›› TALKiNG PiCTURES
Collective consciousness Raunchy hippie romp no ‘life changer’ for kids’ singer Tim Cain by Davi d Te mp l e ton
Writer David Templeton takes interesting people to interesting movies in his ongoing quest for the ultimate post-film conversation. This is not a movie review; rather, it’s a freewheeling, tangential discussion of life, alternative ideas and popular culture.
Moylan’s Brewery and Restaurant, where we are seated directly under a display of Grateful Dead posters. “I was there for 14 years,” he says. “With Sons of Champlin, I’d go out on these long, long tours, then come home to Marin—and after a while, I decided that riches and fame didn’t comhe movie wasn’t that great, pare to living a good life with my wife and maybe a two or two-and-afamily in an agrarian setting. My kid was half out of five—a good one 5 months old when I dropped out of the for streaming online, but not life-changband. I ran away from the circus. We lived ing for me. Jennifer Aniston and Paul in a tree house in Marin for a while, then Rudd were fun to watch at any rate.” I was invited to join this commune, with Musician Tim Cain has just sent me an my manager and some other people, and email a couple of days after we met up in off we went. So yeah, there were definitely Novato to watch the outthings I identified with in rageously crude romantic this movie.” ‘Wanderlust’ filmmakers packed as many hippie-vs.-straight cliches into every frame as was human-potentially possible. comedy Wanderlust, starIn the film, George has COMING SOON ring Aniston and Rudd been working in a job Tim Cain will be appeardoorless buildings that encourage group sends me the follow-up email, summarizas George and Linda, an he hates, and artistically ing Monday, March 19, at socializing even during, um, private moing his thoughts since seeing Wanderlust. overstressed New York oriented Linda has been Ghiringhelli’s Pizzeria in ments in the bathroom. And there’s one “There was one saving point of the married couple who find through a series of failed Novato, 6:30pm; also at bizarre (but very funny) scene where a movie,” he writes. “I feel that George and noon, Saturday, March 31, themselves broke, unemattempts to find her pasresident couple arrives at breakfast with Linda benefited greatly by experiencing at the de Young Museum ployed and on their way to sion, most recently as the their newborn baby, umbilical cord still that different ‘hippie’ lifestyle, a shared in San Francisco; and Atlanta to take a job offer director of a documenattached—complete with placenta—the experience which enabled them to return Saturday, April 7, 9am, at from George’s obnoxious tary about penguins with proud daddy carrying it on a plate as he to New York and find work that they truly the big Easter event at the brother. A couple of incontesticular cancer, a film so follows mama and baby around the comenjoyed, able to work side by side together Cheesecake Factory, in the venient detours later, they depressing that even HBO Village at Corte Madera. mune, blissfully talking about the soup at something they both were good at and find themselves taking refuses to air it. When they’ll be making at the end of the week. cared deeply about. shelter at a blissfully retro they discover the free That’s weird, even by Northern Califor“I had the same opening of heart-andcommune called Elysium, spirits at Elysium, they are nia standards. mind experience during my years on the ruled with hapless charm by a pseudo-gu- each drawn into the community’s promise “As I remember, you didn’t keep the commune,” he concludes, “and I benefit ru named Seth (Justin Theroux), with the of a stress-free life and personal freedom. placenta,” Cain laughs, “you cut it off, now because I truly enjoy my life as a help of various nudists, stoners, free-love That’s the part Cain identified with. but you let the stub of the umbilical cord singer for kids, a career that I probably advocates, overly sensitive oddballs and “The people were happy,” he says. “We do its own thing. But I had heard, when wouldn’t have considered otherwise.” < the resident elder—commune founder all got along with each other because we someone had a home birth, that they Share experiences with David at talkpix@earthlink.net. Carvin, an acid-dropping philosopher in were all pretty modersometimes talked about an electric-wheelchair, played with acer- ate.” In the first several eating the placenta. I bic glee by Alan Alda. Though Cain and I months on the comnever heard of anyone both agree that Wanderlust is not particu- mune, Cain and his wife making a soup out of larly insightful or original, the cast shows and kid lived in a tepee, it, though. We never a delightful commitment to the off-color which he created from a did that. We always just comedy—some of it pretty hilarious—and kit purchased from the buried it.” we both found ourselves laughing often Whole Earth Catalog. Cain explains that, throughout the film. “We rented an industrial after several years on Cain (www.timcain.com), who wore sewing machine, ordered the commune, he began an appropriately vibrant tie-dye shirt to the tepee kit and sewed to develop musical the movie, is a popular singer/songwriter us up a tepee. We lived programs for children, known for the last couple of decades as a in there for a whole year. and eventually began performer for children, with five albums What we learned was that writing and recording An early ‘80s record from Cain, showcasing the to his name, and a busy touring schedule tepees are good for snow songs about nature, singer’s back-to-the-land look. that brings him each year to more than country, but they’re not about getting along 200 schools, concert halls and museso good for rainy counwith others and generally just being happy ums. A founding member of the seminal try. We got wet...a lot. But we were happy.” to be alive. acid-jazz rock band Sons of Champlin, In the film, things start to get weird “After 12 years, the property we lived for which he played the saxophone, Cain as every cliche about commune life is on was sold,” he says, “ and so that was the left the band in 1969 and, not long after, trotted out, and stretched to astonishing A generation of Marinites has grown up to the melodies of end of my commune experience.” That is such Cain classics as ‘Make-A-Wish Island,’ ‘Bluebird’ and, joined a commune in Northern California extremes. There are truth circles where definitely a lot longer than the two weeks our favorite, ‘Hopped Up!’ near Willow Creek, east of Arcata. everyone imbibes hallucinogenic tea, then that George and Lind manage to last in “The commune was named Trinity,” viciously berates anyone who doesn’t It’s your movie, speak up at the film. Cain says, taking a seat in a booth at speak the unvarnished truth. There are ›› pacificsun.com A few days after seeing the film, Cain
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18 PACIFIC SUN MARCH 9 – MARCH 15, 2012