Help Phil Kaufman: Road Mangler

Mangling the Mangler: Help Phil Kaufman

 

Phil Kaufman is a delight.

He's brought us music, road managing Emmylou Harris, Frank Zappa, Joe Cocker, Nanci Griffith, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Etta James, and many more, assuring they made it to the gig on time to sing for us, and meriting a lifelong monicker, "Road Mangler Deluxe."

He gave us rock 'n' roll's greatest body-snatching and DIY cremation story, when he fulfilled the mighty promise he made to Gram Parsons.

He's made us laugh, with road stories and vaudeville routines and even tattoos: This is a guy who will pay someone to stick him with needles, all for a joke. His favorite gag tattoo was of a chicken in a noose, hanging upside down, just below his knee.

Alas, the cock that hung below Phil's knee is gone now, a victim of road rash. "Road rash" is a cute little name for what happens when skin meets asphalt. Skin loses.

Here's the deal: Phil Kaufman, age 80, was critically injured in a motorcycle accident in July, 2015, on I-24, north of Nashville. He nearly died. The helmet saved his life, but it didn't keep his back from breaking, his right ankle from fracturing, or his ribs from cracking. His chicken tattoo is gone, and he's not feeling so good himself.

Phil can't work, he requires food and care, he's 80-years-old, and he needs our help. He's a good person, and now is the time for good people to rally around him, to let him know that we care about him, and to send him some dough.

This GoFundMe site makes it easy for us to do all that, while Phil recovers.

Please view and share Phil's video and this link.