Podcast #16: Good Gravy

MusicFilmWeb: See It Loud

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Wavy Gravy has been at the forefront of the American counterculture for 50 years, from the Greenwich Village Beat scene to the Merry Prankster acid tests to the muddy fields of Bethel, N.Y., where he and his cohorts from the famed Hog Farm commune fed the Woodstock masses and talked down victims of the brown acid.

Wavy’s Woodstock stage announcements made him famous, but it’s the life he’s lived in the four decades since that provide the title for Saint Misbehavin’, a new documentary about the hippie icon, former Ben & Jerry’s flavor, and self-described “flower geezer.” Michelle Esrick’s film traces the former Hugh Romney’s years as a social activist and psychedelic clown whose humor and idealism are a guiding force behind Camp Winnarainbow, a performing arts and circus program for underprivileged kids, and the global health charity the Seva Foundation.

In this edition of See It Loud, Michelle Esrick describes how working with Wavy inspired her to become a first-time filmmaker, and the man himself tells tales of the three Woodstocks, how he became a clown, and why Bob Dylan owes him an apology.

Opening theme by Los Musicos de Jose provided by Mevio’s Music Alley. Thanks to Michelle Esrick for the clip of Wavy’s theme song, “Basic Human Needs.”

Movies in this one:

Saint Misbehavin’: The Wavy Gravy Movie

Woodstock

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