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Ballad Of A Honky Bummer

Ballad Of A Honky Bummer image
Parent Issue
Day
28
Month
August
Year
1969
OCR Text

BALLAD of A HONKY BUMMER

 

Every night on the rolling Milan farm country, the people who own the land, those who use it, hear all night rock sessions--free. Croaking on base are the frogs. The crickets cricket rhythm. The laughter of black children, the rustling of other nocturnal life, and the wind all do leads. There's a light show too--the Milky Way.

Everything is wild. Sort of uninhibited. Being there growing with that organic, cosmic, musicians' union, and digging that it all happens because the wind blows free (freedom of speech), the weeds grow long as they want (pursuit of happiness), anywhere they want (freedom of assembly) is a rush, an orgasm of identity. It feels good-fucking righteous.

The last two weeks, brothers and sisters added to that harmony at Milan, getting on with some heavy hammering, nailing, sewing, drilling, fencing, digging, mowing, cooking, star-gazing, fire making, mosquito slapping, dope toking session of stage construction. We stayed out there at night even--in a tent. That was one thing about it, because you couldn't ball no one in the hot, mosquito infiltrated green tent.

We built a stage--a really big red, white, and blue one. And we dug six holes to take a shit in. And then we put six out-houses over the holes. That was easy.

But none of that matters anymore. The John Sinclair Benefit got cancelled. The Union claimed it's not "union like" to play free for the people.

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The Michigan, Music Supports John Sinclair Festival of Life was dowsed recently near Milan, Mich. On Sunday, August 17, the MC5, Up, Tates Blues band, Savage Grace, Wilson Mower Pursuit, Stooges, Lyman Woodard were to play at an all day Festival for the John Sinclair Defense Fund, but, at the last moment, the Musicians' Union forced cancellation of the whole event by telling the bands they couldn't play for the benefit, or they would be kicked-out of the Union.

It rained all day anyway--but we all had a party with the God's Children, Scorpians, Huns, Spokesman, White Panthers, and assorted beer-drinking revelers. Some of the brothers from Milan and Jackson jammed awhile in the Sun and Rain. It was far-fucking out. Monroe Sheriffs put a roadblock up for awhile and hassled people on the way out.

Next day the sheriffs "visited" Little John, the property-owner and neighbor, and made it clear that they would never allow the whole Festival to go on at a later date. Oink on pigs!

Finally, the stage, generously lent to Trans-Love for the festival and later gigs, was ripped-off during the week. All in all, a thousand dollars was lost and thousands are still needed to Free--