He's won sixteen gold records, written scores of songs, played on more than 35 commercials and has been a member of both the Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan.
Now guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter is worried about Star Wars - not the Hollywood kind, the missile kind.Baxter has been named chairman and very first member of the brand new Citizen's Advisory Council on Missile Defense, according to Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa., chairman of the Military Research and Development Subcommittee.
"What we are going to try and do is get the citizenry of this country excited," said Weldon. "Half of what this country does comes out of Hollywood. (Baxter) gives us access to a whole new segment of this country."
Baxter has taught himself about missile defense and other technology and is an adviser to the Energy Department's Lawrence Livermore Laboratory and a consultant for NASA. He also has been an advisor on defense and science issues for a long-time friend, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif.
"If you get shocked by the toaster enough times, you learn a little about electricity," Baxter said. "I call it the `Tom Clancy Factor.' You can pursue your vocations as well as your avocations."
The continental United States has no system to defend against ballistic missiles, despite having spent billions on the so-called Star Wars system.
Baxter hopes that making people aware that they are defenseless against missile attack will help jump-start the creation of such a system.
"The controls are not in place, and anyone who has half a brain can pull this off," Baxter said. "All the way down the food chain the door is open. It is time to start building a bullet-proof vest instead of a bigger gun."