If you love the Tabernacle of Hedonism, we could use a cup of coffee or two. Enjoy the article.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Reverend Angeldust's Tabernacle of Hedonism with your Host, Tom Miller - a.k.a. The Tom Miller Show - has been offering a free speech stage for open mic performers and entertaining audiences with their brand of irreverent satirical comedy for a whopping thirty-nine years. It is the longest-running open-mic live variety show in America.
In its current incarnation at The University Club, Top Floor on Monday nights at 10:30 p.m., the show operates as a (possibly) phony Church of absurdity in which the goals seem to be legalizing Marijuana to run for President, opposition to reverse-engineering UFOs, holding seances to repel neo-Nazis, embracing nudity and diversity as a strength, and reverence for Jamba the Great Dumpster Goddess from which all sustenance cometh. Miller even has a screenplay for the Tabernacle of Hedonism running around Hollywood based on certain actual events of the show. He calls it his "... modern stoner comedy."
Miller ANNOUNCES he will retire as the Host of the show in December of 2024.
"Forty years is long enough," Miller said, "Now I have to get a job that pays money instead of beer. Quality oysters are getting very expensive these days."
The figurehead of the show, "The Reverend Angeldust", has been a long-time local character in Gainesville. From his publication POETRY OF THE PEOPLE which he used to sell door-to-door, to his performances and sermons at Gainesville Hempfests, his poetry open mic show from the late 80s, to his selfless philanthropic work protecting and serving the flora and fauna of Micanopy and surrounding areas, Angeldust (Paul Cohen in real life), a plant expert, has been instrumental in raising awareness and helping to legalize marijuana. If one sees a dispensary featuring high-quality weed, he would be one of many activists (including Jack Herer, Murli Watkins, Michael Geison, Marcelina Michel-Trapaga, Kevin Aplin, and far too many to name here) worthy of a thank you.
His catchphrase, "Maybe if we were all naked, there wouldn't be any wars," is more relevant now than ever.
"We have entire shows archived on YouTube "Reverend Angeldust", so even if the show ends, it never ends. We have sixteen hundred videos and ninety-seven subscribers! It's a great success for Jamba."
Miller is a multi-disciplinary Performance Artist and Screenwriter and says it's time to step up and sell out. "At some point, artists gotta' eat, and my taste for lobster, caviar, and truffles is no longer sustainable. I'm going to have to start making stuff people like now, which is a huge disappointment for me."
Over the years, the show has enjoyed a cast of local artists and characters over time including Michael Garvin (the best-dressed Deacon), Auntie Bobo (The Nacho Lighter Queen), Tapewerm (who sings songs about serial killers and lights firecrackers out of his mouth), Hurdy Gurdy & Celtic Master Jason Catron, Rayvon PurpleKloud Rollins (Songwriter, Community Activist), Gregg Werner (Gainesville's Funniest Comedian), and countless others.
Will the show continue with someone else at the helm? Miller responds, "I don't even know if we're living in a simulation. Maybe an A.I. could step in, but it would probably have weird fingers and nuke the audience."
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Tom Miller is a nationally recognized American Screenwriter, Performance Artist, Playwright, Actor, Sound Designer, Painter, Poet, and Musician living in Gainesville, Florida - the Known Center of the Universe. He holds a BA from the University of Florida in Theatre, and an MFA in Screenwriting from the David Lynch School of Cinematic Arts at Maharishi International University. Tom Miller is the host of the longest-running continuous open mic show in America, the Tom Miller Show (a.k.a. The Reverend Angeldust's Tabernacle of Hedonism.) More information is available at his "Secret" official webpage: http://millerworks.weebly.com
Tom Miller's Portfolio, Media, and Press can be viewed here: https://millerworks.journoportfolio.com/