Rolling Thunder Connection

There were many spiritual connections leading up to and during the making of ‘Billy Jack’. One of those connections was John Pope, also known as Rolling Thunder. My memory is that he lived Los Angeles, in the San Fernando Valley. How he and Tom connected, I don’t remember. But Rolling Thunder became the ‘consultant’ for the snake bite scene, where Billy goes through the ceremony to become a brother to the snake. Tom had understood Rolling Thunder to be famous for taking young warriors through the snake ceremony, and upon learning of it Tom had to include the ceremony in the film. (If anyone has more information on Rolling Thunder, please pass it along in the comments below, or via the contact us link.)