Gary
Golightly
Whether it's his purple, bubble-decked van, wild outfits or
pandemonius bubbling, Gary Golightly shines as a bubbler
with a supreme sense of abandonment and wonder. A sense
he's dedicated to sharing with others. As a matter of fact,
Gary in action is a "must have" snapshot by vacationers to
Seattle. As it turns out, that's a photo which is not hard
to capture because he seems to be everywhere, with bubbles
floating along in his slip-stream.
I encourage you to visit his website, www.bubbleman.com, to
learn more about man and his philosophy. You will not be
disappointed. As he's not shy to admit, he's
"incredibubble."
Life
is Like a Bubble
By Kelley Guiney
Among
Seattle's many unique attractions, there is one that stands
out as particularly original. If you've ever walked around
Greenlake and come upon a man with a bucket of soap blowing
the biggest bubbles you've ever seen into the air as a
crowd of children run after them, you've stumbled onto one
of the world's finest street performers and committed
"active pacifists," Seattle's Garry Golightly, A.K.A.
Bubbleman.
Golightly has
traveled the world with his joyful, uplifting and subtly
socially conscious performance, gracing the globe from
Japan to Poland in his mission to, as he puts it, "go where
there's misery and bring joy, even if it's only lemon
fresh." He's a modern day pied piper, and upon leaving his
house can usually be found surrounded by a swarm of
children, with amused parents looking on.
The Bubbleman's career in his eye-catching purple van
(covered with painted bubbles) began after a series of
adventures, first as an art teacher, then as a breath
therapist in Sweden followed by taking part in a series of
peace walks throughout the country in the 1980s.
Taking a
break in Gainesville, Florida, Golightly purchased a bubble
maker and decided to entertain local commuters. "Everyone
was going home from work," he explains, "They looked so
sad, and I wanted to do something to cheer them up. Well,
traffic stopped all the way around the pond watching me
bounce these giant bubbles on the water. And a guy called
me over to his car and said, Hey, do you do weddings?" I
said, "I do now." One offer led to another, and Golightly
made the front page of the local paper. Days later he
received an offer to go to Tokyo to blow bubbles for ten
days. Thus a career was born.
The
Bubbleman's great love is working with children, and he has
received invitations to perform throughout the world. His
appeal seems to know no bounds. In the early 1990s he took
a break from touring Poland's orphanages to enter an
international street fair performers competition in London,
where he won first place. In February of this year he was
asked to perform in Poland at a series of children's
villages, set up for children who will never be adopted.
These villages are located all over the world, and it is
Golightly's dream to find a sponsor and travel to all of
them.
When he's not
trotting the globe, Golightly makes his home in Seattle,
where he performs at birthday parties, weddings, and even
funerals. Golightly's performance showcases his obvious
love for children and his never-ending creativity. His
inventive bubble makers are introduced one by one. Carpet
beaters from Hungary and Russia, fly swatters from France,
plastic silverware trays from the thrift store, tennis
rackets, plastic six-pack soda can holders (160 of them
sewn together), all of these items have been turned into
unique bubble making machines. By the middle of the show
children understand what they are "What is this?" Golightly
will ask, to be met by a shrieking chorus of "A cheap toy!"
As the
children run after bubbles and listen with rapt attention,
Golightly keeps up a running dialogue with parents as well,
encouraging with subtlety and humor a shift from
consumerism to good old fashion play, encouraging
environmental awareness and health. "Breathe through your
nose and hospitals will close," is one of his common
admonishments, as the children all take a deep breath. The
show winds down with a beautiful moment where Golightly
encourages calm by unveiling the megabubbleopolis, a magic
wand that has a small bubble trapped inside. The now
enchanted children are invited to quietly examine the wand
and try to help Golightly free the trapped bubble. In this
calm state the children are instructed to wrap their arms
around themselves and chant the magic words "I am
huggabubble. I am adorabubble. I am incredibubble. I am
lovabubble. I am very beautifububble."
Last year
Golightly was honored by local songwriter Dwight Beckmeyer,
who penned the song "God Bless the Bubbleman." The song was
performed by the Seattle Girls Choir at the prestigious
Benaroya hall, and Golightly was invited up on stage to
blow bubbles during the tribute: Bringing windows of wonder
and love through the land / with his handlebar mustache and
his purple blue van / blowing magical bubbles that float to
the sky / bringing laughter to children and a tear to my
eye.
The life's
work of the Bubbleman was summed up poignantly by his
mother, who became seriously ill (she later recovered) just
after her son's career was getting started. While visiting
her in the hospital he explained the new vocation he had
found. She commented, "Well, you're making people happy,
and that's why I raised you."
Garry Golightly can be reached at 206-781-6749 or at
http://www.bubbleman.com.
He's
forever making bubbles
Seattle Times, The (WA)
September 11, 2001
Gary Golightly, known as the Bubbleman, tests one of his
inventions at his Maple Leaf home: a bubble maker featuring
10 rackets. Over the years, Golightly has turned dozens of
everyday objects into bubble-making devices. He plans a
trip to San Francisco, where he will display his
bubble-making prowess at a show
Gary Golightly, known
as the Bubbleman, tests one of his inventions at his Maple
Leaf home: a bubble maker featuring 10 rackets. Over the
years, Golightly has turned dozens of everyday objects into
bubble-making devices. He plans a trip to San Francisco,
where he will display his bubble-making prowess at a show.
His
website: www.BubbleMan.com
