Swami X: Difference between revisions
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Swami X appears as a character in [[Roger L. Simon]]'s mystery novel, ''The Straight Man''<ref>{{cite book|title=The Straight Man|first=Roger L. |last=Simon|year=1986|publisher=Villard Books|pages=46, 88, 91|isbn=978-0-394-55837-0}}</ref> and is referenced in Pat Hartman's volume of Venice vignettes, ''Call Someplace Paradise''.<ref>{{cite book|title=Call Someplace Paradise|first=Pat |last=Hartman|publisher=Xlibris |year=2000|isbn=978-0-7388-2005-7|page=93}}</ref> |
Swami X appears as a character in [[Roger L. Simon]]'s mystery novel, ''The Straight Man''<ref>{{cite book|title=The Straight Man|first=Roger L. |last=Simon|year=1986|publisher=Villard Books|pages=46, 88, 91|isbn=978-0-394-55837-0}}</ref> and is referenced in Pat Hartman's volume of Venice vignettes, ''Call Someplace Paradise''.<ref>{{cite book|title=Call Someplace Paradise|first=Pat |last=Hartman|publisher=Xlibris |year=2000|isbn=978-0-7388-2005-7|page=93}}</ref> |
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Harry W. "Swami X" Heard died on August 29, 2015 at the home of former Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl. He was 89 two and a half months before his 90th birthday. Heard was born in Philadelphia in mid-November of 1925.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.laweekly.com/news/venice-beach-comic-swami-x-is-dead-at-89-5985241 |title=Venice Beach Comic Swami X Is Dead at 89|publisher=''L.A. Weekly'' |date=1 September 2015}}</ref> |
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<ref>{{cite web |url=https://freevenicebeachhead.org/2015/10/17/swami-x-has-left-the-building|title=VSwami X Has Left the Building|publisher=''Free Venice. Beachhead'' |date=1 September 2015}}</ref> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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Revision as of 22:32, 29 May 2016
Swami X is an American boardwalk performer and stand-up comedian. Active from the 1970s to 1985, he performed in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berkeley, and New York. He was known for bawdy sexual humor and political invective.[1][2]
Swami X's act was a monologue mixing pithy sociopolitical observations with poetry, sarcasm and humor, which typically included blasphemy, profanity, and attacking "sacred cows"—producing "pleased shock and delighted outrage" in observers.[2] His notable lines include:
- "Sex is not the answer. Sex is the question. 'Yes' is the answer."[3]
- "How do we know Jesus Christ was Jewish? Because he went into His Father's business."[2]
- "If I had known I would live this long, I would have taken better care of myself".
- "You are what you eat. If that's true, then I'm a nymphomaniac".
He was known for appearing on the Venice Boardwalk, at the UCLA and U.C. Berkeley campuses, in San Francisco, and at Washington Park in New York City. He retired in 1985.[1] In 2009 the mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa, presented him with an official proclamation.[4]
Swami X appears as a character in Roger L. Simon's mystery novel, The Straight Man[5] and is referenced in Pat Hartman's volume of Venice vignettes, Call Someplace Paradise.[6]
Harry W. "Swami X" Heard died on August 29, 2015 at the home of former Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl. He was 89 two and a half months before his 90th birthday. Heard was born in Philadelphia in mid-November of 1925.[7] [8]
See also
References
- ^ a b "SWAMI X - Comedian". KCET website. Retrieved 29 November 2010.
- ^ a b c Campbell, Patricia J (1981). Passing the Hat - Street Performers in America. New York: Delacorte Press. ISBN 978-0-385-28771-5. OCLC 7461199.
- ^ Weiss, Stefanie Iris. (2010). Eco-sex : go green between the sheets and make your love life sustainable. New York: Ten Speed Press. p. 197. ISBN 978-1-58008-118-4.
- ^ "Villaraigosa "Honors Swami X; Blows Off Officially Running for Gov". The Venice Paper. 22 June 2009.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Simon, Roger L. (1986). The Straight Man. Villard Books. pp. 46, 88, 91. ISBN 978-0-394-55837-0.
- ^ Hartman, Pat (2000). Call Someplace Paradise. Xlibris. p. 93. ISBN 978-0-7388-2005-7.
- ^ "Venice Beach Comic Swami X Is Dead at 89". L.A. Weekly. 1 September 2015.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "VSwami X Has Left the Building". Free Venice. Beachhead. 1 September 2015.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help)
Further reading
- Jeffrey Stanton, Venice California: 'Coney Island of the Pacific' (2005), page 273
- Spirit of Venice, California (contains an audio version of a spoken word performance by Swami X). Priority Records. March 10, 1992. ASIN B00000E7DU. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
- Sweet William, 'X Swami X, The Sidewalk Comic', Los Angeles Times, Calendar Section, p. 170 (Dec. 23, 1979).
External links
- Archive of blog postings by Swami X on the Free Venice Beachhead blog
- Video of Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa presenting Swami X with official proclamation and recounting his experiences with Swami X at UCLA in the early 1970s
- Excerpts Video of SWAMI X Performing on the Venice Beach Boardwalk 1981, taken from "STREET LIFE" the documentary film by Mark S Shepherd
- Brief article and recent photos of Swami X with quotations