Tony Goggans, who had been a member of a band that had traveled up and down the east coast, was going through a rough spot in his life, A friend where Tony lived on Lookout Mountain in Alabama loaned Tony his cabin overlooking the river, which just happened to be stocked with an ample amount of marijuana and books written by or about numerous world-famous philosophers. Tony indulged heavily in both, as well as in the Bible while occasionally playing in a local bootlegger bar on the Mountain. And he wandered the Mountain trails along the river to absorb all that he was consuming. Over time, Tony began to believe that he was the son of Jesus, and he began to perfect the skills he would need to go forward and spread the word. After some period of this consummation and philosophical and spiritual consultation, Tony was asked to join a group of his former band members to play a summer gig in a honky-tonk bar in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. He realized that this might provide him the opportunity to advance his prophecy, and so he accepted the gig.
Tony quickly grew close to the go-go girls who performed there while he and the band played. Although the girls came to love Tony; were enamored by his preaching to them; and were willing to serve as his disciples, Tony concluded that he should develop male disciples, since that's what Jesus had. He tried to do so by recruiting men who worked on the docks and in the Myrtle Beach fishing industry, only to be met with threats and scorn.
This left Tony in a state of disappointment and depression, and the summer and his music gig were coming to a close. Tony had essentially decided to abandon his prophesy. On his last night at the honky-tonk, however, he performed a song he had just written, which drew wide praise and adoration. Emboldened by this, Tony decided to give it one more try.
He located a hard-core Baptist church in the country near Myrtle Beach and -- dressed in a long white robe with a staff and sandals, he hitchhiked to the church. Tony was lucky enough to catch a ride in a van with a group of California hippies who dropped him off near the church parking area and left him with a bag of grass that was stronger than the weed he had been using. While Tony waited for the church to fill, he hit the weed heavily and soon he was toked to the top.
Ultimately, the church filled and the congregation settled into the pews. As the preacher invited members of the congregation to speak, Tony marched down the aisle, dressed in his Jesus garb, and boldly announced "I AM JESUS! " and he continued to claim that he was "the way and the light" and "the one y'all pray to every night" and that he had chosen the congregation to serve as his disciples. After a brief silence, the first response was "let's hang his ass;" followed by another who asked "ain't no court gonna hold us liable are they judge?" and a response, "not in my court they aren't . . . ." Realizing that his time had passed, Tony made a beeline for the door as the preacher shouted "get your rifles."
Tony ran into the woods and escaped. But he no longer believed that he was Jesus or even the Son of Jesus, even though he still feels chosen. He kept his story secret for some fifty years, however, and he now warns his readers "Don't Smoke Pot And Read The Bible
