Sis and I always joked around and called him ‘John Mellenhead Cougarcamp.’ He’s done a lot to deserve that name in his old age, LOL!
He was a busy, busy youngster!
“Mellencamp had trouble with the law as a teenager, including an arrest at age 8 for breaking and entering. He formed his first band, Crepe Soul, at the age of 14 [2] and later played in the local bands Trash and Snakepit Banana Barn. He eloped with his pregnant girlfriend, Priscella at the age of 18[2] and had his first child in December 1970-just six months after he graduated from high school.”
And then he grew into a socialist whackjob:
“In 1985, Mellencamp released Scarecrow — an organic record with socially-aware lyrics that was filled with songs focusing on the plight of the American family farmer, small-town life, and the state of the nation. Scarecrow is now considered a classic American rock album and marked the true beginning of Mellencamp as a serious social commentator. Shortly after finishing Scarecrow, Mellencamp helped organize the first Farm Aid benefit concert with Willie Nelson and Neil Young in Champaign, Illinois on September 22, 1985. The Farm Aid concerts remain an annual event and have raised nearly $36 million for struggling family farmers as of 2009.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Mellencamp#Early_life
Only $36 million raised in 24 years? Fail! Maybe some of us small farm operations should apply for some aid? Wonder what the parameters are? Will they give money to conservative farmers, or just pot growers? ;)