Original image by There Stands the Glass.
Swamp Dogg scared me when I became aware of him forty years ago. Confrontationally transgressive, the cult hero was disreputable in all the right ways. Much as nervously laughing along with the Chitlin’ Circuit comedian Dewey “Pigmeat” Markham seemed like a racial breach, goofing on Swamp Dogg’s infamous album covers always felt wrong.
Now 82, Swamp Dogg is an adorable survivor. The irascible crowd-pleaser charmed 200 admirers at the Lawrence Arts Center on Thursday, June 26. His aged meekness doesn’t mean he’s mild. During the profanity-filled evening Swamp Dogg addressed racial injustice, political activism and shady music industry practices.
The $20 entrance fee at the Free State Festival event included a screening of the new documentary Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted, a Q-and-A session and a sixty-minute performance. What a deal! The presence of MoogStar, the effervescent musician who is the surprise star of the film, resulted in "total destruction to my mind".