up in Laurel Canyon

 

---------------------- [excerpt from Tina Turner's autobiography] ----------------------------------------------- The knocking continued.  Finally, Anna said, "Who is it?"  And do you know who it was?  It was Robbie Montgomery -- the ex-Ikette!

        Robbie:  I was still living in Los Angeles -- since leaving the Revue I'd toured with Dr. John, Nancy Sinatra, I did sessions -- and Ike knew how to find me.  

He got me together with Tina's mom, who was visiting, and her sister, Alline, and he had us get this private eye to find her. 

        When he found out where she was, up in Laurel Canyon, I had to go there with Ike and his friends and knock on the door while they tried to hide in the bushes.  

I said, "Ann, it's me, Robbie.  Ike's out here, and he wants to talk to you."  I didn't get an answer, though, so I walked away again.  I wished I could have just disappeared.

        Tina:  I figured out what was going on right away.  Ike knew I liked Robbie, and he thought he could get her to talk me out of the house.  I didn't say a word.  Since I'd left Ike in Dallas, I hadn't spoken to anyone on that side of my life -- not Rhonda, not Alline, not my mother, nobody.  

Because I knew how much control he had over them all.  

So now I just kept quiet, and Anna Maria started going into this Portuguese-maid routine:  "Sorrreee . . . ees no one home."  Like that.  And Robbie kept asking, "Is Tina there?  Is Ann there?"  I got up and real carefully peeked out the window.  

Just what I expected.  

Right across the street from the house was the Rolls-Royce.  And there was Ike, in his jump suit and his boots and his big belt -- looking real bad, right?  And there were three or four straggly cars parked behind him, all filled with every kind of low-life guy you can imagine -- wearing the bad hats and the belts and all that stuff, too.  They looked like a bunch of banditos -- all comin' to get little Tina!

        Well, we simply called the police.  They came and I said to them, "I am Tina.  This is Ike.  I left him, and I'm not goin' back."  The cops went over to Ike and they firmly said, "Sorry, this is private property and the owner has asked you to leave."

        But now Ike knew where I was.  So he called Anna Maria's sister, and she called me asking if I would talk to him on the phone, which I did.  Ike wanted to know if I would have a meeting with him.  I said sure.

        Oh, I was strong by then -- strong.  He showed up in a car with his driver, and I got in.  He could've done anything to me that he wanted -- but he wasn't able to.  He just sat there fumbling with his hat, and I saw fear in him.  

Real fear.  

I had always been under his thumb, but now I was strong, I was my own person, and he had never dealt with me on that level.  

He saw now that he had absolutely no control over me anymore, that I had outgrown my fear.  And that scared him.  

We talked over coffee somewhere, but not about much, apart from the fact that I wasn't coming back to him.  He drove me back to Anna Maria's, and I got out of the car and said good-bye. ------------------ [end / excerpt]

♪ ♪ ♫  song to listen to:

on You Tube

Tina Turner - I Don't Wanna Fight

uploader / channel:  Tina Turner

_________________________

{I, Tina.  By Tina Turner with Kurt Loder.  Copyright 1986, AVON BOOKS.}

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