vito paulekas Sculptor and dancer Vito Paulekas was the L.A. freak scene guru in the early sixties. Vito had a group of dancers (that included Carl Franzoni) that danced & freaked out at the early Mothers concerts. Vito passed away on October 25, 1992. He was born on May 20, 1913. Read some of the Carl Franzoni interviews to get an idea of who and what he was! Vito Paulekas can be heard on The Mothers Of Invention "Freak Out" album, and on "The MOFO Project/Object". Vito also recorded a 7" in 1966, produced by Kim Fowley and featuring some Mothers Of Invention. The picture on the right shows Vito Paulekas dancing at an L.A. festival. Thanks to Leslie J Michel (http://LJMichel.com) for the great picture.

Here's a slide-show that Leslie Michel made of some xeroxes of Vito Paulekas sculptures: http://homepage.mac.com/eilsel/VitoSculpture/index.html

discography

documentary

Photo (c) 1999 Robert Carl Cohen
about the 7" by vito and the hands: on this kim fowley produced 45, a long hippie rap turns into an acid garage freakout. it featured vito backed by the mothers of invention... vito was a bohemian sculptor and dancemaster, who led a group of los angeles free spirits, holding love fests and parties, back in the sixties. originally from lowell, mass., he came from a very artistic background and learnt wood carving at an early age. in 1938 he was convicted of attempted robbery, but released into service in 1942. after the war he relocated to l.a. where he latter became inolved with the circle of freaks surrounding the mothers, fraternity of man and kim fowley. vito eventually became mayor of the small sonoma town of cotati, a hippie enclove near santa rosa. he later died from a blood disease. compilation appearances include: vito and the hands on kim fowley's "underground animal". (stephen m.h. braitman / max waller)
	artwork by vito paulekas.  the piece is entitled "Cinema Arts" (picture by tom wyma) - there's another picture of this sculpture in the random notes section -

compilations that include vito & the hands:

• kim fowley: under ground animal
      (1999, lp, usa, bacchus archives ba 1131) - feat.vito paulekas, the mothers of invention

random notes

     From: Bossk (R) (wikberg@mbox301.swipnet.se)
I found this web page so maybe all the Mothers did on this film is not lost. 
http://radfilms.com/mondo_hollywood_photo_album.htm

     From: Patrick Neve (splat@darkwing.uoregon.edu)
Also see: http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~splat/Mondo_Hollywood.html

     From: Batpuller (briantologist@briansback.com)
Years ago, I saw Vito as a guest on Groucho Marx "You Bet Your Life". I forget what he gave as his occupation , but it was not a conventional one.

     From: Craig Jones (good_king_zog@msn.com.au)
Footage of Vito & Carl can be seen in a LSD-is-evil-film from 1967 called, "LSD-25", in which Vito & Carl are seen in a short scene entering a shop & trying on some mod glasses...

     From: computeruser (computeruser69@hotmail.com0
     Subject: Re: You Are What You Eat (1968)
Animal Huxley, Vito & Carl Franzoni mostly. Some footage from some presumably Hollywood Strip club, Mothers on stage. Music did seem to be FZ.  Tiny Tim and David crosby also appear in film, together with the names above. All were mentioned in the Freak Out liner notes. Apparently Tower records had a soundtrack album of this film.

     From: robert cohen (radfilms@usa.net)
VITO was a very old friend.  I first met him at one of his then-renowned New Years Eve Parties at 333 Laurel Ave.  He was then known as a "Bohemian" due to his wearing white bell bottom pants and sporting a small goatee.  He was originally from a Latvian or Lithuanian family of Lowell, MASS., and told me of remembering the Sacco and Vanzetti Case from his childhood.  Trained as an expert wood carver by his grandfather - he didn't learn english until six years of age.  (I got the details of his life while interviewing him for MONDO in 1965-66.  If you're interested the tapes of those interviews may still be in my archives?)  As the 1968 US Presidential Elections approached Vito told me that, if Nixon won, he planned to flee the coming fascist state by emigrating to HAITI.  I suggested that he do some research on Papa Doc and the Tot-ton Macout first.  He and his then-wife SZOU, did go to Haiti, lasted a few days there, then to Jamaica, lasted a week or so, and wound up in Cotati, CA, where I used to visit him.  The story of how he built the Cotati Bandshell and contribuited to the local music scene, taught at Sonoma State, etc. is already probably well known to you.  His death from some sort of blood disease deprived us of a most creative and outspoken soul.

     From: Marsha (paule@swva.net)
vito was my father's first cousin on both sides of my dad's family. I belive his mother and my grandmother were sisters along with his father and my grandfather were brothers.  I remember visiting his mother, rose in cambridge, mass and his brother bennie and his sister alberta (still alive) when I was a child.  very artistic family with art and creativity everywhere.  I have pictures of vito as a young man after he won a marathon dance contest in revere mass in 1932.  vito told me he made 1000 dollars in that contest and thought he'd never have to work again.  In 1938 he decided to cover his head with a nylon stocking(new at the time) and hold up a movie theatre.  he was tackeled and brought before a judge who gave him twenty five years in jail for the offence.  when the war broke out in 1942 he was released to join the merchant marines as they usually didn't survive long escorting  lend-lease ships to europe. he survived and ended up in L.A. in 1946.  as a child i often remember staying up late to see my cousin vito on a late night tv show and him being a  unique character.  I remember  1966 life magazine story of the sunset strip and a picture of godot paulekas at two years as the most beautiful child.  In cototi i had the chance to spend quite a bit of time with vito and he told me stories of the death of godot and the trip to haiti.  i was informed of his death and truely see the sparkle in his eyes in the artistic eyes of my children.
all the best,
--  JP Paulekas

info from Domenic - Fri, 14 Jul 2000

...  It probably ain't the same Beatle Bob, ya know....  The original Beatle Bob, who went on the road with Vito Paulekas' 9-person (?-- was it really 9?) dance troupe from the Byrds' Ciro's gigs, today works at a Tatoo Parlor on Melrose.  The Byrds actually brought these people out on the road, because the 1965 freak scene in L.A. was so different than anything else anyone had seen before, that the Byrds felt it necassary to bring the Sunset Strip hardcore audience out on the road with them.

Kim Fowley related to me that both the Byrds and Love did their early rehersals at Vito's clay sculpture studio, the location (303 Laurel) of which is cattycorner to a hip little diner on Beverly (which I've forgottent the name of, sorry.)  Anyway, you can sit in this rennovated-by-alt.rock-kids '50s diner, and orb the old Clay Vito location across the street.  Vito's troupe used to dance at all the Mothers of Invention gigs too, and can be seen dancing at Whisky a Go Go in THE COOL ONES.  Vito also shows up in MONDO HOLLYWOOD in an interview segment, and his troupe are dancing to thte Mothers '66 gig at the Shrine in YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT... you can even see them putting on their body paint at Clay Vito in the film, and one of the bodies is painted by Von Dutch, the Mad Martian Pinstriper who influenced Ed "Big Daddy" Roth.  Too bad the Shrine footage has Electric Flag music dubbed over it.

Calling Greg Shaw on this one:  Does anyone out there know what the operating name of this dance troupe was?  Vito cut a record as Vito & the Hands (thanks, Mr. Fowley), so that's not it.  Anyways, one of the Vito troupe members had a nickname, "Johnny Fuck Fuck" that you never read in the liner notes or anthologies.

message from John Kaminski 2006 10 01   Hi! I recently saw your web page on Vito Paulekas and saw his sculpture I currently have. The title you mentioned of the piece, "Hollywood" is incorrect. The correct title is "Cinema Arts". I also have the program of the gallery showing (1966) of this piece among others of his. So, I'm sure of the title. I'm also including a better photo of the sculpture which you are welcome to use on your web site. Credits appreciated. If you would like anything else from me concerning this topic, feel free to email me. Thanks! John Kaminski Chicago, IL   -- picture by John Kaminski

Vito Paulekas and Leslie Michel. Thanks to Leslie J Michel (http://LJMichel.com) for the picture.
Leslie Michel adds: Here is a link to a poem I wrote when Vito was dying... http://torchstar.diaryland.com/final.html Leslie Michel: "I made these Flash animations last year by morphing (in Photoshop) the photo I took of a wooden fish carving Vito made for me." http://homepage.mac.com/eilsel/_posted/woodenfish/woodenfish.html http://homepage.mac.com/eilsel/_posted/panning-fish/panning-fish.html

Additional informants:
- Charles Ulrich
- Romàn Garcia