Larry Weissman and Ryan Sawyer

00:01 Good. Okay, I name is Ryan Sawyer on 43. Today is July 29th, 2019 or New York-New York and interview Partners Larry Weissman and my relationship to that Larry is he's my one of my very best friends.

00:22 My name is Larry Weisman. I'm 69 years old today's date is July 29th, 2019 locations, New York New York interview Partners Ryan Sawyer, and he's one of my best friends.

00:39 Okay. So there you grow up in Springfield Massachusetts. Night. Yeah, I was born in 1950 in Springfield and then

00:52 Got out of there when I was like 17 years old because it was a shithole truck place yet wasn't really good.

01:03 Went to Boston was very fortunate to

01:08 Meet some really good hippies for Miata LSD. I mean, I mean basically on the classic turn in turn on drop out you right where we gave me the ugly among other things among other Boston at that time. We talked in 67 68. I say the answer Capital One.

01:34 The east coast and

01:38 Tell me who asked ya at his Infamous and famous psychedelic a producer email kind of what's known as the best LSD and closely associated with the sound guy for the Grateful Dead and but he was also like he is kind of responsible for turning a lot of people onto it kind of like radicalizing a lot of people through LSD. Yes, certainly for me. I mean LSD saved my life. It would have been pretty ugly. If if I hadn't got out of there and their stronghold oppression of the fifties on people's minds could only be broken playlist Deep by the Funkadelics before

02:22 You're kind of like not like consider yourself a, like a greaser like you like you like to get in fights get drunk take speed do Downs, right? But there but rock and roll was a big part rock and roll was everything. I mean that was like growing up in Springfield. It was a very horrible Place super racist as bad as any place down south. There was a lot of tension between everybody and definitely a lot of tension between the kids and the adults, haha.

02:58 Just like authority figures and Gianna and was just this constant struggle.

03:04 Eventually, I mean we're here it's like you just paint your time just hating people all the time. And that's where I like pie and marijuana made a huge difference to me and my friends and we were able to get out of this destructive death spiral which would have just ended up making you become some fat old and I hate school in Springfield and get free of that and in my case I end up spending the next few years traveling around the country to hanging out with people organizing against the war organizing his support of the Black Panther Party and ending up in San Francisco. So

03:49 You how did you first hear about the Black Panther Party against the Vietnam War the Peace and Freedom Party Like, I believe we're 1967 possibly 1968 ran Eldridge Cleaver, okay for president and he was a package from the Black Panther Party show all of what you don't like it as part of my

04:18 In addition to being a hippie and smoking a lot of weed and doing all the LSD. I also deepen my understanding of politics and got to understand, you know, the what that there was a system that has been causing all this problem with all of us capitalism. Okay, and in the course of that I discovered the Black Panther Party, which was a Communist Party founded in Oakland and at the time was the most sensible honest and had the best understanding of what was going on in the United States and still to this day. They're the ones that had the best understanding what's going on Netflix.

05:00 As far as my community building like two things like that. They're their party that's in existence today and let's just stop and safe right now that if you was really just a hundred years from now. We're in a really bad situation here in 2019 and a large week is because the Black Panther Party Party using here right and got crushed and and all we're left with his are going to eat at Democrats running around, you know, like chickens with their heads cut off. But what is it about that? They were Community Builders and and I personally as a hippie,

05:41 Believe deeply in communes and people living together voluntarily and working together to help each other out and the Black Panther Party took that even a step further and said communities have to be inter-communal everybody in the community and used to work together. We need to eliminate all the outside BS and everybody needs to figure out different strategies and they came up with a lot of strategies the free breakfast program on kids Medical Center Schools neighborhood neighborhood watch and all of those things to this day are still would be useful. They were implemented in every Community. Okay, so some from first finding out about Eldridge Cleaver and Boston and then how did you find your way to the white panther party? Well, I was in

06:33 In 1970. I was fortunate to be in.

06:38 New Haven at Yale for the Bobby seale rally Bobby seale was one of the founders of the Black Panther Party. He was incarcerated in in jail in Connecticut on on phone charger waiting trial and

06:56 I think 60 or 70 thousand people went to their Memorial Day end and it was a huge probody sale Raley and Raley. There was a

07:11 The president of Yale allowed everyone to just basically take over here so that we were all in there saying around in a white panther party had set up a stage inside the quadrangle and Yale and Johnson who is the identification was your day was smuggled into the United States and smoke one of them represent for the highest point in my life was here is euthanasia speak about Bobby ciaro. It was in the Black Panther Party psychedelic be humble juice. Johnson eye in the whole weekend.

07:57 For another complex question. Can you a specified movies on Julius Caesar French novelist and playwright who comes from the lower class was up was in a pretty much a convicted criminal and and and yet was also a genius and anyone who wants everything about 60s era literature and France would be well to check Journal.

08:31 So I was Johnson clear the founder of the Black Panther Party was John Sinclair at Rally Point and I wandered over to the stage and I was

08:49 I don't know probably 20. He's not a little kid comes over like hair down there was but totally cool little dude. Yeah, and he comes over and eat with me of a pipe with some ash in it. And I said show me what what's the deal with this? She goes? What's Anthony? Who's your wife? I'm a white panther right Empty Bottle. Is there other band that was there?

09:18 Which I don't remember the name of it now. Yeah, but but

09:23 They ran down to me that the thing with the with the white Panthers and John and and for those who don't know the white panther party was founded in support of the Black Panther Party when white people ask the Black Panthers. Will what are we eating with you? We doing in the thing about intercommunalism his inner cannula sandwich for everybody like you just don't do your community. It's not about you know that you're white or black is that you is that your communal that you find inter-communal way life between each other and also between communities, you know, he's the Black Panthers had a very

09:58 Newman's understanding of identity politics and when it was good and wanted would be bad and end the powder mix that with the understanding that were all at the grip of psychotic capitalist Corporation state of state. That's why things are so bad right now because psychotic and yelling Corporation and people are running things, so

10:22 That's what I met them in and became a strong believer in supporter in the white Panthers. And then eventually I ended up in San Francisco and join the Bay Area chapter and I'm proud to say it was a member there for up until 1983 when the when the party was finally dissolved, okay?

10:43 So can I ask you about what what am I saying with Boston win? How was how how would you rate seeing the living theater Paradise now I got there you were taught ya. Like I was very very fortunate to see Paradise now at MIT. Can you describe what that what the living theater was Andy the living theory was the collective cleaner for from New York. That was a play Collective. They were committed to being a theater troupe and putting on plays that would challenge people's Consciousness and their preconceived notions about reality and society and they were definitely an decapolis than and we're very not well known in New York.

11:30 And we're also they themselves actually were in Paris during the 68 Rebellion in Paris. They had a huge impact on people there. We will meet me and my friends and many other people were fortunate and seeing them at MIT. I'm thinking whenever they got back from from France, right? So let me 959 or something. I just you know, it's two words can't do justice to the Transformations that we all went through but let me just say that that at the end when everybody walk out basically naked onto the street like the Ottoman Empire audience in the cast confronted by all of these pigs. It was just a true.

12:26 Example of the power of psychedelic Consciousness because they just couldn't touch us didn't know what to do. They just couldn't handle this is not like your normal that the living theater was able to get you to a place where you would literally not be afraid to just be an open uman being from running naked running around and outside. There's all these cops waiting to the bus hit what they've been doing it every single for a woman then heard about this nudity played in all these hippies were doing some weird shit and so they were ready to happen to have a certain point everyone in the cast comes into the audience and there is no more audience can write there's just we're all in this room surrounded by pigs, right? You know, so and this is how we're going to get through it and those guys and Elizabeth needed were so such strong.

13:23 Amazing human being here when you talk about the counterculture. That's the counterculture right there. They were completely committed to what they were doing. No matter what was going to happen end and at that moment the truth is most people in the United States who were at all conscious were also completely committed to whatever is going to take. I remember a long time ago you were you talking about moving theater being something there was a lot of problems you had with a lot of the hippie movement being like hey everything to like every legs and hang out and kind of just like everything's cool with me and you know, my community is like immediately but not really like addressing the larger world. And so are you always like to know you can't be free the living theater is sort of like solidified this idea. If I remember correctly that you can't be free inside different the world around you is just left. They went beyond that because they tried to come up with a with ways of helping you become free and and and just like

14:23 The political world, you know, we've lost we're kind of lost about the Black Panther Party.

14:30 In the cultural world without the counterculture and by that I mean groups like The Living feeder that were were

14:39 Like we're committed to using their art to help liberate people like that is so glaringly absent from what's going on right now. But once again, you know, you had a word that that that's another one of those moments that surely made me where I am right now. Never forget it cool leaving Boston traveling around. How do you find yourself in San Francisco? And then went when was that some places I end up going to Champaign Urbana for 6 months. I lived up an evergreen above Denver for like a month and a half. I mean when talking about there's just hippies everywhere be people on Golden Community Center.

15:32 And then some friends of mine got a place up in Oregon and and this is in eastern, Oregon.

15:43 Near a town called Canyonville. Is this the beginning of the Good Earth come in or is this?

15:55 Way up in the woods little town called Chiller to 60 miles from the from us 5 and then maybe 250 miles from Eugene Wright logging country, but my friend had found this big old white house there. So we were down in California me and my friend Bruce.

16:16 Thinking I will meet up with my to go back to San Francisco and then somehow I got a hold of my friend Wendy to go do the work up here in Oregon. We got this way up there because you know, this would have been

16:33 Sometime in 70 I think.

16:40 And there were a political situation was darkening for sure. So we went up there big white house with a bunch of people and then at a certain point, I just realized like I'm not really a country guy back to the country back to the yeah. I can't deal with that. But you guys were really trying to you know, make your own food kill your own, you know, like and everybody and there was like a

17:05 But you would like sneak into town to get like burgers and everybody's like vegetarian over there. I became friends with this guy Raymond Raymond was a really nice guy and he was when I met him he was older than I am now. He was probably like 80000 and Raymond was he graduated from the very first Model T Ford mechanic school, haha and

17:40 He moved to Oregon way out in the woods and he became a mechanic and he was a mechanic like all his wife right then when I met him his wife had died a year earlier and me and my friends met him one day and we turn them on to weed Cincinnati really liked it. So are we get snow on them?

17:57 And he was he was the one when I was like very conflicted about staying up there. I really wanted to go I went and talked to him and he just sent me straight and so do you know?

18:08 Golden City following what you need to do you need to do it very large, Okay, and that was in Haight-Ashbury at its height which I would say with you. It was founded in 69, but I'd say like around 74 there were 18200 people.

18:38 And we had various things like a recycling service Candle factory.

18:46 Incense making things like we were we were we were commenting that was like dedicated to coming up with alternative economic structures. The majority of us join the white panther party and that brought into people's Ballroom, which was the

19:07 A community group United to put on events for people with Stage Sound Security already booked in all the shows and became the the the head of that and was fortunate to put on literally hundreds of shows including breaking the sound band for all of Golden Gate Park in the Panhandle 4 years after 67. They didn't allow any outdoor music in the Panhandle or Golden Gate Park, right and we were able to first we started with the Panhandle and we broke the van there and we started putting on show cuz I we live right next to the Panhandle. So we will put on shows right there in the Panhandle then we went and we we were able to

19:55 Break the ban in Golden Gate Park itself with the assistance of the Jefferson Airplane Jefferson Starship and the Grateful Dead all the we did end up having to go to federal court and into the City and so on but will we get this? That's probably the biggest event that I personally organized with the

20:17 Fifty thousand people and the party program but it was a community program good time guys at supportable is kind of like my main thing there was doing that. Okay, so when so when you get to the hate and you find out about the doors come in,

20:45 The the neighborhood itself wasn't necessary and I wasn't all hippies. It was there were people who like, you know, there would be able why maybe that was why you were able to have a community there. But so what I'm curious about is how did the community that was already existing to look at you look at The Good Earth, and the news is we had an incredibly tight relationship in the community is just like with the Black Panther Party in their Community. We looked around and figure out what we could do to help the community. So we had a block watch at one point. We had eight blocks in our in our community with people on them twenty-four hours a day 7 days a week on the roof spotlights and and we have an understanding in a comedian if you blew the whistle.

21:38 Everybody would come out. I had many many times with that that work and so forth for the space of a couple years. The woman's groups were able to publish map showing my what streets to walk down when you're going home because he's on his feet. You can be guaranteed people were at right, you know, we and we work closely with everybody in the community as I appreciate you that you are so it was tight. But of course the big struggle was with the cops and the speculators because we were in the same position as the original members of the community as we were all going to get ya speculated out the difference between van and say like what happened in Williamsburg is that back then they were political organizations. They were awesome ones that mean the Black Panthers were in the San Francisco also has a lot of for the organizing going on and it was all about building communities at the communal.

22:36 Places. Yeah, I need the one nice thing about the hate was if a cop started hassling you and you blew a whistle 150 people will come out right now not to intimidate the carpenter. Look we're here and we're watching you know, yeah, it was it was a very good thing. Okay, so and then you have a show like The Grateful Dead in the Starship and Jefferson Starship 50,000 people, but then you also did like block party shows numerous numerous block parties and small shows with local bands that were all part of the same Coalition lights. Like they weren't there were five or six bands that came to all the meetings played at the shows. And when we passed the Hat among everybody, we all equally divided up for money. All I did was worship enable people to work.

23:30 For somebody that wasn't a boss man for the band's not to have to play in clubs because once we're at that time, no kids can see bands cuz you couldn't get into the clubs women didn't like the golden one because of the sexism going on and the bands have to pay to play anyways. So so this was an alternative to Bill Graham in the stone and all these other plug right, you know where you could come and play for the entire community.

23:58 Yeah safe atmosphere where you can give to have a drink and smoke a joint you nobody would hassle you and if you were a woman or a child you were safe because the security rather than trying to like your tell me what not to do when they're like Jose and the idea being that rock and roll or music in general was deliberating things. Can I do with the other characters? Like the point of a counterculture is it people are doing cultural thing that cultural workers?

24:34 Be stronger than figure out ways of freeing people from the constant dated a drag of having to deal with the biggest which one I mean if you're a hundred years from that, I really hope you don't know what I'm talking about gas. Right now. We're still stuck with the pigs very badly corporate police being an extension of corporate life mentality, but the problem is not very is the enforcement of laws are only benefit the rich people right there in the Bahamas a good example of a counterculture think a lot of people don't know that that in the seventies The Grateful Dead tried to create their own record distribution system. Once again, I would call that but that was a countercultural thing. Unfortunately all the

25:27 Record companies got together and they crushed it, right? Okay.

25:35 When okay, so how do you find yourself? There's a whole other chapters starting hits in the 80s. How do you find yourself running about computers as it happened?

25:47 Back in the in the 70s when we were we doing the people's ballroom and and and also the food conspiracy which was an early way of bringing people together by their food wholesale and picking it up and stuff and I was friends with did the guys who did the sound for the people's boring was receiving studios in Berkeley, California, JJ and Tumbleweed and

26:10 They happen to know Steve Wozniak. And once again, he was a good example. It's like keep watching what you kind of culture guy. Yeah, he invented Apple Computers so that people could let you know cultural workers and others could have something that they could control rather than having to, you know, go to studio and then he saw you know, he he he meant well, so what he did was he drove around in this Giant RV and he gave away apple juice to people so we can you receive one we can learn how to write programs to figure out how to divide a buffoon print the labels and database all the time. So in order to do that, I actually got to work with another guy that people know about Captain Crunch John Draper. He's the guy that figured out that you can use a whistle to blow into a phone and get free long-distance calls. Okay, right and he hang up.

27:10 Deal for that, but when I knew it was a little bit after he done all that. He was also a computer genius like a hacker has helped us do all the right this offer but in the course of their computers, what were the first languages you were learning like computer languages basic was what you had to learn to do an apple to and then later when I got deeper into Assembly Language and stuff like that. I ended up going more towards the hardware end of things because I had been an electrician and a mechanic in terms of trying to survive and

27:45 The hardware made more sense to me. So I became an expert in computer hardware over the years working for many many people basically as all of us know, you know with the 80s the Revolutionary movement of the sixties place was gone. I'm in the Black Panther Party have been crushed the white movement have been pretty much ham and and so and some of us, I mean Hi Nabor in jail for a while because of my political beliefs and Cisco.

28:20 So eventually I will write I parlayed the you know, my my computer knowledge into a skill that enabled me to survive through the ATM, right?

28:32 So what what led to that was about a year that you were in jail? What happened was was in the early 80s Dianne Feinstein who at that time was a mayor of San Francisco tried to pass a law outlawing handguns inside San Francisco, and it just so happened that that

28:58 A lot of black people a lot of gay people and a lot of hippies didn't agree with her and thought that was unconstitutional. I I felt that she had broken federal law and that she needed to be recalled in California. You can if you get enough signatures on a ballot you can you can force a recall election where we're even though the person like a mayor they have to stand up for election one more time whether or not they should still be Mair which happen not too long ago for the governor. So my I Not only was in favor of this I I wrote up the recall petition and was one of the two people on it signed it so it was my petition. Yeah and

29:47 Mir Fontane didn't think we could do it but we did do it every week. I think we got thirty-five thousand signatures got the recall election. Her law was thrown out by the federal courts on the grounds that it violates the Second Amendment and she did win the recall election, but but but the end result of the whole thing was that always gone, unfortunately.

30:13 Six to eight months after that.

30:15 Me and I and a bunch of other people on our block were there was an altercation on the block with some people from outside the block and we stopped them police game police arrested me and I'm not an unusual occurrence many many times the police even if I call the police which we did in this case, we called the police. They were tied up arresting us. And in this case now now I personally have represented myself a number of times when I was in good in The Good Earth and the white panthers often the subject of political harassment and arrest by the police.

30:58 That's me around many many people but during the course of that. I learned to represent myself because no lawyer could relieve

31:06 Express to the jury's which of the Court you know what I really thought and felt and end of the free criminal on Uncharted 4 criminal prosecutions where I represented myself to put it on free and on the last one. I mean I was

31:23 Convicted of standing on my front porch with a loaded revolver in my belt, which I freely admitted to the time. He was like some horrendous crime, but everybody else I was for discombobulated in my life and when I got out I drove cab for a while, but I was able to utilize my

31:52 My computer skills to quickly just a time not to change the deeper understanding of a story that you know, if the birth of your of your of your kid or not this time in general, 1974 Saturday and we're across the street from Victor to Nazi and he was a Nazi. He was a Hebrew worship at Larry. He wore swasan, Stephanie was constantly bothering us show it was I think was like a Saturday morning was it was January 4th 1974 when waking up at at the coal Street house, which is one of the Good Earth when hands are houses and you know, there's a bunch of hippies in the kitchen drinking and suddenly start hearing is getting thrown against the door.

32:52 We open the door and there's Victor to not see throwing garbage at our house and screaming and yelling. Yeah, so a bunch of Oz come out men and women and we're trying to contain them and then boom Cops show up.

33:08 Josh in patrol car so they get involved and then he's screaming his usual stuff about us. He's a Nazi. So he hates us. Would you choose where this for that little crazy stuff?

33:20 By that time there is the two sorry just came that with all the cops are from the precinct. We know them. I know them they know me. They all know if Victor, you know, right everyone from The Good Earth and white panther houses in the house. There's like a user Vic Victor decides to say something really horribly misogynistic thing to my friend. Annie always right next to me and and her boyfriend Chuck yet. And to be honest I couldn't afford to go to jail and I could so when he said this horrible stuff, I just grab them rip them out of the cops hands doing down the car and hit him a few times and him.

34:05 So I can down again who I knew really well looks because like you leave me no choice. You're not going to jail. They throw us in the cars. And the last thing I hear is my my friend Charlene really good friend of mine who's pregnant with my son. Yell. I just broke my water and it was the last thing I heard as we're going to the police station. They ended up taking me downtown. Sure. I'm up in the holding show on Bryant Street sitting there and it's just happened early in the morning right now. It's like 1 in the afternoon. I'm in there Saturday night. I'm not going to get out you write me like nothing to do but unbelievably

34:47 All these people mobilized and I will take me forever to tell you everything that happened, but they were able to get somebody to call a judge force him to give me a bail hearing then went out were able to raise the money for the bail and doing a lot of hours until it's finally getting to be about 10. And meanwhile Charlene is hanging on to that trick with your license on the doctor. Larry's got it because we had practice me going in the delivery room with her right when I get to hospital and they allowed you to do that cuz she was hanging it but I know any that's all I knew was like I'm sitting there going to like yeah, this is horrible plus, you know Victor had show a lot of nasty things about the kid being born with bad. Yeah. Yeah. They call my name I go downstairs.

35:37 There's a caravana cars a jump and we all go off to French hospital right I get there and give her a kiss Boo from everybody else is out in the waiting room. I mean Spanish 30-40 people there and

35:57 It's the most amazing thing in the world. Obviously. She I could pop out. Yeah, I'm holding a boy.

36:11 And when you come out of the operating thing where you probably got born you have to go through the waiting room. Yeah.

36:20 So I never I look at the doctor and I said dude, this is going to get really crazy for about 10 minutes, but I said but if you're cool and just go with the flow night, I'll get everybody out of here if you like to thank you, cuz there was like 30. So my people in there ready to celebrate your birthday with you and Charlie to the most intense mean when you see your translate head pop out at me. So amazing. So that's to me that we're leaving for bridge.

37:01 If you want me to know where the communities like like that's a community right starts. We against the fascists and have each other's backs. That's incredible.

37:24 Can you talk a little bit about that and why he could speak to that told us about the LSU understand it? It's like this.

37:36 I was born.

37:39 Just a few years after the United States killed millions of people want an atomic bomb.

37:47 I was born at a time when people were fired because they wouldn't sign a pledge of loyalty to the United States government.

37:56 When black people were still being ruthlessly murdered and hounded and and and not allowed to voice. What I'm saying is I was born into a bad Vibe world and extremely bad world where the people that you were supposed to trust like your parents had sold their souls to survive Springfield Mass is where the rosenbergs kids were sent after the government killed their mother and father show.

38:23 It was no wonder that so many of us just were pissed off people were lying to us. Nothing made any sense and then, you know suddenly in the midst of that somebody shoots Kennedy that somebody else shoots the guy that shot Kennedy we all grew up watching.

38:42 Monster monster movies like everybody and then you saw your parents completely deny it and pretend that what you just saw it in the other phone not big disk. All I'm saying is like things were so deep and so hard that it took something as powerful as LSD to break through to to make you realize it's not you you didn't do anything wrong. This is this is stuff is being put on people and people are like willingly going along with it. But if you stop going along with it, then it won't Define you anymore. That's that's the only way I can say if you haven't taken LSD, I'd say find some really good LSD go someplace and take it because he usually will be good for you.

39:32 But I'm not guaranteeing that but let's get back to your

39:37 Wentworth

39:43 Someone that was so active in protests and rallies at a very significant point in our history if you have any thoughts about what's going on today, especially speaking to it like coach. Let me say this.

39:59 I hope things are really bad right now. And really honestly, I personally believe that the really bad because one we don't have a black panther party and two we don't have a Counter Culture that is committed to liberating people by any means necessary, you know beat beat beat.

40:21 What's going on? Here is bad. And and what's more disturbing is the lack of serious response? I mean, all I can say is when Nixon got elected. We inaugurated a pig and we fought him to a standstill at Dupont Circle, you know nn.

40:42 Yo, I hoping that people don't have to ever make the decisions that I have had to make in my life with with you know, bad things. I mean, but just believe me if if people don't start really standing up if things are not going to go good. If you're counting on the Democratic party you are making a huge huge mistake.

41:06 That's probably not going to make a short guide to a happy but that's just the way it is.

41:13 Thanks. I think you got in I feel super short. I mean I'll buy them whatever your decision is. But like yeah.

41:27 Great. I'm okay so fast forward to the 98 New York City the pink pony on Lower East Side how this is the place where Larry and I were Matt and describe what how you found that place how you plan to pick up for some company down in Queens and Long Island City and

41:56 I started.

41:59 You know, I heard about a coffee shop that is open till 4 in the morning. Right which to me was like after living in San Francisco for so long was like a dream come true not a bar or restaurant Spot Barber Shop in so I went down there and Not only was it open till 4 in the morning, but it was connected to a bar next door and was staffed by just some of the nicest people you can possibly imagine. He was a great space was called The Pink Pony and that's where I'm at Ryan and so many other people that you have for me it was you know that I wasn't much of a drinker but I did also want to stay out and touch lots of people and in numbers are cool and all but yeah, but said that was how we know

42:48 Thought it was a safe haven end up bar that was associated with Max Fish assistance is still around.

42:53 Right now I'm 25 years later, whatever 22 years later, but it did.

42:59 Could you be a big influence on I think both of our lives that place we both have just moved to New York, right? We're both living in Queens. I think that's sort of solidified our relationship is that we would

43:12 We both have cars. But once again. Sometimes I would Drive Suite A few words. I believe we should go back together. And you're at late at night that one of us would do the other one ride home back to Woodside or to Jackson Height amazing time. When when a lot of young people just like back in the 60s were we're coming to a place and really generating an incredible cultural.

43:36 A moment. Yeah, he's really all you can say anything and that's the kind of woman that kind of ended up bubbling over into Williamsburg. Right? Right, which was a continuation of our meeting Lower East Side in Williamsburg VA in like how we sort of further developed our friendship and our association and all the new things are happening in their underground parties than a very special time. I think I knew you work for for around then especially with the law of parties in that warehouse parties in that guy Gary showing like great movies in the back of the Pink Pony and Anna watch got to be set for early because who is the owner of Pink Pony in Knoxville that mean she she wet that place the the

44:27 The coffee shop. Really. I mean I saw some amazing gas shows. They're well, that was I mean, I mean the people involved but but just behind the counter Samara, I mean everybody I mean so many people but also I was doing a yearly a weekly series the free jazz weekly series there and and that's how I ended up being there all the time and then and then Larry was going to just always there any showed interest in this thing. And actually I remember at a certain point you being like, you know, I'm not really in a rock and roll kind of my thing but there's nothing you're on your cure young guy and you're doing it like you don't like me. Let me help you get all I can hear you saw me as a cultural worker and wanted to support see what do the door you was, you know, you would help like I mean really always right about that communities that like me. I'm the kind of person that's an organizer and and I'm usually happiest when I can like do something they

45:28 Then you go and I'm deeply even cultural work. So used to be great that I could that that you know, everybody was so welcoming to me being involved. Yeah that level so then throughout I remember at a certain point. I mean obviously music was a huge basis for you and I relationship to you know, we talked about music all the time.

45:54 And I had a certain point me saying you don't like their you know, everybody should DJ, but you should know you should DJ, you know, it is important skill that people should have you can make money off of it easily outside. The regular structure is when you were living under the table in my house, there wasn't going to be there was a time called Ryan world where I was not doing so great in my life and Larry help me out. And I'd and we had those conversation. This is the birth of DJ preschool Larry's house for a while and her nieces table and I'm glad you brought that up because let's be honest here for quite a long time now and it definitely the last four years since 2014. I've been just full-time as a cultural work or being a DJ and this is it that is where is Sheridan and I came up with the preschool. I think after talking with this guy named Montgomery who who is done this you pretty interesting art installation thing.

46:48 That my understanding of Music went beyond old school in news. Hoof to me personally music is just part of the conversation now and and I'll just try to wrap it so real quick, but but for me, I got a lot of things in the sixties and seventies and eighties. I'm completely proud of it. I was an organizer I put myself out there I made speeches that did all that stuff. But when I came to to Williamsburg and was fortunate enough to to be around the cultural workers at that time, you know, I I felt that the best way for me to communicate

47:29 Two people wish through music and end to me. That's the beautiful thing about a DJ is that you have an opportunity to select music for people to hear that they may not have ever heard before and that you can through it. You can transmit messages both, you know.

47:49 Well, let me just end by saying this Friday night. I was at Union pool. I finished my set. I went outside this young black man came out to me beautiful afro super skinny.

48:04 Gave me a hug and said when I went in there you you turn down my imagination. You said I spent the last hour. Just thinking.

48:14 Why you were playing that music. Thank you so much. Well, that's right. That's what you're going for. That's it right there and I end and I wouldn't even be doing this at all, but wasn't for for Ryan and also Dance Center. I want to share that I can't because the truth the five years at macri Park will one made me the native as well. Yeah, DJ that I am to no doubt. That's good.

48:45 The world that you kind of came in from in terms of technology and working. I don't necessarily even know what exactly your position was, but I'm curious is with her like a defining moment. We're all the sudden you decided to put it and actually focus on DJ music full-time and leave with him. What's the big deal? Yeah. So what happened with me is it is that I kept you in like you work while I'm in New York, but there came a point where I realized that corporations were were getting Beyond The Pale that there was a point at which working for a corporation becomes being complicit with the fascist government and I work for one of the worst corporations ever Wells Fargo Bank Show in 2014 a year short of what I would have been forced to retire. I decided to quit and and I had no doubt in my mind. I was just going to DJ I have been DJing for years already. It was only the DJ and I think that's really kept me sane. Yeah all these years and then the

49:44 The thing, is that the

49:47 The beautiful thing about DJing is

49:51 You can be totally digital. Like I can do I can I can express myself in an amazing amount of ways cuz I have $35,000 on my computer. And and I mean don't get me wrong. I love and respect all the hard-ass DJs in the super skills everything but like if if you would told me when I was 18 and I keep it just magically play any song you wanted for how you do people like if this is reality that dream for me.

50:31 Anything else? You know, I think we could we got it. Yeah.