Book(s) About the Late 60s, Hippies and How it Ended

I lived at 84 Broadway in Williamsburg in 1980. Had a 2000 square foot loft. There was nothing there and you did not go out at night.

 

Reading this thread really makes me reflect on my own life...I moved to Southern California in October of 1966 (from Ohio) at age 10 and experienced the whole era, although I was a bit young to grasp a lot of what was going on.
Like the OP I've become fascinated by all aspects of that time period...music, books, television, etc. One book I remember from back circa 1969 was Richard Brautigan's "In Watermelon Sugar"...for some reason I really dug that book as a 13 year old. Another thing I remember was the local radicals threatening to bomb my high school, circa 1970...we were evacuated and were thrilled to be able to miss school...those were the days.

 

Correct. That's why the text occupies my #1 slot

 

I was born in '75 but kind of saturated with all things classic rock while growing up. I felt sort of trapped in that late 60s / early 70's thing during the early part of my childhood because it was always on the radio. I could relate to all that stuff a lot more than I could relate to what was happening in the 80s music and culture. I mean, I found my groove to a certain extent but was never really present in all things 80s the way a lot of other kids were. I guess this is me going back to a time that I've always identified with but never got to experience and I'm trying to understand it all a lot better.

 

There was barely a 'community' per se. Youth were incredibly diverse. There was an obvious generational divide between the the great depression / WW2 and Korea generation and us off spring. You could feel a connection to others of the same generation despite divisions say between those serving in the military and the draft resisters / evaders. I think it was Eric Clapton that said walking in London in 1965 you saw someone across the street with long hair and bell bottoms and you felt like you had run into a 'lost' brother or member of your tribe. I remember thinking how 'cliche' the hippies of mainstream media seemed. Most 'hippies' - at least where I lived and whom I knew - had good work ethics and were actually pretty disciplined and conservative. They worked in the woods, mills, did commercial fishing, or were mechanics and machinists. Many were veterans. Long hair and beards with their army coat inked with a peace symbol or a middle finger. My friends like me were raised with no nonsense ex-war service dads who grew up in the depression when there were actual bona fide hungry families going door to door seeking work or help. Many hippies were tolerant about getting high but didn't do it themselves. As more than one friend said, on a commune or kibbutz there were always the few self proclaimed socialist/communist types who'd let you do the work - and freeload off that. This was not the tie-dye t-shirt / hacky sack playing generation that came about in the 80's. There was a real take-care -of-it-yourself attitude as opposed to the later stereotype of drop outs looking for some government agency or sympathizer to give them a hand. The media liked to play up the worst aspects of hippies in order to denigrate them. Thats why of all the huge music festivals from 1967-72 or so you see one, Altamont, endlessly dredged up, over and over, trying to connect outlaw bikers and a drugged up teenagers death to silly naive hippie dreams.

 

Man, this is SO interesting to me! Thank you for taking the time and sharing that!

 

Yes I remember that period well......I would go out at night....either to Manhattan via the "L" train or a walk over to "TEDDY'S" pub on the greenpoint/williamsburg border.it was dangerous but I was....stupid!I was lucky I guess plus I had that "look".....part "native" and part frank zappa look so the criminals were probably more afraid of me!!!

 

Did people look at the hippies much the same way people look at millennials now? Or is it different? I mean, I know there are significant differences but is the disdain for the youth kind of the same?

 

I always use this as an explanation for how I could walk on the Bowery at 3AM after a night at CBGB in the 70's and not get mugged.

 

Funny but upon reading your post I thought of JONATHAN RICHMANS-"I'M STRAIGHT"........I believe hippies back then were termed "DEVO" as well.....

 

Ahhhh.to be young.....and stupid!!now I'm less of both.....thank god!!

 

I remember another thread where we were discussing the issue of long hair in school...it seems so absurd now but back then it was deadly serious!

 

The generations since have broken down into very distinct sub groups in comparison. The punk kids are in their 50's now. Old enough to be grandpas. The grungers / hip hoppers are in their 40's. The thing is, you can't stereotype an entire generation of people based on their birth dates right? I mean thats what so much of hippy-ism disdained. My kids are all in their 30's now, and most millenials I know are just regular people dealing with the world as it is. I also like (most) hipsters. Young people who recognize the past and honor it in their own way, fused with the modern. Thats whats its all about.

In the 60's, a hippie was, to the grown men I knew, someones whose hair touched their ears, wore jeans, had not served in the military, or liked that rock music crap. If they had real long hair, a head band, and sandals - watch out! That was a commie pinko hippie. A sissy. A girl. Maybe even gay. Although they didn't use that word.

 

This book is pretty interesting, basically it tells us that many rock stars in the sixties (Crosby, Morrison...) had been used by the CIA as secret agents or something... Bizarre but catchy
https://www.amazon.com/Weird-Scenes...rds=weird+scenes+inside&qid=1579040941&sr=8-1

 

Yep, a fascinating read! I devoured it. Definitely recommended !

 

We Are the People Our Parents Warned Us Against by Nicholas Von Hoffman

 

About how America leans. For awhile we lean one way, things change a little, and people complain like it’s the end of times. Then, we lean another way, things change a little, and people complain like it’s the end of times.

Meanwhile, America trods on down the middle with little bits of change over years and years and years. Change is freaking slow.

 

Yup, I agree. Hence my post about the pendulum. It's the only truth.

 

I enjoyed this book:
Small Town Talk: Bob Dylan, The Band, Van Morrison, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Friends in the Wild Years of Woodstock
by Barney Hoskyns (Author)

Centers around the artsty town of Woodstock, NY; and it's culture & famous residents;
Mostly during the 60s-70s-80s. Several musical artists are covered (from the Band to Hendrix to Todd Rundgren).
Sheds some light on all the "hippy" stuff interesting background stuff on the Woodstock concert (ultimately moved down the road to Bethel, NY)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017QL8U0C

 

I totally agree about the quality of the Ralph J. Gleason book....I got a copy about 15 years ago and it is superb...unfortunately, I've misplaced mine and haven't seen it in a while, I'm going to look for it tonight when I get off work. Gleason includes a huge list of San Francisco bands at the end of the book, many of which are totally obscure.

 

Funny to see that shot. I'm there about once a week. Looks the same except for the cars.

 

Hardly down the road. More like 60 miles away.

 

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My alt recomendation is to listen to some airchecks of WBCN (esp Charles Laquidara) and other free form stations. It's like being there for a minute.

 

Yes, you could get beat up for having long hair. Girls were not allowed to wear pants when I entered high school.