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A Day With Jeffrey
Holger, who runs a site on Meher Baba, did have the chance to spend a couple hours with Jeffrey in the seventies. He was invited over to Jeff's Connecticut home, after contacting the Meher Baba House, and shares with us his many fond memories of that experience.
"I met Jeff in 1973 after contacting the Meher
Baba House in New York City by phone asking if there were any Baba Lovers
(that's how we called ourselves then) in the Danbury, CT area. They gave me the
name of Jeffrey Mylett and his phone number. At that time I had no idea who he
was and I didn't even know anything about the movie Godspell either. Don't
forget in those days there was not as much movie hype and television
advertisement as today. And there were no videos, video stores nor DVDs.
Anyhow, I called his number and he answered and I explained the reason for my
call to him, and that the Meher Baba House had given me his phone number. He was
very gracious and invited me over to his home in Ridgefield, CT. Now, Ridgefield
is a rather small, upper-class New England town about 10 miles southeast of
Danbury on route 7 going to Norwalk, and easy to find. So we agreed to a
meeting the next day and I went there. Jeffrey met me at the door and invited me
in.
The house was an unassuming colonial and he told me that he had just recently
bought it. We settled down at his kitchen table and he made me a cup of coffee.
He pulled out a pack of Lucky Strike non-filter cigarettes and asked me if I
minded him smoking. Of course I was delighted because I was itching to smoke one
of my non-filter Camels with my coffee. After some small talk and exchange of
cigarettes, he told me about his love for Baba and about the movie Godspell of
which I hadn't heard yet. He spoke of the cast of the movie and that many of its
members were also Baba Lovers and that the movie, as he saw it, was dedicated to
Meher Baba spiritually.
I was blown away that I was in an actor's home and speaking to him in person...
He was so natural and un-assuming that it just seemed totally unreal...something
only Baba could have concocted. (Please don't forget those were the days when
mysticism, the New Age and unlimited possibilities seemed so incredibly
realistic. What a wonderful, magical year it was for me!!! Not because
of meeting Jeffrey alone, but just with so many things opening up in my life
spiritually). I also had no idea that he was gay and thus there was no
possibility of feeling awkward or inhibited on my part. Jeffrey told me to make
sure to go and see the movie and watch for "the taxi-driver with the flute" ....
Naturally I couldn't wait to go and see it.
After some more talk about how he bought the house with money from the movie and
how others from the cast had bought houses in Ridgefield also, he told me that
he had worked as a shoe salesman in Ohio when he found out that he had gotten
the part in the play. I thought that he was talking about the movie part, but
after reading on your website that he was already in the off-Broadway
production, I believe now that he meant the play and not the movie.
So, after a couple hours I said goodbye and drove back to Danbury still under
the intoxicating influence of this great, exuberant and charismatic guy whom I
had met through Meher Baba. I believe that I went the next day to see the movie
and was, of course, blown away by it and the great songs, the love and joy and
also the deep sadness of its anti-establishment crucifixion scene of Jesus on
the fence surrounded by police cars with lights flashing....Oh those were the
wonderful early seventies! Anything seemed possible and the world seemed to open
up into the depth of the divine realm. I remember having tears run down my face,
tears of joy and of infinite sadness when I left the theater...
Yes, I remember Jeffrey with joy and with infinite sadness now also. Farewell,
Jeffrey, I'm sure that Baba was waiting for you on the other side of
consciousness with a big hug and approving smile. Thank you Jeffrey, for being
so kind to a complete stranger and thank you for the joy you brought through
Godspell to millions. You shall never be forgotten!"
Thanks, Holger!
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