Grogan, Emmett
Date: Tue, 29 Aug 1995 17:42:55 GMT
From: "E. Church" (brcs@U.WASHINGTON.EDU)
Subject: Diggers Forever
Who is Mr. E. Grogan? Grogan was one of the founders of the
Diggers, a group that scrounged and provided food and services on
the Lower East Side in the sixties to the influx of hippies and
other kids who arrived in the city barefoot and entranced. Abbie
Hoffman was another. These tireless fellows were hearty souls who
busted their asses to keep the "counter culture" dreaming and eating;
the folks behind the curtains. Now, with tie-dye revisionism, with
People Magazine's Jerry issue, with all the groovy graphics on MTV
and the Net, it's a nice zen reality check to remember the sixties
were not all peace love but contained some busted glass, bad dope,
mean cops, and hungry runaways.
Grogan wrote a bunch of this up in his bio, "Ringolevio," and Abbie
wrote a bunch, too, like "Steal this Book" and many others. A good dose
of railroad medicine and Texas gin, and a little less Brady Bunch might
help explain what really happened to the new generation. Then again,
re-inventing the wheel has it merits.
Bob in Seattle
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 1995 13:38:35 -0400
From: JfryBlair (jfryblair@AOL.COM)
Subject: Re: DEEP...WAVES V.6; E. Grogan, Tambourine Mystery Man
I am workin' up a lengthier Grogan bio to post later, but for now lemme
say he was one of the truest avatars of the Sixties spirit, the leader of
an anarchist collective called the "Diggers" who were the heart and soul
of the Haight Ashbury scene in late Sixties San Francisco. His
autobiography "Ringolevio" was re-printed a few years ago by Citadel
Underground Press and is one of the most wonderful books I've ever read.
"Street Legal" is dedicated to his memory. The acetates were a gift to
Emmet from Bob, they were sold to collectors late last year by a dealer
from Canada who acquired them from Grogan's son.
The other voice and guitar on the acetate version of "Mr. Tambourine Man"
is that of Ramblin' Jack Elliot, and I believe an excerpt of this same
version appears on the CD-ROM. I am no help re: the recording date
however.
Moe, keep up the good work!!!
Peace,
Jeff
Date: Wed, 30 Aug 1995 19:15:10 +0000
From: Patricia Jungwirth (tricia.j@AARDVARK.APANA.ORG.AU)
Subject: Re: Emmett Grogan
This is an excerpt from 'Ringolevio' by Emmett Grogan, first published
1972, now re-issued by Citadel Press. I bought this last month, after
having heard about it over the years.
"Bob Dylan was exactly unlike what Emmett Grogan expected him to be.
Emmett was in Europe during those first years that Bob talked the music
and played the news to his starving generation, and broke the hearts of
every American poet with his singing of the song. Of course, he heard the
records overseas but it wasn't like listening to those same albums in
the country where they were cut. By the time Emmett finally came home and
settled into things, it was already 'Blonde on Blonde', and he just
temporarily didn't know. He found out later without having to tramp
through the green, hardsell, crystal swamp of positively Fourth Street,
image-persona, media hustle.
Now Emmett was sitting on the second step of a warped wooden flight of
four front stairs that led up and into the funky, screened porch of a
pine-walled cabin where a film editor, who used the name Al Gable
whenever he seldom took a credit, lived with his wife, six hound dogs and
two dozen cats. Bob was sitting on the same step, and in him Emmett saw a
man who somehow made it through that swamp and settled down alive on the
other side. A man who had a wife and five kids and simply played music
for a living. A plain and easy-dressed man, complicated only by the
hearsay. A physically small man who was strong for his size and not fat
at all, but wiry with coached stringy muscle and shoulders that stuck
out wider than you'd think. A man with a lot of friends, but afraid of
those who weren't, just the same. A man who kept a matchstick in his
mouth to keep from smoking and who was sliding with the knowledge of
growing older and leaving the brassy, punk snide of his
younger-than-that-now behind him. Dylan was clean."
More stuff about how they spent time together, get the book, it's great.
Anyway, that's how the 'Emmett Grogan Acetates' came about.
Tricia J
Playing For Keeps by Peter Coyote.
Peter Coyote's web site
