A Fool for a Celebrity

Monday, I introduced you to Joaquim Foikis, Vancouver's town fool in the late 60s and today I am going to tell you more about him.

Foikis began to spend a lot of time down town. He would hitch hike to the city centre and wander the streets, stopping wherever people gathered. He tried to start a 'Fool of the Month' contest but the large amount of mail he received, forced him to reconsider this action. Foikis went to a public meeting concerning education at the Point Grey Secondary School and announced education was a waste of time. (Remember, this man has two university degrees) The town fool thought the doors to the school should be locked forever.

His reputation was growing. Profiles appeared in The New York Times and The Globe and Mail, and in 1969’s Encyclopedia Britannica Yearbook. Foikis appeared in the Province and the Vancouver Sun so many times the Vancouver Public Library has two separate clippings on him. He received an invitation to meet Secretary of State Gerard Pelletier (which he turned down). He was profiled on CBC, and received accolades from noted journalist Richard Needham. 

“The biggest fools always get lots of publicity,” Foikis said.

Not everyone was happy with our local 'fool' though. Especially now he had the blessing of the federal government in the form of a $3,500 grant.

"When I read about it this morning, I saw red,” griped Mayor Tom Campbell “An old-age pensioner, who’s worked all his life for his country, gets $1,200 a year. Here’s a fellow who refuses to work and they give him a $3,500 young-age pension. Couldn’t we use it for public housing for senior citizens, retarded children, pensioners, deserving students?"

Many people were upset with Foikis receiving the grant. In fact, Peter J. deVooght, a lawyer, sought a writ of prohibition to prevent the Canada Council for the Arts from awarding the grant.

“We have to get by on $1,200 a year,” griped Vincent Yates, president of the B.C. Old Age Pensioners’ Organization. “He’s too damn lazy to get a job and do some work.”

A 1968 editorial in the Vancouver Sun newspaper disagreed.“Of course, the charge that the Fool is lazy and does no work is totally false and is based on a misconception as to the nature of work,”

“The Fool goes to the young people and to the Indians on Hastings Street, not with lectures or charitable handouts or demeaning welfare payments, but planning parties and happenings to restore their lost sense of self-respect. Who is more enlightened, we or the Fool? [...]The fundamental objection to the Fool goes far deeper than the charge (which we have seen to be erroneous) that he does no work. It is based on an unreasoning fear and hatred of anyone who dares to ridicule our obsession with material goals. We tolerate – even encourage – people who speak scornfully of God or Religion, or Canada, or Love, but let someone poke fun at money and our penchant for status-seeking and the cry immediately goes up, ‘Burn his donkeys!’ Unlike the hippies, whom he superficially resembles, the Fool stands for imaginative involvement in the problems confronting society."

Throughout 1968 and 1969, the town fool continued his activities with a newfound resolve. He staged a dance-part at the corner of Granville and Broadway (he was arrested for disturbing the peace); toured Ontario lecturing on the advantages of folly (again, arrested for disturbing the peace); bought musical instruments for the homeless in Pigeon Park so they could have a musical event. Then there was the donkey cart he bought on Vancouver Island. That I will tell you about on Friday.

Thanks to the Dependent Magazine for the information above.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

This is one of my favourite things about Commercial Drive - the fresh fruit and vegetable stands. You can get some really good deals. In 1985, I lived in this area and I shopped at this store for my fresh produce. I don't know if it was called Norman's then but it sold the same stuff. There was also a bakery next door where I would get freshly baked bread. That place is gone now.

The Making of a Legend

I promised to tell you more about Gary Taylor and today we area going to look at some of the highlights of this man's career.

From 1964 to 1968, CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) had a television show called Lets Go Show which played a part in developing Canadian bands and artists. Gary's band, the Classics, were the house band. The Classics were the lead off band of 2 part television special called Canadian Rock and Roll, also on CBC.

Gary Taylor is legendary in the nightclub business. He was co-owner of his first club, King of Clubs, and played in house band with other musicians, Tom Baird, Caire Lawrence, Glenn Miller and Brian Russell. These artists were the core of the Classics and went to become the core of the seminal band The Collectors with Bill Henderson. Ross Tierney took over on drums.

Gary had a good run with the King of Clubs before teaming up with rock and roll legend Buddy Knox (Party Doll / Hula Love and many other North American hit songs). The club also changed to the Purple Steer and became Greater Vancouver's premier country music club.

There was also the club Gary Taylor's Rock Room. That is where Taylor created "Live at Eleven", which spawned the 99.33 the Fox Vancouver Seeds Contest, Canada's Premier Independent Music Competition. The competition is over thirty years old and was originally broadcast live from the Rock Room.

The Rock Room was the place to be and during the punk scene, Gary brought in artists such as Johnny Thunders and The New York Dolls; Wayne / Jayne County (right at the time Wayne was turning into Jayne); Romeo Void; Lenny Kaye; Ray Loney and the Flamin' Groovies; Joe Jackson and many more.

We can't forget Gary Taylor's contributions to the exotic entertainment industry. He is known for placing art form in exotic dance performance. Some of his legendary productions include "Dracula and The Virgin" and "the Amorous Adventures of Wellington Wang" which were sold out for one year straight.

The majority of his clubs included live jazz, strip tease and stage plays. 

Gary has managed people from speed metal artists Jeff Walter and Annihilator to legendary blues artist Long John Baldry and currently manages country artists Carey Ott and Kate Lamont. He has his hands involved in many different ventures such as being talent coordinator for one of Vancouver's top live venues, Falconetti's on Commercial Drive to being Executive International Consultant of Canadian Music Week.

That is only a sampling of the credits this man has. Gary Taylor is truly a credit to the music industry not only in Vancouver but also worldwide

Thanks to Gary Taylor for supplying the bio where I got this information.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

James Doohan

After World War II, Jimmy Doohan moved to London, Ontario. His goal at the time was to continue his education in the technical field but after hearing a radio drama, he knew he could do better. So he recorded his voice at a local radio station and learned of a drama school in Toronto. While at that school, Jimmy won a two year scholarship to the Neighbourhood Playhouse in New York City. There he studied with people such as Leslie Nielson, Tony Randall and Richard Boone. 

Starting January 12, 1946, Doohan had many roles on CBC radio and would travel between Toronto and New York. He estimated he performed in over 4,000 radio programs and 450 television programs in that period of time. He earned a reputation for his versatility.

In the mid-1950s, Jimmy appeared as forest ranger Timber Tom - the Canadian counterpart to Buffalo Bob -in the Canadian version of Howdy Doody. Ironically, William Shatner - Doohan's Star Trek co-star - was appearing as Ranger Bill in the American version at the same time. Doohan and Shatner both appeared in the Canadian science fiction series, Space Command, in the 1950s. In 1957 and 1958, Jimmy appeared in several episodes of Hawkeye and the Last Mohicans. 

For GM Presents, James played the lead role in the 1956 CBC TV drama, Fly into Danger and in 1960, The Night They Killed Joe Howe. Arthur Hailey rewrote the former into the novel Runway Zero-Eight then adapted to Terror in the Sky.

Among Jimmy Doohan's credits are The Twilight Zone, GE True, Hazel, The Outer Limits, Bewitched, Fantasy Island, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964) and Bonanza. The 1962 episode of Bonanza he was in is entitled 'Gift of Water' and one of his co-stars was Majel Barrett who later portrayed Nurse Chapel on Star Trek.

As well, Doohan was an assistant to the president of the United States of America in two episodes of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and has an uncredited role in the 1965 Satan Bug. In 1971, he shared the screen with Richard Harris in the movie,  Man in the Wilderness, filmed in Spain.

Once again, I want to thank Wikipedia for the information on James Doohan. I will tell you more on Friday. I haven't even gotten to his Star Trek days or his personal life.

I hope you find the beauty around you.