Hippie
The word hippie emerged from the jazz slang of 1940s Harlem, where musicians used terms like hip and hep to describe someone who was sophisticated or up-to-date. Harry Gibson coined the term hipster in 1944 to greet customers who enjoyed his music at a club. By the early 1960s, young counterculture advocates in New York City's Greenwich Village were called hips because they were considered cool rather than square. The first printed use of hippie appeared in an the 27th of April 1961 article by Norman Mailer questioning President Kennedy's behavior. San Francisco journalist Michael Fallon popularized the term in the 5th of September 1965 when he wrote about beatniks moving into the Haight-Ashbury district. Herb Caen of the San Francisco Chronicle began using hippie widely in January 1967 columns that brought national attention to the subculture.
Late 1890s German youth movement Der Wandervogel emphasized folk music, hiking, and outdoor life as a reaction against formal social clubs. Robert Bootzin known as Gypsy Boots helped popularize health-consciousness and organic food through his song Nature Boy recorded by Nat King Cole in 1948. Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters traveled across America in a school bus named Further during 1964 to celebrate his novel Sometimes a Great Notion. Chandler Laughlin III organized a peyote ceremony for fifty people in April 1963 at Cabale Creamery coffee house in Berkeley. The Red Dog Saloon in Virginia City Nevada hosted Grateful Dead performances starting summer 1965 with Bill Ham's primitive light shows. Vito Paulekas opened a clothing boutique on Laurel Avenue and Beverly Boulevard in Hollywood around 1961 introducing free-form dancing and early hippie fashion styles.
Twenty thousand to thirty thousand hippies gathered in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park for the Human Be-In on the 14th of January 1967 organized by Michael Bowen. Scott McKenzie's rendition of John Phillips' song San Francisco became a hit that inspired thousands to travel to California wearing flowers in their hair. Approximately one hundred thousand people arrived in San Francisco during the summer of 1967 according to Joel Selvin's estimates. Time magazine featured a cover story titled The Hippies: The Philosophy of a Subculture on the 7th of July 1967 bringing national spotlight to Haight-Ashbury. By end of 1967 many original hippies had moved away as malnourishment disease and drug addiction plagued the overcrowded district. Beatle George Harrison visited Haight-Ashbury and found it to be just a haven for dropouts before giving up LSD himself.
Over five hundred thousand people attended Woodstock Music and Art Fair in Bethel New York from August 15 to 18 1969 featuring bands like Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. Three hundred thousand gathered at Altamont Free Concert about forty-five kilometers east of San Francisco in December 1969 where Rolling Stones performed with Hells Angels providing security. Four hundred thousand attendees filled Isle of Wight Festival on the 30th of August 1970 claimed by promoters Fiery Creations. One hundred thousand hippies traveled overland route known as Hippie trail between 1969 and 1971 reaching India via Pakistan and Afghanistan. Nambassa festival in New Zealand promoted sustainable energy while Nimbin hosted Aquarius Festival in Australia during 1973. Piedra Roja Festival became major event in Chile held in 1970 drawing international attention to global hippie expansion.
San Francisco poster artists Rick Griffin Victor Moscoso Bonnie MacLean Stanley Mouse and Alton Kelley created psychedelic rock concert posters using richly saturated colors and elaborate lettering. Brotherhood of Light developed liquid light projection art forms combining oil dye emulsions with slide shows for Grateful Dead concerts. Zap Comix underground comic book featured work by Robert Crumb S. Clay Wilson and Gilbert Shelton who created The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers. Tie-dyed garments bell-bottom pants dashikis and peasant blouses replaced tight uniform clothing of 1940s and 1950s decades. Hand-crafted hippie trucks included beds toilets showers and cooking facilities documented in Roll Your Own book published 1974. Psychedelic light shows pulsed in rhythm to music creating improvisational motion picture art forms at Fillmore West auditorium from 1966 until 1972.
Stephen Gaskin founded Monday Night Class in 1966 that attracted fifteen hundred followers discussing Christian Buddhist and Hindu teachings before establishing Tennessee community called The Farm in 1970. Timothy Leary established League for Spiritual Discovery on the 19th of September 1966 declaring LSD as holy sacrament based on freedom of religion argument. Leary coined phrase Turn on tune in drop out while speaking to twenty thousand people at Human Be-In gathering the 14th of January 1967. Aleister Crowley influenced rock musicians including Jimmy Page who owned Boleskine House featured in Led Zeppelin's 1976 film The Song Remains the Same. Jim Morrison and Doors posed with bust of Crowley on back cover of their 1970 compilation album 13. Dudeist philosophy developed after hippie era inspired by fictional character Jeffrey Lebowski portrayed by Jeff Bridges in Coen Brothers' 1998 film The Big Lebowski.
Mainstream media lost interest in hippie counterculture during mid-late 1970s as psychedelic rock declined and new genres like disco punk emerged. Hippie communes continued flourishing with Tawapa community founded in New Mexico in 1970 lasting until 1990s when housing developments pushed people off land. Term Zippie appeared around 1994 describing hippies embracing New Age beliefs electronic music and technology according to Wired Magazine issue 2.05. Many former hippies became members of growing countercultural New Age movement of 1970s while others sold out into materialist consumer yuppie culture. Rainbow Family groups and New Zealand housetruckers maintained free-flow lifestyle still seen today among neo-hippies on college campuses worldwide. Large rock concerts evolved into stadium rock format originating from KFRC Fantasy Fair and Monterey Pop Festival events of 1967.
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Common questions
When did the word hippie first appear in print?
The first printed use of hippie appeared on the 27th of April 1961 in an article by Norman Mailer questioning President Kennedy's behavior. The term emerged from jazz slang of 1940s Harlem where musicians used terms like hip and hep to describe someone sophisticated or up-to-date.
Where was the Human Be-In held and when did it take place?
Twenty thousand to thirty thousand hippies gathered in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park for the Human Be-In on the 14th of January 1967 organized by Michael Bowen. Scott McKenzie's rendition of John Phillips' song San Francisco became a hit that inspired thousands to travel to California wearing flowers in their hair.
What were the major music festivals attended by hippies between 1969 and 1970?
Over five hundred thousand people attended Woodstock Music and Art Fair in Bethel New York from August 15 to 18 1969 featuring bands like Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. Three hundred thousand gathered at Altamont Free Concert about forty-five kilometers east of San Francisco in December 1969 where Rolling Stones performed with Hells Angels providing security.
Who founded the Monday Night Class and what community did they establish?
Stephen Gaskin founded Monday Night Class in 1966 that attracted fifteen hundred followers discussing Christian Buddhist and Hindu teachings before establishing Tennessee community called The Farm in 1970. Timothy Leary established League for Spiritual Discovery on the 19th of September 1966 declaring LSD as holy sacrament based on freedom of religion argument.
When did mainstream media lose interest in the hippie counterculture movement?
Mainstream media lost interest in hippie counterculture during mid-late 1970s as psychedelic rock declined and new genres like disco punk emerged. Hippie communes continued flourishing with Tawapa community founded in New Mexico in 1970 lasting until 1990s when housing developments pushed people off land.