Photo: Jay Blakesberg
In conversation, Wavy Gravy introduces himself with a self-deprecating giggle as “hippie icon, flower geezer, temple of accumulated error.” It’s a formidable way to sum up the legacy the man born Hugh Romney, whose offbeat peaceful political activism, groundbreaking work with the Hog Farm commune, and unforgettable showing at the Woodstock festival made him a counterculture legend. But, true to his charming humility, this self-proclaimed honorific neglects to mention his monumental charitable work, which has transformed him into something approaching Mother Theresa with a clown nose. A 2009 documentary dubbed him “Saint Misbehavin’,” and that’s as good a title as any.
Last Saturday, the 82-year-old presided over a star-studded benefit concert at Oakland, California’s historic Fox Theater marking the 40th anniversary of theSeva Foundation, an organization he helped create. Friends like Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Joan Osborne, and longtimeGrateful Dead matesMickey Hart and Bob Weir were among the many who lent their services and saluted the organization dedicated to expanding access to eye care in developing nations and eliminating avoidable blindness within our lifetime. To date, they have restored sight to more than five million people and has provided eye-care services to at least 40 million people.
Mickey Hart, Jackson Browne, Joan Osborne, Bob Weir, Wavy Gravy and Bonnie Raitt backstage at the Sing Out for Seva 40th anniversary benefit concert on Jan. 12.Jay Blakesberg
Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt perform at the Sing Out for Seva concert on Jan. 12.Jay Blakesberg
Bob Weir and Joan Osborne perform at the Sing Out for Seva concert on Jan. 12.Jay Blakesberg
In addition to four decades of Seva, Wavy is preparing for another milestone: the 50th anniversary of Woodstock. Last week, the festival’s co-creator Michael Lang announced that he would be holding another three days of peace, love and music this August in Watkins Glen, New York. Though the lineup has yet to be announced, many hope that Wavy will make yet another appearance. “I would not be surprised if I did,” he says. “I’m there for Michael and he knows that. Whatever he wants to do I’m there for him.”
And Wavy, along with his cohorts in the Hog Farm, famously kept everyone fed. “When I made the announcement I said, ‘Good morning, what we have in mind is breakfast in bed for 400,000,’ whichEntertainment Weeklypicked as one of the top entertainment lines of the 20th century. And it just popped out of the top of my head without thinking, which is the best way to do things. It’s the intuitive clown way.”
Befitting his status as a modern street philosopher, Wavy brims with words of wisdom that he’s quick to share.
“There’s a line that guides me that I got from Ken Kesey: ‘Always put your good where it’ll do the most.’ Seva has become my guiding thing. But other people, you just open up yourself like a sail to the wind and some breeze will lead you somewhere. Like you might get involved with theHeifer Project, or the various anti-war things in Berkeley. There’s a lot to do.”
He adds anotherbon motfrom William Butler Yeats: “In dreams begin responsibility. So if you dream it, you can be it.”
And finally, one from himself: “If you don’t have a sense of humor it just isn’t funny anymore. I maintain laughter is the valve on the pressure cooker of life. If you don’t laugh at stuff you end up with your brains on the ceiling.”
source: people.com
