http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vllVQp8C-tM
"You say you want a revolution...."
By the mid-1960's, young Americans were feeling frustrated by the societal system in which they had been brought up. They'd witnessed the subjugating of their mothers to traditional roles which suppressed their human need to express their individuality. They'd witnessed horrific hate crimes against people of color for many years, and alongside that they witnessed the failure of the government to provide any legitimate prevention of these crimes. They'd witnessed their country enter into a pointless and violent war all the way across the world. These things that they had seen caused them to feel frustrated and alone. They began to rebel against the ideas that had been passed down for years and forge their own path. They began to dress in colorful, light clothing; listen to expressive, rootsy music; and subscribe to a host of political and spiritual philosophies that their parents and grandparents had never heard of. The members of this generation became known as hippies.
A typical hippie might be a little like this:
DRESS:
-Loose, flowy and carefree clothing
-Long, ungroomed hair and facial hair for women and men
-Often went shoeless or wore sandaled
-Frequently seen wearing peace-sign or ethnic jewelry.
PHILOSOPHY
-Believed in "free love"
-Showed distaste in all major political parties and often subscribed to more socialistic ideas
-Strongly desired equality for all people, regardless of gender or color
-Cared deeply about nature, and many were vegetarians.
DRUGS OF CHOICE
-LSD was the drug of choice for most hippies
-Marijuana was commonly used
-Some hippies with more agressive philosophies used heroin
-Cocaine and other simulants were ignored by hippies, who thrived on a "mellow" lifestyle.
MUSIC
-Jefferson Airplane
-The Grateful Dead
-Creedence Clearwater Revival
-Bob Dylan
-The Beatles
-Jimi Hendrix
Enablers
Who were the people that influenced these hippies to wear peace signs, refuse meat, smoke marijuana, and listen to Bob Dylan? Prominent hippie icons included Alan Ginsburg, who wrote Howl and was part of the Beat poetry movement. In fact, the Counterculture movement was devised from the philosophies of Beat poets. Ken Kesey was a drug activist that glamorized the use of LSD and the hippie lifestyle by hosting "Acid Tests" on his farm in California. Musicians such as Joan Baez and Jimi Hendrix also provided fashion and artistic inspiration for their legions of hippie followers.
The Summer of Love
1967 was considered to be the "Summer of Love"--a summer during which thousands of young hippies flocked to the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco. This Summer of Love is considered to be the real kickoff of the Counterculture movement. During the summer, an explosion of drug use, political protesting, and a complete lack of sexual inhibition exploded in the Haight-Ashbury, uniting American and international hippies of all kinds and cementing many in their lifestyle switch. Hippies were thought to have been motivated to make the move by the free food and housing provided by major Hippie political party The Diggers, and access to free healthcare at the Free Clinic. A song by The Mamas and the Papas popularized this image of peaceful, idealized California when they sang
"If you're going to San Francisco
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair."
Hippie Drug Use
The Counterculture movement brought forth an explosion in the use of psychedelic drugs. LSD was been popularized by Timmy Leary, an ill-fated Harvard professor, in the early '60s as a low-risk way to open up the mind. The common effects of "acid" include hallucinations, loss of inhibition, and seeing things in bright colors. Hippies enjoyed being under the influence of these drugs, which allowed them to engage in their two favorite activities--music and sex--with an elevated level of energy. LSD is also thought to have mystical properties which allowed hippies to get on a divine level and perhaps resulted in the peaceful, relaxed hippie mindset.
Hippie Music and the Festival
One of the most distinctive elements of Counterculture was the music beloved by hippies. All hippies yearned for a place where they could hear their favorite bands play, dance freely, take acid, and have sex with strangers who shared their ideals. Fortunately for them, there was a place were all of this--and more--was possible.
Some of the most famous hippie music festivals include:
Monterey International Pop Music Festival
· Took place in 1967—Summer of Love
· Lots of LSD, counterculture at its peak
· Held June 16-18, attracted 60,000 people
· Popular music of the day promoted San Francisco
· Similar to Woodstock—made no money
The Beatles’ Rooftop Concert
· Last official concert given by The Beatles
· Performed on the roof of the Apple Records building in London
· January 30, 1969
The Newport Jazz Festival
· The Newport Jazz Festival had been going on for years, but due to the nature of the times it had a distinctly rock-and-roll sound in 1969.
· Held July 4-6, 1969
· 85,000 people attended
The Newport Folk Festival
· Similar to Newport Jazz Festival, had happened many times before but became more popular in 1969
· Less significant musically and culturally than any of the ones listed above
The Atlantic City Pop Music Festival
· Held August 1-3
· Most performers big on the festival circuit
· 110,000 people attended
Altamont
· Opposite of Woodstock: while Woodstock celebrated all that was good about the counterculture movement, Altamont represented all that was sinful.
· Occurred on December 6, and featured only the Rolling Stones
· A man was stabbed and killed, and everyone was angry