One dewy morning, Vincent decided to put some curves in his cut as he made his first pass on #11. He wanted to explore patterns beyond the rigid straight lines and right angles that he usually rendered on his canvas (the green) before him. The Toro felt so compliant beneath him as he gently swept the wheel to the right and left, savoring the soft, velvety smoothness of the dense, firm bentgrass beneath him. It felt so exquisite. So sublime. So right.
Unbeknownst to Vincent, Hermann, the driven, ambitious and mercurial third assistant superintendent who did not share Vincent's passion for undulating cut aesthetics was watching the whole thing. On Vincent's turnaround, Hermann motioned Vincent over with the all the sour-faced admonishment of a very cross high school vice-principal.
"ABSOLUTELY NO WAVY GRAVY, DO YOU UNDERSTAND? I NEVER LIKED HIS POLITICS AND I DON'T LIKE HIS INFLUENCE. NOT ON MY WATCH. NOT ON MY COURSE! DO WE UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER?"
Vincent nodded his assent, turned around the Toro, commenced to cut straight and smirked as he adjusted his imaginary red clown nose in the spirit of Wavy Gravy. A Ken Kesey line, You're either on the bus or off the bus, came to mind.
Vincent was definitely on it.
Wavy Gravy (born Hugh Nanton Romney) (born May 15, 1936) is an American entertainer and activist for peace, best known for his hippie appearance, personality and beliefs. His moniker (which is the name he uses on a day to day basis) was given to him by B.B. King at the Texas International Pop Festival in 1969. "It's worked pretty well through my life," he says, "except with telephone operators – I have to say 'Gravy, first initial W."Romney's clown persona resulted from his political activism. Frequently being arrested at demonstrations, he decided he would be less likely to be arrested if he dressed as a clown. "Clowns are safe," he said. He does, however, enjoy traditional clown activities such as jokes, magic tricks and entertaining children.Romney founded and co-founded several organizations, including Camp Winnarainbow, the Seva Foundation and the Hog Farm, an activist commune. He was also the official clown of the Grateful Dead and has two radio shows on Sirius Satellite Radio's Jam On station.A major film documentary on Wavy Gravy's life, Saint Misbehavin': The Wavy Gravy Story, was released in late 2010 by Ripple Effect Films. The film, directed by Michelle Esrick, received excellent reviews.
