A Thousand Torches (tumblelog)

In the 1980s i was an anti nuke activist as well as an environmental activist. And in 1989 I was compelled to do more to save the giant redwood trees from extintion. My music evolution follows these same steps.

I had been a sucessful folk singer penning songs for Ceasar Chavez and Greenpeace and the Anti Nuke movement.  I was a fundraiser for The Big Green Initiative in california 1n 1989 1990 as i started to raise money for this initiative which stopped clearcutting on private lands I became informed that the timnber industry was increasing its logging because of the initiative.   They increased logging 4x !

That pissed me off and made me want to do more to stop the clear cutting because the law wasnt working fast enough.  I called a friend in Earth First and he said that other people were feeling the same way and that there was going to be a Mississippi Summer in the Redwoods this year.  So i began to organize.  I began more teaching seminars and did tons of grass roots organizing with my guitar.  I learned and wrote a bunch of songs by and for Earth First.  I was a manager of a fundraising team for the Big Green Initiative and I organized a bunch of people to join me in the redwoods that summer. The  main EF organizers, Judy Bari and Daryl Cherney,  were coming thru California to inform and motivate people to go to the redwoods that summer and they were stopping by my San Jose office to speak to my staff when i got a call from my Earth First friend.

“John”, he said. “Daryl and Judys car just got bombed on their way from Oakland to San Jose, they wont be coming to your office to speak they are in the hospital.”

Thats the day that changed my life.  Thats the day I realized I could get killed for doing this work. 

Judys pelvis was fractured in several places amongs other damage from the explosion and Daryl made it thru with damage to his eye but didnt have to stay in the hospital.  He unfortunately was arrested for transporting explosives thru city limits.

We all knew this was a lie because Darly and Judy were on a informational fundraising tour and would never jeopardize that by transporting explosives. 

We all felt that the Timber industry and FBI were incahoots to try and minimize the Redwood Summer actions by scaring away the masses of people expected to join in the protests that year. 

I still brought 25 people in the woods to the actions that year for Redwood Summer.  We met Daryl Cherney and he and I played songs under a giant Oak tree outside the president of Pacific Lumbers residence.  The actions that summer were sucessful but only about 10,000 people came.

Later that year in November the Big Green Initiative was not passed.  And in Jan 1991 Bush started the first gulf war.  It was a depressing time. I started to get angrier and my music reflected that.

That summer 1991 I gave my car away and rode a bicycle across the country.   While riding  I started writing more aggressive songs.  I left california because TOO MANY PEOPLE IN CALIFORNIA was part of the problem and I wasnt born there so I thought i would leave and i didnt want to drive in a car (OIL WARS) so i rode a bike.

In Minnesota I was playing a show in Minneapolis at a vegan restaurant.   My songs didnt go over very good and I was kind of screaming at the audience.  I got a 3 page HATE LETTER from people in the audeince that night and I went home and wrote a song about it called Billy the Punk and vowed that to be my last folk song i would ever write.

When I got to New York my homestate in spring 1992 I was starting to writing punk songs, angry hardcore anthems for the freedom of the oppressed.  In 1993 I release the first John the Baker record called, “She Hates MY Music”.  In 1994 i started a punk band called Slimy Penis Breath and our first 7 shows were benefits for South African Shaman Credo Mutwa. And all these shows were aimed towards my nephews Joey and Josh Eppard who were young and coming up in the music world and dancing with major record labels and I wanted to show them you could rock BIG concerts without all the BS from the Muscic Industry suits.

And in fall of 1994 I was arrested for singing these songs on the village green in Woodstock NY.  I went to jail and then prooved the case against me unconstitutional.  I sued the Town of Woodstock for 1 million dollars and settled out of court in 1997 for $20,000.  I then shut down my bakery , made a record and went on tour.  Finally in 2000 I settled back in california and worked to set up and establish one of the worlds coolest punk rock venues Burnt Ramen Studios.

Currently still in Cali and close to Burnt Ramen I am employed as a carpenter and I restore old redwood houses so they are not bulldozed and sent to landfill.  It means a lot to me and the people who work for me to do something respectful for the Redwoods and to try to preserve their greatness even after they’ve been cut.

I still do not drive a car, I now use a skateboard as primary sourse of transportation and have founded SKATE TIL YOU DIE and annual fundraiser marathon 3 day skateboarding event to promote alternative transportation and raise money for good causes. May 28 29 30 2010 is the dates for this year.  People skate about 20 miles each day and we have a punk rock show each night and I play and skate all three days with my punk band Instant Asshole.

http://www.myspace.com/jtbskates

to donate and more information

Sometime around 2001 er so in court Daryl Cherney prooved the FBI and Timber Industry put the bomb in Daryl and Judys car .  Daryl was awarded 4.5 million dollars.  Unfortunately Judy Bari died in 1997 from cancer.

http://www.alternativetentacles.com/product.php?product=15

The record label I work for Alternative Tentacles release a record in the 1990s WHO BOMBED JUDI BARI.  get a copy support Judy and Daryl and Redwood Trees !!!

Sk8 or Donate!

peace,

John the Baker