After selling all of his possessions, he moved up the California coast to Big Sur where he lived in solitude for a year writing songs and re-shaping his philosophies on life. He returned to the stage changed his name to Bob Darin, discarded his tuxedos, took off his toupee, grew a beard and moustache, and sang songs of deep personal meaning. The pretense was gone, the youthful cockiness was replaced by a more mature, somber entertainer but many of Bobby's fans missed the finger snapping, slick performances they were accustomed to and 'Bob Darin' bombed.
"It wasn't that the people hated me, "he explained shortly after this period in his life, "the audience liked it --they were just too small. I thought I could present myself differently and that by this change of appearance. I would be close to making my own personal statement. But I turned off so many people they didn't hear me, and those I'd known for years, swore to me that I had tried to be a hippie."
"If I had gone to the Troubadour (Los Angeles' largest folk club) in a tuxedo and sung the songs I had sung in Las Vegas and New York they would of said 'Look at this establishment night club artist trying to tell us he knows where its at'. They wouldn't of heard the lyrics anymore than the people at the Copa hear. People hear what they want to hear."
So Bobby Darin made a comeback and the audiences responded better than ever before. It was the old Bobby Darin on stage but off stage he remained Bob Darin--the material possessions were no longer important, only the need to entertain.
Soon after his renewed acceptance Bobby became ill and on February 8, 1971 he checked into the hospital for open heart surgery. Some say that the severity of the operation changed his outlook on his life even more. He put a greater value on living that on life itself.
"I had expected to kick off by the time I was 30, so I bought a few extra years," he declared as he was released from the hospital.
Bobby returned to the stage, his performance better than ever before. He met Andrea Yeager while she was working in a law firm and after two years of seeing each other exclusively, they were married. Life for Bobby was good--he was living it well.
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