Wavy Gravy Podcast
American Prankster by Rainbow Valentine
Years ago, in the last century, I worked at Wavy Gravy's circus and performing arts camp in Northern California. That's Camp Winnarainbow, and it's still going strong. I tried on my Noodle nickname there and it stuck! Wavy said, "Once a Noodle, always a Noodle." Now, Wavy is famous for being an MC at Woodstock, but he has a very thick history stretching before and after Woodstock.
He was a Beatnik poet who opened for Coltrane and Monk. He was involved in the early days of improv, and studied dance with Martha Graham. He "kidnapped" Tiny Tim with Neal Cassidy. He worked with Lenny Bruce and Del Close. He connected with Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters. He was friends with the Grateful Dead and Ram Dass. He taught improv to Harrison Ford! He traveled to India by bus with the Hogfarmers, helped found SEVA, and Camp Winnarainbow. Oh, it goes on and on, and he's still truckin'!
Check out Valentine's amazing series of interviews as she unearths the history of America through the wild and free eyeballs of Mr. Wavy Gravy. Fantastic! P.S. I provided a little jingle here and there throughout the series, along with Hope For A Golden Summer and others.
