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Kevin Booth

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Kevin Booth
Born (1961-10-02) October 2, 1961 (age 63)
Connecticut, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Texas
Occupation(s)Producer, film director, writer and musician
Known forDocumentaries, collaboration with Bill Hicks and Alex Jones[1][2]
SpouseTrae Painter Booth

Kevin Booth (born October 2, 1961) is an American film director, producer, lecturer and musician. He was known for his documentary film series American Drug War. Booth worked with comedian Bill Hicks, until the time of his death on February 26, 1994 and posthumously produced Hicks' records Rant in E Minor and Arizona Bay.

Booth also explored controversial subjects such as the Waco siege and the New World Order. Booth lectures at universities while continuing to make more films about American drug policy.

Early life

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Booth was born in Connecticut on October 2, 1961.[3] He was the son of George Booth. His brother Curt played in several rock bands and influenced his musical interests.[4] Booth met Bill Hicks and Dwight Slade at Stratford High School in Houston, Texas. The trio formed Stress, an early rock band. Booth played the bass and Hicks the lead guitar and lead vocals.[5][6] He attended the University of Texas in Austin.[7]

Career

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Music

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Booth started the rock band Year Zero, with Brent Ballard, Robert Reilly, Patrick Allen Brown and Ron Fair.[8] Year Zero signed a major contract with Chrysalis Records,[9] and in 1987 released an album including the single Hourglass.[8][10] When Year Zero broke up, Booth continued working with drummer Pat Brown and formed Marble Head Johnson.[9] Booth wrote and performed with Hicks on Arizona Bay and Marble Head Johnson.[5]

Film and video production

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In 1982, while living in Austin, Booth started Absolute Creative Entertainment production company with Hicks,[11] which became Sacred Cow Productions.[3]

In 1989,[3] Booth was a producer at the local public access station in Austin called ACTV. While there, he taped Bill Hick's stand-up comedy routine at the Laff Stop, called Sane Man.[12] Booth produced most of Hick's videos, full-length comedy concerts, and CDs,[5] including Relentless.[10] After Hicks' death from pancreatic cancer in 1994, Booth produced Rant in E Minor.[5] It was voted by SPIN magazine as the 11th greatest comedy album of all time.[5][13] In May 2005, Booth traveled to Britain to promote his first book Bill Hicks – Agent of Evolution[5][14] about his professional life and seventeen-year friendship with Bill Hicks; It was co-written by Michael Bertin.[5][14] He also appeared in the 2009 documentary about his friend's life entitled American: The Bill Hicks Story.[15]

In 2012, Booth collaborated with several companies providing him the financial means to produce this documentary about the medicinal benefits of marijuana.[5] He also completed works about political issues, such as the Waco siege[16] and the New World Order conspiracy theory.[17]

Martial Law 9/11

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Martial Law 9/11: Rise of The Police State (2005) was co-produced by Booth with Alex Jones, who directed the documentary. It explores the changes in the United States since the September 11 attacks.[5][18]

American Drug War: The Last White Hope

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Booth directed American Drug War: The Last White Hope (2007) to examine governmental policies concerning drugs since Richard Nixon declared a "war on drugs" in 1971. It examines the government's prosecution of users, incarceration of non-violent drug offenders, focus on marijuana (a "gateway" drug), and alleges a lack of focus on large corporations that launder drug money.[19][20][21] The documentary explores the involvement of the CIA and Contras cocaine trafficking in the US, including the experiences of one of the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) "chief beneficiaries", "Freeway" Rick Ross. Ross declared the war on drugs as the "last white hope".[20][21] Appearing in the documentary are Tommy Chong, of Cheech and Chong; General Barry McCaffrey, a previous drug czar; and people involved in drug use, sales or convictions of drug users or traffickers. Booth provides insight about addiction within his family.[22]

It was shown on Showtime from 2008 to 2010 and won several awards for best feature documentary at film festivals in the United States.[5] For instance, in 2007, the film won Artivist Film Festival's Best Feature, International Human Rights Award.[23] The documentary has also been shown in other countries, like South Africa, Canada and Australia.[5]

American Drug War 2: Cannabis Destiny

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American Drug War 2: Cannabis Destiny was released theatrically in 16 cities across the nation beginning on June 6, 2013.[24] The second installment to American Drug War starts at the 2012 election that legalized recreational use in two states and the film follows the traumatic story of a young boy named Cash Hyde who is repeatedly denied cannabis oil, the only medicine that appears to shrink his brain tumor. ADW2 also documents the saga of filmmaker Booth and his wife becoming foster parents and encountering the over prevalent use of pharmaceuticals on foster kids. These stories and much more underline the film's theme of children being the ultimate victims of American drug policy.[25] The film talks about the United States Department of Health and Human Services 2003 patent on cannabinoids.[26] It also explores the prohibition of "ancient drugs" on children through the story of an infant named Cash Hyde who was diagnosed with brain cancer.[27] The film shares findings of Dr. Donald Abrams, Head of Oncology at San Francisco General Hospital, and a Canadian man named Rick Simpson who reportedly devised a new type of cannabis oil used to treat serious illnesses. In the film Booth and wife Trae become foster parents and explore the issue of foster children being over-medicated. Booth and two New York Times journalists filmed in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, to show how young boys are being recruited by drug cartels.[28][29] It is available through a "world-wide video-on-demand" system for theaters provided by Gravitas Ventures' start up, TUGG.com,[30] and Warner Brothers.[26]

Shadows of Sofia

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Booth directed Shadows of Sofia (2019) To examine Russian manipulation on the small eastern European country of Bulgaria.

Lecture tours

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Booth has shown clips of How Weed Won the West[31] and later his documentary American Drug War: The Last White Hope and lectured at universities[5] and other organizations about American drug policy and legalization of marijuana.[32] For instance the Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) of Tufts University brought Booth onto the campus in December 2012 to screen the film and talk with university students.[33] In February 2012, the University of New Hampshire's NORML / SSDP group held an event for Booth.[34]

Personal life

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Booth is married to Trae Painter Booth, who was an associate producer, production accountant and make-up artist on American Drug War 2: Cannabis Destiny. She also appeared in the documentary.[35]

Works

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Music

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Filmography

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Booth's film and video works include:[3]

Year Film Type Position(s)
2019 Shadows of Sofia documentary writer, director, producer, editor
2013 American Drug War 2: Cannabis Destiny documentary writer, director, producer, editor
2010 How Weed Won the West documentary director, producer
2007 American Drug War: The Last White Hope documentary director, executive producer, editor
2005 Martial Law 9/11: Rise of the Police State documentary co-producer, editor
2004 American Dictators TV documentary director, executive producer, producer
2002 Doug Stanhope: Word of Mouth video director, producer, editor
2001 Joe Rogan: Live from the Belly of the Beast video director, producer, editor
2000 The Best of Alex Jones video documentary editor
1996 Dwight Slade: Willy's Footsteps video director, editor
1993 On the Seventh Day in Waco video documentary director, editor
1993 Counts of the Netherworld TV movie director, producer
1993 Sacred Cow Halloween Special video editor
1993 Sea Man video documentary short director, editor
1991 Ninja Bachelor Party short director, producer
1989 Bill Hicks: Sane Man video documentary director, executive producer, producer, editor

Booth has also been an actor, camera operator, cinematographer and has appeared as himself in documentaries, videos and on television.[3]

See also

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Publications

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  • Kevin Booth; Michael Bertin (June 24, 2010). Bill Hicks: Agent of Evolution. HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 978-0-00-737503-5.

References

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  1. ^ "Kevin Booth". IMDb. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  2. ^ "Martial Law 9/11: Rise of the Police State (2005) Full Cast & Crew". IMDb. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Kevin Booth". IMDb. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  4. ^ Kevin Booth; Michael Bertin (June 24, 2010). Bill Hicks: Agent of Evolution. HarperCollins Publishers. pp. v, 29, 49, 119. ISBN 978-0-00-737503-5.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Cannabis Science Chooses Filmmaker Kevin Booth for Specialty Documentary". Wireless News. Close-Up Media, Inc. March 22, 2012. Archived from the original on January 17, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  6. ^ Cynthia True (March 1, 2002). American Scream: The Bill Hicks Story. HarperCollins. pp. 21–24, 26–27, 33. ISBN 978-0-380-80377-4. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  7. ^ Cynthia True (March 1, 2002). American Scream: The Bill Hicks Story. HarperCollins. p. 62. ISBN 978-0-380-80377-4. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  8. ^ a b c Year Zero. WorldCat. OCLC 050484723.
  9. ^ a b Cynthia True (March 1, 2002). American Scream: The Bill Hicks Story. HarperCollins. p. 160. ISBN 978-0-380-80377-4. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  10. ^ a b "Kevin Booth". Discogs. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  11. ^ Cynthia True (March 1, 2002). American Scream: The Bill Hicks Story. HarperCollins. pp. 61–62. ISBN 978-0-380-80377-4. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  12. ^ Cynthia True (March 1, 2002). American Scream: The Bill Hicks Story. HarperCollins. p. 146. ISBN 978-0-380-80377-4. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  13. ^ "SPIN's 40 Greatest Comedy Albums of All Time | SPIN | Best of SPIN | All Time". SPIN. November 1, 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  14. ^ a b "Bill Hicks : Kevin Booth and Michael Bertin". HarperCollins. April 3, 2006. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  15. ^ "American: The Bill Hicks Story". IMDb. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  16. ^ "On the Seventh day in Waco". IMDb. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  17. ^ "Martial Law 9/11: Rise of the Police State". IMDb. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  18. ^ Schell, Bernadette Hlubik (2007). The Internet And Society: A Reference Handbook. ABC-CLIO. p. 279. ISBN 978-1-59884-031-5. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  19. ^ Attallah Ali (January 2013). The Black Papers: An Exploration of the Dilemma Within the African-american Community. AuthorHouse. p. 48. ISBN 978-1-4685-9489-8. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  20. ^ a b Shirley Halperin; Steve Bloom (February 4, 2011). Reefer Movie Madness: The Ultimate Stoner Film Guide. Abrams. p. 942. ISBN 978-1-61312-016-3. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  21. ^ a b William B. Russell (2009). Teaching Social Issues with Film (Hc). IAP. pp. 75–76. ISBN 978-1-60752-117-4. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  22. ^ "American drug war: the last white hope review". Curve. Outspoken Enterprises. September 1, 2008. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  23. ^ Market Wire (November 2007). 4th Annual Artivist Film Festival and Artivist Awards Announce the Winning Films of this Year's Festival. Press release.
  24. ^ "Tugg - American Drug War 2: Cannabis Destiny". Archived from the original on April 14, 2013.
  25. ^ "Synopsis : American Drug War 2 - Premiering June 6th, 2013". Archived from the original on June 11, 2013.
  26. ^ a b "US: Thursday, June 6, 7:30 PM most venues, thought-provoking sequel to American Drug War premieres limited showings in theaters coast to coast". Web Wire. June 4, 2013. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  27. ^ Kevin Booth. "American Drug War 2: Cannibis Destiny". IMDb. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  28. ^ Mary Ought Six (June 5, 2013). "American Drug War 2". High Times. Archived from the original on June 11, 2013. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  29. ^ "Demo Reel ( Rediscovering Cannabis Oil. Clip No. 3 from "AMERICAN DRUG WAR 2")". IMDb. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  30. ^ "The X-Change Corporation Announces the Sacred Cow Production presentation of 'AMERICAN DRUG WAR 2: Cannabis Destiny,' a film by Kevin Booth". Pediatrics Week. NewsRX. May 4, 2013. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  31. ^ Anna Davis (November 15, 2011). "Kevin Booth Discusses the Legalization of Marijuana". The Pointe News – St. Mary's College of Maryland. Archived from the original on February 7, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  32. ^ "Should Marijuana be Legalized? Promoting Education NOT Incarceration, Kevin Booth". Contemporary Issues Agency. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  33. ^ James Pouliot (November 27, 2013). "SSDP to host premiere of drug war documentary". Tufts Daily. Retrieved June 17, 2013.[permanent dead link]
  34. ^ "UNH NORML/SSDP hosts Drug War Documentary Filmmaker Kevin Booth!". Wildcat Link – University of New Hampshire. February 21, 2012. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  35. ^ "Trae Painter Booth". IMDb. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
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