Commander Cody: You Don't Know Lincoln

He has been one of Saratoga's more illustrious characters since moving to the region
a few years ago.

You may know him as the painter George Frayne, or by his more popular rock 'n' roll name: Commander Cody.

Just how well do you think you know The Commander?
The answers follow below. And no peeking - or I'll have to sick The Commander on ya.

1. Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen are:

A. Retired members of the Blue Angels Flying Squadron
B. The title of a new sitcom slated for FOX-TV’s fall schedule
C. The pseudonym of Spa City singer and nationally renowned musician George Frayne
and his legendary bandmates.

2. “Hot Rod Lincoln” is:

A. A vehicle on exhibition in the Saratoga Automobile Museum’s “East of Detroit” Showroom.
B. The nickname used by rapper Rod Lincoln, who also happens to be
the only living descendant of American legend, Abraham Lincoln.
C. A top ten hit by Commander Cody in the 1970s.

3. In the fall of 1963, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor students John Tichy and George Frayne first met as part of the kitchen crew of the school’s Phi Kappa Psi fraternity.
Tichy, a guitarist, and Frayne, a keyboard player, formed a musical alliance that would eventually become the band Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen.
Where is John Tichy today?

A. A Nashville-based record producer who recently worked on Travis Tritt’s
album “Down the Road I Go.”
B. Chair of Aeronautical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering at RPI in Troy.
C. Dead.

4. Commander Cody has regularly performed at fabled Saratoga horse racing hot spot
Siro’s during the summer racing meet.
What occurred at the venue one jam-packed summer night when The Commander
was performing.

A. Ex-Monkees Davey Jones and Mickey Dolenz were in attendance, and jumped on stage to join the Commander in an impromptu version of “Last Train to Clarksville.”
B. Barbara Eden, who was in attendance, folded her arms, blinked her eyes and made the whole room disappear.
C. While attempting to fix a PA wiring problem, the Commander got in a “discussion” with a waitress and ended up being thrown out of his own gig by a bouncer.

5. More problems. While getting ready to perform aboard a boat in the Albany harbor
during the Monday Night Summer Music Cruise Series, the Commander discovered there
was no PA system on the premises.
With a large contingent of fans on hand and ready to board the musical cruise, what did
the Commander do?

A. Throw a hissy fit of Hollywood-esque prima donna-like proportions and flatly refuse to do the gig.
B. Scrap the music altogether and perform cupped-hands-around-mouth a cappella versions of songs “Lost in the Ozone,” and Tex Ritter’s “Smoke Smoke Smoke,” until the ship returned to shore.
C. Bribe, err, pay off the other band on the bill to allow the Commander the use of their PA system, then performing as scheduled, returning to dock with a boat full of happy humans dancing on the tables.

6. In his own words, George Frayne, aka Commander Cody:

A. “Has been gassed by the cops in the summer of 1968 while performing during the Berkeley Riots.”
B. “Was invited by Fidel Castro to perform in Cuba.”
C. “Worked as a lifeguard at New York’s Jones Beach for 10 years.”
D. “Used to drive a black hearse with a surfboard mounted on its top.”
E. All of the above


by Thomas Dimopoulos
originally published in The Saratogian July, 2002.