Ken Kesey

[Ninjabob27]

    Hey, Dudes. Been a while since I dropped by this lovely forum but in my time away from here I've been reading an amazing book, one which I believe to be the definitive hippie manuscript, man.
   
"The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" follows the adventures and shenanigans of a group known as The Merry Pranksters. This particular group of Day-Glo crazies is lead by the righteous dude Ken Kesey, the author of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." Ken Kesey's Pranksters raise all sorts of havoc in a psychedelic, International Harvester school bus. Now while reading about The Pranksters I can see that the insane amounts of hallucinogenic mind-expanders have fried their gourds and it can make them spazzy and un-dudely from time to time, but Kesey never loses his cool. He's their rock, man. He's the rug that ties them all together. Soft-spoken and cool as a cucumber. You know this fella actually befriended the Hell's Angels?! Seriously, he knew a couple of them personally, invited the whole freaking gang to come down to where The Pranksters were living in La Honda, California. Kesey oversaw the party and got The Angels stoned on LSD, as well as any other psychedelics he had to offer. He's always just giving it out.    
 
People would show up at his place now and then and they were never turned away. Very communal living. Of course this was all in the '60s and the hippie revolution was at it's peak. But specifically, the thing I just read, like literally just read it a minute ago, is what made me pull over the computer to write this down. Here's what happened:
   
Kesey was invited to speak at an Anti-War rally. He immediately decided that a rally to go against war was completely backwards, so he and his Merry Pranksters dressed up all in war gear. Camo everything, helmets, uniforms, they even made wooden guns to carry around. They packed all their gear into the bus and headed to the rally. When it was Kesey's turn to speak (next-to-last) he goes up on the stage wearing a bright orange road-worker vest and a WWI helmet that he painted in orange day-glo. He addressed the crowd with his Pranksters right behind him on stage, all holding instruments. He says, "You know, you're not gonna stop this war with this rally, by marching... That's what they do... They hold rallies and they march... They've been having wars for ten thousand years and you're not gonna stop it this way... Ten thousand years, and this is the game they play to do it... holding rallies and having marches... and that's the same game you're playing... their game... I was just looking at the speaker before me... and I couldn't hear what he was saying... but I could hear the sound of it... and I could hear your sound coming back at him... and I could see the gestures and I could see his jaw sticking out like this... silhouetted against the sky... and you know who I saw and who I heard?... Mussolini... I saw and heard Mussolini up here just a few minutes ago... Yep... you're playing their game... We've all heard all this and seen all this before, but we keep doing it... I went to see The Beatles last month... And I heard 20,000 girls screaming together at The Beatles... and I couldn't hear what they were screaming either... but you don't have to... They're screaming Me! Me! Me! Me!... I'm Me!... That's the cry of the ego, and that's the cry of this rally!... Me! Me! Me! Me!... And that's why wars get fought... ego... because enough people want to scream Pay attention to Me!... Yep, you're playing their game... There's only one thing to do... there's only one thing's gonna do any good at all... And that's everybody just look at it, look at the war, and turn your backs and say... Fuck it... "

Every now and then when he was talking at that rally, he'd stop for a minute and play "Home on the Range" on a harmonica while his Pranksters backed him up on their instruments, then he'd talk again. A few people booed, the Vietnam Day Committee was heard screaming "Who the hell invited this bastard?!" Ken Kesey was one of the great dudes in history. What's his opinion on the war? "Fuck it" I'd share a lane with him any day. Get this man an oat soda on me.


** DB comment: good to see you here, Ninjabob27. I opened up your post a little to make it easier to read. Interesting information on Kesey, dude!

[Abideist]

Too much for me to read but I support your effort to expand your vocabularly and library collection dude. take'r easy dude.

[Ninjabob27]

    Yeah, I know it's a lot to read, hehe. Sorry about that, dudes, but I really wanted to do him justice, feel me? Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read it. And thanks, DigitalBuddah. I think your edit really tied the post together.

[DigitalBuddha]

    Yeah, I know it's a lot to read, hehe. Sorry about that, dudes, but I really wanted to do him justice, feel me? Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read it. And thanks, DigitalBuddah. I think your edit really tied the post together.

No problemo, dude. Your post made for some good reading.

[meekon5]

http://www.tomwolfe.com/KoolAid.html

[DigitalBuddha]

http://www.tomwolfe.com/KoolAid.html

Good reading, M5.

[Ninjabob27]

http://www.tomwolfe.com/KoolAid.html

'Preciate the find, meekon5. A nice summary of the book. I'm still reading it, btw