Along Comes Mary

Tandyn Almer (1942–2013)

Speaking of perfect songs done perfectly, in an interview I gave in the late ‘70s, I said every time I hear this song, I felt blessed. That remains true to this day. When I first heard it, I was awestruck. I tried to find out more about the composer, and eagerly awaited more songs. What I found out was mainly disinformation, but it made a compelling story. The way I heard it (bullshit, mind you), Tandyn received high praise about this composition from Leonard Bernstein, and was so overwhelmed by this he was no longer able to compose, and he ended up driving a taxi in Washington D.C. That’s not what happened. He wrote a number of songs for a number of obscure Southern California bands like Paper Fortress and the Purple Gang, as well as composing “Sail On, Sailor” and “Marcella” with Brian Wilson. Allegedly the two had a falling out when he stole some of Brian Wilson’s recording equipment. Also alleged was an extramarital affair with Marylyn Wilson. Tandyn was bi-polar, and said he preferred doing music after he had been up for two or three days. I empathize. I found that being up for three days on speed, music became really interesting.

Tandyn did move to the Washington D.C. area to work on a soundtrack, but the project fell through. While there he wrote music for the annual Hexagon satirical review. Yes, “Along Comes Mary” is about Marijuana. He is also known for inventing the Slave-Master water pipe, which Jack S. Margolis and Richard Clorfine described as “The perfect bong” in the Child’s Garden Of Grass. He died at the age of 70 from a number of conditions: atrial fibrillation, congestive heart failure, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A collection of 15 of his songs performed by studio musicians is available from Sundazed records, whose catalog is worth a long look.