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The way of the Hippy What’s a hippie? To answer this question, let’s see what defines a hippie. Some say it’s the way people dress, and behave, a lifestyle. Others classify drug users and rock 'n' roll fans or those with certain radical political views as hippies. The dictionary defines a hippie as one who doesn’t conform to society’s standards and advocates a liberal attitude and lifestyle.
Hippy Philosophy and the Hippy Dream • So what do hippies want anyway? It's easy to criticize the existing system, but just what do hippies have to replace it. But someone likes to think that hippies are bringing a message to humanity. An urgent message. We need to change. Now! • How? • That's the first step. Let's preserve what we have before greedy individuals and corporations gobble it up.
Hippy activism At the start of the 1960s, civil rights was the issue of the day. Civil rights and anti-nuclear protests often included marches, sit-ins, speeches and songs by famous people, signs with slogans, and chants. These protests were always marked by peaceful intent. If things got ugly it was usually due to police tactics or violent counter demonstrations. The SDS, Students for a Democratic Society, got its feet wet in these early demonstrations. They would later organize anti-war campus protests around the country.
The Summer of Love: San Francisco, 1967 San Francisco has always had a different attitude marked by tolerance. During the late 1950s and early '60s, it was a bohemian hangout. Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and other writers, artists and musicians lived and partied hard in places like North Beach and across the bay in Berkeley. In 1964, the University of California in Berkeley was home to the Free Speech Movement. So it was the perfect setting for a revolution in style, attitude, and consciousness.
Woodstock 1969 Possibly the most defining moment of the Hippy Movement was the Woodstock Music Festival, held on Max Yasgur's farm in Bethel, New York on Aug 16, 17 & 18, 1969. Despite organizational problems and major hassles, it lived up to its billing of "Three Days of Peace and Music".
Fashion and lifestyles Today, the fashion world has once again discovered the wonderful styles from the '60s. We've come full circle and clothes are not the only part of hippiedom to resurface for the new millennium. It's a symbol of the resurgence of hippie values in our culture.
Hippies and drugs In the 1960s the hippies, en masse, undertook the largest uncontrolled experiment with drug use in the history of mankind. In those days it wasn't unusual to be handed a pill, and swallow it with the only instruction "You'll dig it, it's groovy." You trusted your fellow hippy and you wanted to get high and have a new experience. This was freedom. This was rebellion. This was cool. We discovered that Pandora's stash box was full of drugs!
Sex, Love and Hippies Free love made the whole love, marriage, sex, baby package obsolete. Love was no longer limited to one person, you could love anyone you chose. In fact love was something you shared with everyone, not just your sex partners. Love exists to be shared freely. We also discovered the more you share, the more you get! So why reserve your love for a select few? This profound truth was one of the great hippie revelations.
The Old Hippies When they were young, their ideals motivated their to challenge the system. They wanted to change everything, to correct the wrongs, to reveal the hypocrisies, to bring freedom and equality to everyone, everywhere. Now hippies are older and presumably wiser, but are they still motivated by such high ideals?
BOB DYLAN Dylan exploded on the music scene in Greenwich Village in the early '60s. His blend of rock and folk ballads took everyone by storm, and in turn inspired just about every rock musician who was to follow in his footsteps. His early songs "Blowin' in the Wind" and "The Times They are A-Changin'" took the protest song and gave it an edge.
JOHN LENNON Beatle, poet, artist, activist, singer, musician. One of the great figures of the 60s. Controversial, he once said the Beatles were more popular than Jesus (he was right at the time). He sang about love and peace and his music inspired millions of people. He was murdered outside his apartment building in 1980.
JIMI HENDRIX The greatest guitar player ever. Jimi could coax sounds from his axe that no one had ever heard before. His guitar mastery has impressed every great musician since. His on stage persona and charisma is unmatched. Jimi gave legendary performances at Monterey Pop, Woodstock, and the Fillmore. He died at the peak of his career. Jimi was a great soul who soared so high he was able to take us along for the ride of our lives.
BOB MARLEY Rastaman supreme. The charismatic Bob Marley and his band the Wailers burst onto the music scene in the early 70's bringing Reggae into the world. His music about love, Jah (God), freedom and equality touched so many people and inspired many hippies to become rastas.
JIM MORRISON Poet, anarchist and debaucher, Morrison was a passionate, if somewhat psychotic visionary. See the psychedelic shaman section for more about Jim.
MARTIN LUTHER KING Leader of the Civil Rights movement, Dr. King was a firm believer in non-violent protest to achieve the goals of integration and economic, political and social equality for all people.
MAHATMA GANDHI Once a lawyer in South Africa, Gandhi came to India and fought British oppression through the pioneering use of non-violent protest. His methods were adopted in the '60s by the civil rights and antiwar movements. The confrontative, yet passive techniques are now the standard for peaceful protest.
RUSSELL BERTRAND British philosopher, anti-nuclear and antiwar activist, logician, essayist, and social critic. In 1954 he condemned the Bikini H-bomb tests. A year later, he and Albert Einstein, published the Russell-Einstein Manifesto demanding the curtailment of nuclear weapons. He was the founding president of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in 1958 and designed the Nuclear Disarmament Symbol, now called the "peace symbol."
ANDY WARHOL Pop artist supreme, Andy was a scene himself. He took the icons of popular culture and turned it into art. Some of his most famous works feature Campbell's Soup Cans and Marilyn Monroe. Andy filmed several low budget films of questionable quality including: Trash and Frankenstein (in 3D).
TWIGGY English model who made being anorexic popular in the '60s. Twiggy modeled the latest colorful, psychedelic fashions on her extremely thin boy like frame. Her slender build, big sad eyes and short haircut set her apart from other models of the day. Today she is an actress and has filled out a bit.
FRANK ZAPPA Famous musician from the 60's and 70's. His group The Mother's of Invention's first album, entitled "Freak Out" was very popular and way out, even for it's time. Zappa's music was a very wild, creative, but dissonant satire on society. Zappa coined many expressions and became a icon of the lack of respect for the establishment. A popular college poster from the 60's showed Zappa with his long, wild and stringy hair sitting naked on a toilet. The title was Phi Zappa Crappa. Frank's children Dweezil (son) and Moon Unit (daughter) have dabbled with music too. Despite Zappa's outward persona, his real personality was far different and at one point he became a vocal opponent against drugs.
CHARLES MANSON Convicted along with his followers of the 1969 murders of Sharon Tate and the La Biancas. Manson had created his own cult out in the California desert. In his warped mind, he believed that John Lennon's song "Helter Skelter" was a call to war and mayhem. He used mind control to get his followers to do whatever he wanted. He is still serving his life sentence.
JANIS JOPLIN Blues singer extraordinaire. Janis could belt out the blues like no one else. Her performances at The Monterey Pop Festival and Woodstock were legendary. With Big Brother and the Holding Company they blew everyone away with their psychedelic blues. Cheap Thrills, their debut album featured a classic cover by Robert Crumb and the hits Summertime and Ball and Chain. Janis' grief stricken life came to an end with a drug overdose in 1970.
PAULMCCARTNEY Sir James Paul McCartney MBE (born 18 June 1942) is a multiple Grammy Award-winning English singer-songwriter, poet, composer, multi-instrumentalist, entrepreneur, record producer, film producer, painter, and animal rights activist. He gained worldwide fame as a member of The Beatles,
