Many of us
know Moro Buddy Bohn as Walter Bohn, musician and tennis player from the Los Gatos High School class of '57. But how many of us are aware of his talent
and his adventures? Today, after
traveling the world as an authentic troubadour, his musical talent can be
experienced at www.moromusic.com
online, and the book of his adventures, Kin
to the Wind , can be purchased on Amazon.
I recommend both.
Frankly, I
couldn't put the book down. It's well
written and moves from one exciting encounter to another; some so bizarre that
you wonder how Bohn could have extricated himself from nefarious men and
political subjugation.
The
subtitle of his book is, "A troubadour's magical journey around the world
with no money." How many people
would have the courage and confidence to grab a guitar and embark on world
travel with no money and only the hope that somehow your talent alone could be
traded for food and lodging? We aren't
talking about only nice civilized countries, but many place where you might be
killed for your shoes. And Bohn was only
21 years old.
Combining
his youthful exuberance, curiosity, and enthusiasm, his dreams to travel the
world using his guitar as his sole medium of exchange were realized beyond his
wildest expectations. The fact of his inability to anticipate and foresee many
of the challenges that lay ahead could have been cause for him to reconsider
such a journey. But he took the unknowns head-on and succeeded in using
his guitar and personality to explore cultures that most of us will never
experience. You will see by reading that Buddy has an unusually strong
faith in the goodness of people, a great capacity for love, and an optimism
that seems to conquer the negative experiences he encountered.
He
crossed the Arabian Desert with a camel caravan of champagne-smuggling Bedouins
and performed with gypsies in Spain.
He played for Pablo Picasso in France
and was a featured circus act in Italy. His audiences also
included Queen Elizabeth II of England,
King Frederick IX of Denmark and the maharaja of
Sandur. He was the first to entertain U. S. troops in Vietnam, and he found
himself court troubadour to King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit of Siam.
During his subsequent professional years he’s played privately for Howard
Hughes, a number of movie and recording stars, miscellaneous celebrities, and,
as if that wasn't enough, he fell in
love with a princess.
But Buddy's
travels were not all wine, women, and song.
He had numerous encounters with authorities and was encouraged by the
communists in Berlin to defect; he was
attacked and almost killed by Tunisians, and he met a ghost in the Himalayas.
Among the
many interesting people he met in his travels, one stands out as a refreshing
oasis in an otherwise rugged landscape. It
was in the Casbah of Algiers during the brutal seven-year civil war for
independence. Sonya was a legendary
belly dancer who performed completely naked at the Fantasio, the most opulent
nightclub in Africa. Buddy's "magic" guitar facilitated
a unique connection between the two.
They spent much time together and Buddy's guitar music was soon
incorporated in her act. He played and
she danced until the end of her engagement in Algiers.
All good
things must end. Buddy describes their
parting: ". . . we said goodbye as easily as a pair of windblown clouds in
the sky that touched only for a moment."
The parting was not without pain, but the world continued to beckon. And
so beckoned another young lady named
Zoe, who arrived later in Buddy's travels.
The book
provides an interesting glimpse into parts of the world that most of us will
never see. The cultural idiosyncrasies
add flavor to the variety of countries Buddy traveled during his two year stint
as a pure and uncompromising troubadour.
I found the
book very interesting, in part because
I've known the author since high school.
But it is well written and affectively projects Buddy's belief in the
innate goodness of people, something he seems to bring out in those he met in
his travels. I should mention that his
book is being considered as a possible movie.
Buddy
just sent me an email indicating
that his recordings, streams, downloads and CDs are available on his
website www.moromusic.com. You can hear samples and order CDs as well as
complete-album downloads. Streams and downloads of individual tracks are
now available from iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, Beats, Deezer and Google Play. I don't know what some of those are, but
there are evidently many options.
You
can buy his book on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Kin-Wind-Troubadours-Magical-Journey/dp/1609520556)
It's
a good read. You’ll enjoy it.
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NOTE: Most of you received a note regarding
craigslist and the sale of a motorcycle.
I have no idea how that happened, but it was my mistake.
