Songs of peace, freedom, and liberation... or a communist plot?

Where did the "Hippies" come from anyway? Was there an original hippie? If so, what is his name? How exactly did a social movement that still has an impact even yet today gain such influence so quickly? Bearing in mind that hippiedom occured contemporaneously with the Cold War and with us fighting a proxy war against Communism, could it have actually been a Communist plot, designed to soften us up and make our loss certain and perhaps make the spread of Communism easier?

And, was Grace Slick in actuality not simply a useful idiot for the Soviet Union, but in actuality an agent of that empire?

To those questions I have no answers.

However, the answer might in fact be in one of the suprisingly large number of high quality Jefferson Airplane videos available online. The embedded one below is my current favorite; it appears to be live as her phrasing is somewhat different from the recorded version. And, her facial expressions are quite interesting.

For extra hippie with a revolutionary aspect, see this version of Volunteers (link). Today is a good song, although the cameraman doesn't seem to realize that Marty Balin is the one singing it (link). Focus all you want on GS, I don't mind. For some extra acidity, see Eskimo Blue Day (link). Crown of Creation is also a great song (link). In High Flyin' Bird GS gets intenser (link). Here's a version of White Rabbit that Disney's lawyers have apparently missed (link). (Note: may induce seizures and/or flashbacks.) Up against the wall, hippies, and watch We Can Be Together (link). That actually makes hippies look somewhat OK.

WackyHumor · Wed, 03/12/2008 - 20:12 · · Importance: 1