On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we discuss a cult leader (or commune founder?) and spiritual love guru named Father Yod. Yod (pronounced like “load”) was originally named James Edward Baker. James Baker was a very interesting man, if you believe the tales about his past. He was a World War II Marine who allegedly won the Silver Star at the battle Guadalcanal. He killed a man, twice, after the war. He was friends with Jack Lalane and the guy who founded Dr. Brag’s amino acid and vinegar company. All this lead to him being one of the most influential people in Los Angeles in the 1960s and 1970s and a cult called The Source Family.

James Baker left his family to move to LA and become a stunt man. It didn’t work, and he found himself hanging out with hippies and beatniks. Allegedly, he robbed two banks and made the money to open a restaurant called The Source. The Source was the first vegetarian/health food restaurant to ever open in LA. It was a massive success ($10,000 a day) and attracted movie stars and film producers. Many say it set the course of LA cuisine and made it the healthy, kale loving city it is today.

Baker had studied yoga under the famous Yogi Bhajan. He started to teach at his restaurant and attracted a following of his own. Next thing you know, he’s renamed Father Yod. He starts to recruit young girls, and he makes so much money in his restaurants that he buys a mansion and starts a love commune. Or a cult. Hard to say.

A documentary of footage from their own cameras paints a picture of a commune that shares and doesn’t have the typical heavy-handed cult leader. But, the group had influence on the film, so it could just be propaganda? There was sex, multiple wives, crazy beliefs, indoctrination, underage brides, and all the stuff you expect from a cult, but it never got cult dark. Whatever this thing was, Father Yod left a major impression on LA, and to this day his people love him and keep their crazy cult names.

 

Visit Our Sources:

https://filmdaily.co/obsessions/true-crime/the-source-family/

https://gizmodo.com/how-the-source-family-turned-sex-drugs-and-rock-n-ro-1563127606

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father_Yod

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Source_Family

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/xd4wv7/source-family-rises-again

https://www.ranker.com/list/source-family-cult-facts/drew-grant

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/wtf/the-truly-bizarre-story-of-father-yods-cult/news-story/95e5136dd4cd65b2417064a082987c39

https://laist.com/2019/11/29/source_family_restaurant_vegetarian_dinner_gratitude_kitchen_dec_5.php

http://venetic.co/ImGonna.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8MsHfReCQc