charles hugh smith-my hidden history

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My Hidden History

Those of us blessed with unfamous lives have by definition obscure histories. If purposefully left unrecorded, our history is secret; if unrecorded by default, it's simply lost; and if recorded but unpublished, it is in a sense hidden. Hence the title of this collection, "My Hidden History."
History, it seems, falls to those with the restless pen. Those who record their experiences are not the most noteworthy, but their records end up being all we have of their time and place. The most mundane records--of the travails of doing business, for instance--become far more accurate windows on the past as it was lived than documents consciously assembled as "history."

Radical hippie, circa mid-70s
photo courtesy of Ian Lind

There are other reasons to set down one's experiences, of course; the pleasure of reliving those glorious days, and perhaps the assessment that some things you have done are worthy of recording, despite their modest scale and scope. Everything listed here is very small scale-- no space telescopes designed, no headlines, no influence of any sort.

I have been blessed to know some very courageous and unique people. You are free to disagree, of course, but hopefully the documenting of these activities will serve to record the spirit of these times and places in a modestly entertaining fashion.

My old comrade Jeff Blair and I agreed to publish some record of our days as co-chairpeople (along with the estimable and dearly missed Dexter Cate) of the People's Party of Hawaii, and so that is my first entry. Other topics are listed below.

August 2010 update: I am dissatisfied by this "hidden history" and am pondering whether to delete it entirely or improve it in some yet-unknown fashion. For now, here are some bits and pieces of the various lives I have led to date.
People's Party of Hawaii, 1974-78
An astonishing adventure in grassroots politics in the company of extraordinary people; or, Jeff Blair, Dexter Cate and I establish the Triumvrate.

Me at 19: The Draft, AFSC and "Theses on Feuerbach"
photo courtesy of Gary Baker

The "Cop Out," 1970
Colbert Matsumoto and I threaten the powers that be by launching the first (and no doubt sole) underground newspaper in Lanai High School.

Among the best of friends: American Friends Service Committee, 1972-77
Building Tiger Cages in front of the Federal Building and other direct actions.
B.A. in Comparative Philosophy, University of Hawaii-Manoa, 1975
VoltAge, the magazine, 1985
In which we beat the high-technology/cultural commentary press by a good decade and go gloriously broke doing so.
Built 42-home Kinohou subdivision, 1986
Free-lance writer (i.e. am paid money to write), 1988-present
News Flash! Kipahele Street Band (1982-86) Re-forms in '03, records CD
Rockers Richard and Gayland rent the Hawaiian Homes Hall in Waimea for a wild free-form jam. Steve takes on keyboards while a ripping drummer and bassist lay down a roof-rattling rhythm, Richard handles the vocals as Gayland lays out blistering riffs, and I try to hold up my end of a high-treble Stratocaster Steve lent me. Must be heard to be believed!
All Along the Watchtower Under My Thumb
A Ripping Good Political Send-Up Song, 2004
In which I play lead guitar on Mike Dakota's witty send-up of the Prez, King George Is Back (MP3)
First novel published, April 2006
An overnight success if there ever was one, after a mere 20 years of effort, my first novel I-State Lines is published and promptly falls "stillborn from the press," in David Hume's wonderfully trenchant phrase.