Recollections from Booneytunes Blvd

The politics of poison dictates that casualties are certain. In the 1950's the atomic war vets died by the thousands after being exposed to nuclear bomb blasts in the southwest. I once sang in Chicago, for "The International Association Of Atomic Veterans" One G.I. told me they were ordered to turn away from ground zero and place their hands over their eyes. He said he could see the bones in his hands when the atomic bomb detonated. These men encouraged me to keep fighting for testing and treatment for Agent Orange victims at our V.A hospitals.

One time when I was at the Madison VA, I met two Desert Storm Veterans. I asked what they thought had caused Gulf War Syndrome. They looked at each other for a moment then said they were suspicious of the Nerve Gas that was used, and of the depleated uranium shell casings. They also mentioned that there was the constant problem with all the burning oil wells that had blown up. They said the air around those wells was toxic and you couldn’t even see the sun through the haze. A World War II Vet ,in his 80’s, sitting near by said “Same shit, different war.” The politics of poison dictates that casualties are certain.

Back in the 1980’s Mike Barron released his comic book “The Badger.” The Badger is a Vietnam Vet crime fighter who hails from Wisconsin. Turns out he gave The Badger a buddy from Nam in issue #3, by the name of “Wonk-ten-donk,” and he gave me a pet German shepherd named Doug LaFollette. Mike brought me back in issue #10, as a featured player. The Badger and I kicked Posse Camatus ass in northern Wisconsin. What a bizzness!

Back in the day (1984, I think!) The Madison Repertory Theater preformed a play entitled “Strange Snow.” It was about returning Vietnam Veteran friends who had to leave their friend Danny back in Vietnam. Danny’s sister is also a key player in the cast.. The director called after he saw me on HBO, and asked me if I would write music for the play. I’d never done that before! I read the play and finished five songs, of which the director chose three. We recorded the songs in segments that moved within the play as seaways. It was my first and only brush with “The Theater.” As it turns out, the play was eventually made into a film. Renamed “Jack Knife,” it starred Robert DeNiro, without my music of course…

In 1985 PBS did a first of it’s kind show called ”For Vietnam Veterans and Everyone Else Who Should Care” It was telecasted from Madison, Wisconsin (the director wanted to have it where the hotbed of anti war protest was the greatest.) Actor Charles Haid from “Hill Street Blues” moderated. On the show, Vietnam War Veteran soldiers and nurses from across the country offered recollections about their tour of duty in country. I had just been at the University of Wisconsin speaking and singing to a class in Vietnam. I was referred to PBS by the teacher of the class.

Michael Hersch, the director for PBS, was a Vietnam Veteran. He flew into town and came to my home. He set a tape deck on my kitchen table, punched record and said “What have you got?” I sang several of my songs for him and he liked them all. He wanted to bring attention to the Agent Orange issue, and asked me to speak about Agent Orange on the telecast. He was most interested in my Agent Orange song “Hurting More.” It’s a poignant song about my family’s struggle with the after effects of chemical warfare. I had no idea at the time, how performing that song for a national audience, would propel my music career to places I’d never imagined...

In 1987, HBO put on a star studded event in Washington D.C., at the RFK Auditorium, titled “A Welcome Concert.” Michael Hersch, from the PBS show, was a producer on the HBO Welcome Home Concert. He played my PBS segment for the HBO folks and I was asked to perform it at this concert. Our friend, Maude De Victor, a Chicago VA vets rep, who discovered the pattern of specific illnesses in vets that she helped, was on the show as well. She broke the original story of Agent Orange, to T. V. Journalist, Bill Kurtis, and paid dearly for it.... We all owe her a huge debt of gratitude, for standing up for us and doing what needed to be done! THANK YOU, Maude - We Love You...

Did I say star studded? I performed between James Brown and Stevie Wonder! I went to make up and sat next to the legendary Martha Ray. I’d never performed to 40,000 people before - not to mention the millions that would tune in. When my friend Country Joe McDonald, heard that I got the HBO gig, he called me with some valuable advice. “There will be lots of distractions,” he told me. “Focus on your song and it will project.” And it did... Awesome, does not even come close!

Meeting John Ritter was one of the best parts for my family. He was a kind, wonderful man who once played an Agent Orange Vet, in the made for TV movie “Unnatural Causes.” He told my wife and I, that he based his character on several Vietnam Veterans he met or read about, one of which was me. Maude DeVictor’s character in the film was played by Alfre Woodard. Check out this film (if you can find it!) It’s a good one. My family and I went home from the concert, with enough wonderful memories to last a lifetime.

In Madison Wisconsin, the mega watt rock n’ roll radio station WIBA FM ran a ‘Madcity Anthem Contest.” Almost 300 songs were entered, with as first prize being a $7000.00 Recording studio. I went to work diligently and after a couple weeks of rewrites, came up with “Our City Sittin Pretty.” I was singing once at “The Howard County Vietnam Veterans Reunion” in Kokomo, Indiana and a Nam Vet asked me, “Where you from man?” When I said Madison, Wisconsin, he replied with great gusto, ”The Hanoi of the Midwest.” I used that line in my anthem...

There are lots of lyrics in this song, and my friend Jim Valensa lifted it to a higher level with some dynamite rock n’ roll lead licks. ”Our City Sittin Pretty, “was voted the best song in a top 10 sing off. What made my win odd was the fact I was not there for the finals. The gig date changed a couple times, and then came to rest on the third weekend in September. I had been book for months, to play at Howard County Vietnam Veteran Reunion. I had performed there many times over the years. This was my audience, and I had a new recording, “R&R” that had to be paid for, AND I was going to hook up with a buddy I was in country with. So, I wrote a letter to the audience thanking them for rooting for their favorite song, and I let them know where I was and why. Then they played a dat recording of my song for the audience. That night, at the Reunion in Howard County, Indiana, my friends called The Crystal Corner Bar in Madison - collect, to find out how I did. The bartender said “Walktendonk took home the prize.” What a trip that was! I was high on pure adrenaline for two daze...

Another cool thing that happened, was word got out into the campsites and hotels that I had won the “Mad City Anthem Contest. “ I got the feeling that because I’d won, they’d won too... You can’t plan for a perk like that. Now, I had to learn how to be an engineer, as well. What a ride!

As I played gigs after the PBS and HBO shows, an interesting thing happened. I began meeting lots of Agent Orange children. They all felt I was singing about them, as well, and they wanted to meet me. I was so honored and fortunate to be placed in this roll as singer songwriter. I was always looking for America’s heart as I traveled. I found it within these children and in many other fine Americans, who have told me their stories...

Though sometimes America’s Heart is bruised or battered, it glows in the soul of a gold star mother, or it can be observed in determined heroism. It is innocent to a fault and that what I write about.

More later -
James Walktendonk

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