When the Cops Came Knockin'

The Bug Theater is a mid sized theater in Northwest Denver. It's in a mostly residential neighborhood that was in the midst of a transition. Denver has always been more of a sports town than a theater town,so to see this theater stand where it was..well unusual. It had been dormant for years when a couple artist renovated the space,and began putting shows on there.

One of those artists involved with the Bug was Hugh Graham.Before moving to Denver,Hugh Graham had spent some time as a playwright in Minneapolis. It was that Minnesota connection that created an instant bond when we met. Hugh saw a void in the Denver theater scene and it was his dream to bring more of what he called "cutting edge" theater to Denver. In his eyes,my Reggae Theater piece Malcolm X Meet Peter Tosh fit the bill,so it was agreed to bring the piece to the Bug Theater.

The year before I had brought Malcolm X Meet Peter Tosh from Minneapolis and the Cedar Cultural Center to Denver and the Mercury Cafe. There it drew packed audiences and Alan Dumas,theater critic of the now defunct Rocky Mountain News called it the "top cultural event of 1994" It also drew its share of controversy. A theater piece with Reggae and Rasta themes,and especially a piece dealing with the life of Peter Tosh was going to have to deal with the topic of marijuana. Malcolm X Meet Peter Tosh tackled the subject head on..with spliffs the sizes that Peter Tosh would have smoked. Some loved it and would return with their friends.Others would walk out,and at a performance at Colorado State University in Fort Collins Colorado,the police were called upon reports of "marijuana being smoked onstage" No arrests were made.

The cast for the Bug performances was truly a "One Love" cast. Malcolm X was portrayed by James Crutchfield. James grew up in a household full of reggae music. James was new to theater and had doubts about the process and the cast at times and would express it in rehearsals but would channel that tension in a professional way and thus brought just what that character needed to be onstage

 Scott Kelley played Peter Tosh. At the Mercury and CSU performances Scott portrayed Malcolm X opposite me as Tosh. For the Bug shows,I merely wanted to direct and Scott had now grown dreadlocks,so this was perfect. Scott was from the Virgin Islands and loved reggae music. I first met him at Ken Hamblin's (DJ K-Nee) weekly reggae event,the Yardie Lounge.

The Yardie Lounge is also where I first connected with the "Man on the Couch" character,Thomas Behler. Thomas also became one of those who saw both Mercury and Fort Collins performances. He also became good friends with the original "Couch" character,Mitch Olson.With Mitch deciding to return to Minneapolis shortly after the Fort Collins shows,Thomas seemed like the natural fit for the role.

The Storyteller was Lisa Slicer,a Native American storyteller who came to the piece via the Denver Indian Center and a subsequent pow-wow.
The band for the Bug performances was the 8750 Reggae Band from Telluride Colorado. When I first returned to Colorado for the Mercury shows,someone told me that the 8750 Reggae Band was the best band in Colorado. When I first saw a picture of them,I didn't want to believe it,but when I saw them for the first time,I became a believer,and felt blessed when they said upon hearing about this play,that they wanted to be a part of this. All this made for a wonderful cast.

Seems like in my experience in theater often opening night's performance gets through due to opening night adrenaline,the second night something unexpected happens,and by the third night things click for the rest of the run.
The first night at the Bug blew me and the audience in attendance away. Everyone was amazingly good.

One had the sense something was going to happen the moment one walked into the Bug for the second night. There seemed to be some sort of tension even backstage before the show began.

With Malcolm X Meet Peter Tosh, it was a given that a certain degree of tension would be created long before the first words of dialogue were spoken. What some would consider to be pre show music was actually part of the show and the volume of it was more akin to being at a live concert rather than at a theater event. Some of the audience would arrive during the "pre show" music upsetting some of those expecting a show to start" on time".Then there was the excruciatingly slow walk from the audience to the stage by the "Man on the Couch" All tension building from the start.

Leave it to Ken Gorman to push the envelope. There is a scene early in the play where Peter Tosh would hand a joint to an audience member. Often it was then when the marijuana action would begin in earnest,but now,after performances in Minneapolis,Denver and Fort Collins,the audience knew what was coming and while I was introducing the piece,Ken Gorman,the Colorado marijuana activist known for his pot smoking rallies on the steps of the Colorado State Capitol walked up to the stage to hand me a lit joint. Now,with marijuana smoking added to the scripted chaos in the beginning,shouts of "put that out!" and "hand it to me!" was added to the mix.

After the introduction,I took up my seat in the back of The Bug,and pulled up my director's notes.I could hardly write any notes as Thomas,Scott,James and Lisa were all exceptionally good this night..Then as if on cue,but it really wasn't..IT HAPPENED! As Malcolm and Peter were debating the herb's merit onstage,I began to notice flashlights checking the aisles. The flashlights were not courtesy of the Bug Theater which did not employ ushers,but rather that of the Denver Police Department and they weren't helping people to their seats. I heard someone say "Is this part of the play?"
Reggae music has a sense of timing,theater has a sense of timing,and so does life. The police reached the front of the stage in time to get smoke blown on them by The Man on the Couch (Thomas)-the audience cheered. The police then turned around and began to grab people in the front of the audience as Scott begins to go into a Peter Tosh monologue/diatribe on the evils of Babylon. As people are being carried out,the audience shouts "Let them go!" In previous performances,the Man on the Couch would have been one of those hauled off also. The Bug Theater shows were the one time where the spliffs from the stage were not real however.

At this point I'm still sitting in my seat awaiting the joint coming my way wondering if its the real or fake one,and as the writer and director waiting for the police to find and arrest me.
It is now the point in the play where the 8750 Reggae Band does a short set. Some people get out of their seats to dance amongst the wall of cops standing on the side. The spliff gets to me.It's the real one. I take a hit,pass it on,and use the moment to get out of my seat,walk around the theater and in a sense make it easier for them to arrest me if they wish. As I get up,I notice one Denver cop overcome by the One Love vibe and was moving his feet and his club to the reggae beat.

"Is this part of the play?"
In the foyer,cops were getting info from the folks they pulled from the audience. I walk outside. Down the street from the Bug,a fight was in progress. Looked pretty serious to me. Denver cops however felt differently. It was past the roadblock and lineup of cop cars there to deal with reports of pot smoking in the theater. On the side of the theater there were more cops,blocking in the alley the 8750 Reggae Band's tour bus.

8750's set was over and it was time for me to come back inside.

The next day,the Rocky Mountain News theater section began with the headline "Bug's Malcolm X Leaves Audience Members Smokin"

 A sidenote: Hugh Graham tells me that for sometime afterwards,the Bug Theater was noted for what happened that night..I'm not sure that's the way he anticipated putting the Bug on the map,but it worked I guess.

Fast forward a week later. I would begin my days by making a breakfast and follow that with a trip to Alfalfa's, a natural food store nearby in Denver's Capitol Hill neighborhood. There I'd have coffee and engage with friends who lived in the neighborhood. Shortly after returning this particular time,there was a knock on my door. I thought it was the landlord. I was wrong. It was the Denver Police Department. I closed the door behind me. No way was I going to allow the police just to walk inside my apartment.

I asked the cops what brought them to my place. "Report of quantities of marijuana" Normally,without a warrant,I still would not have allowed them in,but I had to laugh and said "Come on in officers,There it is!"

I pointed to the kitchen table to where a small piece of marijuana lay. After the officers inspected the rest of the apartment and commenting on the interesting collection of books I had, ("Not your typical drugman" one of them remarked) I was asked to "dispose" of that piece after they left. It got disposed of in true Rasta fashion. I didn't realize it when I first put the piece on the table,but as it turns out,that  small piece of marijuana was resting on the Rocky Mountain News article.

written  on 4/20/2013

the Rose of Denver

 August 17, 2011
Spent four days in Colorado last week. Add four more days to the thirtysome years of personal history with that state.While it was great as always to see relatives and friends,and of course admire those Rocky Mountains,there was a more important reason to be there this time.

You see last year,my daughter Rose made a decision to join the U.S. Army. In January,she went away to basic training,and this was her first time back home since her enlistment.
I think there comes a time in every parent's life when a child does something just about opposite of what you would do. My parents ,while being politically liberal, socially had the conservative values of most middle class parents of the era and they had to endure seeing me take my 3.8 grade point average,and nearly full college scholarship off to a commune in Alaska's Matanuska Valley!

I refused to play Army as a kid. It set me apart from all the neighborhood kids. When I was in 7th grade,my parents suspected I might be a pot smoking hippie when I spent my weekends leafleting on behalf of that poet and anti war Senator from Minnesota Eugene McCarthy. It was still a few years from 7th grade before I saw marijuana for the first time,but if being a hippie meant having peace as a core value,they were absolutely right. The anti war themes in Richie Havens' "Handsome Johnny",Country Joe McDonald's "Feel Like I'm Fixin to Die",and Arlo Guthrie's Alice's Restaurant influenced my countercultural direction before marijuana did.

With that type of background,the LAST thing you would think a child of mine would do would be joining the Army. Rose is in the Army now.
That new reality was made quite clear when I first arrived..Due to Army related business she had to attend to,it was two days before finally getting to see her.
I can say this: both Rose and I both possess a strong independent streak,and a hard core determination once our minds are made up. She believes she has made the right choice for herself and is proud to be serving. I am proud that my daughter is her own person.


Rose's unit is scheduled to be deployed to Iraq. (If you've been led to believe we're winding down in Iraq,guess again..)
Since Rose's stint in the Army began, the question has been asked of me how do I manage when this decision of hers to enlist seemingly goes against the core of my being? Any parent worth their salt is going to love and care for their child..that goes without saying,and in supporting her,I don't have to go against my values at all because as a peace loving parent,now this stuff about war becomes personal and any parent worth their salt is going to do whatever they can to keep their child out of harm's way.

Now I have friends across the political spectrum,and I remember how some of you reacted four years ago when I chose to support Ron Paul for President. I'm just letting you know I'm doing it again,and this time it's even more personal than it was four years ago. You might disagree with me,but I ask those of you who do to respect it as a parent doing his best to protect his child from harm. Ron Paul,like myself does not want to see our troops engaged in an overseas conflict that has nothing to do with the security interests of the United States,in fact harms it. I might also add that while she serves,she shouldn't have to worry about her Dad back home possibly being criminalized for the use of a plant that has inspired the writing of his plays,poetry and spoken word material,is part of his spiritual practice,and has been an integral medicine in his ongoing fight against cancer. Electing Ron Paul as President would go a long way in addressing those concerns.
Don't know when the next visit to Colorado will be,I've long given up on predicting the future,but I sure do hope that in one of those visits Rose will be there,safe and sound.

When John Cipollina Came to Alaska

  John Cipollina, with Copperhead

In the early 70's,there was more than one reason Alaska was called "The Last Frontier". For one,even in the "major cities" of Anchorage and Fairbanks,there was no live television.Shows were shipped up and broadcast on a 2 week delay basis. The Super Bowl would be broadcasted live via satellite,but that's another story for another time...

Alaska was also the Last Frontier for this reason. KENI-AM was a standard 70's AM station that would play album tracks at night. That was the best one could do for music on the radio,and this was clearly a step backwards for someone who had experienced the underground FM radio stations of the day.

 The campus of Alaska Methodist University in Anchorage seemed far removed from the tumult that had impacted so many college campuses during the late '60's and early '70's. The vibe throughout much of the campus was reminiscent of how colleges in the 50's were depicted...The campus choir was popular... there were curfews, the elected student body president was a lover of tradition,and an ally of the college administration ,and though Alaska had lenient marijuana laws, this did not extend to the campus of AMU.Maybe things had skipped over..or hadn't arrived yet.

Some of this was also different for my roommate Ron Buickie. Ron was from upstate New York.I happened to meet Ron on my flight from New York to Alaska. In the days when tobacco smoke was allowed on flights,Ron used the opportunity to smoke something that wasn't tobacco in the bathrooms,and was kind enough to give me a sample of what he was bringing to and smoking in the bathroom. This happened before we discovered we were going to the same college,and before we found out we were assigned as roommates.
It was Ron who got the ball rolling..Ron would still obtain the underground magazines that seemed to flourish then. Ron got the word through one of those newspapers that John Cipollina was taking a hiatus from Quicksilver Messenger Service,was working with a new band called Copperhead and they were looking for gigs..The address to write them was on the ad. Ron then tossed the ball into my hands.

It must be said at this point that between the time Ron and I had met on the flight to Alaska to this moment when the ball was being tossed my way,that I had gotten myself elected to the Student Assembly at AMU. I got elected in large part due to the "marijuana code language" employed in my campaign statement for the student newspaper. My election did not sit well with the student body president,and he told me as much.

When Ron said "Let's bring John Cipollina to Alaska",he knew that once I had gotten elected to the Student Assembly,I managed to my way onto the Student Activities Committee. Though I was thrilled to be on the committee,I was also aware I was placed there by the student body president.I was also charged with coming up with an event to raise money for the Student Activity fund..My understanding was the last few events had failed to raise money,and the student body president  wished to see if I could use the "marketing skills I used to get elected" as he put it to use.
When we sent the request to the address listed in the ad,I thought that might be the last we'd hear of it.

I imagined John Cipollina and his manager laughing soon as they saw the "Methodist" in the Alaska Methodist University stationary we sent the inquiry on.What I didn't imagine was getting a return letter within two weeks with instructions to be near a phone on such and such a date at this time Alaska time. In the return letter the manager had accounted for the approximate time the letter would take before it would arrive in Anchorage,and knew about the 1 hour time difference between Pacific and Alaska time.
Shortly after that phone call,I got the Student Assembly to approve an "investment"to bring a "really good rock band"to play in the Student Union Building.The student body president felt the cost of investment was too high for a band he had never heard of,but was unable to persuade the rest of the assembly. Once the "investment' was secured,I then turned to my roommate to finalize the deal to bring John Cipollina to Anchorage.
KENI-AM stated their willingness to assist the University students raise money by running free PSA's about the upcoming event..and because the station didn't have any Quicksilver albums,Ron and I knew the nights they played Quicksilver Messenger Service and Happy Trails, (one night they played the entire second side of Happy Trails),that those were OUR albums being beamed throughout that Last Frontier!
The "stage" in the Student Union building was barely large enough for the drummer..Cipollina said he had no problem working with it. The Student Union building also didn't have any real type of dressing room. Cipollina,also said as he rolled joint after joint,lighting them then passing them on,that he had no problem that his "dressing room" had to be the janitor's room.I was happy,He seemed happy,Ron was happy and that janitor's room was hazy by the time Copperhead hit the stage!

The Student Union building was packed..students and non-students alike. Copperhead played some original tunes,and some Quicksilver favorites,and John Cipollina showed his appreciation by not only delivering some of the finest guitar licks this side of San Francisco ,but also between many of his guitar solos would toss joints into the audience as well as light one and pass it on.
I was told later by the college President (Yes,I got called into his office after the Cipollina show) that I could never do something like that again. I said ok,but had to remind him that we doubled the "investment "and made money for the Student Union. I knew from that moment on, that at a small liberal arts college of 400 students,I was going to be watched like I had never been watched before. I also knew I was happy and a lot of folks,students and non students went away happy.Ron was happy. His copy of Happy Trails was played on KENI-AM,and he got to roll joints with John Cipollina.
John Cipollina went away happy too..There was no way the "investment" was going to cover the cost of bringing a band to Alaska. In the 70's cost kept many bands from playing in Alaska..but Alaska was the Last Frontier,and that was almost enough to bring John Cipollina to Alaska. What was enough to bring him to a small liberal arts college run by the Methodist Church was Matanuska.

Matanuska Valley Thunder F@*k..a..for you who don't know, Matanuska Valley Thunder F@*k is one of the most powerful strains of marijuana grown in North America. The nearly 24 hour sunlight in the summer would do wonders for the strain,and for a pound of Matanuska Valley Thunder F@*k,John Cipollina was willing to bring Copperhead to Alaska.
A few years ago,I returned to Alaska to perform my one man play Kolorada...a western tale. Alaska Methodist University is now Alaska Pacific University. While in Anchorage I had to stop by,and it brought tears to my eyes to see that the makeshift stage that once had John Cipollina on it was still there..

Musings on Opportunity..

Alaska Methodist University was a small liberal arts college in Anchorage Alaska. It's now known  as Alaska Pacific University. I attended Alaska Methodist University in the 1970's.  At the time I was enrolled at AMU,there were approximately 400 students attending. Now for some folks reading this,400 students may seem rather minuscule,and maybe it was,but for me,a high school graduate from a school of little over 100 students,this was stepping up to the big time!

Attending AMU was very much like living in a small town in the sense that at the very least,you knew of most all the students,and professors,and professors knew who the students were as well.

Frank Brink was widely known as the father of theater in Alaska. He established not only the drama program at AMU,but the Anchorage Little Theater,and was known for persuading folks like Boris Karloff,and Will Rogers Jr. to come to Alaska and perform for little or no money with local casts.This is during an era when Alaska seemed particularly remote to the rest of the country. What first struck me when I met Frank Brink was,unlike others who wanted to be addressed as "Dr. Konigsberg" or "Professor Latham,he was addressed by and simply known as "Frank".

I didn't take any drama classes under Frank,but I'd often see him in the lunchroom located in the student union building. I found out later he'd see me too.

I had never experienced previously what I experienced socially at AMU. In elementary school,I was the shy kid who often times had to worry about getting beat up. In high school,while I had a few close friends,I was nowhere close to being a popular kid.
I was too shy to date in high school.
At AMU,I was one of ten blacks enrolled in the college,and one of two living on campus. For many Alaskan students,I was the first flesh and blood black person they had ever encountered,but in addition,I was from the East Coast,and had seen and experienced things (like rock concerts) that many,due to the isolation of Alaska had only dreamed of. With all this going on, I wasn't going to be able to quietly hide in a corner. In the dorm and outside the classroom,this quiet,shy student was sought after,and I'd often hold court with fellow students in the student union building lunchroom.

It was because of those holding court sessions in the lunchroom where Frank Brink got it in his mind that I might be able to act. He had written this play he told me,"Song of the Great Land"- a piece based on Alaskan History,and there was a character in the play,that he said,had me written all over it. Before giving me a chance to say no on the spot,Frank handed me a script.
The problems as I saw it was not in the ability to learn the lines.I'd always been blessed with a strong memory,and in reading the script,I was certain I could learn and play the role.
As I saw it,Problem #1 was: Rose Atwater. Rose Atwater,an Athabascan Indian woman with hair almost to her ankles was easily one of the most beautiful women on campus.In Frank's script,all my scenes were to be opposite her.
Problem # 2 was: according to the script,I was supposed to kiss her. Why is this a problem?
Problem #3: I had not dated and had never kissed anyone.
I'm certain I was not the only one on campus that shared my opinion on Rose,and I'm certain I wasn't the only one who entertained thoughts on what it would be like to kiss Rose,but the way I saw it,if I was to kiss her,it was going to be without an audience.

The kiss,according to the script was supposed to be a fairly passionate kiss. I first tried to get him to cut the scene altogether,and when he refused that,I tried to get him to compromise on the passion. He wouldn't budge...said something to the effect that the kiss and passion were integral to the script.
Frank wouldn't budge and neither would I,and 3 days before rehearsals were to begin in earnest,I dropped out of the play.




 Frank Brink's play,Song of the Great Land won an award,and because of that for a couple months,it became a touring production. It even toured on the East Coast.

In the almost 40 years since Song of the Great Land made its tour,there have been times I've wondered how life may have been different if I had chosen to make my first kiss a public affair. I mean I eventually ended up on the theater stage afterall..I just would have started earlier. In more than one of my own productions,I've smoked marijuana onstage which I think in most places carries more risks than a kiss..even the most passionate one.

Thing is: The lesson learned from that experience has proven to be over time far more valuable,in fact I doubt the theater experiences that came later in life would have happened outside of that experience.
I let a major opportunity slip through my fingers,and I knew it when I saw Song of the Great Land performed in Anchorage. The memories of the sick to my stomach feeling I felt then and desire not to feel that way again,serve as motivation when faced with opportunity.








 http://books.google.com/books/about/Song_of_the_Great_Land.html?id=etT5XwAACAAJ