Photo: Mohamed Nanabhay from Qatar / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
John Perry Barlow fascinates me because he refused to fit in one box. A Wyoming cattle rancher who wrote lyrics for the Grateful Dead, then turned around and authored A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace, that combination shouldn't make sense, yet it perfectly does. He co-founded the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Freedom of the Press Foundation, and his 2013 induction into the Internet Hall of Fame feels earned. What I take from his life is that the same romantic streak that wrote songs also fought for a free, open internet. He died in 2018, but the arguments he started are still very much alive.
Overview
John Perry Barlow (October 3, 1947 – February 7, 2018) was an American poet, essayist, cattle rancher, and cyberlibertarian political activist. He was also a lyricist for the Grateful Dead, a founding member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Freedom of the Press Foundation, and an early fellow at Harvard University's Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- John Perry Barlow
- Name (Japanese)
- ジョン・ペリー・バーロウ
- Reading
- じょん・ぺりー・ばーろう
- Born
- October 3, 1947 – February 7, 2018
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Libra / Boar
- Origin
- Cora, Wyoming, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- poet / songwriter / essayist / blogger / farmer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Wesleyan University
Awards & achievements
- 2013 Internet Hall of Fame
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace | — |
6. Links
Poet — see all → · Songwriter — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.