His philosophy of clean living, exercise and healthy eating (laid out
in his books "Barefeet and Good Things to Eat" and "The Gypsy in Me")
attracted thousands of fans worldwide and netted him 25 appearances on
the Steve Allen Show in the early 1960s. Inspired by the German
"Naturmensch" movement, Boots and a "tribe" of fellow bohemians spent
the 1940s living off the land in Tahquitz Canyon near Palm Springs,
sleeping in caves and trees and bathing in waterfalls.