I knew Al reasonably well and was "faculty" at a number of the Schools for Authentic Journalism. He cut me off about eight years ago (as he did a lot of people) over a relatively minor political disagreement. The sexual harassment allegations did not surprise me. He could indeed be vindictive and manipulative.
Still, he was brilliant. One of the smartest people I've even known regarding movement strategies and tactics. I came to his defense even after he cut me off when some far "left" types accused him of collusion with U.S. imperialism for accepting support for SAJ from a private U.S. educational foundation supporting the study of nonviolent resistance. And, as you noted, his blue collar chain-smoking persona and aversion to hippiedom was at times a welcome anecdote to the nonviolent activist milieu we were part of.
I was at Northfield-Mt Hermon for one year in 79-80, then at Hampshire College from 80-85. I mostly hung out with punk rockers, but I considered myself absurdist-anarchist like I'd walked out of the pages of Bloom County. Most of the songs I wrote during that period reflected that, I didn't tend to get political, I left that to the likes of Chuck Collins, who was in my entering year at Hampshire, and was actually the heir to the Oscar Mayer fortune. Sam Dylan(Bob's oldest son, a sometime member of the campus alternative drone/noise band The Supreme Dicks) and Amy Hoffman, Abbie's daughter, I knew slightly as well. Al may have been on campus for political protest reasons a few times, he looks familiar. My friends Dave Taub and Stevie Hormone had an on campus TV show called The Voice of the Top Two who interviewed a number of people of notoriety including Abbie Hoffman(I was off-campus that weekend, I would have loved to see it, I played a few of my songs on their show over the three years they were on the air.). I'll have to ask Dave if he knows of Al, he's somewhat political.
I think of life as a very complex version of Chutes and Ladders. Each of us begins our journey at the bottom (well, perhaps some a little farther up and others from deeper down). As we move along the path we meet with advantages and opportunities (Ladders) and pitfalls or bad decisions (Chutes). There’s no top level (nobody reaches Perfect) and (most) everybody retains at least some shreds of decency. But we all change through our experiences. Perhaps the key to the game is whether we learn to be kind to others as we walk through this life.
Thanks for the thoughtful eulogy David. This is the first I have heard of Al's passing. I'm sad to learn that Narconews will no longer be a place to find some of the best reporting on the crazy world of drug wars, intelligence, criminal networks etc.
As far as the negative allegations go, it is really hard to sort our. Negative claims about someone can increase through repetition and the tendency of individuals to self promote by bringing down other people's icons.
Thanks for that, David; I remember NarcoNews well, as you describe, being an influential voice in those halcyon IndyMedia days. (Oh, Indy, we hardly knew ye...). I even applied to go down to Mexico for Al's journalism course. I didn't make the grade, apparently cause it never happened. Pretty sure I interviewed him at least once, pre-computer days. I corresponded some with him online, but fell out over some political something or other. The last I saw of his commentary seemed mostly concerned with the NFL, perhaps a Hunter Thompsonian period. Adios, Al.
New reader here. I like what you’re doing, and agree with about half of what you say. Pretty strenuously disagree with the other half, for what that’s worth. No exception here - great eulogy, and seems you took great pains to be accurate. Sorry I never met the man, in the right context.
We spend a lot of time in Western Mass, and it is very nice. Amazing combination of hippies and rednecks and farmers and musicians and rich folk. For the most part, they all get along quite well. I love the Berkshares currency, and use them whenever possible. When everything else crashes, you can probably still get a meal in Great Barrington if you have a few of them.
I’m proud of the pumped storage hydro plant. But I sure wish that nuclear power plant had stayed open. All that steady, clean power. And all those good jobs, which are sometimes not so easy to find in the region. Not a perfect way to make electricity, but one of the best of all the bad choices, as far as I can tell.
Thanks, and keep doing what you’re doing. At least half of it, anyway.
I knew Al reasonably well and was "faculty" at a number of the Schools for Authentic Journalism. He cut me off about eight years ago (as he did a lot of people) over a relatively minor political disagreement. The sexual harassment allegations did not surprise me. He could indeed be vindictive and manipulative.
Still, he was brilliant. One of the smartest people I've even known regarding movement strategies and tactics. I came to his defense even after he cut me off when some far "left" types accused him of collusion with U.S. imperialism for accepting support for SAJ from a private U.S. educational foundation supporting the study of nonviolent resistance. And, as you noted, his blue collar chain-smoking persona and aversion to hippiedom was at times a welcome anecdote to the nonviolent activist milieu we were part of.
I was at Northfield-Mt Hermon for one year in 79-80, then at Hampshire College from 80-85. I mostly hung out with punk rockers, but I considered myself absurdist-anarchist like I'd walked out of the pages of Bloom County. Most of the songs I wrote during that period reflected that, I didn't tend to get political, I left that to the likes of Chuck Collins, who was in my entering year at Hampshire, and was actually the heir to the Oscar Mayer fortune. Sam Dylan(Bob's oldest son, a sometime member of the campus alternative drone/noise band The Supreme Dicks) and Amy Hoffman, Abbie's daughter, I knew slightly as well. Al may have been on campus for political protest reasons a few times, he looks familiar. My friends Dave Taub and Stevie Hormone had an on campus TV show called The Voice of the Top Two who interviewed a number of people of notoriety including Abbie Hoffman(I was off-campus that weekend, I would have loved to see it, I played a few of my songs on their show over the three years they were on the air.). I'll have to ask Dave if he knows of Al, he's somewhat political.
Beautiful piece David. And love that Ochs song.
I think of life as a very complex version of Chutes and Ladders. Each of us begins our journey at the bottom (well, perhaps some a little farther up and others from deeper down). As we move along the path we meet with advantages and opportunities (Ladders) and pitfalls or bad decisions (Chutes). There’s no top level (nobody reaches Perfect) and (most) everybody retains at least some shreds of decency. But we all change through our experiences. Perhaps the key to the game is whether we learn to be kind to others as we walk through this life.
Thanks for the thoughtful eulogy David. This is the first I have heard of Al's passing. I'm sad to learn that Narconews will no longer be a place to find some of the best reporting on the crazy world of drug wars, intelligence, criminal networks etc.
As far as the negative allegations go, it is really hard to sort our. Negative claims about someone can increase through repetition and the tendency of individuals to self promote by bringing down other people's icons.
Thanks for that, David; I remember NarcoNews well, as you describe, being an influential voice in those halcyon IndyMedia days. (Oh, Indy, we hardly knew ye...). I even applied to go down to Mexico for Al's journalism course. I didn't make the grade, apparently cause it never happened. Pretty sure I interviewed him at least once, pre-computer days. I corresponded some with him online, but fell out over some political something or other. The last I saw of his commentary seemed mostly concerned with the NFL, perhaps a Hunter Thompsonian period. Adios, Al.
New reader here. I like what you’re doing, and agree with about half of what you say. Pretty strenuously disagree with the other half, for what that’s worth. No exception here - great eulogy, and seems you took great pains to be accurate. Sorry I never met the man, in the right context.
We spend a lot of time in Western Mass, and it is very nice. Amazing combination of hippies and rednecks and farmers and musicians and rich folk. For the most part, they all get along quite well. I love the Berkshares currency, and use them whenever possible. When everything else crashes, you can probably still get a meal in Great Barrington if you have a few of them.
I’m proud of the pumped storage hydro plant. But I sure wish that nuclear power plant had stayed open. All that steady, clean power. And all those good jobs, which are sometimes not so easy to find in the region. Not a perfect way to make electricity, but one of the best of all the bad choices, as far as I can tell.
Thanks, and keep doing what you’re doing. At least half of it, anyway.