HIPPIE LIFESTYLE

By Savannah B.

Some of the main musical events for the hippies during the 1960s were San Francisco’s summer of love (1967) and Woodstock (1969). San Francisco’s summer of love spread the fashion and culture of the hippies all over the country. Thousands of young people flocked to San Francisco and when they went home they took fashion and lifestyle ideas back with them spreading the culture even further. Woodstock was the other great musical event of the sixties for the hippies, it gathered over 500,000 people that came from all over the country to listen to music from great performers like Hendrix and The Who. Only four people died and they were all from accidents, this showed the country that a large number of people could get together in harmony.
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THE HIPPIE MOVEMENT

The Burning Man Project draws more than 50,000 modern day Hippies each year; proof that, though not as widespread, the Hippie Movement still exists today.

Burning Man 2008

Woodstock 1969

By Gayle M.

The Hippie Movement came about on the heels of the Beatnik revolution. Though both shared the common idea to rebel against the “system”, the Hippie movement was a more passive means to the same end. It was a quiet social revolt. Hippies wanted to show their disapproval for the restraints of society through unconventional methods. For example, to show they thought jobs made people slaves to society, they simply said, “no” to jobs. They believed in pursuing happiness, love, and peace at all times so having jobs would take time from that pursuit.

Unlike the Beatniks who were intellectuals, elites, and invited, (even the movement’s leaders met by invitation only) the Hippies were made up of everyone, regardless of race or gender, economic or social status. Everyone was welcomed. Differences were celebrated and the only rule was there are no rules. As a hippy you committed yourself to pursue love, happiness, and freedom.

Hippies were most concentrated in the Western United States. This is also evidence of a “tag-team” revolution with the Beatniks, for though the Beatniks started on the East Coast, they soon migrated to the West. Some notable Hippies and Hippy supporters are: Cat Stevens, Jim Morrison, Joplin, and Jimmie Hendrix.

The Evolution of Beatnik

Beatnik, a culture evolution started with individuals who were writers and artist. The group that originated as the “beat” started in 1957 New York and quickly gained a faddish ground within two year. The term beatnik was coined by Herb Caen as a derogatory term, a reference to the Russian satellite Spunik, which manage to suggest the Beats were way out there and pro Communist. The group consisted of Jack Kerouca, Allen Genseng, William Burroughs, and Herbert Huncke. Their identity was related to relaxation of social and sexual tension as a detachment from the aftermath of the Cold War (1). The Beatnik movement can also be related to a bohemian subculture as its existence spread to the most college campuses in the mid fifties. Beatnik had an influence on culture, clothing, furniture, art, hair, and even beatnik slang.

Watson, Steven. The Birth of the Beat Generation, Visionaries, Rebels, and Hipsters, 1944-1950. Pantheon Books, Random House, Inc. 1995 Print.

Lisa R.

Hippie Culture

The majority of crossroads between the hippie counter culture and the Vietnam War were
those of protest. The hippie movement and ideology was one of gentleness, tolerance
and inclusivity, going directly against any war (Jones, Created Equal, p.607). There were
many songs written in protest of the war, some of which became classics while others
faded into obscurity. Neil Young wrote Ohio in response to the Kent State shootings of
protesters by the National Guard on May 4, 1970. The 1969 song It Better End Soon, by
the band Chicago didn’t leave much to the imagination about how they felt. Then there is
1967’s iconic For What It’s Worth by Buffalo Springfield, which has become a timeless
classic ironically used in commercials to sell beer. The popular artists of the day used
music to voice their opinions, thoughts and concerns. Music became a great form of
communication and a way to unite people to a common goal or ideology.

One of the biggest influences the hippie culture had on popular music was that of The
Beatles. As any Beatles fan will tell you, the album Revolver was a major change in
direction for the band. They had fully embraced the counter culture in all of its
experimentation with drugs and sexual freedom. Although it is difficult to say that it was
merely one thing or another, it was more than just a maturing of the band. Their music
had undergone a major shift from that which made them superstars during the early
sixties, melodic, sing-along, happy songs, towards that of experimental and psychedelic
rock like that of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band or The white Album. Not only was
music a major factor in transforming popular culture, the same can be said for the effect
of popular culture on music.

Brett M.

Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody

A lot of people give a lot of credit to the hippies and the peoples of the 60′s for changing American society. The 50′s were the days of conformity and neatly parted hair.Sexual revolution (hetero and homo), free speech and thought, an interest in everything cultural and unique