SARATOGA SPRINGS — “What is the overall message of the bus?” Dr. Bob Hieronimus asked the crowd of a few dozen who had gathered at the Saratoga Automobile Museum Aug. 9 for a meet-and-greet.
“We are one people. On one planet. And we’ve got to get ourselves back to the garden,” he said.
Robert R. Hieronimus, Ph.D. - AKA “Dr. Bob” - artist, author, and radio host, hails from Baltimore where he has painted more than 40 symbolic murals and dozens of painted Artcars.
In the late 1960s he traveled with several rock bands to share information about mysticism, and designed posters and album covers. His doctoral research on American symbolism has been used by the White House, State Department, and Department of the Interior, as well as being turned into popular books, Founding Fathers, Secret Societies and United Symbolism of America.
The “Light” Bus, renowned for its intricate symbolic artwork, holds a special place for music enthusiasts and history buffs as an emblem of the 1960s era, drawing a connection between music, culture, and automobiles.
Dr. Bob was joined by Bob Grimm, as well as the bus itself, for the talk at the auto museum. Grimm was a member of the band “Light,” which the bus is named after, and made the pilgrimage to Woodstock in the Summer of 1969 where the story of the bus takes place.