in the

> > glory days in the 60s. i only really met him at Cissy Alex's

> > where i also met Arthur Vance. <-very funny guy

> >

> > Billy Lee and his last girlfriend lived for a time upstairs

> > in the house Fletcher and Libby were renting on W. 28th

> > street. Their last domicile before Billy Lee OD'ed was a

> > small frame house opposite the Federal bldg not yet torn

> > down where, as she told me, they freaked out at being

> > under surveillance. Billy Lee turned out to be a fantastic

> > conversationalist, he knew everybody from everywhere

> > what they had done and written and he never NEVER

> > spoke about his personal problems which were legion.

> > This was on Friday nights at Fletcher's first Raw Deal.

> > He once offered to trade his portable cassette tape recorder

> > for my roommate.

> >

> > when Billy Lee died, Dorothy went to the Austin police

> > to see if an autopsy might be done on him. the cops

> > were dismissive of such pointless probing. Pointing at

> > some of the mug shots on the wall, the detective said

> > we have all his friends here [recounted by Dorothy at

> > Billy Lee's wake at Dorothy's rent house on Possum

> > Trot road]. Billy Lee died of a stroke after he had

> > shot up some speed and was lying on his bed. The last

> > girlfriend told me (i forget her name) that Billy Lee told

> > her he thought he had had a few mini-strokes that year.

> >

> > Irish doctor's name was Dr. Jack and married

> > Sidney Scott's roommate and went to work

> > in construction. Bill Pratt says he is in touch with

> > him.

>

>