American Prankster is a deep dive with the iconic Wavy Gravy, unfolding his fascinating,historic and hilarious lifestory as an original Beatnik, comedy pioneer, hippie icon and pioneering activist who uses humor as a weapon.  

Sharing stories that even he’d forgotten with producer/host, Rainbow Valentine, of Disorganized Crime: Smuggler’s Daughter, Wavy gets down to the very nit of the grit and reminds us what it means to be human.

From Ben and Jerry’s ice cream to Woodstock to the Acid Tests and running a pig for president, Wavy Gravy is an essential part of American counter culture history and more. 

You will hear stories of his childhood, teen, army, college and beatnik years with Bob Dylan, Tiny Tim, Martha Graham plus tales of his comedy life with Lenny Bruce, Del Close, Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters and his friendships with music icons like Janis Joplin, Jerry Garcia, Mama Cass, Joan C. Baez and more! 

Wavy shares absurdist yarns from his lifelong activism using humor as a weapon, along with pals, Abbie Hoffman, Jackson Browne, the Yippies and traveling roadshows of hippies. Plus how psychedelic globetrotting led to the SEVA Foundation and Camp Winnarainbow.  Wavy’s 8+ decades of embodying American Pranksterism, inspiring millions down the tie-dye colored path of life and spreading his ethos of Basic Human Needs, is a fundamental part of American, comedy, activist, music, food and global history. Plus he’s hilarious and a born storyteller.

"When you get to the very bottom of the human soul, when the nit is slamming into the grit and you are sinking but you reach down to help someone else, that is when everyone gets high and you don't even need LSD to do that...and that's when I passed the acid test." – Wavy Gravy, American Prankster

"He's like our Rabbi..." - Trixie Garcia

American Prankster is a proud part of Pantheon Podcasts

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This is Episode 10, and Season Finale. Join us as we experience Music Monday together with some of our incredible AYA Artists, and our very own Wonder Woman Program Director Hilary Gan.

We share stories, make some music, and laugh a lot.

The Real Me follows the stories of young songwriters and performers with cancer who found hope, healing and connection through music.

Presented by Teen Cancer America, the national non-profit founded by rock icons Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of The Who, “The Real Me” highlights the moving experiences of cancer patients in TCA’s Play It Back program, which matches them with music professionals to write, perform and record fully produced studio versions of their original songs.

www.teencanceramerica.org

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Real Me follows the stories of young songwriters and performers with cancer who found hope, healing and connection through music.

Presented by Teen Cancer America, the national non-profit founded by rock icons Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of The Who, “The Real Me” highlights the moving experiences of cancer patients in TCA’s Play It Back program, which matches them with music professionals to write, perform and record fully produced studio versions of their original songs.

This episode we welcome Samantha Kayne!

Samantha Kayne is a singer/songwriter. Before cancer, Samantha wrote, sang, and listened to music. Her favorite genre is pop and her biggest influence is Meghan Trainor. At the beginning of her cancer experience, Samantha was unable to sing. She did, however, find her voice again and began creating her own music. Play It Back has made her experience with music awesome and helped make her dreams come true to record her own songs. It allowed her to connect with other singers and cancer survivors around her age. Her favorite memory of Play It Back thus far is when Kenli sent Samantha her first song and she played it in her mom’s car. She said it was like she was on the radio.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Real Me follows the stories of young songwriters and performers with cancer who found hope, healing and connection through music.

Presented by Teen Cancer America, the national non-profit founded by rock icons Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of The Who, “The Real Me” highlights the moving experiences of cancer patients in TCA’s Play It Back program, which matches them with music professionals to write, perform and record fully produced studio versions of their original songs.

Our Guest this week is Audrey Rene, a singer/songwriter from College Station TX.

Audrey grew up in a musical family, and as a singer herself, has grown up singing in her school choirs throughout her junior high, high school and college years. She auditioned for the state choir in Texas, and got to perform with her varsity women’s ensemble at TMEA. After being diagnosed with cancer, music became even more important to her.

Spending some time speaking with Audrey, I can tell you she has such a great sense of humor and tells it like it is. Cancer was not going to slow her down. She has a driving force and passion for writing and recording music especially now that she's been a part of the Play it Back Program. Her song "Not the End" says it all. Take a listen!

Part of Pantheon Podcasts

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Real Me follows the stories of young songwriters and performers with cancer who found hope, healing and connection through music.

Presented by Teen Cancer America, the national non-profit founded by rock icons Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of The Who, “The Real Me” highlights the moving experiences of cancer patients in TCA’s Play It Back program, which matches them with music professionals to write, perform and record fully produced studio versions of their original songs.

Up this week...Brian Smith!

Brian “RiGHtSiDE” Smith came up as an avid underground-punk fan and a hardcore-rap fan. Although he’s mostly moved on from those genres, his deep love and wonder for music has only grown. CR2 records and Mark Brown provided beats Brian wrote many of his songs too and the results are extraordinary. Brian’s natural gift for hooks and lyrics has developed so much that he has collaborated with new Play It Back artists in different genres, indoctrinating them into his sensitive and attention-to- detail writing process. RiGHtSiDE has also taken to performing. He performed his songs in several venues including the 2019 AYA convention in Fort Worth, Texas where he received a standing ovation from the capacity crowd.

Part of Pantheon Podcasts

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Real Me follows the stories of young songwriters and performers with cancer who found hope, healing and connection through music.

Presented by Teen Cancer America, the national non-profit founded by rock icons Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of The Who, “The Real Me” highlights the moving experiences of cancer patients in TCA’s Play It Back program, which matches them with music professionals to write, perform and record fully produced studio versions of their original songs.

In this show...Christina Best!

Play It Back artist, Christina Best, is an educator and artist from rural North Carolina. She has always been a creative person, known to pop lock, sing/beat-box in a group, or photograph as a side hustle, but her experience as a cancer survivor pushed her to honor her creative talents more intentionally. She loves music, with R&B, Neo-Soul, and Hip Hop holding special places in her heart. She’s so excited to join the Play It Back family, and looks forward to continuing her artistry.

Part of Pantheon Podcasts

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Real Me follows the stories of young songwriters and performers with cancer who found hope, healing and connection through music.

Presented by Teen Cancer America, the national non-profit founded by rock icons Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of The Who, “The Real Me” highlights the moving experiences of cancer patients in TCA’s Play It Back program, which matches them with music professionals to write, perform and record fully produced studio versions of their original songs.

Now up...Nathan Hooper!

Nathan Hooper is a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was born in Nashville, TN and loves all kinds of music. He has played drums since he was four and has played the guitar and bass since the fifth grade. Before Cancer, Nathan played in percussion ensemble, the jazz band at his school and a rock band with some of his friends. Some of his favorite bands/artists include Pink Floyd, Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, Foo Fighters, Los Lobos, and Ween. Nathan enjoys seeing live music concerts. While in Nashville, he saw Peter Frampton at the Nashville Symphony and The Who in their 2015 North American Tour. One artist that he would love to sit in with is Beck. Nathan is a one-man band for sure. A creative force, Nathan is a prolific creator whose vision is as strong as his ability. As they say, “if you can learn an instrument, you can learn anything.” Nathan will likely add to the list of instruments he already mastered, he’s that kind of dedicated artist. Play It Back has helped Nathan by giving him opportunities to write songs with a producer and learn the music production process.

Part of Pantheon Podcasts

https://teencanceramerica.org/play-it-back-music-program/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Real Me follows the stories of young songwriters and performers with cancer who found hope, healing and connection through music.

Presented by Teen Cancer America, the national non-profit founded by rock icons Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of The Who, “The Real Me” highlights the moving experiences of cancer patients in TCA’s Play It Back program, which matches them with music professionals to write, perform and record fully produced studio versions of their original songs.

On this episode...Sage Escalante!

Sage Escalante is a singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. She has been taking piano lessons since she was 5 and voice lessons for many years as well. She’s also an excellent guitar player. She’s another musical monster. Sage started writing her own songs after she was diagnosed. Her influences include Sara Bareilles, Boston, Queen, Kehlani and Charlie Puth. Cancer caused Sage to write songs about not giving up and persevering through difficult circumstances and her writing is growing by leaps and bounds. Cancer stopped her from performing and doing lessons, but she took her Ukulele to all of her appointments and treatment. It kept her occupied and allowed her to learn new songs. Play It Back afforded Sage the opportunity to work with a professional producer which has allowed her to dive deep into songwriting and production. It also introduced her to others who have similar life experiences and share the common interest in creating music. Her favorite memory is when Benny Blanco came onto one of the weekly Zoom calls. She was truly inspired by him and feels lucky to have had that experience.

Part of Pantheon Podcasts

https://teencanceramerica.org/play-it-back-music-program/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Real Me follows the stories of young songwriters and performers with cancer who found hope, healing and connection through music.

Presented by Teen Cancer America, the national non-profit founded by rock icons Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of The Who, “The Real Me” highlights the moving experiences of cancer patients in TCA’s Play It Back program, which matches them with music professionals to write, perform and record fully produced studio versions of their original songs.

Up this week...Patrick!

Patrick Eck grew up in a musical tribe surrounded by a brother and close friends with whom he immersed himself in music playing guitar in numerous bands. His love of progressive rock is deep. He’s a thoughtful writer, poet and thinker and his songs reflect that. During his cancer experience, he admits he backed away from music, but through Play It Back he took his first steps as a singer-songwriter. The results are inspiring. Patrick is a family man with a deep sense of social responsibility and compassion for the world.

Part of Pantheon Podcasts

https://teencanceramerica.org/play-it-back-music-program/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Real Me follows the stories of young songwriters and performers with cancer who found hope, healing and connection through music.

Presented by Teen Cancer America, the national non-profit founded by rock icons Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of The Who, “The Real Me” highlights the moving experiences of cancer patients in TCA’s Play It Back program, which matches them with music professionals to write, perform and record fully produced studio versions of their original songs.

The first episode is with JC!

Juan Carlos “JC” Razuri is a singer/songwriter and instrumentalist. In high school, he performed with the orchestra, marching band, and jazz ensemble. Before cancer, he played violin, marching bass drum, keyboard, percussion, and the drum set. JC had also just started fiddling with music production before his diagnosis. His favorite genres are Classic Rock, Indie Rock, R & B, and Pop. JC’s musical influences include Queen, Abba, The Weeknd, Frank Ocean, Boy Pablo, Khalid, and Lord Huron. Cancer temporarily stopped him from creating and performing music, but it did cause him to listen to music more often. Play It Back has allowed JC to get a look into the modern-day music producing process, to be more creative, and to connect with people in similar circumstances. His favorite memory in Play It Back is when he had an “aha!” moment on the first song he worked on with Kenli. It came from a melody he was improvising on violin.

Part of Pantheon Podcasts

https://teencanceramerica.org/play-it-back-music-program

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices