articles    blog/wEssays    forbidden stories    I-State Lines     resources     reviews	home
	My Hidden History Those of us blessed with unfamous lives have by definition obscure histories. If purposefully left unrecorded, our history is secret; if unrecorded by default, it's simply lost; and if recorded but unpublished, it is in a sense hidden. Hence the title of this collection, "My Hidden History." History, it seems, falls to those with the restless pen. Those who record their experiences are not the most noteworthy, but their records end up being all we have of their time and place. The most mundane records--of the travails of doing business, for instance--become far more accurate windows on the past as it was lived than documents consciously assembled as "history." Radical hippie, circa mid-70s photo courtesy of Ian Lind  There are other reasons to set down one's experiences, of course; the pleasure of reliving those glorious days, and perhaps the assessment that some things you have done are worthy of recording. Even though everything listed here is very small scale-- no space telescopes designed, no headlines, no influence of any sort--I do think starting an underground newspaper in high school is a worthy endeavor, as is establishing a third political party,launching an honest-to-goodness Berkeley magazine, building moderate-cost housing, and a few other things I've ended up doing. I also believe that I have been blessed to know some very courageous and unique people. You are free to disagree, of course, but hopefully the documenting of these activities will serve to record the spirit of these times and places (Hawaii and Berkeley) in a modestly entertaining fashion. My old comrade Jeff Blair and I agreed to publish some record of our days as co-chairpeople (along with the estimable and dearly missed Dexter Cate) of the People's Party of Hawaii, and so that is my first entry. Other topics I will address later are listed below.     People's Party of Hawaii, 1974-78 An astonishing adventure in grassroots politics in the company of extraordinary people; or, Jeff Blair, Dexter Cate and I establish the Triumvrate.     The "Cop Out," 1970 Colbert Matsumoto and I threaten the powers that be by launching the first (and no doubt sole) underground newspaper in Lanai High School. Me at 19: The Draft, AFSC and "Theses on Feuerbach" photo courtesy of Gary Baker      Among the best of friends: American Friends Service Committee, 1972-77 Building Tiger Cages in front of the Federal Building and other direct actions.     Selective Service, or the Roulette Wheel of Life, 1972 The bizarre experience of pre-induction physicals,sweating out your number in the draft lottery and the humbling process of conscientious objection.     Survival Plus, University of Hawaii, 1971-75 Professors Kalupahana, Chang and Bender open the vistas of Buddhism, Taoism and Marxism, and Gary Baker beats me (usually) at chess in between Idiot's Delight pizzas and late-night cruises past Morgan's Corner.     Industrial Accident, 1977 A moment's haste costs me 95% of the vision in my left eye. Yes, it hurt, but not as much you might think.     Organic dreams, 1978 In which we haul water from the Kohala ditch in 5-gallon buckets to our extensive patch of Hawaiian organic veggies.     With Our Own Two (penniless) Hands, 1979-81 Building a house of our own.     Kipahele Street Band, 1982-86 Steve Toma (bass and guitar), Gayland Baker, Kirk Dossey (guitars) and Billy Gunderson (drums) teach me to rock and reggae with the aid of a giant amp and a 1976 Les Paul Deluxe Sunburst axe; Wade supplied hot sax solos until he moved to the Mainland. News Flash! Band Re-forms in '03, records CD Rockers Richard and Gayland rent the Hawaiian Homes Hall in Waimea for a wild free-form jam. Steve takes on keyboards while a ripping drummer and bassist lay down a roof-rattling rhythm, Richard handles the vocals as Gayland lays out blistering riffs, and I try to hold up my end of a high-treble Stratocaster Steve lent me. Must be heard to be believed! All Along the Watchtower         Under My Thumb     Building Mostly for the Masses: Mike T. and I build a subdivision, 1985-86 And only narrowly avoid bankruptcy and madness.     Way Ahead of Our Time: Launching VoltAge, the magazine, 1985 In which we beat the high-technology/cultural commentary press by a good decade and go gloriously broke doing so.     Re-Inventing the Non-Profit Organization, 1987-91 Saving a worthy non-profit educational group with participatory management, or, just in case we all agree, let's have another meeting. Also, learning about public relations from the ground up.     I get a byline, 1988-present The tenuous but exciting life of a free-lancer: Oakland Tribune buys my first article, Bruce Koon recruits me for the Hearst Examiner Real Estate section, The San Jose Mercury News buys some stuff, Mike Dakota and I join forces in a weekly column for the Oakland Trib, I make the transition from the Hearst Examiner to the Hearst Chronicle . . . 19 years free-lancing and the pay is still abysmal. Some people never learn. Of course I'd rather be writing philosophy, but then no one would read my stuff and the pay (zero) wouldn't even reach abysmal.     Save the Fox Theater, 1992-3 I help Arrol Gellner establish the Committee to Save the Fox Theater in Oakland, with decidedly mixed results.     The World comes to Berkeley, 1992-present Managing a small apartment complex and meeting the world--one person at a time.     On Gossamer Wings of Wealth: stock options, 1999-2002 In which I taste a heady spoonful of the bubbly dreams of fabulous wealth via 10,000 options in my old friend Jim Erler's promising tech startup, Duality Semiconductor, as I built the company's website.     A Ripping Good Political Send-Up Song, 2004 In which I play lead guitar on Mike Dakota's witty send-up of the Prez, King George Is Back (MP3, studio) Me at Kahala Beach June '03     Weblog and wEssays, 2005 Late, as usual, to the hot trends, I launch my weblog in May 2005 and coin a new word for the Web, wEssays.     First novel published, April 2006 An overnight success if there ever was one, after a mere 20 years of effort, my first novel I-State Lines is published.