Artist Michael Bowen was instrumental in many of the key developments in the Haight-Ashbury. He helped Allan Cohen turn his dream of a rainbow-colored newspaper into reality, contributing art, obtaining funding, and even turning his apartment over to The Oracle for office use. Michael, along with the Oracle, organized the Love Pageant Rally, which was held to protest the outlawing of LSD on October 6, 1966. Surprised at the larger than expected turnout, he and others envisioned a much larger gathering, a Human Be-In, which would publicize this breaking new dawn on the cultural landscape.
Using his connections, Michael arranged for Timothy Leary, Allen Ginsberg, and others to appear, and organized publicity for this seminal event. Allen Cohen-Allen Cohen was a young poet from New York, drawn to the Haight-Ashbury by the prevailing bohemian spirit. One night, he dreamed of a psychedelic rainbow-colored newspaper, which would be seen throughout the world. With the support and funding of interested locals, the first issue of The Oracle appeared on the streets of the Haight-Ashbury in September, 1966.
With its stunning split-fountain printing and psychedelic artwork, The Oracle was one of the most beautiful newspapers ever printed. At its peak, over 100,000 copies a month were printed, and true to Allens dream, it was indeed seen around the world. Neil Cassidy-As the model for the non-stop Dean Moriarity in Jack Kerouacs, On the Road, the free-spirited Neil Cassady was already a legend by the time he met a young novelist named Ken Kesey in 1963.
With his incredible energy and abilities, Neil demonstrated to the Pranksters just what Furthur really meant. Neils feats as the driver of the Magic Bus defied belief, as did his ability to carry on multiple conversations simultaneously. To those who knew him, Neil was The fastest man alive, a model of being, versus doing. Neil, Jerry Garcia once said,.. was unbelievable. He was a true inspiration. There really hasnt been anything like him since. The Diggers- were a Haight-Ashbury group which mixed much needed social services with a fiery social agenda.
Taking the name of a 17th century English commune and promoting their vision of a socialist utopia, they fed hundreds daily in the nearby park, while badgering Haight-Ashbury businesses to distribute their profits to the community. To promote their ideas, they set up a free store on Haight street, held a funeral for the death of money, and engaged in daily street theater. Though their activist style contrasted sharply with the more laid back hippie lifestyle, they were respected for their passionate dedication to what they believed was the greater good, and their ability to get things done.
Many of their members were talented artists, poets, and street actors, among them Peter Coyote. Allen Ginsberg-Allen Ginsberg was a charter member of the 1950s beat movement and its best known poet. Ginsbergs earthy poetry, exploration of eastern spirituality, and support for the use of psychedelics struck a chord with the emerging counterculture, which saw him as a spiritual guide and teacher. He would make an occasional appearance at the Merry Pranksters Acid Tests, where his chanting and poetry readings would, it is said, even have a mellowing effect on the Hells Angels in attendance.
His best-known appearance in San Francisco was at the Human Be-In in January, 1967. Chet Helms-Chet Helms hailed from Texas, where a strong interest in civil rights and social issues attracted him to the Haight-Ashbury community. Believing that rock and roll provided a means to promote those issues, he formed a group called Big Brother and the Holding Company. Shortly afterwards, he took over the reins of a struggling concert promotion enterprise called The Family Dog and organized a series of weekly concerts at the Avalon Ballroom, commissioning local artists to create a series of ground-breaking posters for these events.
Though successfully keeping an organization of 40+ employees sustained for five years, as well as being a lead patron for revitalizing the poster as an art form, Chet Helms true interests and energies always lay in the social agenda which first drew him to the Haight-Ashbury. Timothy Leary- was a rising star in the field of behavioral psychology and a lecturer at Harvard when a vacation to Mexico in 1960 changed his life. There he was exposed for the first time to mind-altering substances.
Believing it to be the deepest religious experience in my life, he became convinced they held the answer for humanitys long-term survival. He returned to Harvard, where he focused his efforts on researching those substances he believed held the key to spiritual and personal revelation. Spreading the psychedelic gospel to colleagues and graduate students alike, he was fired for his controversial activities in 1963, after which he began traveling the country, exhorting the youth of America to turn on, tune in, and drop out.
Mountain Girl-Displaying the confidence and sense of adventure that would become her trademark, Carolyn Adams hitched a ride with her brother from upstate New York to the San Francisco area at age 17. Shortly after arriving, she met up with a like-minded group of psychedelic adventurers who referred to themselves as The Merry Pranksters, and with whom she would be immortalized in Tom Wolfes book, The electric cool-aid acid test Sleeping in a tent earned her the nickname Mountain Girl, bestowed by fellow Prankster Neil Cassady.
After one particular Acid Test, she found herself sweeping the floor with one of the members of the house band, The Warlocks. A casual conversation was struck up, and before too long, 710 Ashbury would become home. The Merry Pranksters- led by novelist Ken Kesey, were an irreverent, free-spirited group whose self-styled mission was to psychedelicize the world at a time when LSD was still legal. With their day-glow costumes, colorful nicknames, and outrageous pranks, they were sure to draw an audience wherever they appeared.
Can YOU pass the Acid Test? , their poster asked, and many came to find out. For those who couldnt make it, there was always the Magic Bus, a converted 1939 International Harvester Bus replete with swirling day-glo color, a state of the art sound system, and a destination sign reading Furthur, an appropriate metaphor for the journey they and others sought. Tony Seldin- better known as The Vagabond Poet, is the poet lauret of todays Haight-Ashbury in both deed and spirit. Ken Kesey has called him The last living underground legend in America.
He has performed his acclaimed poetry on stage for many years, but may be even better known for the numerous literary events and benefits he has organized for, among others, Amnesty International. He organized a two-evening literary fundraiser for the late Jan Kerouac. Tony has been especially active in events relating to the Haight-Ashbury, having helped organize multi-media shows such as The rise and fall of the Haight-Ashbury in the 60s and Summer of Love anniversary shows. Perhaps Ron Kovic said it best: Tony Seldin is a truth teller like Whitman, like Thoreau. He is a gift, an American treasure, a poet of all the people.
Gary Snyder-In Jack Kerouacs The Dharma Bums, character Jaffy Ryder predicts that millions of rucksack revolutionaires will take to the hills. Japhy Ryder was none other than Beat poet Gary Snyder, and that comment was a stunning prophecy of the hippie movement to come some ten years later. Snyders poetry, which celebrates communal life and emphasizes physical and spiritual connections to the natural world, and his role in introducing Zen Buddhism, with its emphasis on consciousness and an existence tuned in to the rhythms of nature, made him a spiritual mentor to the cultural revolution of the sixties.
He received a Pulitzer Prize in 1974 for Turtle Island, and he continues to publish poetry, as well as to work on behalf of world peace and environmental awareness. He currently teaches at the University of California at Davis. Ron Thelin-Whether it was helping the Haight-Ashburys homeless obtain food and shelter, supporting a community newspaper called the Oracle, or spending countless hours writing letters on behalf of the environment, Ron Thelin brought to his many activities the same values that won him an Eagle Scout award as a youngster: a belief in community, a thoughtful, generous nature, and a spirit of reverence.
With his younger brother Jay, he founded the Psychedelic Shop at 1535 Haight Street. The shop became the neighborhood town hall, the place to go to keep abreast of the goings-on, or for books on philosophy, mysticism, and psychedelics. Ron was also a generous supporter of every worthy cause the Haight had to offer, including the Diggers, the Oracle, which he also helped edit, and the Human Be-In.
In 1966, Ron and his family moved to Marin Countys rural San Geronimo Valley, where for thirty years he was active in local environmental and community issues, and helped safeguard the valley from development. He was also active in Planet Drum, a San Francisco environmental organization, and inspired many community and environmental activists with the intelligence, spirit, and love of community that marked his life. Wavy Gravy-was a beat poet, comedian, one-time Merry Prankster, and, by unanimous acclaim, the clown prince of the counterculture.
Using comedy as a vehicle for social change, Wavy Gravy and his fellow Hog Farmers, so-called because they shared a commune with numerous hogs, traveled the country during the sixties to protest the war and focus attention on poverty. The hog farmers pulled into Woodstock in August 1969, running the kitchen and providing medical aid while Wavy served as master of ceremonies for the historic event. Today, Wavy is active in Seva, which provides medical aid to those in need here and abroad, and in Camp Winnarainbow, which teaches circus and performance arts to children of all backgrounds.
