Charlie Gandy was an institution at the University of Texas in the late '60's. He was tall, handsome, aloof, rumored to be a genius and quite mad. He always wore a Nehru jacket, a somber gray one. His aristocratic demeanor resembled that of a character actor whose name escapes me. When walking or sitting, he held his head back in theatrical fashion.
It gave him an almost comic arrogance that with his heroic stride, made him seem either of royal lineage or nuts. Some said he'd done hundreds of LSD trips. Some said he'd had hundreds of EST (electro shock therapy) treatments.
I never saw him say anything to anyone. He always sat alone in the "Chuck Wagon" (student snack bar in The Commons), his head back, hands clasped on the table. Once during an anti war rally, Charlie waited patiently in line for half an hour for a turn at the microphone. When he got there, he looked calmly at the crowd.
Finally, he screamed, "YOU'RE ALL EFFING PIGS!"
A hoot of delight/surprise/rage rose from the crowd. The impression I had was that most of the crowd was thinking he meant somebody else. I remember thinking, "he doesn't just mean the cops and the "establishment," he means ALL of us, dummies!"
I think it closed the rally, or at least gave it a break from its own seriousness.
Once I decided to try to talk to him at the Chuck Wagon. I carried my coffee over and said, "Mind if I sit down?" He gave a curt nod, and I took it as an ambiguous yes and sat down. [Years later I would see Jeff Bridges' rendition of "Starman" and be reminded of Charlie Gandy's manner at this moment]
"Do you teach here?" I asked.
"No."
"Student?"
"Yes."
His hands were still clasped before him. Although I sat to his left, he stared straight ahead.
"What do you study?" I was on a roll now.
"French."
That threw me. Of all the things I'd ever heard about him, his being a French student wasn't one of them. I didn't know if he was lying through his teeth or telling the unvarnished truth. It really didn't matter, I realized. I also realized the conversation was over.
"Nice talking to you," I said when I got up to leave. He nodded. That was it.
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