Maybe it was growing up on the streets of Hoboken, NJ, or it could’ve just been in his DNA, but Bill Bailey was an Irish American who basically wasn’t afraid of anything and he liked getting into good trouble.
Born in 1909, he lived through The Great Depression and both world wars, and as a result developed a belief in communist ideals and a strong anti-fascist streak. To him, when it came to securing freedom and equality for others, no issue was outside his responsibility. A sailor at heart, he was involved in organizing leftist dock unions and waterfront strikes.
He joined the Abraham Lincoln Battalion and volunteered to fight the Hitler-backed nationalist army in Spain. And he tore a Nazi flag down from a German liner that had docked in New York, watched by a crowd of thousands.
Gregarious, flighty, and handsome as hell, he lived it up till the age of 85 when, in ‘95, he finally decided to jet off to another solar system and cause more ruckus.
Thanks for being badass, Bill. You make us all a little more bold.
