| Key 22 - The Neil Chronicles...Key 22 The Neil Chronicles...Key 22 The Neil Chronicles |
In the 1970's, Neil Brandt was one of Bolinas' finest
citizens. He was very focused on the planet Venus and
once thought that Mt. Tamalpais was really a secret hangar
for Venusian spaceships. Neil also believed that everything
in the universe was centered around the number "22," and
even had a rock band called "Key 22." He drove around
town in a volkswagen bug with a "Key 22" license plate
and was fixated on a teenaged girl - Lisa Orr- whose name,
he claimed, somehow equaled "22" in numerology.
After Neil left Bolinas, he published a book called "I Am
The Messiah," the cover of which is pictured in the article
on the right. He also ran for president, which was how I
next encountered him. While working at the Pacific Sun
from 1993-1996, I received a press release from Neil
announcing his candidacy in the 1996 presidential election
(he was ultimately defeated by George H.W. Bush). I met
with Neil and toured what I was certain would be the
future western White House - located up in Novato. The
place reeked of cats and soiled cat litter, but also had its
own charm, including a dozen Alf dolls stacked on top of
each other, and a huge video tape collection - primarily
about Alien visits - all neatly organized by topic. Neil
showed me his scrapbook of celebrity interviews (they
interviewed him, mind you), including one of Larry King,
back when Larry King was doing an overnight radio
program.
After Neil's failed presidential bid, he kept his eye on
politics - and chummed up to the people from Ross Perot's
Reform Party - which was trying to open an office in
Marin. Neil, now an inheritance millionaire, threw a lavish
party for the reform party officials at San Rafael's
Embassy Suite Hotel. At the party, he begged me not to tell
anyone about his Mt. Tam/Venusian thinking or any of the
"other stuff." He was named Leader of Marin's Reform
Party by the end of the evening, especially after he
lip-synched a song he had written titled "Born to America."
The article on the right describes the entire evening - and
the aftermath the next day when Reform Party officals got
their hands on "I Am The Messiah" and a copy of the Pac
Sun article about Venusians and spaceships.
citizens. He was very focused on the planet Venus and
once thought that Mt. Tamalpais was really a secret hangar
for Venusian spaceships. Neil also believed that everything
in the universe was centered around the number "22," and
even had a rock band called "Key 22." He drove around
town in a volkswagen bug with a "Key 22" license plate
and was fixated on a teenaged girl - Lisa Orr- whose name,
he claimed, somehow equaled "22" in numerology.
After Neil left Bolinas, he published a book called "I Am
The Messiah," the cover of which is pictured in the article
on the right. He also ran for president, which was how I
next encountered him. While working at the Pacific Sun
from 1993-1996, I received a press release from Neil
announcing his candidacy in the 1996 presidential election
(he was ultimately defeated by George H.W. Bush). I met
with Neil and toured what I was certain would be the
future western White House - located up in Novato. The
place reeked of cats and soiled cat litter, but also had its
own charm, including a dozen Alf dolls stacked on top of
each other, and a huge video tape collection - primarily
about Alien visits - all neatly organized by topic. Neil
showed me his scrapbook of celebrity interviews (they
interviewed him, mind you), including one of Larry King,
back when Larry King was doing an overnight radio
program.
After Neil's failed presidential bid, he kept his eye on
politics - and chummed up to the people from Ross Perot's
Reform Party - which was trying to open an office in
Marin. Neil, now an inheritance millionaire, threw a lavish
party for the reform party officials at San Rafael's
Embassy Suite Hotel. At the party, he begged me not to tell
anyone about his Mt. Tam/Venusian thinking or any of the
"other stuff." He was named Leader of Marin's Reform
Party by the end of the evening, especially after he
lip-synched a song he had written titled "Born to America."
The article on the right describes the entire evening - and
the aftermath the next day when Reform Party officals got
their hands on "I Am The Messiah" and a copy of the Pac
Sun article about Venusians and spaceships.
| 2007 Update! While the text of the information above appeared in the Pacific Sun (right), Brandt has gone on to achieve further political and patriotic status via his web site, www.borntoamerica.com . Check out his site, hear "Born to America!" |