Greg Sams
Encyclopedia
Gregory Sams is a UK-based, American-born, fractal
artist, social thinker, author, publisher, inventor, macrobioticist and creator of the veggie burger
.
and, aged 19, opened SEED, a macrobiotic restaurant in Paddington
with his brother Craig Sams
in 1968.
SEED Restaurant soon became popular with the 1960s London psychedelic
scene, and was frequented by John Lennon
among others, who drew a cartoon about his experiences at SEED.
The Sams brothers opened a specialised macrobiotic foodshop, Ceres Grain, the following year. To spread the word about Ceres and SEED, Greg published three editions of a specialised magazine called 'Harmony'. During the 1970s, Greg, his brother Craig and their father Ken edited and published a magazine called 'Seed, the Journal of Organic Living' over a seven year period.
In 1970 Greg and Craig set up Harmony Foods, which eventually became known as Whole Earth Foods.
In 1982, Greg left Whole Earth Foods with his brother who went on to become chairperson of the Soil Association
, and develop Green & Blacks organic chocolate with his partner. Greg went on to invent the first veggie burger
, which he christened VegeBurger, which became a worldwide success.
In 1990, Greg opened in London
Strange Attractions, the only shop in the world dedicated to the chaos theory
. He became famous for his fractal art
, his designs adorning postcards, t-shirts and textiles all over the world.
An enthusiast of the counterculture
movement, such as the non-violent direct action
street reclaiming events in the UK and elsewhere such as Reclaim the Streets
, Greg Sams began writing books that were promoted at these events, as well as during various trance music
, psytrance and acid techno
raves and free parties
around the UK. Uncommon Sense - the State is Out of Date was published in 1998 to great acclaim, showing the importance of chaos theory
in the way we live - and should live - our lives. In 2006 he completed a new book, Sun of gOd - Discover the Self-Organizing Consciousness That Underlies Everything.
Greg has been a regular on the world music festival scene ever since he provided the macrobiotic catering at the first Glastonbury Festival
in 1970. A regular of events such as Pendragon at the now defunct Tyssen Street Theatre Factory, he still travels to worldwide music festivals, solar eclipses, and festivals such as The Glade
. He was interviewed on the Liquid Crystal Vision film which has been viewed at many festivals worldwide.
Greg has been a wheelchair user since falling from a tree whilst a freshman at the University of California
, Berkeley
.
Fractal
A fractal has been defined as "a rough or fragmented geometric shape that can be split into parts, each of which is a reduced-size copy of the whole," a property called self-similarity...
artist, social thinker, author, publisher, inventor, macrobioticist and creator of the veggie burger
Veggie burger
A veggie burger is a hamburger-style patty that does not contain meat. The patty of a veggie burger may be made, for example, from vegetables, textured vegetable protein , legumes, nuts, dairy products, mushrooms, wheat, or eggs....
.
Life and works
Greg moved to LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and, aged 19, opened SEED, a macrobiotic restaurant in Paddington
Paddington
Paddington is a district within the City of Westminster, in central London, England. Formerly a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965...
with his brother Craig Sams
Craig Sams
-Early life and education:Craig Sams was born in Nebraska. He graduated from Wharton Business School in 1966.-Career:In October 1966, Sams went to England with plans to open a macrobiotic restaurant. He opened Seed, a macrobiotic restaurant in Paddington with his brother Greg Sams in 1968. The Sams...
in 1968.
SEED Restaurant soon became popular with the 1960s London psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
scene, and was frequented by John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
among others, who drew a cartoon about his experiences at SEED.
The Sams brothers opened a specialised macrobiotic foodshop, Ceres Grain, the following year. To spread the word about Ceres and SEED, Greg published three editions of a specialised magazine called 'Harmony'. During the 1970s, Greg, his brother Craig and their father Ken edited and published a magazine called 'Seed, the Journal of Organic Living' over a seven year period.
In 1970 Greg and Craig set up Harmony Foods, which eventually became known as Whole Earth Foods.
In 1982, Greg left Whole Earth Foods with his brother who went on to become chairperson of the Soil Association
Soil Association
The Soil Association is a charity based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1946, it has over 27,000 members today. Its activities include campaign work on issues including opposition to intensive farming, support for local purchasing and public education on nutrition; as well the certification of...
, and develop Green & Blacks organic chocolate with his partner. Greg went on to invent the first veggie burger
Veggie burger
A veggie burger is a hamburger-style patty that does not contain meat. The patty of a veggie burger may be made, for example, from vegetables, textured vegetable protein , legumes, nuts, dairy products, mushrooms, wheat, or eggs....
, which he christened VegeBurger, which became a worldwide success.
In 1990, Greg opened in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Strange Attractions, the only shop in the world dedicated to the chaos theory
Chaos theory
Chaos theory is a field of study in mathematics, with applications in several disciplines including physics, economics, biology, and philosophy. Chaos theory studies the behavior of dynamical systems that are highly sensitive to initial conditions, an effect which is popularly referred to as the...
. He became famous for his fractal art
Fractal art
Fractal art is a form of algorithmic art created by calculating fractal objects and representing the calculation results as still images, animations, and media. Fractal art developed from the mid 1980s onwards. It is a genre of computer art and digital art which are part of new media art...
, his designs adorning postcards, t-shirts and textiles all over the world.
An enthusiast of the counterculture
Counterculture
Counterculture is a sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter to those of the social mainstream of the day, the cultural equivalent of political opposition. Counterculture can also be described as a group whose behavior...
movement, such as the non-violent direct action
Direct action
Direct action is activity undertaken by individuals, groups, or governments to achieve political, economic, or social goals outside of normal social/political channels. This can include nonviolent and violent activities which target persons, groups, or property deemed offensive to the direct action...
street reclaiming events in the UK and elsewhere such as Reclaim the Streets
Reclaim the Streets
Reclaim The Streets is a collective with a shared ideal of community ownership of public spaces. Participants characterize the collective as a resistance movement opposed to the dominance of corporate forces in globalization, and to the car as the dominant mode of transport.-Protests:Reclaim The...
, Greg Sams began writing books that were promoted at these events, as well as during various trance music
Trance music
Trance is a genre of electronic dance music that developed in the 1990s.:251 It is generally characterized by a tempo of between 125 and 150 bpm,:252 repeating melodic synthesizer phrases, and a musical form that builds up and breaks down throughout a track...
, psytrance and acid techno
Acid techno
Acid techno is the term used to describe a style of techno that developed out of late 1980s Chicago Acid house. Acid house was essentially house music made with a specific sound, obtained by using very distinctive instruments created mainly by Roland, such as the TB-303 for bass and lead sounds,...
raves and free parties
Free party
A free party is a party "free" from the restrictions of the legal club scene, similar to the free festival movement. It typically involves a sound system playing electronic dance music from late at night until the time when the organisers decide to go home. A free party can be composed of just one...
around the UK. Uncommon Sense - the State is Out of Date was published in 1998 to great acclaim, showing the importance of chaos theory
Chaos theory
Chaos theory is a field of study in mathematics, with applications in several disciplines including physics, economics, biology, and philosophy. Chaos theory studies the behavior of dynamical systems that are highly sensitive to initial conditions, an effect which is popularly referred to as the...
in the way we live - and should live - our lives. In 2006 he completed a new book, Sun of gOd - Discover the Self-Organizing Consciousness That Underlies Everything.
Greg has been a regular on the world music festival scene ever since he provided the macrobiotic catering at the first Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
in 1970. A regular of events such as Pendragon at the now defunct Tyssen Street Theatre Factory, he still travels to worldwide music festivals, solar eclipses, and festivals such as The Glade
The Glade
Glade Festival is an electronic dance music festival which originally started out as a stage at Glastonbury Festival. The annual festival takes place in England for three days in the summer and attracted around 16,500 people in 2007. The festival's home for the first five years was the Wasing...
. He was interviewed on the Liquid Crystal Vision film which has been viewed at many festivals worldwide.
Greg has been a wheelchair user since falling from a tree whilst a freshman at the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
.
Books
- Uncommon Sense - the State is Out of Date
- Sun of gOd - Discover the Self-Organizing Consciousness That Underlies Everything (Spring, 2009, Weiser Books)