Wavy Gravy
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Wavy Gravy (born Hugh Romney on May 15, 1936) is a life-long activist for peace and personal empowerment, best known for his hippie appearance, personality, and beliefs. The nickname was given to him by B.B. King. He is also the "official clown" of the Grateful Dead.
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"My God, they made us the cops"
During the first Woodstock Festival Wavy Gravy and fellow members of the Hog Farm Collective were put in charge of security. Wavy called his rather unorthodox group the "Please Force," a reference to their non-intrusive tactics at keeping order ("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 instant response was "Cream pies and seltzer bottles," both being traditional clown props.
All Access
Wavy Gravy can often be seen at festivals and music events, wearing his "All Access" pass (a laminated picture of the Earth from Space, emblazoned with the words ALL ACCESS) and greeting friend and stranger alike in any number of costumes and disguises, yet somehow instantly recognizable. Though his pass is a joke, like all clown jests it has its kernel of truth. Wavy Gravy is known, loved and welcomed worldwide by people from the entire spectrum of humanity, from world religious leaders and heads of state, to blind paupers in some of the worst slums in the world.
The Hog Farm today
Camp Winnarainbow
Wavy Gravy created a circus-skills and self-empowerment school called Camp Winnarainbow located in Laytonville, California, at the 700 acre (2.8 km²) Black Oak Ranch, the same site as the Annual Hog Farm Family Pig-Nic. This multidisciplinary school started as a day-care arrangement for children of sufi parents, but now it is partly run by graduates of the Winnarainbow program. The graduation ritual includes a trip "over the rainbow," an arch painted in rainbow colors, considered an honor by participants.
The Hog Farm Pig-Nic
The Hog Farm Family Pig-Nic is an annual music and culture festival held at the Black Oak Ranch.
Nobody's Business
Just across the road from the Hog Farm, Wavy Gravy has established the store "Nobody's Business," 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.
Quotes
- "We are all the same person trying to shake hands with our self."
- "The 90's are the 60's standing on their head."
- "What we have in mind is breakfast in bed for 400,000!" (the introduction of granola at Woodstock -- an urgent fix for a desperate situation)
- A lot of the kids who are running [Camp Winnarainbow] now started as campers when they were seven. They can usually do it on a unicycle while juggling three balls. We curry both hemispheres of the brain. In school, kids learn numbers and letters; we teach timing and balance, which I think is equally important – without competition, except with yourself."
- "...kids will do anything if they can stay up later than other kids, even sit with a straight back and watch their breath." (about meditation at Winnarainbow)
Selected Works
Books
- The Hog Farm and Friends (1974; Links; ISBN 0825630142)
- Something Good for a Change: Random Notes on Peace Thru Living (1992; St Martins; ISBN 0312078382)
Audio
- 80s are the 60s (2002; RX Records; ISBN 6306057811)
See also:
- clown
- Grateful Dead
- Seva Foundation - a charitable group of which Wavy Gravy is a prominent supporter and director