RobF -> RE: Lawrence Ferlinghetti Dies at 101 (Feb. 24 2021 2:35:50)
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Around the mid-'60s the Beat Generation more or less faded out and the "Hippies" came into focus (or maybe I should say "out of focus"). In my opinion, the true Beats (not the "wannabes") at least had some talent. The Hippies, on the other hand, lacked the talent, and in their pursuit of non-conformity and unconventionality, became, within the framework of their own social mores, just as conformist and conventional as those they supposedly were rebelling against. Great eulogy Bill, but I think you’re being a little harsh on the hippies when in many ways, at least to mainstream America, they were largely a media and entertainment industry creation to start with. I also think it might be better to see the Hippie movement that did exist more in evolutionary terms. After all, Ginsberg had no problem hooking up with the Dylan troupe and milking them for what he could, and the involvement of members of the Grateful Dead with Neil Cassady, the Magic Bus and the Acid Test is well documented. The difference is, while the Beat Generation was largely relegated to comedic bit part roles by the media and entertainment industry, it was quickly recognized that there was big money to be made from the new generation. Hence, we saw things like Screen Gems asking the Lovin’ Spoonful to star in a new television series project targetting the ‘young generation’. When the Spoonful declined, in part because they were already well on their way to stardom on their own, but also due to an unwillingness to sign over all future songwriting rights to Screen Gems, Hollywood was nonplussed. They essentially claimed the identity of the group as their own creation and put out a cattle call to select four young lads who just happened to look and act just like the members of the Spoonful, under the guise that it was to be a new series about the madcap adventures of a young band as they aspired to become the next Beatles. And thus, The Monkees were born. Then, of course, while visiting California, the young Canadian member of the Spoonful was arrested for possession of marijuana and, under threat of jail, deportation, and the ruination of his future career, was coerced into ratting out the person who sold him the dope. He was only 22, but the fallout for his sin was that the band became non-grata to its audience. So, those clever Californians won out, shut down the competition, and fortunes were made. Just not by the guys whose personalities and creation was essentially stolen. But this is a digression, as the widespread growth and resulting conformity you mention was largely due, in my opinion, not to a lack of imagination or from simply following the lead of Hollywood or previous generations, but to the Vietnam war, the Draft, and the unwillingness of the youth of the time to be forced to go to a foreign country to kill and be killed in the service of God knows what. People had been witnessing first-hand the fallout from the Second World and Korean Wars. There may have been PTSD, but nobody was talking about it. The kids at home got a taste, though. War seemed endless and it was getting ugly. Many of the draftees who did go to fight relied on the music and (counter) culture of the times to get them through what was basically a hell. From this, the acceptance of expanding one’s inner horizons through substance use fit well with the need to escape. Tune in, turn on, drop out. Regardless, there were many brilliant artists active during the decade which followed the Beat Decade, and its not really fair to dismiss them. It was a continuum, or perhaps a logical conclusion, whose growth was aided by the very people who mocked, yet profited from, both movements. Of course, that’s not to deny there was a lot of ‘acting out’ going on. The ‘60s was a very heady time. Star Trek? Let’s not forget the impact of “The Pill”. And, along with that, the freeing of the puppies, go-go dancing, the mini-skirt, and all that other cool stuff. Worth the price of admission right there. I was just a kid living in Montreal at the time, but even I could tell something special was going on (especially with the puppies), even if I was too young to directly participate (again with the puppies). By the time the mid ‘70s rolled along, everything seemed a little grey in comparison. For me, growing up in Montreal during the 1960s was a very special time, indeed. I suspect I’m going to pull a Piwin and delete most of this when I wake up tomorrow, so I hope you catch it Bill. It’s just a rant and all in fun, at any rate. I realize you were there while my experiences were tainted through the lens of youth, so perhaps I can be accused of being revisionist, but I hope I’m not that far off base. [:D] Peace.
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