Bohemian Rhapsody: One Thing in Flux At the Grove Is Music
MONTE RIO, Calif. -- What would Herbert Hoover think?
Since the late 19th century, tycoons, politicians and artistic performers have flocked to the Bohemian Grove, a private, 2,700-acre forest 60 miles north of San Francisco. Here, cronies party their way through the 17-day summer festivities, which begin tomorrow. They gab. They drink. They urinate on trees.
Mr. Hoover called these get-togethers "the greatest men's party on Earth," and older attendees aren't in any hurry to meddle with the secretive club's traditions. Women still aren't welcome as members. Overnight guests sleep in various lodges, or "camps," that look like relics of the railroad era. Newfangled gadgets such as cellphones are forbidden. And members are instructed not to talk about what goes on here.
But, oddly enough, musical tastes are in flux. In recent years, the Bohemians have been admitting a few aging rock 'n' rollers as members and tinkering with the Grove's concert program, trying to catch up with a new generation.
It isn't just time-honored performances of Chopin sonatas and swing-era standards that fill the air anymore. Bob Weir, the former Grateful Dead rhythm guitarist, has become a Bohemian member and has played at Grove events the past six years. Joining him onstage at times is Steve Miller, the rocker known for such 1970s hits as "Jungle Love" and "The Joker." Last year, local musicians slipped snippets of gospel, blues and Motown songs into the program.
The new sounds don't sit well with longtime Bohemians like 90-year-old Tro Harper, a retired broadcaster and bookstore owner. "How did music get to be so awful?" he asks. "The stuff they're playing now -- in the first place, you can't understand it. And then if you do listen closely, it turns out the words are repeated over and over. So it gets boring."
To placate the old-timers, rockers confine themselves to a small clearing in the forest, away from the Grove's main stage. They forgo pulsating light shows and giant amplifiers.
A few hundred Bohemians usually huddle around and cheer at these performances, but most of the 2,000 to 3,000 men on hand for summer festivities keep their distance. "My generation is still locked in the days of big bands and decent music," explains Mr. Harper. He can't make it to the Grove anymore because of leg ailments, and he notes that a formal vote wasn't ever held on whether to let the rockers in. Had there been, Mr. Harper says, he would have signaled his discomfort.
"I would have sat on my hands," Mr. Harper says. "I wouldn't have censored it, but I wouldn't have endorsed it."
Long ago, the Grove boasted more of an avant-garde sensibility. The site, which sits largely vacant most of the year, is owned by San Francisco's Bohemian Club, which was formed in 1872 as a haven for writers, artists and musicians. Early members included left-leaning novelist Jack London and full-time hell raiser Ambrose Bierce.
Over time, the Grove became best known as a private retreat for a different breed of Bohemians: powerful politicians and executives. Members since World War II have included Dwight Eisenhower, David Rockefeller and scions of the Bechtel construction family. Increasingly, it is older men who find the Grove's all-male culture appealing. While Bohemian Club officials won't disclose members' average age, visitors estimate that it is 60 or higher.
As the Grove's membership got older and more establishmentarian in recent decades, the Bohemians became more set in their ways. Little things -- like camp names from the 1920s, such as Cave Men, Sons of Toil and Aviary -- became immutable. This month's festivities begin with a giant bonfire called the Cremation of Care, now in its 125th year.
The "Midsummer Encampment" last year included a talk on the evolution of classic jazz, a magic show, an organ concert, an evening salute to Burt Bacharach, an afternoon of quintet for clarinet and strings, a slide show about Gens. Grant and Lee, skeet shooting, a lecture by Clint Bolick about vouchers, a talk about horse racing by jockey Chris McCarron, a talk by George Shultz titled "A Changed World," talks by Charlie Rose and William Safire, a fly-fishing demonstration, and a horse-racing play involving horses named Rocket Boy, Wonder Bra and Attila the Horse.
Left-wing protesters in the 1970s began targeting the Grove as a supposed clustering point of the ruling class. Grove officials responded with guards and, later, barbed-wire fences. Secrecy about even the most routine aspects of Grove life became the norm. As a result, old-time pranks and playfulness continued, but the Grove became rather resistant to new ways of having fun.
In music, the Grove continued to recruit musicians as members, but looked mainly for men who could entertain their elite comrades by playing pieces that were popular a half century ago. Keyboardists perform on a giant outdoor organ that has been at the Grove since 1920s. A Dixieland jazz band has existed in one form or another since the 1950s. A full orchestra plays works by the likes of Ravel and Berlioz, as well as whatever music is needed for the Grove's annual play.
"These are magnificent presentations," says Sam Ginn, 67, the former chairman of Vodafone AirTouch PLC and a longtime Grove member.
But the cherished old ways don't always entice the next generation of members, an awkward problem for the Grove. "They have an affirmative-action program to get younger people in," says Peter Phillips, a sociology professor at nearby Sonoma State University, who wrote his doctoral dissertation on the Grove and is a periodic visitor to its events. "They've been aware of the age issue for a while."
Bridging the gap is new member Zachariah Spellman, a 48-year-old tuba player for the San Francisco Opera. He was recruited to join the Grove's traditional band, where he plays Sousa marches and songs from "The King and I." That won him a sizable discount from annual dues that otherwise would top $10,000.
But Mr. Spellman says that one of his biggest thrills was a chance to perform with Steve Miller in a winter blues concert sponsored by the Bohemian Club in San Francisco. "We did a lot of standard blues," Mr. Spellman recalls. "We played St. Louis Blues. It was fantastic."
Through spokesmen, Messrs. Miller and Weir declined to discuss their musical ties to the Bohemian Grove, citing the club's privacy rules. Club officials also declined to comment about their musical evolution. But Mr. Weir's spokesman did point out that the former Grateful Dead musician grew up in Atherton, Calif., one of the country's wealthiest communities. "Bob knows how to handle himself around fancy people," the spokesman said.
With the passing of time, of course, the young rebels of one era become the next generation's elder statesmen. Mr. Miller is now 61 -- about the average age of his Bohemian Grove audience. Mr. Weir is 56.
So the Grove carries on with its own version of jam sessions -- to the delight of visitors such as Alabama businessman Ted Hooks. In 2001, Mr. Hooks recalls, he wandered over to a clearing in the woods one evening to hear an impromptu performance by several Grateful Dead alumni. He could pick out the tunes with no trouble. But something was missing, and it didn't take him long to figure out what: There wasn't a trace of anyone smoking marijuana.
"Of course," says Mr. Hooks, "there might have been some people smoking Cuban cigars."
波希米亚狂想曲：丛林中的摇滚乐
从19世纪晚期以来，不少商界巨头、政客和艺人到波希米亚丛林(the Bohemian Grove)来聚会。波希米亚丛林是三藩市以北60英里处一个2700英亩的私人丛林。在这里，这些知心好友们欢聚一堂，一起度过17天的夏日好时光。今年的欢庆活动最近开始。他们滔滔不绝、开怀畅饮，高兴了还会在树边小便。
这些聚会被胡佛誉为“世界上最出色的男士派对”，老资格会员严格遵守著这个隐秘俱乐部的种种传统。至今俱乐部还不接纳女会员。过夜的客人下榻的住处--或说“露营地”--各色各样，像铁路时代的遗迹。像手机这样的新玩意儿是不允许带入俱乐部的。俱乐部还要求会员不要跟外人谈论这里的情况。
然而，说来也怪，这里的音乐品位却发生了变化。近年来，波希米亚夏令营的参加者们接纳一些年迈的摇滚乐手成为会员，点缀著丛林的演唱会，以此来抓住新一代人的口味。
如今，飘扬在空中的袅袅乐声不再只有历史悠久的肖邦奏鸣曲和摇摆时代的标准曲目。前Grateful Dead乐队吉他手鲍勃?韦尔(Bob Weir)是俱乐部的会员，过去六年一直在波希米亚的活动上演奏。有时史蒂夫?米勒(Steve Miller)会和他同台演出。米勒是70年代摇滚乐星，他的《Jungle Love》和《The Joker》当年红极一时。去年，当地音乐家又悄悄在演出中加入了些许福音音乐、蓝调和摩城歌曲(Motown songs)。
这些新音符不太受一些老会员的欢迎。90岁的退休电台播音员、书店老板特罗?哈珀(Tro Harper)就是其中之一。“音乐怎么会变得这么恶心？”他说。“他们现在演奏的这些东西--首先，你听不懂。如果你认真听，就会发现歌词重复来重复去，很无聊。”
为了照顾这些嗜古者，摇滚乐手们只好把活动范围限制在树林中的小片空地上，远离波希米亚的主舞台。他们还忍痛割爱地舍弃了节奏感强劲的灯光效果和高头大马的音箱。
时常有几百个波希米亚度假者围在这些表演的周围，不时发出阵阵喝彩，但在2000到3000名参加这个夏季欢庆活动的客人中，大部份都对这样的表演不屑一顾。“我这一代人还是钟爱大乐团爵士和高雅音乐，”哈珀解释说。他由于腿病再也不能参加丛林夏令营。他还提到，关于是否让摇滚乐手加入俱乐部这个问题从来没有举行过投票表态，否则，他肯定会表示他的不自在。
“我会不置可否，”哈珀说。“我既不会反对，也不会支持。”
多年以前，丛林一直以其对前卫的敏感而自诩。树林一年中的大部份时间都闲置著。这个丛林为三藩市波希米亚俱乐部所有。波希米亚俱乐部成立于1872年，成立初衷为了给作家、艺术家和音乐家提供一个避风港。早期的会员有左倾小说家杰克?伦敦 (Jack London) 和擅长描写魔域的传奇作家安布罗斯?比尔斯(Ambrose Bierce)。
随著岁月的流逝，丛林逐渐以成为另一类波希米亚会员--地位显赫的政客和企业主管--的私人憩所而著名。二战后的会员包括德怀特?艾森豪威尔(Dwight Eisenhower)、大卫?洛克菲勒(David Rockefeller) 、柏克德(Bechtel)建筑家族的后人。
这里清一色的男性文化越来越受老绅士们的欢迎。尽管俱乐部不透露成员的平均年龄，来访者估计他们都在60以上。
随著丛林会员的岁数越来越高，以及近几十年来更多的拥护国教者的加入，会员们越来越墨守成规。很小的事情都一成不变。例如，俱乐部保持著20年代一直沿用的营地的名字，像Cave Men、Sons of Toil和Aviary等。最近一次的活动以大型篝火仪式开幕，称为“Cremation of Care”，这个传统至今已有125年历史。
去年“仲夏露营”的节目包括关于古典爵士乐发展史的讨论、魔术表演、风琴演奏会、向伯特?巴卡拉克(Burt Bacharach)表示敬意的主题晚会、一个下午的单簧管和弦乐器的五重奏表演、关于Grant和Lee两位将军的幻灯片展示、飞靶射击、克林特?博利克(Clint Bolick) 关于票据的讲座、骑师克里斯?麦卡伦(Chris McCarron)的赛马讲座、乔治?舒尔茨(George Shultz) 的题为《改变了的世界》的讲座、查理?罗斯(Charlie Rose) 和威廉?萨菲尔(William Safire)的演讲、假蝇钓鱼演示，此外还有赛马游戏， Rocket Boy、 Wonder Bra、 Attila the Horse等名马参加了这次比赛。
70年代的左翼抗议者把矛头指向波希米亚丛林，攻击其是统治阶级的碰头地。丛林的管理者以保镖--后来是铁丝围栏--作为对抗议者的回应。营地里最日常的活动都要保守秘密。因此，老式的恶作剧和嬉戏照旧继续，而丛林对新式的娱乐变得相当抵触。
音乐方面，丛林继续接纳音乐家为会员，但寻找的大多是那些能用半个世纪以前的流行曲子来娱乐他们那些精英同伴的音乐家。键盘乐器手在一架庞大的户外风琴上演奏，这架风琴从20年代起就一直呆在波希米亚丛林。迪克西兰(Dixieland)爵士乐队从50年代开始就以各种形式保留至今。管弦乐团演奏拉维尔(Ravel)、伯利尔兹(Berlioz)等人的作品，乐团还可以演奏任何丛林年度演出上需要的音乐。
“这些演出精彩无比，”波希米亚的老会员萨姆?金尼(Sam Ginn)说。67岁的金尼是沃达丰空中通讯(Vodafone AirTouch PLC)前任主席。
但这些被珍爱有加的老传统却不总能吸引下一代的会员。这是波希米亚丛林目前面临的一个尴尬问题。“他们有一套吸引年轻人的‘平权措施计划’(affirmative-action program)，”索诺玛州立大学(Sonoma State University)社会学教授彼得?飞利浦斯(Peter Phillips)说。飞利浦斯的博士论文正是以波希米亚丛林为主题，他定期参观丛林里的活动。“他们已经意识到年龄这个问题。”
新成员、三藩市歌剧院48岁的低音号演奏家泽卡赖亚?斯佩尔曼(Zachariah Spellman)成为连接代沟的人。丛林邀请他加入俱乐部的传统乐队，在里面演奏Sousa进行曲和《The King and I》里的歌曲。演出使斯佩尔曼每年高达1万美金的会费可以享受一个可观的折扣。
但斯佩尔曼说最让他激动的一次经历是有机会在波希米亚俱乐部在三藩市举行的一次冬季蓝调音乐会上和史蒂夫?米勒(Steve Miller)一起演奏。“我们演奏了多曲标准蓝调，”斯佩尔曼回忆说。“我们合奏了圣路易蓝调。美妙极了！”
米勒和韦尔透过发言人称因要遵守俱乐部的保密规定而拒绝谈论他们与波希米亚丛林在音乐上的关系。俱乐部负责人也拒绝评论在音乐风格方面的变化。但韦尔的发言人的确指出这位前Grateful Dead 乐队成员在加州的阿瑟顿(Atherton)长大。阿瑟顿是美国最富有的地区之一。“鲍勃知道怎么跟另类的人打交道，”发言人说。
当然，随著时间的流逝，一个时代的年轻叛逆者会成为下一代的前辈领袖。米勒今年61岁--他的波希米亚听众的平均年龄。韦尔56岁。
于是，波希米亚丛林继续举行它自己的爵士乐即兴演奏会，这些演出深得像阿拉巴马商人特德?胡克斯(Ted Hooks)这样的访问者的喜爱。胡克斯回忆说，2001年的一个晚上，他在林中漫步，无意走到一片空地，听到Grateful Dead几位老成员的即兴演奏。他毫不费劲就认出了这些曲子，但觉得缺了点什么。他很快就明白缺了什么：没有了抽大麻的人。
“当然，”胡克斯说，“这里有抽古巴雪茄的人。”
