This question is intended mostly for any old hippy that has lived the early hippie movement in san franscisco...before the big summer of love take over. Does anybody think it is at all possible to recreate what started the hippy movement in the early sixties with the pranksters and the dead. Return of the times when it was all about the bond of love and getting high and experiencing the music in a completely free to let go and just be kinda setting, a time when it was all about the music and when somebody was in trouble people actually had the heart to help out without later giving the person a huge bill....a time when the artists where about producing beautiful music for the fans and believing it shuold be shared with them, rather then charge them an arm and a leg to get in and experience it? or have times gone to far downt he corporate tube to experience group mind?
That's a Real Good question, Tiki. My feeling is; "I don't think so." Back then, the Man wasn't ready for us. We sort of took the city by storm. It took them a couple of years to figure out what we were up to, becaused they initially freaked and were unorganized in their surveillance of us. It's a different world today. The climate is 'hot', as far as Homeland Security goes. And the kind of freedom that we took for granted then is gone for good from the states. I don't know who to blame for this... Us, our children, or "The United Bund of Rumsfeld". What ever happened back then, with our innocence and our being way out there, would be hard to duplicate in the political climate of today. Me? I'm trying to keep my head low these days. And with everyone using cell phones and acting like vigilantes, I check my rearview mirror, the side roads and oncoming traffic before I take my beer out from between my legs to sip it. It'd be nice to have that spirit here again, but I think it's about as likely as bringing back The Roaring 20's.
I've been spending my time reading a lot of books by authors 'from the days of yore' like kerouac, ginsberg, leary, wolfe, mcneely, vonnegut and it seems that one thing most of them had in common was their views on capitalism..it seemed to me as though a lot of them took on the views of communism, or socialism(though not mentioned straight forward) like how rather then a stratified society all are one and equal in one big 'family' or community...where everybody looked out for the well being of everybody and a kind of group love resulted........... could the push of capitalism and materialism in the present be part of the selfish ego of a lot of the 'hippie' crowd now.... going to festival now is like everybody is just trying to make a buck on everybody else and get ahead....where as in the past it seemed as though everybody just bonded to the music and the common interests they share.......any thoughts?
Yes, a lot of the 60s icon are or were socialists. I saw that "ripping off" at concerts begining as soon as open drug sales were "permitted" in the 60s at concerts and outdoor events , you've heard about it from the "big one" Woodstock, remember the line about the "brown acid not being "too good"? Could it all be brought back? no way, those people were gifts, there will be others who contribute to changes in society, but not like the musicians and the counter culture leaders of the 60s. -In my humble opinion.
I miss those days when you could trust people (well, not the establishment). Between the government and the media amerika is just a place that inspires fear. We are out of control because of big business and have a weasel in the white house (as usual). Middle america and the born agains will never let such a society evolve that encourages peace, freedom and love, it scares them too much. Sorry to say, but our moment in time is over and will never return. We can only hope that our grandchildren will give us some hope because our children never did.
Grendel 44--sadly,I agree with you completely--Ironic isn't it,how religeous(sp?) folks are so anti love,anti-forgiveness and lack such understanding of what is taking place.Not all of course-but enough to let the weasels continue to rape this country and others.I truly fear for our grand children--the collapse is inevitable.And it's happening faster and faster-right before our very eyes.I guess the most we can say is that we were the messengers that brought the news of the rotten-ness of this system as it was ,to the fore.And uh--oh yeah--didn't we have some kind of FUN!.What to do now?Who knows.Once everyone accepted(and keeps accepting) the basic premise that "every thing is OK--trust the leaders, and -rampant capitalism is just fine--get that so-called education and hop on the zombie treadmill--and buy more-buy more now"it was and is all over .OH -and please make your children available in case we need to secure some resources out from under some other location by force--many will die ,but that's the price for free$om.Ah fuck it --I'll be dust soon anyway.No--the 60's hippies aren't going to come back and change anything
I agree with sam and others that it will be tough to duplicate the 60's in todays political and social climate. Today they are much more watchful and the government and society as a whole is much more intrusive than it was before. Also, my parents who were around in the 60's said that even those of the "establishment" were not as bent on materialism and personal gain as people are today. At least even the establishment looked out for their neighbors kids and such. (Of course I could be wrong since I wasn't there) It is also hard to get into festivals these days. I think the days are gone when people could just get together with good music and fun. Thanks to tons of zoning laws and alcohol laws and fire codes and tons of other beauracratic crap you can't just do that. And most if it is a rip-off. My husband and I got tickets to a music festival (3-rivers in columbia) thinking it would be fun to do for a weekend. Well there were metal detectors at all the entrances ("homeland security") and you couldn't bring in any bags, food, or even a bottle of water! Needless to say you had to buy everything from venders who were hawking Budweiser for 4 bucks, water for 4 bucks, crappy food for even more! Needless to say, we didn't go back. I wasn't around for the "good-ol-days" but I would have loved to experienced them rather than this crap.
