Wavy Gravy

Hugh Nanton Romney Jr., better known by his colorful stage name Wavy Gravy, was born on May 15, 1936 in East Greenbush, New York and grew up in Princeton, New Jersey before his family moved to West Hartford, Connecticut, where he graduated from William Hall High School in 1954. After a brief stint in the United States Army as a sign painter, he used the G.I. Bill to study theater at Boston University and later at the Neighborhood Playhouse, launching a career that would blend comedy, activism, and countercultural performance. In the late 1950s he became a regular poetry reader at Greenwich Village’s Gaslight Café, befriending folk icons such as Bob Dylan, Tom Paxton and Dave Van Ronk, and even shared an apartment with Dylan on MacDougal Street. By 1962 the legendary comedian Lenny Bruce had taken him to California, where he recorded the comedy album Third Stream Humor and opened for Thelonious Monk, establishing a reputation as a witty improviser. The 1960s saw him co‑found the eclectic Hog Farm commune, which evolved into a touring entertainment collective that provided light shows for the Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix and Cream, and famously managed security at the 1969 Woodstock Festival using “cream pies and seltzer bottles” as non‑violent crowd‑control tools. In the early 1970s he married actress Bonnie Beecher, and the couple later created Camp Winnarainbow, a circus‑style performing‑arts camp that continues to nurture children’s creativity in Laytonville, California. Beyond festival work, Wavy Gravy co‑founded the Seva Foundation in 1978 with Ram Dass and Dr. Larry Brilliant, directing benefit concerts that have raised millions for sight‑restoration projects worldwide. His clown persona, the Phurst Church of Phun, and his role as the official clown of the Grateful Dead highlight a lifelong commitment to peace, humor, and community, while his numerous books, radio shows on Sirius Jam On, and a 2010 documentary titled Saint Misbehavin’: The Wavy Gravy Movie cement his status as an enduring icon of American counterculture. He continues to appear at benefit events and peace rallies, often delivering whimsical announcements that blend satire with sincere calls for social change. His influence can be seen in modern activist comedy, and the whimsical Wavy Gravy ice‑cream flavor once produced by Ben & Jerry’s served as a fundraising tool for his children’s camp.