Hubbry Logo
Jamie DeWolfJamie DeWolfMain
Open search
Jamie DeWolf
Community hub
Jamie DeWolf
logo
8 pages, 0 posts
0 subscribers
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Jamie DeWolf
Jamie DeWolf
Jamie DeWolf
View on Wikipedia
from Wikipedia

Jamie DeWolf (born October 28, 1977) is an American slam poet, film director, writer, spoken word artist, and circus ringmaster from Oakland, California.[1]

Key Information

DeWolf is known for his career as a slam poetry champion, his award-winning films for the Youth Speaks Bigger Picture Project, live tours with the performance trio The Suicide Kings, hosting the monthly variety show Tourettes Without Regrets in Oakland, and for his work as a producer and performer on NPR's Snap Judgment. DeWolf has appeared on HBO's Def Poetry, 60 Minutes, UPN, Inside Edition, and CBS. He directed, wrote, and starred in the feature film Smoked. The Movie (2012).

He is the great-grandson of author and Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard and an outspoken critic of the Church of Scientology. In 2000 he hosted the first ever anti-Scientology summit in Clearwater, Florida.[2] He was named one of the "Top 25 People Crippling Scientology" by The Village Voice in 2011.[3]

Early life

[edit]

DeWolf was born in Eureka, California. Raised Baptist, DeWolf was a "hardcore Christian kid" who hoped to become a minister. At the age of six, his pastor handed him a book titled The Kingdom of the Cults. It referred to contemporary religious movements, one of which stuck out: Scientology, founded to his surprise by his own great-grandfather, L. Ron Hubbard. Since that point, DeWolf became fascinated with his ancestor's legacy, reading his books, and citing Hubbard's legacy as his inspiration to become an artist. "I remember idolizing L. Ron as a kid, and I remember asking my mom all the time why couldn't I meet him," admits DeWolf. "I didn't know at that point that he had created a religion, I just knew when I went into a bookstore I could find books by him—he was evidence to me that you could be a writer simply by your will alone. Outside of this man running this crazy church and brainwashing millions of people, at the same time he was just another family member."[4]

DeWolf calls his great-grandfather "one of the greatest con men of the last century." "I wanted to meet him," DeWolf said of Hubbard. "But he was already in hiding by the time I was born. I was told not to ask my grandfather, L. Ron, Jr., about him," DeWolf said. "L. Ron and L. Ron, Jr. were locked in this dangerous end-game, where Junior was trying to flush him out of hiding." DeWolf's grandfather, L. Ron Hubbard Jr., was born in 1934 into a front-row seat for the creation of Scientology. He helped with that family business for a while, but later told Penthouse that "99% of anything my father ever wrote or said about himself is untrue," and compared Scientology's inner sanctum, the "Sea Org," with the Hitler Youth. "I was incredibly religious. Super devout," said DeWolf. "I would stand on street corners passing out pamphlets warning about the apocalypse." Yet he entered adolescence feeling alone and troubled, as if a "toxic Molotov cocktail" simmered inside him.[5]

"Ever since I was young I would often get sent to the school psychiatrist for what I was writing. A lot of it was just too macabre, in retrospect. But I realized, even when I was a Christian kid, that a lot of what drew me into Christianity—and what they were certainly exploiting—was my fascination with demonology and the apocalypse, the Antichrist and the Whore of Babylon. I must have read the Book of Revelation 10,000 times by the time I was ten years old."[6] He began reciting more poetry at the microphones that were just opening up in the bedroom communities of Benicia and Vallejo in the late 1990s. "I would come in with this fire and blood," DeWolf said. "And they did not want that."[5]

Slam poetry

[edit]

He found himself going to open-mic sessions but it was only when he found poetry slams that he came into his own. "The first time I went to a poetry slam, it was the only place that people wouldn't kick me out; they would just give me low scores."[7] "The competition made me better. It also made me aware of how my words could set the mood of an entire room."[8] "I started in Vallejo and Benicia so I have a lot of love for people who just completely are defiant in the space of small towns who create a space for people to speak and to create an open forum. It's like flame throwers for moths. There's a lot of magic that can happen with that. It certainly changed my life."[9] "Poetry and spoken word became an outlet for everything that was naked and confessional. There's something raw about simply telling your story without pretense, without props, just you and a microphone. There's no hiding up there, it's just you and your ghosts."[10]

Since his first slam in 1999, DeWolf won his way onto seven slam teams, competing on the finals stage at the National Poetry Slam on his first team. He has since become a National Poetry Slam Champion, the Berkeley Grand Slam Champion, a YouthSpeaks Mentor, a featured performer on HBO's Def Poetry Jam hosted by Mos Def, appearing in Season Three with his poem "Grim Fairy Tale", and taping for Season Five with Dave Chappelle and Lauryn Hill. DeWolf's style has been described as "raw and raucous." "He brings that same inimitable, avant-garde style to everything he does—poetry, playwriting, performance and his latest endeavor, filmmaking."[11]

At the same time he began participating in Poetry Slam, DeWolf started teaching Slam in high schools. "It gave me a driving force to help the kids like me and give them another model. It made me realize I had survived and chosen art as an escape route."[12] "Too often we ignore what young people have to say and they're not asked to express themselves authentically– people are shoved into writing essays and taught how to speak. That's why bringing slam poetry to kids empowers them and encourages them to think about what they want in a way that they want."[8] Since his Slam beginnings, DeWolf has performed and led writing workshops at over 90 universities, high schools and juvenile detention centers across the globe, working with such organizations as Opera Piccola, Lunchbox International, and Youth Speaks.[citation needed]

In 2001 the San Francisco Chronicle characterized DeWolf as "a nationally recognized slam poet".[13] His work has been featured on 60 Minutes, UPN and NPR. He coached the Youth Speaks team twice, one of which was featured on Brave New Voices on HBO hosted by Common and Rosario Dawson. He opened for B. Dolan on the first Church of Love and Ruin tour, for Shane Koyczan, and was featured in 2014 on All Def Poetry with his poem "Rebels Without Applause." He was awarded The East Bay Express Best of the Bay "Best Poet" twice, in both 2012 and 2013.[14]

The Suicide Kings

[edit]

As a member of The Suicide Kings performance trio (with Geoff Trenchard and Rupert Estanislao), DeWolf toured the country performing and teaching writing workshops at colleges, high schools, poetry slams, and juvenile detention centers. In 2006 they received funding from the National Performance Network Creation Commission, The Zellerbach Family Foundation, and the City of Oakland to write In Spite of Everything, which premiered at the Oakland Metro, then moved to the EXIT Theatre in San Francisco,[15] eventually touring nationwide and to Moscow. It has been described as "a poignant, chilling knockout of a play ... that beautifully incorporates their visceral verse into the brutal narrative to a school shooting." and "an eight-minute crime caper about the Columbine shootings in reverse."[16] The play was showcased at the Hip Hop Theater Festival in 2007 and was chosen as one of the "top ten" plays of the year by East Bay Express the same year.

The trio performed worldwide at colleges, high schools, juvenile detention centers. In 2004, they toured with Sage Francis and Doomtree on the Abusement Tour.

The Ruckus Revival (Tourettes Without Regrets)

[edit]

In 1999 DeWolf founded the monthly variety show, Tourettes Without Regrets, described on the website as, "One part poetry slam, one part freestyle battle, and one part psychotic erotic vaudeville showcase."[17] "Tourettes Without Regrets is essentially an evening of absurdity, mixed with artistic precision and insanity."[18] "Since 1999, DeWolf has ceaselessly devoted his life to making Tourette's Without Regrets a one-of-a-kind experience for both performers and audience. Commonly known as 'the fight club of underground art,' the variety show acts as a playground for some of the most eccentric and fearless people in the Bay Area."[19] DeWolf says of Tourettes, "I'm promising to push their boundaries, to blow their mind, but also to make something feel absolutely alive. It's like being a reverse cult leader as I'm being naked about wanting to brain wash you for your own entertainment and for a hell of a lot cheaper."[20] "One of their largest shows of the year is the annual 'F*ck Valentines Day Spectacular' which the irreverent DeWolf is at his most festive, presiding over sex toy giveaways, interpretive dances based on worst sex experiences, competitions to find which audience member survived the most odious ex-boyfriend or -girlfriend (the three winners get to have a pig's heart mailed to the ex's house), a game of 'What's Down My Pants?,' and prank calls to former lovers."[21] Tourettes allows DeWolf "to let his inimitable stage presence, fiery banter and wild imagination go full throttle. Most months, "full throttle" includes some measure of burlesque, bondage, dirty haiku tournaments, lap dances, rap battles, sexual pantomiming and things being set on fire, interspersed with spoken word and stand-up comedy."[22]

Over the past 18 years, Tourettes has changed venues repeatedly, moving to Oakland where it started at The Stork Club, then finding its current home where "every month, throngs of fans descend upon the Oakland Metro Operahouse, a chilly warehouse with mottled, tar-spattered cement floors, to witness one of Oakland's strangest attractions. Tourettes Without Regrets is a raunchy, attention-deficit vaudeville extravaganza."[23] The show "combines variety show with game show for a balanced and rhythmic flow of high-energy scenes: the slam judges introduced themselves by mimicking psychotic animals; two previous "dirty haiku" champions faced off in three rounds; a sick beatboxing duo gave a perfectly timed set; a surreal burlesque/performance group combined a flute, some high-flown language, and a Snow White strip-tease, etc."[24] Called "one of the wildest and most creatively raw variety shows in the Bay Area" by SF Weekly,[25] the show has spawned a series of spinoff events, such as the annual Game of Thrones Show, where "the crowd is segregated into Starks and Lannisters and crazed interactive games ensue. You help kill off favorite characters and rewrite the ending of the show yourself."[26] The show includes "a local "choose your own adventure" band whose live show involves twelve-sided dice the size of beach balls. As per the night's theme, the group will perform new material inspired by Game of Thrones."[27] The Holy Sh*t Show, lampoons Scientology, and the yearly XXX Show, started in 2012 at the Mitchell Brothers O'Farrell Theater.[28] In DeWolf's own words about Tourettes, "If you've never been to a rap battle, if you've never been to a poetry slam, if you've never seen burlesque, if you've never seen stand-up comedy, or dirty haiku, or freakish, inventive contests—then that's what the show is for, to put all of those elements into one show. What makes 'Tourettes' individual and unique is throwing all of these elements together and seeing what happens."[29] "It's Psychotic vaudeville. It's taking highbrow and lowbrow and making them collide in this demolition derby."[11] The show has won "The Best of the Bay" multiple times from The East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Guardian since its inception.

On December 03, 2020, DeWolf announced this would be the final Tourettes Without Regrets and the monthly show would continue under the name Ruckus and Rumpus Revival.[30]

Performance

[edit]

Beyond his work with spoken word poetry, DeWolf has established himself as a showman and performer in the San Francisco Bay Area. He appears as the regular host for not only Tourettes Without Regrets, but annual festivals such as The East Bay Express Film Awards, Briefs Erotic Short Film Festival, Scream Film Festival, The Folsom Street Fair, and the Sacramento Horror Film Festival. DeWolf worked as a producer for Oakland-based NPR's Snap Judgement, where he produced a number of stories, and performed several of his own, including The God and the Man,[31] which drew international attention, and The Girl in the Hallway, chronicling the tragedy of Xiana Fairchild, who at age 7 in 1998 was snatched off the street and killed while she lived in the same apartment building as DeWolf.[32][33]

Smoked the Movie

[edit]

In 2006, DeWolf began filming Smoked. The Movie, a feature film crime caper set in Oakland that "tells the story of three low-lifes, played by the Suicide Kings, who rob a cannabis club after their house is burned down—not realizing that the club is owned by local crime lord Tyrone Shanks (local slam poet Abdul Kenyatta)."[34] "Drawn like most of the cast from the spoken word community, Kenyatta's magnetism is so strong that he turns the most cold-blooded character in the film into a kind of hero—one who sees his own criminal pursuits through the prism of class warfare. Shanks calls himself a "true motherfuckin' revolutionary," and frequently talks about competing with the CIA for business and targeting rich white folk for addiction."[35] DeWolf spent the next two years "chasing his amateur actors 'El Mariachi-style' through the Netherlands of Oakland."[36] "DeWolf staged wild-west showdowns in broad daylight ... where cinematic hit squads ran around shooting at one another with live blanks."[34] The impetus for Smoked came from an article about a real cannabis club robbery. "'I love crime capers; I love heist films,' said the filmmaker. 'I love the gray illegality of cannabis clubs in general. ... If you robbed a cannabis club what would happen in terms of how would the cops respond?'"[34]

Straight.com called Smoked "mean, bloody, and demented. It's also piss-your-pants hilarious, maddeningly nihilistic, oddly sentimental, weirdly moral, extremely silly, and insanely energetic. It's almost too energetic for the screen, to be honest."[35] "full of orgiastic naked clowns, wanton black revolutionary street executions, crappy ninjas, asshole kids, and seemingly countless hippies being tortured to death." "exaggerating the dark side of the modern marijuana 'industry' to cartoonishly nasty levels."[35] Picked up for distribution by Indican Studios Archived July 1, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, the studio that released Boondock Saints, it was a featured film at the Rio Grind Theater Film Festival in Vancouver and the Oakland Underground Film Festival. An ambitious undertaking, DeWolf viewed Smoked as an exploration of his city's culture. "There's a lot of history infused in there, a lot of references to Black Panthers and revolution. Oakland and Berkley are right next to each other and even in the history of these cities, there's been this certain element of tension. That tension, and that kind of ideological war, aggression versus pacifism; it's just really interesting to explore."[35]

Films

[edit]

A year into the filming of Smoked, DeWolf enrolled in college at the San Francisco State University, where he received a film degree.[5]

DeWolf has collaborated with Youth Speaks, a San Francisco-based organization focused on teen spoken-word artists and has directed several films for their "The Bigger Picture Project"—a joint effort with the UCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations to raise awareness of type 2 diabetes. Featured poets visit Bay Area high schools to perform their poetry and coach students to write their own health justice poetry.[37]

The films have garnered national attention.[38] His short film Thin Line about a family stricken with Diabetes and amputations was the $5000 Grand Prize Winner of the Real Food Media Film Competition. And the following year his film Home Flavored, also known as A Taste of Home, won the Grand Prize.[39]

The Thin Line and another Youth Speaks collaboration, The Dealer were accepted into the 2013 Food and Farm Film Festival at the Roxie Theater.[40] His film Perfect Soldiers won the youth category of the 2015 Sacramento Food Film Festival. In 2015 DeWolf was commissioned to direct a feature-length documentary entitled "Biker with a Moral Compass: Dr. Dick Fine and the Evolving Culture of SFGH", a documentary portraying and paying tribute to the life, times and contributions of UCSF and SFGH physician Dick Fine MD, Founder and Former Director of the General Medicine Clinic.[41]

In 2014, DeWolf worked with Youth Speaks' newly formed Off Page Project to create three pivotal films. "The Off/Page Project combines the analytical lens of The Center for Investigative Reporting with the groundbreaking storytelling of the literary nonprofit Youth Speaks. Living at the intersection of youth voice and civic engagement, the Off/Page Project provides a multimedia platform for young people to investigate the issues and stories that would otherwise be silenced."[42] "In the inaugural video Whispers from the Fields," 19-year-old Monica Mendoza takes on the challenging issue of sexual violence among migrant women farmworkers."[43] "Their voices and poems and creative art has the power to change aspects of their lives personally, but also to have an impact on another kid's life and another city's life."[44] "This is Home" was "produced as a part of Subsidized Squalor, a collaborative investigation by CIR, KQED and the San Francisco Chronicle that exposed the failures of the Richmond Housing Authority in California and how it has left residents living in deplorable conditions."[45] The third film, "Locked In" is "a piece depicting the disturbing reality that many youth face in solitary confinement."[46] DeWolf also made three films in collaboration with Write Home, addressing teen homelessness.[47]

Several of the films have been featured on Upworthy. In addition to several Youth Speaks collaborations, his film "Waiting" with performance poet and humorist Thadra Sheridan, called "the best fucking video about waiting tables ever"[48] by The Bitchy Waiter went viral after appearing on UpWorthy and received over a million views. "Ricochet in Reverse," starring Isaac Miller and Rafael Casal is "a lyrical retelling of the Columbine school shootings going in reverse, as a meditation on youth violence and survival through art."[49]

DeWolf's own short films have garnered accolades and awards across the country. His short noir film "A Girl and a Gun" won "Best Acting Performance" at Briefs Erotic Film Festival.[50] and "Best Writing" at the Rio Grind Film Festival in a competition judged by The Soska Sisters, directors of "American Mary."[51] "Hey Baby Hey," a film about cat calling and sexual harassment, won the "Grand Prize Audience Award," "Judges Award," "Best Acting Performance" and "Cinematography" at the 2015 Briefs Erotic Film Festival.[52] DeWolf's film about a new dating service for monsters, "OK MONSTER" was the Grand Prize Audience winner at the Scream Horror Film Festival,[53] and was selected for the Fantastic Planet Festival in Australia.[54] His film "Double Agent" which remixes a sexual identity into James Bond title sequence was selected for the CineKink Film Festival in NYC.[55] His short film "U Turn" was selected for a feature-length horror film anthology franchise by Ruthless Pictures and received international distribution.[56] His short film "Black Out" with Wonder Dave, delving into difficult subject matter talking about kink, sex and race was accepted into the Briefs Erotic Film Festival 2016. DeWolf also directed the controversial "Sweet Sh*t of Christ" music video with Bobby Joe Ebola and the Children MacNuggits that covers centuries of Christian history in a matter of minutes. The video features featuring a black Jesus carrying a crucifix in downtown Oakland followed by Santa Claus, zombies, the Easter Bunny and priests, a recreation of the Jonestown massacre, live snakes and faith healing. After winning their first ever Hosting Competition, DeWolf now hosts the annual Sacramento Horror Film Festival, which features horror burlesque acts and live shadowcasting of films like REPO: The Genetic Opera with live appearances by Skinny Puppy's Nivek Ogre.

Family

[edit]

Formerly Jamie Kennedy, DeWolf took his mother's maiden name in 2006 to avoid confusion with actor and fellow comedian Jamie Kennedy.[57] DeWolf is the great-grandson of L. Ron Hubbard;[1] being the grandson of Hubbard's son Ronald DeWolf (né L. Ron Hubbard, Jr.).[13] DeWolf told the San Francisco Chronicle in 2001 that his mother and girlfriend were visited by Scientology agents, who asked about his comments on Scientology in his poetry and his appearance at a November 2000 benefit for the Lisa McPherson Trust in Clearwater, Florida.[13] The poetry piece was titled "Judas' Son".[1] Initially, the Scientology agents told DeWolf's mother that they were fellow poets, but DeWolf later remarked, "My mom knew from the moment they started talking that they were Scientologists, which they admitted to."[1] DeWolf was quoted as saying, "They can't shut me up."[13] In 2013, he was quoted on The Young Turks as saying that Scientology is one of the most "devious, systematic brainwashing systems that's ever been invented."[58]

Views on Scientology

[edit]

DeWolf is an outspoken critic of the Church of Scientology. Of his own views on Scientology and his great-grandfather, DeWolf remarked in the East Bay Express: "Scientology is the most brilliantly engineered pyramid scam I've ever seen. L. Ron Hubbard—you can never say that he was an idiot, by any means. He was very intelligent, very sort of evil, malicious; a sort of overman, his will against the world."[1]

In a January 25, 2013, interview with Cenk Uygur on Current TV, DeWolf said that Scientology:

... works through a lot of hodgepodge of ideas thrown together with this extremely brutal sort of security sense and this kind of CIA-like structure that becomes really intoxicating to people. But to meet people who've been out of the cult—I mean, yeah, you want to ask them about Xenu and aliens—but the fact is these are smart people. They've just been completely destroyed.[59]

In 2015, DeWolf incorporated his monthly show in a special game show aimed at Scientology, including 'a conversation with journalist Tony Ortega, who appeared in HBO's documentary Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, and Paulette Cooper, author of The Scandal of Scientology.'[17]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Jamie DeWolf

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Jamie DeWolf is an American performer, filmmaker, writer, slam poet, arts educator, and circus ringmaster based in Oakland, California. As the great-grandson of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard through his mother's side—whose father, L. Ron Hubbard Jr. (later Ron DeWolf), was an early high-ranking member who renounced the organization—DeWolf has never been a Scientologist himself but has become a prominent critic, publicly documenting alleged harassment and stalking directed at his family after their departure from the church. DeWolf's career in and slam poetry includes victories as Oakland Grand Slam champion and coaching a Youth Speaks team to the Brave New Voices international finals, featured on ; he was voted "Best Poet" by the East Bay Express and performed with the spoken word trio The Suicide Kings. In , his works, including the feature Smoked and the animated short Girl in the Hallway (which earned 26 awards, such as the Fantasia Audience Award), have collectively won over 35 international accolades, earning him the "Best Filmmaker" designation from the East Bay Express and a Kenneth Rainin Foundation grant for documentary production. As a live event producer, DeWolf created and hosted The Ruckus Revival, described by media as one of America's premier underground shows, and has served as emcee for variety spectacles blending , circus elements, and provocative content. His outspoken opposition to , expressed through speeches, summits, and media appearances—including hosting the inaugural anti-Scientology summit in , and keynoting an international conference in —has drawn church rebuttals claiming DeWolf lacks direct knowledge of the organization.

Early Life and Family Background

Childhood and Upbringing

Jamie DeWolf was born in 1977 in . His parents divorced when he was three years old, at which time his younger brother, Asher, was one. DeWolf's mother, Deborah, subsequently remarried Robert Kennedy, after which the family relocated to . Kennedy, who worked in engineering, adopted DeWolf and his brother when they were 11 and 12 years old, respectively. DeWolf was raised in a Baptist household in , immersed in Christian practices including and attendance at religious camps emphasizing apocalyptic themes such as the . He developed an intense early interest in and repeatedly studied the , reading it thousands of times by age ten. The family's atmosphere was marked by pervasive fear and paranoia, as they believed they were being stalked and hunted by agents of the due to their connection to its founder, . This sense of threat persisted through the 1970s and 1980s, with the household avoiding open discussion of Hubbard or Scientology. During ages four to six, DeWolf endured molestation, an experience that later influenced his teenage struggles with .

Ties to L. Ron Hubbard and Family Departure from Scientology

Jamie DeWolf is the great-grandson of , the author who founded in 1953, via his maternal lineage. His grandfather, (known as "Nibs"), born May 7, 1934, to Hubbard and his first wife Polly Grubb, assisted in the nascent stages of and during the 1950s, including testing early auditing techniques and helping establish organizational structures. Hubbard Jr. severed ties with in November 1959, citing financial disputes and disillusionment with the organization's direction under his father's influence. He publicly renounced the church in subsequent years, changing his surname to DeWolf around 1972 to distance himself further, and provided critical testimony, such as in a 1982 claiming his father had died earlier than announced and alleging the church concealed it to maintain control. Post-departure, Hubbard Jr. reported persistent harassment from operatives, including surveillance, threats, and forced relocations across multiple states to evade detection; he described his father as turning "viciously" against him with tactics like wiretaps and attempts. These claims align with accounts from defectors who noted Hubbard's pattern of targeting dissenters, though the church has denied systematic abuse. Hubbard Jr. died on September 16, 1991, in , , after years of instability including multiple marriages and business ventures. DeWolf's mother, Hubbard Jr.'s daughter born in the 1950s, raised Jamie outside Scientology's influence, with the religion treated as a taboo subject at family gatherings; DeWolf later learned details through independent research and his grandfather's fragmented stories. This familial exodus predated DeWolf's birth in 1977, insulating him from direct involvement while shaping his later public critiques of the organization as a "dangerous cult."

Entry into Performance Arts

Beginnings in Slam Poetry

DeWolf entered the slam poetry scene in 1998 at age 21, debuting with a performance in , where he read a lengthy piece that earned low scores from judges, including a 4 out of 10 accompanied by a dismissive remark. This early experience highlighted the competitive nature of slams, yet provided an outlet for his unfiltered style, as traditional venues often ejected him for provocative content. Performing under the stage name Jamie Kennedy—derived from his mother's successive name changes from Hubbard to DeWolf to Kennedy—DeWolf persisted in the Bay Area circuit, which included venues in Benicia, Vallejo, Oakland, and Berkeley. By 1999, he achieved his first competitive success, winning a slam competition and securing the Oakland Grand Slam championship, marking the start of his reputation as a performer. These victories propelled him onto seven consecutive slam teams, with his debut team qualifying for the finals stage at the National Poetry Slam. His early poems drew from personal turmoil and familial legacy, blending raw lyricism with intensity, though initial audiences numbered only around 50 for key pieces. This foundation in slams laid the groundwork for his evolution into broader performance arts, emphasizing unapologetic, high-energy delivery over conventional politeness.

Formation of The Suicide Kings

The Suicide Kings, a trio specializing in high-energy slam poetry performances, was established in , by Jamie DeWolf, Geoff Trenchard, and Rupert Estanislao. The group originated from the competitive scene, where the members—each award-winning individual slam champions—collaborated as three friends drawn together by shared experiences in lyrical battles and a commitment to raw, unfiltered expression. Formation occurred around 2000, marked by a pivotal collaborative night that solidified their partnership, blending elements of intensity, hip-hop rhythms, and vaudeville-style into thunderous, eloquent shows described by critics as a "high octane mix of the profane and the profound." The trio's early dynamic emphasized mutual refinement of material, with each member's distinct emotional and stylistic approach—rooted in Oakland's underground —contributing to cohesive, narrative-driven pieces on , , and personal redemption. Shortly after coalescing, The Suicide Kings expanded beyond slams into structured theater, developing the play In Spite of Everything, which premiered at events like the Living Word Festival and explored youth violence and artistic resilience; the work was commissioned by the Zellerbach Family Foundation, City of Oakland, Hip Hop Theater Festival, and National Performance Network. This production underscored their formation as not merely performers but educators and activists, leading to tours across over 150 universities, high schools, juvenile facilities, and prisons, including San Quentin's inaugural slam event.

Major Productions and Live Shows

The Ruckus Revival (Tourettes Without Regrets)

The Ruckus Revival, originally launched as Tourettes Without Regrets, was created by Jamie DeWolf in 1998 in Benicia, California, when he was 21 years old. DeWolf initiated the show as a response to being rejected from conventional open mic venues due to the controversial nature of his writing and performances, starting with an event in a warehouse that evolved into a monthly series in Vallejo by 1999. The format combines elements of poetry slams, battles, , , sideshow acts, aerial performances, and , emphasizing underground art with a mix of and lowbrow . Audience participation is central, featuring interactive contests, open mics, and staged elements like violence and dirty battles, often described as raunchy and absurd. DeWolf serves as the primary host and MC, frequently joined by co-host Wonder Dave and performers such as Hunny Bunnah and Krystal Ashe. The show relocated to the Oakland Metro Operahouse, where it gained prominence as the largest and longest-running on the West Coast, held monthly on the first Thursday and open to despite its edgy content involving elements like staple guns, beds of nails, and sparks. It later rebranded as The Ruckus Revival, with variants like Ruckus and Rumpus Revival for outdoor events, adapting to challenges such as the by shifting to online formats. Recognized for combating and providing an open forum for artists, the production has earned three "Best of the Bay" awards and praise from outlets like the Huffington Post as "one of the best underground shows in America," alongside descriptions in SF Weekly as "outstandingly creative and completely insane." By its 15-year anniversary around 2013, it had established a legacy of eclectic, boundary-pushing in the Bay Area.

Evolution and Key Performances

DeWolf's early focus on slam poetry transitioned into collaborative and production-oriented performances, beginning with his formation of the trio The Suicide Kings alongside Geoff Trenchard and Rupert Estanislao. The group toured extensively across the and internationally, presenting their play In Spite of Everything, which addressed youth violence and artistic resilience, with premieres at the Living Word Festival and subsequent appearances at in New York and the Moscow Hip Hop Theater Festival. These tours often paired with hip-hop acts such as and B. Dolan, broadening DeWolf's exposure beyond poetry slams. Parallel to these efforts, DeWolf's hosting career evolved through The Ruckus Revival, originally conceived as Tourettes Without Regrets in 1998 in , as a direct counter to censorship. The show's inaugural warehouse event led to monthly iterations in Vallejo by 1999, frequently encountering venue closures and police interventions due to its provocative content, before stabilizing at the Oakland Metro as a multifaceted variety format incorporating poetry, , , aerialists, , and sideshow elements. This expansion garnered recognition, including "Best of the Bay" from the San Francisco Guardian and "Best Underground Cultural Event" from the East Bay Express, solidifying its position as the Bay Area's longest-running variety production. Standout individual performances include DeWolf's feature on HBO's during its 2002–2007 run, delivering pieces like "Grim Fairy Tale" that highlighted his lyrical intensity, and his NPR Snap Judgment segment awarded "Performance of the Year" for storytelling fusion with hip-hop and theater. The Ruckus format further adapted post-2014 with co-hosts like Wonder Dave, pandemic-era online shifts, and themed spectacles such as Halloween editions, sustaining over 25 years of live iterations while influencing regional arts scenes through consistent innovation in performer curation and audience engagement.

Filmmaking Endeavors

Smoked the Movie

Smoked is a 2012 independent dark written and co-directed by Jamie DeWolf, who also stars in the lead role. The film, co-directed by Joshua Staley (also credited as JD Staley), follows three stoner friends whose housewarming party spirals into chaos, resulting in a that leaves them broke and desperate. In a bid to recover financially, they devise a plan to rob a medical marijuana dispensary, unaware it is controlled by a ruthless crack dealer, leading to a series of violent and absurd confrontations. Set in an unfiltered portrayal of , the movie incorporates elements of mayhem including nude clowns, backyard brawls, and battle rap shootouts, emphasizing gritty, low-budget guerrilla-style filmmaking. DeWolf's involvement extended beyond writing and directing; he produced the film under his Punch Up Productions banner and performed in key scenes, drawing from his performance arts background to infuse spoken-word and improvisational energy into the narrative. The cast includes Rupert Estanislao as Smalls, Abdul Kenyatta, Francine Mean, and Mee Zee, with supporting roles by Eric Jacobus, Asher Kennedy, and Jaylee Alde. Shot primarily in Oakland locations to capture authentic urban grit, the production relied on local talent and minimal resources, reflecting DeWolf's ethos of raw, unpolished storytelling akin to his live poetry and theater work. An extended trailer released in 2012 highlighted the film's chaotic tone, featuring battle rap sequences and explosive party scenes. The movie runs 98 minutes and received a limited release, including DVD distribution through Indican Pictures. On IMDb, it holds a 5.3/10 rating based on 29 user votes, with critics noting its provocative humor and Oakland-specific cultural references, though some reviews critique its uneven pacing and reliance on . DeWolf has described Smoked as a vehicle for exploring themes of desperation and absurdity in marginalized communities, without shying from explicit violence and depictions. No major festival awards are documented, but it aligns with DeWolf's pattern of self-produced projects blending with cinema.

Other Films and Awards

DeWolf has directed a diverse array of short films, documentaries, and narrative works beyond Smoked, often blending lyrical storytelling with social commentary. His animated short Girl in the Hallway, adapted from his performance, secured 26 international awards, including the Audience Award at Fantasia in 2019, Best Animation Short at REGARD - Saguenay International in 2020, and Grand Jury Prize at Chattanooga in 2020. The noir-style short A Girl and a Gun, which he wrote and starred in, earned Best Acting Performance at Briefs in 2013 and Best Writing at Rio Grind in 2014. Additional notable shorts include Ricochet in Reverse, awarded Best Cinematography at Scream in 2014, and Strychnine Valentine, which received Best Writing at Rio Grind in 2018. DeWolf has also helmed over 25 films for the Bigger Picture Project, a youth-focused initiative on and obesity in collaboration with , several of which won festival recognition. Other projects encompass documentaries like Here Still, selected for festivals including Sacramento International in 2020 and awarded Best Short Documentary at Global Indian in 2019, alongside narrative entries such as Farmly, named Best of at Literally Short in 2019. Collectively, DeWolf's films have amassed over 35 international awards, with his body of work exceeding 90 shorts, commercials, documentaries, and music videos. He received the “Best Filmmaker” Audience Award from Express in 2016 and a Kenneth Rainin Foundation grant in 2018 for the Open Spaces Project.

Anti-Scientology Stance and Activism

Personal Testimony and Pieces

DeWolf's personal testimony centers on his family's history of involvement and eventual rejection of , beginning with his grandfather, Lafayette Ronald Hubbard Jr., who served as a high-ranking executive under before defecting in the 1960s, changing his surname to DeWolf, and publicly denouncing the organization as fraudulent. This break triggered sustained harassment against the family, including wiretaps, break-ins, death threats, and surveillance by unidentified agents in during the 1970s and 1980s, which DeWolf attributes to 's retaliatory practices. DeWolf himself began vocal opposition in 2000 by hosting the first anti-Scientology summit in —site of the church's spiritual headquarters—prompting immediate stalking, surveillance, and confrontations that he describes as hallmarks of the organization's suppression tactics. He has characterized as "absolute poison" to his family and a "dangerous criminal enterprise," emphasizing its disconnection policies that severed familial ties, as evidenced by his grandfather's trauma and the church's broader patterns of isolation. In performances, DeWolf integrates this testimony to critique 's foundations and his great-grandfather's legacy, often blending genealogy, excerpts, and firsthand accounts of dynamics. His 2011 piece "The God and the Man," delivered at Snap Judgment LIVE and later included on his 2017 Vaude Villain, recounts the Hubbard family's internal conflicts, his grandfather's exposure of church deceptions, and the personal costs of defection, framing Hubbard as a sci-fi writer turned manipulative leader influenced by practices. Earlier slam , such as a 2000 performance directly addressing L. Ron Hubbard's role in founding , elicited aggressive responses, including agents approaching his mother under false pretenses as fellow poets following his "Judas' " piece. These works, performed at events like slams and anti- conferences—including a keynote in Dublin, Ireland—serve as vehicles for disseminating unpublished documents, such as his grandfather's secret detailing Hubbard's early rituals, to challenge the church's sanitized narrative. DeWolf's approach prioritizes raw, evidentiary storytelling over abstract critique, drawing from direct lineage to underscore causal links between Hubbard's writings and the organization's coercive structures.

Specific Criticisms of Church Practices

DeWolf has characterized Scientology's core therapeutic practice of auditing as a mechanism of systematic , incorporating tools like the for "electrified " and techniques resembling therapy, which he claims combine a disparate array of pseudoscientific ideas to psychologically dismantle participants. He argues that these methods, embedded within a hierarchical "CIA-like structure," enable the church to methodically destroy intelligent individuals by eroding their and . In critiques of operational doctrines, DeWolf highlights the church's "Fair Game" policy, which he attributes to policies developed under his uncle Ronald DeWolf's influence, as authorizing aggressive pursuit of defectors through , , and legal warfare designed to bankrupt opponents by seizing "every last cent" and targeting personal assets. He describes this as part of a broader apparatus including a dedicated force—unique among cults in his view—that conducts , , and infiltration against critics, including documented attempts to interrogate his own family in over his anti-Scientology performances. DeWolf further condemns practices enabling familial disconnection and silencing, asserting that the church systematically fractures families and suppresses victims to maintain control, often through tactics that extend to ongoing campaigns against public detractors like himself since 2000. He points to the church's dominance in —where it owns substantial downtown real estate, deploys over 300 security cameras, and operates private transport—as emblematic of coercive territorial control that isolates members and enforces compliance. DeWolf views these elements collectively as transforming from Hubbard's initial fraud—nearly bankrupted by psychiatric scrutiny—into a profit-driven entity treating adherents as "meat with assets" to exploit.

Responses from Scientology and Broader Debate

The Church of Scientology has issued statements dismissing Jamie DeWolf's criticisms as stemming from ignorance and personal bias rather than factual knowledge of the organization or its founder, L. Ron Hubbard. In a 2012 response to DeWolf's public accusations that Scientology destroyed his family and operates as a "pyramid scheme," church spokesperson Karin Pouw stated, "Despite his public representations and self-promotion, Mr. DeWolf is not knowledgeable about the Church of Scientology or its founder." In October 2014, following a article featuring DeWolf's performances and family history critiques, the church sent a three-page letter to the newspaper rejecting his claims about Hubbard's motives, such as allegedly starting a for profit, as "born of ignorance and ." The letter defended Hubbard's legacy by emphasizing his extensive writings, naval service, and contributions to social programs like and literacy initiatives, while asserting that neither DeWolf nor the reporter possessed comparable insight into Hubbard's achievements. DeWolf has alleged years of stalking, harassment, and threats by Scientology agents targeting him and his family after their departure from the church, claims echoed in his spoken-word pieces and interviews. The church has not issued specific public rebuttals to these harassment assertions in relation to DeWolf, though it maintains that its policy of "Fair Game" against critics—officially canceled in —does not apply to contemporary practices, and it routinely denies engaging in such tactics against individuals. The broader debate surrounding DeWolf's activism reflects entrenched divisions between Scientology defenders, who view critics like him as opportunistic or misinformed outsiders exploiting for attention, and anti-Scientology advocates, including former members and independent researchers, who cite DeWolf's as corroborating patterns of familial disconnection, financial exploitation, and suppression of dissent documented in lawsuits and defectors' accounts since the . Independent analyses, such as those from ex-Scientology organizations, have amplified DeWolf's narrative as emblematic of generational trauma, while church-aligned sources maintain that such stories lack empirical substantiation and ignore the religion's purported benefits in and .

Controversies and Public Reception

Edgy Content and Artistic Risks

DeWolf's performances frequently incorporate edgy elements, such as explicit language and confrontational critiques of subjects, including his family's involvement in . In pieces like "The God and the Man," delivered at events such as Snap Judgment LIVE in 2011, he delivers a vehement takedown of , blending personal testimony with accusatory rhetoric that challenges the religion's foundational narratives. Slam poetry events featuring DeWolf emphasize emotional intensity and anger, positioning the form as inherently controversial and performance-oriented. As host of Tourettes Without Regrets (later rebranded The Ruckus Revival), DeWolf curates variety shows with provocative acts, including vulgar outbursts, stage battles, , and physical stunts like staple guns and beds of nails, encouraging audience heckling and booing to foster unfiltered expression. The format explicitly combats perceived in arts spaces, with DeWolf stating that attempts to suppress his work inspired the event's creation as a platform for boundary-pushing material. These artistic choices carry tangible risks, exemplified by an early 2000s performance where DeWolf was punched unconscious by an audience member during a poem on the , highlighting the potential for physical backlash against inflammatory content. His short films similarly explore provocative themes, earning accolades for "boundary-pushing subject matter" while inviting scrutiny over their explicit nature. DeWolf's commitment to such risks underscores his advocacy for unrepentant artistic audacity, often framing it as essential to subverting institutional controls on expression.

Criticisms of DeWolf's Work and Personal Life

DeWolf's provocative performances in slam poetry and variety shows such as Tourette's Without Regrets (later rebranded as The Ruckus Revival) have drawn backlash for their explicit language, physical stunts, and boundary-testing elements, occasionally resulting in direct confrontations with s. In one early iteration of the show at Oakland's Uptown Theatre, DeWolf was knocked unconscious by an audience participant during an onstage segment, an incident he later described as emblematic of the format's inherent risks and the crowd's unpredictable responses to its unfiltered chaos. The has repeatedly dismissed DeWolf's critiques of the organization as uninformed and motivated by personal vendetta rather than accurate insight, despite his lineage as L. Ron Hubbard's great-grandson. A church representative stated in 2012 that "despite his public representations and self-promotion, Mr. DeWolf is not knowledgeable about the or its founder," framing his activism as exaggerated familial grievance rather than substantive analysis. No verified allegations of misconduct or scandals in DeWolf's , such as legal issues or relational disputes, have surfaced in or reputable reporting as of 2025. His accounts of due to Scientology's influence— including his parents' when he was three and subsequent financial strains from medical bills—have been self-reported without contradiction from independent sources, though they underscore the contentious legacy shaping his public persona.

Ongoing Career and Influence

Recent Performances and Projects (Post-2020)

DeWolf has maintained an active presence in live performances through hosting and emceeing The Ruckus Revival, a vaudevillian featuring , music, , and circus acts in the Bay Area, with events continuing regularly post-2020. In April 2023, he collaborated on a joint event with Rumpus magazine's variety showcase, highlighting the show's eclectic format blending and . On May 10, 2024, DeWolf participated in a two-night aerial and dark arts performance series at Flux Vertical Theatre in collaboration with Dark Events SF. In September 2024, he performed at the opening night of the Poetry Festival alongside poets Jason Bayani, Lorenz Mazon Dumuk, and Wonder Dave. More recently, on October 25, 2025, DeWolf hosted a themed "Spooky Rasa Vitalia" edition of The Ruckus Revival, incorporating vitalist performance elements. On the film front, DeWolf received the Rainin Foundation's Open Spaces documentary grant for a series of short films profiling arts organizations focused on and community history. His screenplay , a thriller, advanced as a Screencraft finalist and appeared on Coverfly's Red List for unproduced scripts. Through his Punch Up Productions, he has continued developing and directing multiple projects post-2020.

Legacy in Underground Arts and Anti-Cult Advocacy

DeWolf's founding of Tourettes Without Regrets in 1999, rebranded as The Ruckus Revival, established a enduring platform for underground arts in the Bay Area, recognized as the longest-running and most outlandish variety show featuring circus acts, burlesque, slam poetry, and experimental performances. The production earned accolades including "Best Underground Cultural Event" from the East Bay Express and "Best of the Bay" from the SF Guardian, with critics describing it as "one of the best underground performance art shows in America" (Huffington Post) and "the most consistently spectacular event that Oakland’s ever seen" (San Francisco Chronicle). Designed to counter censorship and enable fearless expression, the show cultivated a community of eccentric artists, influencing local performance culture by prioritizing unfiltered creativity over commercial constraints. As a slam poet and arts educator, DeWolf amplified this legacy through competitive successes, leading seven Oakland slam teams as champion and coaching the Youth Speaks team to the Brave New Voices finals, documented on HBO. He has conducted writing workshops at over 90 institutions, including sessions with inmates at San Quentin State Prison, and produced films addressing social issues that garnered more than 35 international awards, such as the animated short Girl in the Hallway, which won 26 honors including the Fantasia Audience Award. These efforts positioned him as a mentor and innovator, extending underground arts' reach into education and social justice while maintaining a commitment to provocative, boundary-pushing content. In anti-cult advocacy, DeWolf's public opposition to , initiated in 2000 as L. Ron Hubbard's great-grandson, has advanced awareness of coercive practices through personal testimony and high-profile events. He hosted the first anti- summit in — the organization's headquarters—and served as keynote speaker at the inaugural international conference in , , drawing on family history of , , and doctrinal manipulation. pieces like "The God and the Man," performed on platforms such as NPR's Snap Judgment, critiqued Hubbard's legacy and the church's tactics, contributing to ex-member narratives featured in media and protests. Complementing these, DeWolf provides private support to families impacted by , collaborates with activists including and Jon Atack, and endorses initiatives like The Aftermath Foundation for victim aid, thereby sustaining momentum in efforts to expose and mitigate cultic harms.

References

  1. https://www.jamiedewolf.com/about
  2. https://www.jamiedewolf.com/scientology
  3. https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/bay-area-great-grandson-of-l-ron-hubbard-blasts-scientology/
  4. https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Descendant-of-Scientology-s-founder-has-5785550.php
  5. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/life/great-grandfather-founded-scientology-family-left-spent-years/
  6. https://www.vice.com/en/article/an-interview-with-the-great-grandson-of-scientology-567/
  7. https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Scientology-Founder-s-Family-Life-Far-From-What-2952900.php
  8. https://culteducation.com/group/1284-scientology/23001-penthouse-interview-with-l-ron-hubbard-jr.html
  9. https://www.nytimes.com/1982/12/12/us/son-says-he-thinks-scientology-founder-died.html
  10. https://abc7.com/archive/8958731/
  11. https://www.geni.com/people/Ronald-DeWolf/6000000020167431047
  12. https://pagesix.com/2013/01/18/l-ron-hubbards-great-grandson-scientology-is-a-dangerous-cult-absolute-poison/
  13. https://theruckusrevival.com/how-it-all-started
  14. https://bohemian.com/scientology-slam-1/
  15. https://jamiedewolf.bandcamp.com/album/the-suicide-kings-collected-works-exit-wounds-to-fun-times
  16. https://www.last.fm/music/The%2BSuicide%2BKings
  17. https://berkeleypoetryslam.wordpress.com/2014/04/08/5-questions-with-jamie-dewolf/
  18. https://www.jamiedewolf.com/theruckusrevival
  19. https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/theater/review-the-sparks-and-danger-are-real-in-outdoor-oakland-variety-show-ruckus-and-rumpus-revival
  20. https://theruckusrevival.com/press
  21. https://allaccessradio.libsyn.com/kelli-richards-interviews-jamie-dewolf
  22. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1548001/
  23. https://www.amazon.com/Smoked-Joshua-Staley/dp/B0F88HYQDQ
  24. https://www.jamiedewolf.com/smokedfeaturefilm
  25. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFcdL9VXtKg
  26. https://letterboxd.com/film/smoked/watch/
  27. https://www.indicanpictures.com/out-now/p/smoked
  28. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/smoked
  29. https://www.jamiedewolf.com/awards
  30. https://filmfreeway.com/JamieDeWolf
  31. https://www.wnyc.org/story/jamie-dewolf-god-and-man-snap-special-student-and-teacher/
  32. https://jamiedewolf.bandcamp.com/album/vaude-villain
  33. https://www.pacoromane.com/sup-doc-ep-16-going-clear-scientology-great-grandson-l-ron-hubbard-jamie-dewolf/
  34. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jamie-dewolf-scientology-brainwashing_n_2550647
  35. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/10726672/Scientology-how-L-Ron-Hubbards-heir-became-his-fiercest-critic.html
  36. https://davidgmcafee.wordpress.com/2012/10/06/exposing-scientology-an-interview-with-jamie-dewolf-by-david-g-mcafee/
  37. https://tonyortega.org/2014/10/08/exclusive-scientology-didn-want-you-to-see-this-letter-it-sent-to-the-san-francisco-chronicle/
  38. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QsCrFANMzc
  39. https://www.sfchronicle.com/performance/article/Tourettes-The-show-must-go-on-the-offensive-10822734.php
  40. https://oaklandnorth.net/2011/11/07/improv-vulgarity-stage-battles-a-random-badger-its-the-weird-tourettes-without-regrets-show/
  41. https://brokeassstuart.com/p/all-the-hullabaloo-behind-rumpus-and-ruckus-revival
  42. https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3gYX_sPC7n/
  43. https://www.tickettailor.com/events/pcsj/1362767
  44. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQIobxfEYrt/
  45. http://theaftermathfoundation.org/
Add your contribution
Related Hubs
User Avatar
No comments yet.