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Romney founded and co-founded several organizations, including [[Camp Winnarainbow]], the [[Seva Foundation]] and the [[Hog Farm]], an activist [[commune]].<ref name=bio/>
Romney founded and co-founded several organizations, including [[Camp Winnarainbow]], the [[Seva Foundation]] and the [[Hog Farm]], an activist [[commune]].<ref name=bio/>


He is also the official [[clown]] of the [[Grateful Dead]]<ref>[http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/explore/ady.cfm?day=18&month=3&year=2006 This Week in the Arts, March 12-18, "March 15, 1936-Clown-Activist Wavy Gravy Born"]</ref>, and has two radio shows on Sirius Satellite Radio's ''[[Jam On]]'' station.<ref name=autogenerated1>[http://www.sirius.com/jamon SIRIUS Satellite Radio]</ref>

== Biography==
Romney was born in East Greenbush, New York on March 15,1936. He attended [[Hall High School (Connecticut)|William Hall High School]] in [[West Hartford, Connecticut]]. In 1954, Romney volunteered for the military draft and was honorably discharged after 22 months in the U.S. Army.<ref name="goodchange">Gravy, W. ''Something Good for a Change'' St. Martins Press 1992 pp.227-232</ref>

Under the Korean G.I. Bill, Romney entered [[Boston University]] Theater Department in 1957, then attended the Neighborhood Playhouse for the Theater in New York City. He worked at [[The Gaslight Cafe]] at night as poetry and entertainment director.<ref name="goodchange"/>

His early career was managed by [[Lenny Bruce]]. For a time he shared an apartment with singer-songwriter [[Tom Paxton]] in [[Greenwich Village]], and Romney was one of [[Bob Dylan]]'s earliest friends in [[New York City]]. One of Bob Dylan's girlfriends from the University of Minnesota, [[Bonnie Beecher]], became Gravy's wife in 1965.[http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Bonnie_Beecher]

Manager Lenny Bruce brought Romney to California in 1962 where Romney did a live recording of ''Hugh Romney, Third Street Humor'' as the opening act for [[Thelonious Monk]] at Club Renaissance in Los Angeles. <ref>Kelley, Robin D.G. ''Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original'' Simon & Schuster, 2009 p320</ref>
===The Hog Farm===
The Hog Farm Collective was established through a chain of events beginning with [[Ken Babbs]] hijacking the Merry Pranksters' [[Further (bus)|Further bus]] to Mexico, which stranded the [[Merry Pranksters]] in Los Angeles. Romney was evicted from his one-bedroom cabin in [[Sunland, California|Sunland]] after the landlord found out that a large group of assorted Pranksters and musicians were staying there. A nearby hog farm, owned by Claude Doty,<ref>[http://www.larkcamp.com/adventures1.html Zekley, Mickey "The Hog Farm Blues"]</ref> needed caretakers and Romney, with his wife Bonnie and friends, accepted the offer and worked the farm in exchange for rent. Local people, musicians, artists, and folks from other communes began staying at the mountain-top farm. In his book, ''Something Good for a Change'', Wavy Gravy described this early period as a "bizarre communal experiment" where the "people began to outnumber the pigs." <ref>Gravy, W. ''Something Good for a Change'' St. Martins Press 1992 p.229</ref>
Both Romney and Bonnie had jobs in Los Angeles. He worked for Columbia Pictures teaching improvisation skills to actors, including [[Harrison Ford]]. Bonnie was a successful television actress.<ref name="goodchange"/>

By 1966, the Hog Farm had coalesced into an entertainment organization providing light shows at the [[Shrine Exposition Hall]] in Los Angeles for music artists like the Grateful Dead, Cream, and Jimi Hendrix. Beginning in 1967, the collective began traveling across the country in converted school buses purchased with money earned as [[Extra (actor)|extras]] in Otto Preminger's ''[[Skidoo]]''.<ref name="goodchange"/>

===Name change===
At the [[Texas International Pop Festival]] Romney was lying onstage, exhausted after spending hours trying to get festivalgoers to put their clothes back on,<ref name="Dallasnews"/> when it was announced that B.B. King was going to play. Romney began to get up; a hand appeared on his shoulder. It was B.B. King, who asked, "Are you Wavy Gravy?" to which Romney replied "Yes." "It's OK; I can work around you," said B.B. King, and he proceeded to play. Romney said he considered this a mystical event, and assumed Wavy Gravy as his legal name .<ref name=bio>[http://www.wavygravy.net/bio/biography.html Wavy Gravy's website, Biography]</ref>

===Woodstock Festival===
he would be less likely to be arrested if he dressed as a clown. "Clowns are safe," he said. He does, however, enjoy traditional clown activities such as jokes, magic tricks and entertaining children.

Romney founded and co-founded several organizations, including [[Camp Winnarainbow]], the [[Seva Foundation]] and the [[Hog Farm]], an activist [[commune]].<ref name=bio/>



He is also the official [[clown]] of the [[Grateful Dead]]<ref>[http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/explore/ady.cfm?day=18&month=3&year=2006 This Week in the Arts, March 12-18, "March 15, 1936-Clown-Activist Wavy Gravy Born"]</ref>, and has two radio shows on Sirius Satellite Radio's ''[[Jam On]]'' station.<ref name=autogenerated1>[http://www.sirius.com/jamon SIRIUS Satellite Radio]</ref>
He is also the official [[clown]] of the [[Grateful Dead]]<ref>[http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/explore/ady.cfm?day=18&month=3&year=2006 This Week in the Arts, March 12-18, "March 15, 1936-Clown-Activist Wavy Gravy Born"]</ref>, and has two radio shows on Sirius Satellite Radio's ''[[Jam On]]'' station.<ref name=autogenerated1>[http://www.sirius.com/jamon SIRIUS Satellite Radio]</ref>
Line 74: Line 47:


==Ventures==
==Ventures==
[[File:Seva_Foundation_logo.jpg|left|thumb|Seva's eyes of the buddha logo.]]
[[File:Seva_Foundation_logo.jpg|left|thumb|100px|Seva's eyes of the buddha logo.]]
===Seva Foundation===
===Seva Foundation===
Wavy Gravy founded [[Seva Foundation]] along with spiritual leader [[Ram Dass]] and public health expert [[Larry Brilliant|Dr. Larry Brilliant]]. Based in [[Berkeley California]], Seva is an international health organization working to build sustainable health projects in many of the globe's most under-served communities. Wavy is infamous for throwing all-star benefit concerts regularly featuring members of the [[Grateful Dead]], [[Bonnie Raitt]], [[Jackson Browne]], [[David Crosby]], [[Graham Nash]], [[Ani Difranco]], [[Ben Harper]], [[Elvis Costello]] and many other compassionate musicians. Wavy continues to serve on Seva's Board of Directors and is very active in producing benefit events to support their programs.
Wavy Gravy founded [[Seva Foundation]] along with spiritual leader [[Ram Dass]] and public health expert [[Larry Brilliant|Dr. Larry Brilliant]]. Based in [[Berkeley California]], Seva is an international health organization working to build sustainable health projects in many of the globe's most under-served communities. Wavy is infamous for throwing all-star benefit concerts regularly featuring members of the [[Grateful Dead]], [[Bonnie Raitt]], [[Jackson Browne]], [[David Crosby]], [[Graham Nash]], [[Ani Difranco]], [[Ben Harper]], [[Elvis Costello]] and many other compassionate musicians. Wavy continues to serve on Seva's Board of Directors and is very active in producing benefit events to support their programs.

Revision as of 15:12, 23 July 2010

Wavy Gravy
File:Wavy gravy.jpg
Born (1936-05-15) May 15, 1936 (age 88)
East Greenbush, New York
Occupation(s)Activist, comic
Spouse
Bonnie Jean Beecher
​
(m. 1965)​
WebsiteWavyGravy.net

Wavy Gravy (born Hugh Nanton Romney 15 May 1936) is an entertainer and activist for peace, best known for his hippie appearance, personality, and beliefs. His moniker (which is the name he uses on a day to day basis) was given to him by B.B. King at the Texas International Pop Festival in 1969.[1] "It's worked pretty well through my life," he says, "except with telephone operators – I have to say 'Gravy, first initial W." [2]

Romney's clown persona resulted from his political activism. Frequently being arrested at demonstrations, he decided he would be less likely to be arrested if he dressed as a clown. "Clowns are safe," he said. He does, however, enjoy traditional clown activities such as jokes, magic tricks and entertaining children.

Romney founded and co-founded several organizations, including Camp Winnarainbow, the Seva Foundation and the Hog Farm, an activist commune.[3]

He is also the official clown of the Grateful Dead[4], and has two radio shows on Sirius Satellite Radio's Jam On station.[5]

Biography

Romney was born in East Greenbush, New York on March 15,1936. He attended William Hall High School in West Hartford, Connecticut. In 1954, Romney volunteered for the military draft and was honorably discharged after 22 months in the U.S. Army.[6]

Under the Korean G.I. Bill, Romney entered Boston University Theater Department in 1957, then attended the Neighborhood Playhouse for the Theater in New York City. He worked at The Gaslight Cafe at night as poetry and entertainment director.[6]

His early career was managed by Lenny Bruce. For a time he shared an apartment with singer-songwriter Tom Paxton in Greenwich Village, and Romney was one of Bob Dylan's earliest friends in New York City. One of Bob Dylan's girlfriends from the University of Minnesota, Bonnie Beecher, became Gravy's wife in 1965.[1]

Manager Lenny Bruce brought Romney to California in 1962 where Romney did a live recording of Hugh Romney, Third Street Humor as the opening act for Thelonious Monk at Club Renaissance in Los Angeles. [7]

The Hog Farm

The Hog Farm Collective was established through a chain of events beginning with Ken Babbs hijacking the Merry Pranksters' Further bus to Mexico, which stranded the Merry Pranksters in Los Angeles. Romney was evicted from his one-bedroom cabin in Sunland after the landlord found out that a large group of assorted Pranksters and musicians were staying there. A nearby hog farm, owned by Claude Doty,[8] needed caretakers and Romney, with his wife Bonnie and friends, accepted the offer and worked the farm in exchange for rent. Local people, musicians, artists, and folks from other communes began staying at the mountain-top farm. In his book, Something Good for a Change, Wavy Gravy described this early period as a "bizarre communal experiment" where the "people began to outnumber the pigs." [9]

Both Romney and Bonnie had jobs in Los Angeles. He worked for Columbia Pictures teaching improvisation skills to actors, including Harrison Ford. Bonnie was a successful television actress.[6]

By 1966, the Hog Farm had coalesced into an entertainment organization providing light shows at the Shrine Exposition Hall in Los Angeles for music artists like the Grateful Dead, Cream, and Jimi Hendrix. Beginning in 1967, the collective began traveling across the country in converted school buses purchased with money earned as extras in Otto Preminger's Skidoo.[6]

Name change

At the Texas International Pop Festival Romney was lying onstage, exhausted after spending hours trying to get festivalgoers to put their clothes back on,[1] when it was announced that B.B. King was going to play. Romney began to get up; a hand appeared on his shoulder. It was B.B. King, who asked, "Are you Wavy Gravy?" to which Romney replied "Yes." "It's OK; I can work around you," said B.B. King, and he proceeded to play. Romney said he considered this a mystical event, and assumed Wavy Gravy as his legal name .[3]

Woodstock Festival

At the first Woodstock Festival, Wavy Gravy and the Hog Farm Collective accepted Stan Goldstein's offer to help with preparations.[10] The backstage password was "I forgot," typical of the good-natured whimsy of Wavy Gravy.

Wavy called his group the "Please Force," a reference to their non-intrusive tactics at keeping order (e.g., "Please don't do that, please do this instead"). When asked by the press — who were the first to inform him that he and the rest of the Hog Farm were handling security — what kind of tools he intended to use to maintain order at the event, his response was "Cream pies and seltzer bottles" [10](both being traditional clown props; he may have been referring to the silent film era Keystone Kops in particular). In Wavy's words: "They all wrote it down and I thought, 'the power of manipulating the media', ah ha!" Wavy Gravy has been the MC, and the only person to appear on the bill of all three Woodstock Festivals.

On the morning of the 20th Anniversary of the Woodstock Festival, he was interviewed — along with Ken Kesey — live on Good Morning America at the Bethel concert site, where he discussed his experience as the MC of the event.

Wavy Gravy's first appearance at an event in the Neo-Pagan community was at the WinterStar Symposium in 1998 with Paul Krassner [11]. He appeared there again in 2000 with Phyllis Curott, where he joined Rev. Ivan Stang in a joint ritual of the Church of the SubGenius and his Church of the Cosmic Giggle.

At the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum's psychedelic tribute to the 1960s "I Want To Take You Higher" [12], Wavy Gravy's sleeping bag and tie-dyed false teeth were displayed. He and Paul Krassner appeared there on the last day of the exhibit on February 28, 1998.

Ventures

File:Seva Foundation logo.jpg
Seva's eyes of the buddha logo.

Seva Foundation

Wavy Gravy founded Seva Foundation along with spiritual leader Ram Dass and public health expert Dr. Larry Brilliant. Based in Berkeley California, Seva is an international health organization working to build sustainable health projects in many of the globe's most under-served communities. Wavy is infamous for throwing all-star benefit concerts regularly featuring members of the Grateful Dead, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Ani Difranco, Ben Harper, Elvis Costello and many other compassionate musicians. Wavy continues to serve on Seva's Board of Directors and is very active in producing benefit events to support their programs.

Camp Winnarainbow

Wavy Gravy is also the co-founder (along with his wife, actress Jahanara Romney) of the circus and performing arts camp Camp Winnarainbow. The camp is located in Laytonville, California, near the legendary Hog Farm. The camp provides an opportunity for children to discover new realms of personal achievement, communion with nature, and have BIG FUN at the same time. For over 30 years kids (and adults...they offer a week of adult camp) have run away to join Wavy's circus in beautiful Mendocino County, Northern California. Drawing from Wavy's knowledge of circus and performing arts, the camp teaches timing, balance and a sense of humor. Kids learn respect for themselves, others and the environment. The camp honors the creative spirit of each child in an atmosphere of approval and mutual encouragement. The goal is to provide a training ground to nurture future leaders for a harmonious and sustainable world.

Until 2003, Ben & Jerry's produced an ice cream (caramel-cashew-Brazil nut base with a chocolate hazelnut fudge swirl and roasted almonds) named "Wavy Gravy" which helped drive a scholarship fund for underprivileged kids to attend Camp Winnarainbow.[13]

Tornado of Talent

With hundreds of men being detained (women were held separately) in the “Hotel Diablo” – actually the old gymnasium at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo, CA – after arrests during the September 1981 Abalone Alliance organized, anti-nuclear protest, trespass/occupation and civil disobedience action at Diablo Canyon Power Plant, Wavy organized and acted as MC for an amusing variety show that he called the “Tornado of Talent” which featured, among other performers – after the guards had allowed an acoustic guitar to be brought into the “jail” – Jackson Browne.

Nobody's Business/Nobody for President

Wavy Gravy established the store "Nobody's Business" across the road from the Hog Farm,[14] reminiscent of his "Nobody for President" campaign — as in: "Who's in Washington right now working to make the world a safer place? Nobody!"; "Nobody's Perfect"; "Nobody Keeps All Promises"; "Nobody Should Have That Much Power"; etc. (His late pet pig was also named Nobody.)

The "Nobody for President" campaign held a rally across from the White House on November 4, 1980 that included Yippies and a few anarchists to promote the option of "none of the above" choice on the ballot. After criticizing Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and John Anderson, the committee offered the "perfect" candidate: Nobody. "Nobody makes apple pie better than Mom. And Nobody will love you when you're down and out." Wavy Gravy told a crowd of 50 onlookers at the rally.[15]

Bibliography

  • The Hog Farm and Friends (1974; Links; ISBN 0-8256-3014-2)
  • Something Good for a Change: Random Notes on Peace Thru Living (1992; St Martins; ISBN 0-312-07838-2)

Discography

  • Third Stream Humor early 1960s, World Pacific (by Hugh Romney)
  • Old Feathers, New Bird - Wavy Gravy (1988) Relix
  • 80s are the 60s (2002) RX Records

Filmography

  • The Fat Black Pussycat (1963)
  • Cisco Pike (1972)
  • The '60s (1999)
  • The Holy Modal Rounders: Bound to Lose (2005)

As himself

  • Woodstock (1970)
  • Flashing on the Sixties: A Tribal Document (1990) TV
  • The History of Rock 'N' Roll, Vol. 6 (1995) (TV)
  • Timothy Leary's Last Trip (1997)
  • My Generation (2000)
  • The End of the Road (2001)
  • Ram Dass, Fierce Grace (2001)
  • Breaking the Rules (2006)
  • "Battleground Earth: Ludacris vs. Tommy Lee" - Green Death (2008) TV episode
  • "Saint Misbehavin': The Wavy Gravy Movie" - (2008)
  • "Electric Apricot Quest For Festeroo" - (2008)

Radio

  • Gravy in your Ear - Wavy Gravy's radio show airing on the 15th of each month on Sirius Satellite Radio, with several re-broadcasts [5].
  • The Wavy Files - a series of individual commentary segments by Wavy Gravy placed randomly throughout the Jam On programming on Sirius Satellite Radio[5].

Popular culture

  • In the Simpsons episode Burns' Heir, Mr. Burns disguises himself as Wavy Gravy to infiltrate and destroy a Greenpeace ship that was attempting to stop the dumping of nuclear waste.
  • Ice cream maker Ben & Jerry's named a flavor after Wavy Gravy which was hazelnut ice cream with caramel swirls, cashews, almonds and Brazil nuts. The flavor was discontinued in 2003.
  • In the CW's Supernatural, character Dean Winchester responds to a news report on why there's been so much freak weather around the globe is actually Carbon Emissions, by saying "Yeah, right, Wavy Gravy".
  • In the 2009 Ang Lee film "Taking Woodstock", Romney is depicted walking around in the background while things are being planned and referred to a couple of times by event planners as "Wavy Gravy", quite incorrectly as Romney was not tagged with the moniker until a few weeks later by B. B. King at the Texas International Pop Festival.
  • DJ Sasha wrote a song called "Wavy Gravy".
  • The cartoon strip Smokey Stover often had a sign hanging on the fire-house wall that read "Scram Gravy Ain't Wavy."
  • In the comic strip 9 Chickweed Lane "scram gravy ain't wavy" was quoted in the June 4th 2005 strip

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Dallas Morning News "Texas International Pop Festival was full of surprises for artists, fans, onlookers" By Michael E. Young August 30, 2009 Accessed July 21, 2010
  2. ^ Gravy, W. Something Good for a Change St. Martins 1992 p.135
  3. ^ a b Wavy Gravy's website, Biography
  4. ^ This Week in the Arts, March 12-18, "March 15, 1936-Clown-Activist Wavy Gravy Born"
  5. ^ a b c SIRIUS Satellite Radio
  6. ^ a b c d Gravy, W. Something Good for a Change St. Martins Press 1992 pp.227-232
  7. ^ Kelley, Robin D.G. Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original Simon & Schuster, 2009 p320
  8. ^ Zekley, Mickey "The Hog Farm Blues"
  9. ^ Gravy, W. Something Good for a Change St. Martins Press 1992 p.229
  10. ^ a b Gravy, W. The Hog Farm and Friends Links Press 1992 pp 72-74
  11. ^ Expanding The Frontiers Of Your Consideration
  12. ^ The Psychedelic Era
  13. ^ Wavy Gravy 1960's icon and activist
  14. ^ Brown, Jonathan "Still hippy after all these years" Independent UK, October 25, 2007
  15. ^ The New York Times "Anarchists Push Cause of 'None of the above'" November 5, 1980


External links

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