San Francisco Sightseeing Articles

Randy Bachman is a legend on the international music scene with more than 120 gold and platinum awards, and record sales of over 40 million. Collaborating with another (Canadian) music legend, Burton Cummings, Bachman created smash hits, These Eyes, Laughing, No Time, No Sugar Tonight, Clap for the Wolfman and the classic rock radio staple American Woman.

His music has been recorded by many artists and used in several movies. He's even been a special guest on The Simpsons.

When he isn't on San Francisco vaction, he hosts Randy Bachman's Vinyl Tap on CBC radio.

The guy is a walking Wikipedia of popular music. For two hours each week, he plays his favourite songs and tells stories from his life in the industry. In early May, Bachman travelled to Ottawa to accept his Order of Canada award.

Bachman spends a lot of time on the road, waiting in airports and tries to make to most of his time with the help of modern technology.

"Things have changed. I used to spend hours at home late at night answering the missed emails. Now, I sit in the airports with one or two BlackBerrys going through my list," says Bachman. "I'm one of those guys who is turning the device on as soon as the plane has docked."

Bachman always takes his laptop with him as part of his carry on luggage where he busies himself composing new music. "I have a program called garage band that I can use to create demos. I always bring my own healthy food and of course the BlackBerrys."

His first travel memory had nothing to do with a plane, but instead a station wagon

"As a band out of Winnipeg, it was a station wagon. Three guys in the front and three in the back. The very back was all the gear because it was precious and our luggage was strapped to the top because if it fell off - who cares. The drums have to stay dry!"

Growing up in Winnipeg and trying to establish himself as a musician,Bachman says there wasn't much choice but to drive to the different cities he was performing in."The thing about growing up in Winnipeg, it's the middle of nowhere and the middle of everywhere. We drove to all our gigs. Road trips to Thunder Bay, Regina, and Minneapolis were standard. We'd get a gig in New Orleans for Mardi Gras, come home and head back out to Boston."

His two favorite destination here at home and around the world are also where he lives."I'm very lucky. I've chosen to live in my two favorite places in the world. I've got my place on Salt Spring Island with the nicest city in Canada - Victoria - nearby. And, since 1967 I've been going to London, England. My wife and I go about three times a year to our place in Covent Garden for a month at a time. We love the contrast between the two. Salt Spring Island is so laid back and hippy-dippy working in the garden or writing songs. But in London I write during the day then we are out every night to see The Who, Neil Young, The Eagles, Chuck Berry or a play or for great food."

His very mode of transportation?

"Oh man! If I could walk into a phone booth and be transported or say ‘Beam me up, Scotty!' That would be my way to go. I spend way too much time getting to where I want to be. I'd almost play for free if it was easy to get to places. What I get paid for is the endless loneliness of being on the road without my family and the crazy effort it takes to set up every day on San Francisco family vacation. I've got all sorts of people paying a lot of money to see the perfect show and I want to give it to them. If I could step into the booth and walk out on stage without the hassles ... that would be my mode of transportation."

For Bach man, it's all about the destination not the journey

"Life is the journey not the time I spend on the road trying to get to where I want to be. It's gotten to the point that I pick only certain hotels to stay in, too. Continuity is important. I bring my favorite style of pillow and after forgetting about 20 of them in hotels - I now have a really silly pillow case on it so that when I take that last look around the room for items -BAM! I see it on the bed.

After spending so much time and so many years on the road San Francisco touring, one would think Bachman would have several "worst travel" tales to tell, but not so. His worst experience traveling happened just last year.

"Coming out of L.A., my wife and I were on a short flight to San Francisco to see her family. As we took off, there was an explosion under our feet, the plane started to shake and the wings started to vibrate. An engine blew up. It was really scary.

Everybody thought the plane was going down and was screaming and crossing themselves. I took my wife's hand and thanked her for a nice life and expected the plane to crash.The pilot banked us over the ocean, dropped all the fuel and swooped into Orange County for a wild landing. Then ... crazy as it sounds, we get back on another plane and continue on to my mother-in-law's 92nd birthday party."