THIS IS THE REVOLUTION
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> We are the smartest, richest, healthiest, freest human litter so far. By our position in history and our sheer numbers, we were able to bring to the table many issues of life and love previously ignored. When we were young, we banded together for strength and protection, and we must do the same in our later years as well in order to accomplish our wildly idealistic mission of peace, love, and harmony on the planet. Our war was against war itself > Many - not all - of the boomers became "hippies" (flower children) in the 1960's.The 60's was a total package - music, politics, spirituality, lifestyle - all played a part in our identity. > Lets not settle for "oldies" radio stations and "best of.." CD's and artists who rest on their laurels. Let's demand new, relevant art worthy of our intelligence and experience - art that inspires, motivates, and makes us proud. We might not spend as impulsively as teenagers, but we will reward quality and integrity with tenacious loyalty. We are the most powerful buying block in history, we need to use that power before we start dying out. Remember the 24 hours after John Lennon was killed - those images of 30-somethings all over the world lighting candles and singing songs? That was a peek at a generation looking for contemporary heroes. They all went home. They're all still waiting > While we have a healthy distrust of technology and industry, we don't hesitate to use them for good whenever possible. > Many of us will not have children, but will nonetheless seek our slice of immortality through other means > We will produce a lot of technology and art in our lifetime, partly because there are so many of us. We are famous simply for being born. Our motto is "Volume, Volume, Volume!" > While we live much longer than our ancestors, it's not just a longer "old age" - it's a longer youth and middle age as well. Personally, these extra years afforded me a second chance that I would not have had 100 years ago > Do's & don'ts: Don't begin a sentence with "In my day..." / Don't do (any more) drugs; if you didn't alter your consciousness enough in the 60's, it's too late now. At this point, the best things in life are drug-free >Back to haunt: "What a drag it is getting old", Mick Jagger / "Hope I die before I get old", The Who / Don't trust anyone over 30 (now I can't even trust myself). We should amend that statement to "Don't trust anyone born before 1940 or after 1960" Influences : The Bomb, TV > In the late 50's I had recurring nightmares that the Soviet missiles were on their way, and I couldn't get home to my mom, so I'd go to a phone booth, but I couldn't get through on the phone either. Anyone who thinks that nuclear holocaust wasn't heavy on the minds of Boomer adolescents just wasn't there. The air raid Sirens were tested on a regular basis. We knew all the signals - take cover, all clear, etc., and we had air raid drills in school. The running joke was, "in case of nuclear attack, put your hands over your head, lean forward in your desk, and kiss your ass goodbye" |
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> My song Birds of America is about the hippy philosophy - - - - > We did lots of drugs, true (most notably, LSD), and acted zany, but we mainly did them to explore our minds. We looked at art, listened to music, talked, thought, communed with Nature, and closed our eyes and flew deep inside. For me, all this happened at a formative point in life (late teens), and has influenced my person significantly and permanently. I think that many of us had a glimpse of Heaven ( and occasionally, Hell), that changed the way we view our life on Earth Trippin' Tales > Once I saw myself stripped of personality, I completely understood the oneness of all life. I never took people so seriously again. > One time I saw people as really humorous, noisy apes. I was fascinated by their infatuation with "things". They carried them, wore them, stored them, like shopping cart people on speed (the gathering instinct gone mad). And when I saw them driving cars, I fell down laughing. Boxes on wheels, pushed along by little explosions. What do these creatures need to be happy ? > My friends and I went to a show, thinking it was a movie. It was actually a play, with live actors. We were all squinting and squirming, and marveling at the clarity of the "film". In an epiphonal moment, I jumped up and yelled "it's a play", upon which all hell broke loose and we were escorted out. > Phil and I were at an ice cream stand, feeling a wee bit paranoid, and trying hard not to look like insane maniacs. Phil leaned "casually" on the windowsill, waiting for the salesperson to show. Suddenly, she burst in from a back room, banging a door loudly. I involuntarily emitted a terse yelp resembling a prairie dog distress call. Phil immediately straightened up and slammed his head on the window frame, then hopped away, screaming in pain. I stared at at the salesperson for a long, frozen moment, then I, too, ran like a bunny. After that, I understood why the military had considered using LSD as a chemical weapon > Vladimir was fresh off the boat from Russia in 1970. Washing dishes to pay the rent. He spoke little English. He clung to me like a kitten for support, so I dropped acid, gave Vlad a tab (no, he never), and took him to the Mummer's parade (Philadelphia's own "Mardi-Gras). There were people running around dressed like tomatoes, catterpillars, you name it. I was wearing shoes with springs on the bottom, and Vlad was running behind me yelling "Jeem! Jeem! and pointing wildly in every direction. Every time a firecracker went off, he jumped four feet. He waved me over to a subway entrance, pointing feverishly to a motionless clown at the bottom of the stairs. I studied the body for a moment, then said, "he's OK, I saw his finger move". Afterwards, Vlad took us back to his apartment, where he proudly showed us his new Radio Shack sound system. He proceeded to tune in a station playing elevator music, and then looked at us anxiously for approval. We tried not to laugh, and then, of course, burst out with laughter. He kept flipping frantically through the stations, but was unable to find one that did not make us laugh. Poor Vlad. It must have been a tough initiation to his new land. He's probably a millionaire now. - - - - - > I think Brian Wilson's fakin' it > 60's action figures: Mr. Pothead > I used to think that love was the answer. . . I still do > Youth was not wasted on us (but we were wasted on it) > To a hippy, the spirit of the individual will always matter most > We lived hard, and the shifted gears. Those who didn't went over the cliff > Another thing I liked about the hippies - We didn't need Guinea pigs, we experimented on ourselves > Flower Power should not be an age or generational thing. I hope it lives on forever in the human spirit > So you blame the hippies for making America a hedonist society. Did we make anyone emulate us ? Did anyone emulate our idealism ? > In '69, I fouund marijuanna plants growing out of the carpet in the rear of my car. Seems it was damp back there, and some seeds had fallen. What's weird is, I couldn't get pot to grow in expensive topsoil in my yard! - - - - - Enemies List ; Nixon / Spiro Agnew / J. Edgar Hoover / Governor R.Reagan > Favorite 60's groups ; Beatles / Hendrix / Joplin / Sly / Chicago > Representative 60's songs ; All you need is love / Takin' it to the street / For What it's Worth / Time's They Are a-Changin' / Kid Charlemagne > Songs for old hippies : Almost cut my nose hair (it was gettin' kinda long) / Golfin' USA / All She Wants to Do is Sleep / While my Cigar Gently Weeps / Take a Walk on the Safe Side / Let's Nap / The Answer is Blowin' in the Computer / Hurty-Wurty Back (a line dance) / Two Tickets to Mumenshanz / When I Think of You, I Wet Myself / Feel Like Makin' Soup / When a Man Loves a Poundcake / I Guess That's Why They Call It the Poo's / Why don't we do it in the Bed - - - - - Hippy History (If you remember it, you weren't really there) > In Memoriam Remembering our fallen heroes Jim Morrison. Found dead in a wheelbarrow full of Jell-O beneath the Eiffel Tower on Christmas Eve, 1969. A pioneer in freedom of expression. He had the courage to say "weenie" on the Ed Sullivan Show, even though Ed specifically asked him not to. Janis Joplin. A hard living, independent woman. She was singing "Take a Little Piece of my Heart" when she actually coughed up a piece of her heart and left the surly bonds of Earth. Crazed audience members fought fiercely over the fleshy projectile, which recently sold for $18,000 on eBay. Jimi Hendrix. The greatest guitarist of his era. While playing a solo with his teeth, a guitar string snapped in his face, causing him to fall from the stage, and he was trampled by his adoring fans. When the rescue squad finally arrived, there was nothing left but an indentation in the dirt. Elvis Presley (The King). Although not a hippie, he did do huge quantities of drugs, and started the whole long-hair thing. Toward the end of his career, he was playing less-than-stellar venues. During a performance at a Pennsylvania Dutch Harvest Festival, his cape tragically became caught in a leaf shredder. He was instantly sucked in and sprayed out over a horrified crowd, many of whom have suffered serious health problems to this day. 1972 - Mama Cass is accidently shot while participating in a Civil War reenactment 1975 - Marvin Gaye killed in a frying-pan fight with Donny Osmond on live TV -------------- Let these unfortunate occurrences serve as examples to the young people of today. Kids, please - stay in school, don't go psychotic. |
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