[Mb-hair] Tioga's Take on the 2005 NYC HAIR Reunion

[Little Birdie]

The Hair Archives
http://www.michaelbutler.com/hair/holding/Hair.html




>From: "tiogajoe at juno.com" <tiogajoe at juno.com>
>Reply-To: mb-hair at islandlists.com
>To: mb-hair at islandlists.com
>Subject: [Mb-hair] Tioga's Take on the 2005 NYC HAIR Reunion
>Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2005 19:49:19 GMT
>
>Journal 2005-09-10
>Tioga's Take on the 2005 HAIR NYC Reunion
>"The Adventures of Tioga Joe"
>HAIR Date 2005.09.10 (Sat.) CE
>
>E.T.A. New York-Penn Station 5:00 P.M. E.D.T.
>Wended my way on foot
>West to Broadway,
>Routing me right on down
>"To 4th Street U.S.A."
>And home to LaMaMa
>e.t.c.
>Halfway there,
>At Union Square,
>I had a HAIR
>Moment.
>'Neath the bronze statue of
>Mahatma Gandhi
>Saffron-ed Krishnites
>Served meals, played instruments
>And sang,
>"Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna
>"Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
>"Hare Rama, Hare Rama
>"Rama Rama, Hare Hare"
>'Natch, I sang along, yet
>Conscious my obesity
>Showed surely
>I was no fellow
>Vegetarian.
>But 'twas sign enough
>Tonight's HAIR Happening
>Would only be good.
>Prosing right along, I found 74-A, 4th Street, U.S.A., home to LaMaMa 
>e.t.c. (experimental theatre club).  I knew I was nearing my destination, 
>when spiriting from it came this Arlo-Guthrie-ish white maned and bearded 
>(and clad) wizard, whom I later met and learned was HAIR's own Red Shepard, 
>the (formerly) red-maned, motor-biking Berger (L.A. '68) in that wonderful 
>photo recently posted to the MB-HAIR List.
>Passing the wizard, I enter to the box office window, where I'm met by the 
>comparably hobbit-like HAIR's Michael David Arien (Revival '74), whom I 
>recognized from the Bridgeport, Connecticut, HAIR attendees photos.  I'd 
>missed meeting him then, but now had the pleasure, and it indeed was a 
>pleasure--the perfect host to meet and greet the in-coming HAIR 
>Reunionarians.
>And HAIR's Corrine Broskette arrived on my coat tails.  She, too, would 
>make me feel so at home and so welcome at this wonderful Be-In.
>(Oh, Man, I know if I start this naming-everybody thing, I'm going to miss 
>somebody, so, I beg your pardon in advance.  Chalk it up to A.D.D., 
>P.T.S.D., and maybe even T.H.C.)
>Ah, the Hostess with the Most-est was our Little Birdie, Nina Machlin 
>Dayton, and what a Master of Ceremonies was our "What a Piece of Work Is 
>Man" (O.B.C.) Walter Michael Harris!
>And there was Natalie Mosco (O.B.C.), Trevor Dayton, Debbie Andrews, Ross 
>MacLean, Robin McNamara (Broadway '71/Divine HAIR, Mass in F), Leo Lunser, 
>Lisa and Sean (Dauber) Courtney, Bill Swiggard, Robert Camuto, Sally Shafer 
>and her handsome beau from Florida, Jeff Lunger, Sherwin Ross, Cara Robin, 
>and others I had the pleasure of mingling with.
>Was honored with a hug from Michael Butler and a brief chat with Jim Rado, 
>both of whom I'd met at previous HAIR-ish engagements.  Although I sat near 
>Tom O'Horgan and caught a glimpse there of Galt MacDermont, I refrained 
>from imposing myself on them, since they wouldn't know me from Adam, and 
>there were so many present who had worked directly with them in the past, 
>who better warranted claiming their time and attention.
>Also was honored to have join me at my table Heather MacRae (L.A. '68).  
>I'd reminded her that in the late '80s, we were briefly upstairs/downstairs 
>neighbors in a two-family house in Ossining, New York.  HAIR had never 
>surfaced in conversations back then, so there was understandably a bit of 
>wonderment about my presence at the HAIR Reunion (and, oh, man, you should 
>have seen/heard her belt it out singing "Flesh Failures" on the archives 
>video playing in the lobby that night -- made it all the more sweet to hear 
>her lead it onstage during the night's sing-along: "We starve, look at one 
>another short of breath, ...."
>Have we mentioned enough what a wonderful host was Walter Michael on stage 
>that evening?
>And how sweet to hear, live, Shelly Plimpton (O.B.C.) serenading Tom 
>O'Horgan with her trademark rendition of "Frank Mills."
>And it turns out the pixie next to me, singing every word to every HAIR 
>song sung that night, was Shelly's daughter, actress Martha Plimpton, who 
>gave me the sweetest giggle when I flashed her (hiding under my lapel) my 
>circa-1979 photo of me sporting Z Z Top-length long hair and beard.
>Martha's pop, actor Keith Carradine, added to the Sunshine shining on the 
>party.
>And then SNL comedian Fred Armisen joined Martha, and what a warm, kind 
>gentleman he seemed to be, as he shook my hand and acknowledged my greeting 
>to him.
>I also, perhaps too boldly, shook Ben Vereen's hand (L.A. '68) as he 
>arrived.  Later, Corrine kindly introduced him to me, and I said, "Yeah, I 
>kinda grabbed your hand and shook it earlier," and he kinda chuckled and 
>said, "Yeah, you did!"
>Although I did indeed notice the yellow sport-coated handsome gent with the 
>Rod Stewart hair and his Cher-ishly lovely wife Helene (Morrison) Masiko 
>(Touring Co.), I'm afraid I didn't meet them.  I hope I'll have another 
>opportunity to in the not too distant future.
>And so many more there that I didn't get to meet/pay my respects to, but to 
>whom I hope my respect vibes got through.
>Oh, and what a spread!  Sushi out the wazoo (num num), and plenty of other 
>tasty treats.
>And the HAIR logo/poster cake!  Can you beat that?
>Then, to wrap it up, I had the pleasure of training back to the Jersey 
>Shore in the company of Sean and Lisa from (our mutually current home town) 
>Ocean Grove, where Walter Michael visited that very morning!
>Man, what an evening!  What a Trip!
>Thanks to all who made the Happening possible, and thanks to all who made, 
>and continue to make HAIR possible.
>And thanks to all who've posted online photos from the event!
>(How'd I do with my report?)
>Peace,
>Lee Joseph de Tioga Livingstone Smith
>Dr. Sibley


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