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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Traffic stop nets half-pound of meth, $11,700 in cash 170 structures threatened in Oregon Gulch fire Oregon Gulch fire 11,000 acres and growing Changing winds saved Pinehurst Inn from Oregon Gulch fire Medford police have arrested a second arsonist Crime, Courts and Emergency Services 5,000-acre wildfire forces evacuations in Greensprings Emergency Services Man cited for DUII after drifting into an oncoming lane of Interstate 5 and hitting a truck head-on Two-bit crime spree yields $866 in quarters Community blog: ARSON-FROM WORRY TO RELIEF Politics and Elections Medford council veterans plan exit Medical marijuana patients run for council seat Former colleagues laud Atiyeh's 'practical' leadership Bates-Dotterrer race called critical to Senate control Richardson challenges Kitzhaber during debate Education Migrant student numbers soar $21 million Science Building upgrades begin at SOU Eagle Point district mulls fate of Trail school SOU Provost James Klein plans to retire Poverty standard hurts Central Point schools State news Nation - World Obituaries Don Mallaghan Ethel Iris McCoy Margaret Elizabeth Powell Van Lynn LaMaster Jack Jerry Ansures (Tooter) Weather Photo Galleries Videos Sports Latest Stories Another decent start for Tiger Lynch ends holdout with Seahawks Coach Riley prepares Beavers for fall camp Coaches rank UO fourth in first poll Flurry of trades prior to deadline Varsity 541 College Sports Coach Riley prepares Beavers for fall camp Mannion, Beavers look to close the gap Riley's coaching longevity bucks the trend in Pac-12 His own Gary Payton Beavers hope new diet plans give them bite Pro Sports Judge OKs record-setting $2B sale of Clippers Recovered from illness, Serena ready for return Darvish, Rangers drop Yanks Even after payday, Seattle's Sherman hungry as ever Fists flying at Philly practices Community Sports LOCAL REPORT Cowden, Hunt power Mavericks in win Medford Mustangs stay hot LOCAL REPORT Rogues come up short against Bells Business Latest Stories Blog: Part 2: How to Stay Cool in 100 Degree Weather Avista requests rate hike of 9.7% Blog: Study finds Oregon's exports slow to recover Contractor sweep nets 34 violations in S. 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Dining India Palace Taco Riendo Uber Herbal Coquina Restaurant Home State BBQ Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living NEWS NOW 'Chicken' Hirsh: 'A responsible bohemian' Gary "Chicken" Hirsh's nickname belies his many various and wonderful achievements as a drummer, poet and painter. By Tom Stamper MailTribune.com By Tom Stamper Posted Aug. 1, 2014 @ 9:30 am Updated at 11:42 AM By Tom Stamper Posted Aug. 1, 2014 @ 9:30 am Updated at 11:42 AM » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Gary "Chicken" Hirsh's nickname belies his many various and wonderful achievements as a drummer, poet and painter. Hirsh says he got the moniker by being reticent about jumping off cliffs and other daredevil acts common to young people. Later in life, it has become an endearing name for this popular musician best known as the drummer for Country Joe and the Fish, a popular '60s rock band. Born in 1940 in Chicago, Hirsh began playing drums at age 14, taking lessons at Frank's Drum Shop, along with such greats as Gene Krupa and Louis Bellson. At 17, he moved to California, playing jazz at the Kerosene Club near the San Jose canneries. Hirsh enrolled at San Jose State University, studying psychology before his love for painting and fine art led to a transfer to the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland. This is where Hirsh refined the "doodling," he calls it, that he still uses today. "I just wanted to express myself by creating something beautiful," Hirsh says. He studied the stylistic methods of Botticelli, Carrachi, Raphael and Modigliani — techniques that would serve him well in his later paintings. During his art studies, he kept drumming at a club called The Mask, where he was often paid with cheesecake. He began playing at Bop City, a beat club in San Francisco's North Beach. "I was a beatnik before I was a hippie," he chuckled. At Club Trois Colors in Berkeley, he drummed with Pharoah Saunders. Shortly after he joined the Lee Michaels band, playing on the famous ferryboat Charles Van Damme moored in Sausalito. The shows included Moby Grape and The Buffalo Springfield, signaling a new era in music, most notably recognized by Bill Graham of the Fillmore Auditorium and The Family Dog at the Avalon Ballroom. It was around this time Hirsch met and recorded with Country Joe and the Fish, making rock 'n' roll history. His drumsticks are in a collection at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. After leaving The Fish in 1969, Hirsh worked for Vanguard Records, then joined theater troupe The Rubber Duck Company, which was a mix of music and mime. The company performed at the Brooklyn Academy in New York. Hirsh also co-wrote the company's music for "Tarot" and "Frankenstein." Hirsh moved to the Rogue Valley to raise his children in a "civilized environment," he says. He became manager at Oregon Shakespeare Festival's Tudor Guild, studied brass rubbings and eventually bought Ashland Graphics. Jazz called him back, and he joined a local band Good Bait, with sax player John Dempsey, guitarist Ed Dunsavage, bassist Joe Cohoon and pianist Dave Swann. This opened the doors for gigs with jazz singer Leslie Kendall, Detlef Eismann's The Blue Notes and the Nothing But Jazz Trio, featuring Thor Polson and Clem Novak. These groups can still be heard at the Wild Goose, the Playwright Public House, La Baguette and Bella Fiore Winery, among others. Yet he's still driven by art, he says. He gets interested in painters, and can't stop until he's figured out their techniques and used them in his own paintings. "I can't help myself," he says. "Painting, doodling, are right brain. You lose yourself. It's like meditation. My house is covered with art. It's my environment. I've always lived in my own museum." First a beatnik, then a hippie, Hirsh now describes himself as "a responsible bohemian." "In a world where painters are competing with digital entertainment, and musicians are competing with smoke, lights and lasers, it's hard to find people who enjoy and support smaller, more personal endeavours," he says. Books could be written about Gary "Chicken" Hirsh. This column just scratches the surface. In the meantime, let's thank our lucky stars for this treasure in the Rogue Valley. Tom Stamper is a freelance musician and writer living in Ashland. Reach him at [email protected] By Tom Stamper MailTribune.com By Tom Stamper Posted Aug. 1, 2014 @ 9:30 am Updated at 11:42 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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