Today, I finished the second tape of Bill Bailey's interview, which contains an hour long account of his participation in the Bremen demonstration.
Listening to Bill Bailey speak is quite delightful. He is a very well-meaning, blunt, energetic old man. In a rough voice he repeats phrases like "Dem Nazi bastards" and "Dem sons o' bitches." I found myself smiling at his vivaciousness, which remained strong even 50 years after his service in Spain. I want to clarify that although Bill Bailey lacked a formal education, he was very intelligent and was able to learn quite a deal through his life experiences. Listening to him narrate the Bremen story, he uses large words like "belligerent" and refers to things like "Murphey's law." He generates great metaphors; for example, when describing being arrested at the Bremen story, he says "Police tripping on their own big feet." I could see this sensitivity and intelligence in Bailey's letters to Marjorie Polon as well. As I noted in an earlier post, some of the passages in those letters are quite beautiful, despite occasional spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.
I listened to a very descriptive account of Bailey's Bremen experience, feeling almost like I wa s there myself. From his narration, I realized that despite his gruffness and passion, Bailey was quite shy and sensitive. He recalls feeling almost "stage-fright" when he was on top of the ladder holding the Nazi flag in front of hundreds of people. He also recalls resentfully that their entire operation was rather brazen and arrogant, a "Hollywood production." It is interesting that despite inherent qualities in Bailey's personality, such as shyness and sensitivity, he becomes a part of this brazen and dangerous demonstration against the Nazis and in fact the central figure of the entire operation. It shows once more how forces of the community and life experiences impact a person, sometimes despite that person's inherent personal characteristics and inclinations.