"With a comfortable middle-class upbringing, I drifted between colleges, squandering opportunities and burning bridges, unable to find a sense of purpose. I landed in Sonoma County, California, hunkered low in a rusted trailer on a Christmas tree farm. One day I met an old Greek living up the road; rumor had it he was a well-traveled genius, passionate and unpredictable. In the irreverent Demetrius Toteras, I found a kindred spirit, and demanding mentor. Toteras introduced me to Classical Thought and his specialty, the philosophy and theater of the Absurd. My apprenticeship began slowly; I struggled, tiring easily, his words pointed and troubling. Yet despite learning I was a worthless nincompoop, I persisted, hooked on my discoveries.
For seven years, I focused almost entirely on my studies, neglecting family and finances. In 1988, Toteras discharged me to San Francisco, where I formed The Institute of Absurdity, a collection of losers, dilettantes, slackers and yuppies unafraid to revel in the great modern taboos: Bigotry, Sexism, Homophobia, and Arrogance. The audience-catharsis events we grew famous for demanded a dexterous whip-cracker to keep order. I became Uncle Tad Baker, Director and Master of Ceremonies for The Institute, which quickly morphed in The School of Absurdity.
A succession of plays shocked the city: Students Advocating Death, ‘Low-cost capital punishment’; San Francisco Farting Contest, ‘Is one of Man’s most offensive acts art?’; Pindaro’s Belly Pageant, ‘The beauty of the Grotesque’; Uncle Tad Baker’s Loon Show, ‘Those tomatoes are frozen!’; and Uncle Tad Baker's Men's Club, ‘poets and madmen triumph over psychology and feminism!'
Success spoiled all of us and I soon left San Francisco for Brasil, my wife’s home, where we raised our young boys until returning to the States in 1997. I became paralyzed while motorcycle racing in 1999; beset with unimaginable difficulties, I have regained my strength and have pressed on to complete my movie, 'Uncle Tad Baker's Loon Show: The Movie' and am in negotiations to return the Loon Show to the stage in Fall, 2014. I recently launched the long-awaited archive site, SchoolofAbsurdity.com, dedicated to and in honor of my mentor, Demetrius Toteras."
For more info email: UncleTadBaker@gmail.com
Tune into Tad Baker's Interview on "TSMS Radio"
Thursday, August 14th at 1pm ET / 10am PT!
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