American Prankster

American Prankster

Rainbow Valentine

Episodes 15
Avg. Duration 58m
Activity Dormant
Since Mar 2022
Latest Episode Apr 2025

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Publishing Details

Schedule
Every 2 Weeks
Format
Serial
Hosting
feeds.megaphone.fm

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About This Podcast

There aren’t very many original Beatniks left on planet earth and as of this writing, Wavy Gravy is one of the last original Beatnik poets standing. But Wavy isn’t just an original Beatnik poet - he's also a improv comedy trailblazer and international comedic activist who’s antics included running a pig for president. This series travels from Wavy’s childhood to the Gaslight Café Beatnik years to San Francisco where the convergence of psychedelic and comedy history collided, steering Wavy to Hollywood where his comedy career soared, propelling him to the famed Acid Tests and the birth of his Hog Farm commune, bringing Wavy to the Woodstock Peace and Music Festival’s stage enshrining him as a global symbol for peace, love and Rock’n’Roll. Wavy’s historic and hilarious adventures include his involvement in countless cultural watershed moments in American history… like the fabrication of snapping for applause, the introduction of granola to hippies and in fact, the actual creation of the ethos of the hippie. American Prankster is a chronological deep dive with Wavy, unfolding never-before-heard stories about his life that even he had forgotten until interviews with Rainbow Valentine from Disorganized Crime: Smuggler’s Daughter, retrieved them. Stories about Wavy’s psychedelic shenanigans with countless icons like: Lenny Bruce, Groucho Marx, BB King, Janis Joplin, Tiny Tim, Del Close, Ken Kesey, Neal Cassady, Margo St. James, Thelonius Monk, Bob Dylan, Ram Dass, Albert Einstein, Peter, Paul & Mary, Marlene Dietrich, Severin Darden, Joan Baez, Martha Graham, Alice Cooper, David Crosby, Jackson Brown, Abbie Hoffman, Bob Weir, Mama Cass, John Coltrane, Grace Slick, Jerry Garcia, Paul Krassner, Bill Graham, Tim Harden, Robin Williams, Viola Spolin, Pink Floyd and many more. Guests on this series include members of the Hog Farm, the Merry Pranksters, Grateful Dead Family, KMPX, The Committee, the Family Dog, the Medicine Ball Caravan, the Yippies and other counter culture institutions. Produced by Rainbow Valentine Studios, www.rainbowvalentine.com

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Recent Episodes

S1 Trailer for Psychedelic Women: Conversations with the Women of the Counterculture

Apr 26, 2025 5m Trailer

Producer/Host, Rainbow Valentine was born into the inner circle of the San Francisco counterculture which didn’t seem unusual until she grew up and discovered not everyone’s family and friends were …

Bonus Ep 02: Wavy and his Celebrity Friends

May 05, 2023 48m

Released in celebration of Wavy Gravy’s 87th birthday!Wavy tells us about a few celebrity friends not discussed in the first 11 episodes, including Robin Williams, Bo Diddley, Sly and the Family…

S1 Bonus Ep 01: World Peace Through Smoking Jell-O

Dec 09, 2022 36m Bonus

Step inside the psychedelic mind of original Beatnik-Hippie Icon-Comedy Pioneer and Pioneering Activist Wavy Gravy as Producer Rainbow Valentine continues bringing curated Wavy to your ears with…

S1E11 American Prankster 11: The Labyrinth

Jul 15, 2022 1h 13m

After the death of his comedy manager, Lenny Bruce in 1966, standup comedian, Hugh Romney, retreats to the Hopi Indian Reservation where he discovers the master plan of the universe…leading to Wavy…

S1E10 American Prankster 10: Too Weird to Arrest

Jun 17, 2022 1h 2m

Running the first black and white candidate for president, Pigasus, was merely Wavy’s first foray into national politics… in this episode we get into Wavy’s theatrical, activist extravaganzas,…

S1E9 American Prankster 09: The Psychedelic Silk Road

May 27, 2022 1h 1m

After playing Canterbury with Pink Floyd, Wavy and the Hog Farm adventure in psychedelic buses across Europe through the Middle East to the Himalayas, having countless adventures and providing basic…

S1E8 American Prankster 08: Woodstock on Wheels

May 20, 2022 1h 2m

This episode unfolds Wavy’s pivot from Hollywood Beatnik Comedian to Rock’n’Roll Humanitarian Hippie Clown, providing basic human needs at festivals, saving the planet and more. We dig into the Texas…

S1E7 American Prankster 07: The Woodstock Unicorn

May 13, 2022 1h 1m

Why do hippies eat granola and wear tie dye? Because of the Woodstock Peace and Music Festival in 1969, when Hugh Romney became a global symbol for Peace, Love and Rock’n’Roll! After Wavy and the Hog…

S1E6 American Prankster 06: Hog Farm High-Jinks

May 06, 2022 1h 1m

40 psychedelic houseguests in Hugh and Bonnie Jean’s 1 bedroom apartment leads to eviction, propelling Wavy and the Merry Pranksters to a literal hog farm as they morph from Beatniks into a new…

S1E5 American Prankster 05: Can You Pass the Acid Test?

Apr 29, 2022 1h 2m

Hollywood and Psychedelic history collide when comedian Hugh Romney, moves to LA where Lenny Bruce becomes his manager, improv icon Del Close becomes his roommate and writer-LSD-enthusiast Ken Kesey,…

S1E4 American Prankster 04: Goon King Brothers Dimensional Creamo

Apr 22, 2022 1h

Comedy and psychedelic history converge in 1964 when Hugh Romney moves to San Francisco to join The Committee Improv Theater in North Beach, where Wavy’s performance meat suit precluded Lady Gaga’s…

S1E3 American Prankster 03: Only Love - The Beatnik Poet

Apr 15, 2022 55m

Following his blackballed university theater teachers, Hugh Romney moves to New York City in the early 1960’s where he blossoms into a Beatnik poet comedian in Greenwich Village at the Gaslight Café…

S1E2 American Prankster 02: Baby Wavy the Bebop Boy

Apr 08, 2022 58m

Episode 2 dives into Wavy’s childhood, youth and teen years with stories of his parents, brothers, childhood BFF & neighbor, Albert Einstein. Wavy tells us about his obsession with bebop, jazz,…

S1E1 American Prankster 01: More Than an Ice Cream

Apr 01, 2022 51m

Who is Wavy Gravy? Episode 1 introduces listeners to the hippie icon who introduced hippies to granola and provides an overview of his inspiring, historic and hilarious life using humor as a weapon…

S1 American Prankster: The Trailer

Mar 31, 2022 3m Trailer

American Prankster is a deep dive with the iconic Wavy Gravy, unfolding his fascinating,historic and hilarious lifestory as an original Beatnik, comedy pioneer, hippie icon and pioneering activist…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does American Prankster have?

American Prankster has published 15 episodes since March 2022, covering topics in Documentary, History.

Is American Prankster still active?

American Prankster is currently dormant with new episodes every 2 weeks. Average episode length is 58m.

How do I contact American Prankster for sponsorship or guest appearances?

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