Episode 2: The Gene Pool Story (Part 1)

In this second episode of The Gene Pool Show, Gene (previously known as Bill Harding) tells (part of) his life story to Studio C's Andy Miles, and plays three of his songs. He talks about his recent featured set at the Green Mill's poetry slam, his work producing grass suits and grass cars and how that landed him in newspapers around the world, on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson, the Canadian TV show "Claim to Fame," where he shared billing with the female pig wrestling champion of North America, and a Japanese show watched by 33 million people on New Year's Day 1983. In 1985 he got a call from David Byrne's wife, Adelle Lutz, asking him to come down to Plano, Texas, to grow some grass suits for the film "True Stories," which he made a cameo appearance in and crafted costumes for with David Byrne's dad. During the filming of “True Stories,” Gene met Pops Staples, who had a co-starring role in the movie; he calls that meeting one of the pivotal moments of his life and their ensuing friendship a “very important part of my evolution.”