Talk:Kevin Booth

Music Videos?
What has Kevin Booth directed other than the three videos listed? It would help expand this article nicely.Max Overload 13:37, 17 February 2007 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Martiallawdvd.png
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Kevin Booth grew up around Bill Hicks, and thus Drugs
"The discovery that the government classifies Marijuana as being more dangerous than Crack or Crystal Meth was the start of a four year mission to sort the facts from fiction and pick apart the paradoxes of America's longest running war"

This sentence is written on both this article and the Sacred Cow Productions article. I find it very hard to believe that Kevin Booth - someone who was such a close friend of Drug Activist Bill Hicks - just recently "discovered" that the government classifies Marijuana as more dangerous than Crack or Crystal Meth. Bill Hicks, and thus by extension Kevin Booth (as Bill likes to rant) should have been quite aware of this for decades. Roidroid (talk) 12:46, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

Copyviolation concern?
The article has a strong resemblance to but I don't know which came first. RJFJR (talk) 16:18, 7 October 2009 (UTC)

Auto biography
This article has now been extensively edited by someone claiming to be Kevin Booth. I don't think that there are any significant problems with the article's neutrality as a result of this (I've been over it sorting a few things), but the problem is now that it includes a number of quite specific details (including personal details) that are not cited. This is a problem.

Addressing the editor claiming to be Booth (and one other I suspect may be a family member); Please note that writing autobiographies is strongly discouraged. It is difficult to be completely neutral when you have such an obvious conflict of interest. If you have any significant problems with the facts in the page, or their presentation, then please list them here. I'm happy to address them for you. Otherwise you can escalate any issues using the steps explained in this link.

Please note that claiming to be Kevin Booth doesn't afford anyone any special privileges in editing this article, more the opposite in fact. So providing reliable sources for a lot of the things on this page would be greatly appreciated. Otherwise there is a chance they will be challenged and removed. Hope this helps. -- Escape Orbit (Talk) 15:40, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

I've also removed the added photograph, because it has a copyright on it; © johnnyolsen.com. This photograph cannot be used on Wikipedia under a CC BY-SA 3.0 licence if someone else is claiming a copyright on it. It would have to be released by johnnyolsen.com. -- Escape Orbit (Talk) 15:53, 16 June 2013 (UTC)

Moving uncited information here
Uncited information moved here to sort out where there are cited sources. Strike-outs inserted for sourced content now in the article.

==Early life== At age six while living in Los Angeles, Booth started his first band Freak Out 'N' Four. Booth was influenced by his older brother Curt who suffered from schizophrenia. Booth's family moved to Houston in the early 1970s during Houston's economic boom. In 1975, he met Bill Hicks and Dwight Slade at Stratford High School. The trio formed Stress, an early punk rock band. After high school, Booth started the rock band Year Zero, with classmates Brent Ballard and Robert Reilly.

==Early production career== In 1985 Booth’s band Year Zero signed a major contract with Chrysalis Records. The band toured for several years with the single "Hourglass" playing in regular rotation on MTV. While living in Texas, Booth went on to produce several records, music videos, and short films. When Year Zero broke up in 1989, Booth continued working with drummer Pat Brown and formed Marble Head Johnson, fronted by Bill Hicks and accompanied by Booth's brother Curt on keyboards. During the mid 80’s Booth became involved with Austin Public Access TV, and on July 17, 1989, Booth filmed Hicks' first feature-length stand-up concert film titled Sane Man. Booth, Hicks, David Johndrow and friends also acted in and produced a Karate Rock Opera; Ninja Bachelor Party. Booth produced Hicks' second CD Relentless and performed music with Hicks on Arizona Bay.

In the late 90s, Booth developed his filmmaking in a more political direction and produced several films with filmmaker and 9/11conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Booth and Jones traveled to the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City, threatened with arrest multiple times Booth and Jones created the film Martial Law with cameraman Ted O'Brian. During this time, Booth kept producing feature length stand-up comedy DVDs of Joe Rogan (Fear Factor and News Radio), and comedian Doug Stanhope.

== American Drug War == Following Hicks' death and the loss of several family members to alcohol, cigarettes and pharmaceuticals, Booth decided to produce a feature length documentary exploring America's drug war. The discovery that the government classifies marijuana as being more dangerous than crack or crystal meth was the start of a four-year mission to sort the facts from fiction and pick apart the paradoxes of America's longest-running "war". This led to associations with characters like Bloods founder T. Rodgers and Freeway Ricky Ross, the man blamed for starting the crack epidemic with cocaine supplied by the CIA

American Drug War marked Booth's debut as a narrator and premiered on the Showtime network in 2008 after winning “Best documentary” at Artivist, Silver Lake and DYI film festivals in Los Angeles and the Evil City film festival in NYC. American Drug War was also broadcast in Australia on FOXTEL, Canadia n Super Channel, Polish and Lebanon network TV. American Drug War covers many aspects of drug prohibition policies as well as the personal stories of Booth’s family. After a two-year run on Showtime Booth signed a deal for Video on Demand with Los Angeles based Gravitas Ventures. Following the success of American Drug War Booth released How Weed Won The West a more light hearted look at the California cannabis industry that was also picked up by Gravitas Ventures for Video on Demand.

==American Drug War 2 == Booth released the sequel to American Drug War on June 6th 2013 through Tugg theatrical using a system known as “theaters on demand”. Booth’s new team consisted of executive producer Brian Patterson, wife and associate producer Trae Booth and designer Vance Andrew Blevins. The film follows the two year struggle of a young boy named Cash Hyde who was diagnosed with a brain tumor and given only a short time to live. In the film the parents take a very controversial route by administering cannabis oil re-discovered by a Canadian man named Rick Simpson. The film also explores the Cartels role in the marijuana trade along with Booth and his wife becoming foster parent in Los Angeles in order to shed light at the over medicating of foster children. American Drug War 2 premiered in Los Angeles, New York, Austin, Denver, Dallas, Pittsburg, Salt Lake City, Portland, Eugene, Oakland, Phoenix, Minneapolis, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, West Palm Beach, Albuquerque and San Francisco. It is being globally distributed through Video on Demand by Gravitas Ventures in association with Warner Brothers.

==Lecture Tour== Booth regularly tours University campuses speaking on the American drug policy and the legalization of Marijuana. On campus groups such as SSDP “Students for Sensible Drug Policy” NORML “National Organization Reform Marijuana Laws” as well as civil rights and civil liberty groups bring Booth in to speak as well as show his films.

==Bill Hicks TV Appearances since his death== Booth has appeared in TV shows and documentaries in regards to his friendship and working relationship with Bill Hicks.
 * “Its Just A ride” Channel 4 London
 * “CapZeyeZ” Austin Public Access
 * “Out Law Comic – the Censoring of Bill Hicks” Trio
 * "The tragic side of Comedy" - Bio Channel
 * “100 Greatest Stand Ups” Comedy Central
 * "American the Bill Hicks story" - BBC

==Personal Life== Booth lives in the Laurel Canyon area of Los Angeles with wife Trae Painter Booth who also works as associate producer on the film s as well as running the day-to-day operation of Sacred Cow Productions. Booth’s family maintains a ranch in Texas that became much of the lore surrounding Bill Hicks and UFO’s.

At this point, it would almost be easier to start with reliable, secondary sources - and glean what information is there. Then return to this area and query to see where there are sources for this any information here that wasn't picked up from news, books, journals, etc.-- CaroleHenson  ( talk ) 23:28, 17 June 2013 (UTC)


 * Here's a summary of where I'm finding sources:
 * Early life - I'm unable to find additional sources
 * Career, music - still searching Year Zero and having a tough time, haven't tried other info/bands yet
 * Career, film and video - still searching
 * Lecture tours - Think I'm done here
 * Bill Hicks related appearances - still searching
 * Personal life - I'm unable to find additional sources
 * Any help with ideas for additional sources or comments would be greatly appreciated!-- CaroleHenson  ( talk ) 07:03, 18 June 2013 (UTC)

✅ I've completed research on the items from the article, based upon what I could find on reliable, secondary sources. The items I couldn't find are not struck out in the collapsed (click "show") list above.-- CaroleHenson  ( talk ) 17:38, 19 June 2013 (UTC)

Early life section
Sorry that I reverted Obiwankenobi's (sp?) edits to the early life section of Kevin Booth, that was accidental.

The url for the new "Early life" information does not have the added family information. If it's within the book, than the citation needs to be edited to say that it comes from the book and provide the page number(s), right?

Secondly, it's from a WP:Primary source, that's why I haven't used it up to now.-- CaroleHenson  ( talk ) 16:19, 18 June 2013 (UTC)
 * It's not a primary source, it's a secondary source, but that was written by the author. In any case, claims like "I had a brother, his name was Curt" are not likely to be contested coming from such a source. You can search the book at that link and confirm at least a few of the facts, I don't think it's going overboard to keep most of that the material (just fix the cite). Reverting wholesale, esp a new editor, can be seen as aggressive. --Obi-Wan Kenobi (talk) 16:33, 18 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Wasn't the book written by Kevin Booth?


 * Yep, I agree that some basic facts are not likely to be skewed. But, it's also a slippery slope, especially for a new editor. What is the right about of information that could be taken from the source?


 * If you have a guideline for either what or how much can be taken from the author's own book, I'll be happy to put back the sentences + create the correct citation. Without having any guidance, I think it's wrong to give the wrong impression about using information from the subject of the article.-- CaroleHenson  ( talk ) 16:40, 18 June 2013 (UTC)
 * Ah, ok, yes it's secondary about Bill Hicks, but primary when referring to Kevin Booth's life. I don't think it's a slippery slope - the guidance says "A primary source may only be used on Wikipedia to make straightforward, descriptive statements of facts that can be verified by any educated person with access to the source but without further, specialized knowledge. " So if the book says "Kevin was born in 1961", we can use that as a source unless we have reason to believe the source is being deceptive; similarly, if the book says "we moved around a lot when we were kids", there is no reason we can't report that here, unless we have other secondary/independent sources that say "Booth's book is not telling the truth". So you can use primary sources, you just have to be careful to not draw new inferences from them, nor put in claims that aren't likely supported by others, e.g. "I was the smartest kid in my class" wouldn't belong, but "I went to X elementary school" should be fine, if we think its relevant.--Obi-Wan Kenobi (talk) 16:47, 18 June 2013 (UTC)


 * Ok, I don't agree about the "slippery slope" business. For instance, could everything that's in the collapsed Talk:Kevin Booth section that I couldn't find sources for (i.e., is not struck out) be put back into the article and use the same source?


 * Honestly, if that's the case, boy would it have made the attempts to find information a LOT easier.


 * In the meantime, I'll put the "early life" information back into the article with the correct citation information.-- CaroleHenson  ( talk ) 16:59, 18 June 2013 (UTC)
 * It's case by case, I haven't read that book so don't know what's in it or how this material is covered. Here is a relevant discussion: Wikipedia_talk:No_original_research/Archive_34 - again there is no problem with using autobiographies as a source, if you use it carefully, and don't use it for controversial facts. A bigger question is, what is the relevance - it may be Booth went to X elementary school, but if no-one else ever covered or mentioned that fact, then perhaps it doesn't belong here, per WP:UNDUE. So the early-life stuff has to be balanced with what parts of that early life are important to telling the story - and any parts of that early life that are not likely to be disputed could be taken from the autobiography/biography he wrote - just MHO.--Obi-Wan Kenobi (talk) 17:08, 18 June 2013 (UTC)


 * That's interesting, because it supports both of our opinions - there's nothing closer to a primary source than information provided by the subject of the article and yours that there are occasions were it's appropriate to use books that are autobiographical in nature (but it's a gray area without clear guidelines).


 * Based upon the info from the link you shared, I can see using Booth's book about early life and personal life information, but in MHO I think we should not use it for career information. Thoughts about that?


 * By the way, I am only able to browse snipets from the book and I'm not able to find all the information that was attributed to the book.-- CaroleHenson  ( talk ) 17:25, 18 June 2013 (UTC)
 * I think we can use it to supplement career information already covered elsewhere, or fill in gaps, but we shouldn't list a ton of things that no-one else ever mentions.--Obi-Wan Kenobi (talk) 17:45, 18 June 2013 (UTC)


 * I'm not finding much information above what I've put into the article already, except from Booth's personal and production sites, social media, blogs, forums, etc. It goes against my grain to take information from a subject's publication, but I won't dispute it as long as it meets what you've identified as a guideline.-- CaroleHenson  ( talk ) 17:54, 18 June 2013 (UTC)

Early life missing info
I cannot find page numbers in for the items below in bold. Does anyone have the page numbers for the items in bold?


 * Kevin was the son of George and Dorothy Booth and had two siblings: older brother Curt and older sister Shelley. The family lived in Florida, Connecticut and Northridge California before moving to Houston Texas when Kevin Booth was eight. Kevin was heavily influenced by his older brother Curt who played in several rock bands in the 60’s and 70’s, and was diagnosed as being Schizophrenic spending most of his life in institutions.

For now I'm going to take out the uncited information (a lot easier that having cookie cutter citations and citation needed tags) but it will be real easy to put back info when there are page numbers.-- CaroleHenson  ( talk ) 17:43, 18 June 2013 (UTC)

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