AUSTIN, TEXAS — Soldier turned antiwar activist Tomas Young has learned how to handle a standing ovation, but the one he got at Stubb's Bar-B-Q one Thursday night last month still threw him for a loop.
The South by Southwest festival showcase had just ended for Young's pet project, the music compilation "Body of War: Songs That Inspired an Iraq War Veteran." Earlier that afternoon, there had been a packed screening of the film that inspired that double CD. "Body of War," which opens Friday in L.A., documents Young's transformation from a traumatized vet to determined protester and self-described "political irritant."
At Stubb's, Tom Morello, Ben Harper, Billy Bragg and other Young favorites had offered rousing sets of protest music, culminating in a no-holds-barred rendition of "This Land Is Your Land" that had former TV talk-show host Phil Donahue, the movie's co-director, moshing in the pit. Young had sat stage right for the whole show, beaming.
But then the rock stars were gone. Young, who relies on a wheelchair since being paralyzed by a bullet in Iraq, left his spot at the lip of the stage and headed for the ramp. Suddenly, the crowd of around 2,000 concertgoers started clapping. Young realized he was the rock star now.
"It was the weirdest feeling," said Young the next day over a late breakfast of Tex-Mex food. "I'm like, OK . . . I'm just me. All I did was pick songs and make a movie. And say some things, you know."
Ellen Spiro, who co-directed "Body of War" with Donahue, describes Young as an emerging historical figure who is coming to the fore of the antiwar movement in America because of his personal resolve and charisma. He's impressed artists such as Harper, who later reflected on the Stubb's experience via e-mail from a vacation spot in Costa Rica.
"It was highly emotional, and an honor to be able to resonate a unified voice alongside someone as brave as Tomas," wrote Harper, who'd made Young's night when he gave the soldier a big hug before playing a short set.
Young draws people to himself. But the sandy-haired Missouri native is more comfortable thinking of himself as a conduit. "I don't care about my own Q rating," he said, using the term marketers use to judge the appeal of a new product, company or celebrity. He'd prefer to argue ideas than hear fans scream.
Leading the charge
