Something Good for a Change: Random Notes on Peace Thru Living [Hardcover]

Wavy Gravy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1992

A collection of essays discusses the spirit of volunteerism sweeping the nation, his experiences with Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters, his couseling in children's hospitals, and more.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Proselytizing without preaching, Wavy Gravy (ne Hugh Romeny and perhaps best known as chief of the Please Force at the Woodstock music festival) puts forth his simple message of comedy and caring in a delightful collection of essays whose message is simple: life hurts only when you don't laugh. Gravy presents a mishmash of Buddhism, '60s political issues, advice on fund-raising and eulogies to Janis Joplin, Lenny Bruce and Abbie Hoffman, among others, and does so with such a sense of balance and humor that his occasional tendency to slide into aging-hippie doublespeak is incidental. His description of his work as a counselor in children's hospitals is particularly poignant, while his account of his own suicide attempt is darkly playful ("death bit down, found me wanting, and spat me back into the world"). Soap bubbles, garbage, various causes and one unique political campaign (in which Gravy runs for a city council seat in a clown costume) are all part of this romp through what's left of the counterculture.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Like many 1960s radical personas, Hugh "Wavy Gravy" Romney gives the casual yet indelible impression that the most vibrant and concretely memorable times of his life were those day-glow years between 1966 and 1972. Ken Kesey, acid tests, The Grateful Dead, benefit concerts, protests, arrests with clown noses . . . try as he might to evoke "the rest of his life" (including political and charitable involvement) in accessible language, Wavy Gravy apparently only really wants to tell us about those halcyon days. This is fine, though at times annoying, because this series of memoirs is organized in helter-skelter fashion--abruptly jerking the reader from time frame to time frame. Actually, for those unimpressed by name dropping and self-congratulatory rave-ups, the author is most likable--and readable--when he talks about the hospital-confined children he's helped. For large pop culture collections.
- Lauren Bielski, New York
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 243 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1st edition (June 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312078382
• ISBN-13: 978-0312078386
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,265,083 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Part diary, part narrative, part fun, July 25, 2000

By 

Larry Darrell "EazyIanish" (CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Something Good for a Change: Random Notes on Peace Thru Living (Paperback)

Growing up in the Bay Area I had often heard of Wavy Gravy because of his exploits in Berkeley. After I left to go to college I never forget about Wavy. Bored one day I surfed the internet and learned that Wavy had written a book or two. Immediately I came here to purchase one, but was denied because it is out of print. Due to perserverence I managed to find one at a used book shop.

Oh my. I had no clue that the history of this man was so compelling. The various events and activities that he has been involved in are incredible, it seems as if Wavy has had a hand in every major counter culture event of the past thirty years.

This book is not normal. Part diary, part narrative, part fun. I recommend this book to all who show a passing interest.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mandatory reading, August 31, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Something Good for a Change: Random Notes on Peace Thru Living (Paperback)

This book should be on everyones bookshelf. Everyone should be required to read it by their 21st birthday. The pearls of wisdom that Wavy Gravy shares are perfectly matched by his wit and humor and the format of the book is that in which one can pick it up for as little as 2 minutes a day or as long as you like.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great insights, February 14, 2010

By 

Aisling D'Art "artist and author" (Portsmouth, NH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Something Good for a Change. (Hardcover)

What happened to the hippies? This book is a profile of (and by) one of the most colorful people from Woodstock: Wavy Gravy, aka Hugh Romney.

Funny, sad and insightful, this book is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand what the hippie movement -- and its aftermath -- looked like from the inside.