Jerry Rubin died 18 years ago in a Los Angeles hospital. An anti-Vietnam War demonstrator during the 1960’s, he and Abbie Hoffman (and many others) marched on and surrounded the Pentagon in ’67, led the riots at the Chicago ’68 Democratic Convention, and inspired John & Yoko to campaign against Nixon in ’72. By 1980, Rubin was on Wall Street involved in promoting “Green Energy,” selling health food and seeking investors in solar panels, long before anyone else was. It was his Wall Street years that have caused his legacy to be unjustly maligned, as it’s been reported that he was a stockbroker, which he never was. When he was publically debating with his former ‘comrade in arms’ during the 80’s, people would come up to Abbie Hoffman and say negative things about Rubin and Hoffman would reply “after you’ve laid your body down on railroad tracks to keep young soldiers from being sent off to foreign wars like Jerry has, then come back to me and criticize him, until then keep your mouth shut.” After his death, Tom Hayden said, “Jerry never became a right-winger. An entrepreneur, a venture capitalist; yes; a Republican, no.” Most importantly, Rubin (unlike his critics) had a sense of humor. He used to introduce himself in the 1980’s at public events with the following “Hi, you may remember me from the 1960’s. I led thousands of college students into the streets and Presidents fighting wars quivered at the sound of my name. I was known and ‘not’ wanted in many States. I was the cause of thousands of arguments around the family dinner table by parents and children. Then I took off my beard and nobody recognizes me anymore. So I carry my American Express card with me wherever I go. You can have one too. But first you’ve got to become a yuppie.” The interviews that I’ve been conducting with those who knew him during his entire adult life confirm that he never lost the respect of those he was on the front-lines with. The week he died, the New York Times, ran not one, but two lengthy and positive obits. Thanks to his family and Fantagraphics Books Inc. for their endless support of my project. This photo is by Leni Sinclair of the MC5 community and also includes Jerry’s life long advisor and fellow Yippie Stew Albert.
– Pat Thomas is the author of the recently released work, Listen, Whitey! The Sights and Sounds of Black Power 1965-1975. The companion disc for the book has been named one of the ten best CDs of 2012 by Time magazine.
In this clip, Jerry Rubin is kicked off of local Cleveland television in 1970, when on a book tour for Do It!
And here he is on Phil Donohue, also in 1970:
