BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: Peace
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 03:02 PM

Here's an ol' hippie for ya.

. . .and another,

. . and another.

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: Kaleea
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 02:01 PM

Didn't inhale then, or pop pills. Still don't inhale, but I pop arthritis pills. I'm still fangerpickin' songs on my old 1964 J-45, but some of them are the way-back-then-hated-Bluegrass, cause-everybody-else-only-listens-to-rock, so-I-had-to-hate-it-too, cause-we-were-all-nonconformists kind of songs. I wear tie died T shirts alot. Sandals most of the time, too. Course, in San Diego most people wear sandals.
If today is the first day of the rest of your life, have a nice day, man.

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 01:59 PM

I do agree with you LH. In fact, most of the "hippies" that stuck it out and are still with us are some of the kindest and considerate people I know. I also think that they are the true noncomformists and live their lives to meet their own standards, not some preconceived notion of how they should behave.

I guess it was a bandwagon thing, or maybe because I came "of age" at the tail end of the hippie movement.

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: Don Firth
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 01:34 PM

Listen to the pictures flow
Across the room into your mind they go.
Listen to the strings.
They jangle and dangle
While the old guitar rings.

That's a really beautiful piece of writing. Great images. Thanks, Gordon, for writing it in the first place, and thanks, Peace for posting the words. And thanks to the Minstrel of the Dawn for reminding us of it.

Well do I remember in the mid-Sixties, all those high school kids hanging around the coffeehouses trying to be cool and trying their damnedest to be hippies. Although most of the kids were nice enough, some of them were real pains in the ass. They were often disappointed because we weren't all sitting around smoking dope (that they could try to buy or bum). They were so incredibly clueless!

I never was a hippie, even though some of the kids thought I was because I played the guitar and sang folk songs. Being immature, they were given to thinking in stereotypes. I note that there are still a few of those kids (at least one of the pain-in-the-ass variety) still around these days. They're older now, but in all that time, they haven't grown up very much.

I was that awkward age. I was too young to be a Beatnik and too old to be a hippie. I never smoked dope, shot up, snorted coke, or dropped acid. I did drink unhealthy amounts of coffee. Also an occasional schooner of beer. I enjoyed a little good wine with dinner from time to time, and still do; and although I smoked like a chimney (tobacco), I quit twenty-eight years ago. I was all in favor of civil rights and took a dim view of the Vietnam War, but other than that, I was fairly conservative back then. I've seen a lot more of the world and I've matured a lot since those days.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: Little Hawk
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 01:33 PM

Yup, pretty much the way I saw them too, Ron. I'll say this, though, among the hippies were a few really sweet, gentle, lovely people. Those individuals I value having known. It just goes to show that in any general group of people at any given time you can find a few gems.

I'll say this too...the hippy movement was a hell of a lot more appealing (at least to me) than the punk movement that followed it. ;-P (or the rap and hip-hop stuff now, God knows)

I find starry-eyed idealism and lyrical romanticism much preferable to self-hatred, deliberate ugliness and self-destructive nihilism, or the idealization of "gangsta" culture.

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 01:22 PM

I was in the same boat LH. I never smoked, drank on occasion but nothing seriously, wore my hair a reasonable length, and was made to feel "different". Hippies were not the peace and love image that they tried to make themselves out to be. The media created the image and the blind followers fell in line. As soon as Vietnam ended and the threats to their own well-being ended, they joined the mainstream.   It was an easy out and a way to avoid the problems of the day.

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: Little Hawk
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 01:07 PM

That's exactly the problem I had with hippies, Ron! At first I was starry-eyed in my idealism about the movement. After a few years I reached the point of just being broken-hearted about the conformist hypocrisy of it all. I began to feel contempt for most of the people in the hippy mainstream...precisely because of the unthinking conformity and prejudice you allude to.

Being the guy who never smoked either dope or cigarettes and never got drunk either, I was always somewhat the odd man out among those young fools.

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 01:01 PM

There is another catagory -people who worry way too much about how others define them.   

The problem I had with "hippies" back in the day was that they were the most conformist group of all! If you did not have long hair you were distrusted. If you did not smoke pot, you were distrusted. If you did not listen to the music of the minute, you were distrusted. If you shared an opinion other than the prevailing group and media inspired voice, you were not distrusted.   Hippies were the largest clic of all-time.

I am 48 years old, I have long hair, I do not do drugs, I have my own thoughts. I refused to let my life be defined by a sterotype and fit into someone elses preconceived notions.

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: Little Hawk
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 12:53 PM

"Some people define themselves by who they love: 0thers define themselves by who they hate."

Brilliant statement, Jerry. And so true. Matter of fact, the latter case is what causes just about all the trouble in the word. (and on this forum)

Regarding hippies and drugs...I always thought that the drug craze was the primary thing that misdirected and wrecked the youth movement, and I also think the establishment planned it that way. The CIA moves drugs, billions of dollars worth of drugs annually, from the Third World direct to Mainstreet, USA. The laundered money keeps the USA solvent. It's been happening that way since quite awhile before the hippies were ever seen, and it's happening on a far larger scale now. The 2 biggest sources of illegal drugs for the CIA are Afghanistan and Colombia.

I loved the youth movement at the time, but I was never in favour of the drug culture. It was a very big mistake, and it wasted a lot of lives. You can't take chemical shortcuts to enlightenment without paying a heavy price for it, in my opinion.

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 10:55 AM

Surely there are another two categories Jerry
The people that define themselves by who loves them:
The others who define themselves by who hates them:
Giok

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 10:24 AM

Some people define themselves by who they love: 0thers define themselves by who they hate.

Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: Arne
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 10:22 AM

You mean like this?

;-)

I do have to spend a little less time schooling "Martin", Teribus, and BB, and work a bit on updating the web pages. My serious stuff is here (along with some better pics)...

Cheers,

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 10:04 AM

Gosh, Martin, what happened to toleration or indeed peace love and understanding?

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: bobad
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 09:53 AM

"Growing older disgracefully"

That pun would incline me to agree with that statement.

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 09:38 AM

Surely the original Wandering Menstrual was Tam Paxton?

Giok

[Ex Hippie. Growing older disgracefully]

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: Amos
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 09:29 AM

I WAS at the first Woodstock, but didn't ...have wild sex in a Volkswagon bus with a fifteen year old runaway. I actually came to hear the music.


Gee, Jerry, you could have done both.


A

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 09:23 AM

Never was a "Hippy," if you define Hippy as having long hair (many didn't), turned on to drugs (not all did) and believed in "Free" love. If you define Hippy as being able to think for myself, having an inquisitive, open mind and being sceptical about policians and how accurate the news is as it's reported, then I was a "Hippy" and hope that I always will be. I WAS at the first Woodstock, but didn't overdose on drugs or have wild sex in a Volkswagon bus with a fifteen year old runaway. I actually came to hear the music.

Now that we've all gotten older and most of us are broader of beam, I suspect many of us have gotten a little "hippier."

Jerry

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 09:08 AM

Having visited Glastonbury recently, I can say there's a lot still around there! Cambridge used to be full of 'em as well.

RtS
(old skiffler)

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: Alba
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 09:07 AM

I see nothing wrong whatsoever will being labelled a Hippie. The 'Old" bit of the remark though MG...hey just steady on there.. that's just down right offensive..lol

I would however be deeply offended is someone called me a conformist or a conservative or pro - war or anti- Love or anti - nature...

which brings me, rather oddly, to the references about Women's Menstrual Cycles.

I find it fascinating that this naturally occuring process of a Women's body would be somehow..insulting, seen as dirty in a schoolyard sense, or a no go area of discussion. Anywhere.

Damn it all to hell MG, if you would like to take my monthly period on I will glady give it to you...with a box of free tampons ( just let me know your width size requirements:)

Hey man, just compose a short essay on why you would be worthy of such a gift.

Jude: alias, Earth child /Cosmic Sister.


( Still a Hippy after all these Years..maybe...oh let's just call me a work in progress. Even after all this time I still have not attained that complete freedom that the Hippie movement aspires to. Hippyism is a much better goal than say attaining conformism in my book. Who would want to to be a rich Sheep! Now to mantain that state of mind may require a lot of drugs in my case... bahhhha):>)

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: jacqui.c
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 08:58 AM

I was too busy having babies at too early an age to get involved then. Like Mary I'm making up for it now.

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: Desdemona
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 08:57 AM

By "old", do we mean "former", "elderly" or both?!

~D

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 08:51 AM

The best hippies were always the old hippies, and that's still true. I always used to say "Never trust anyone under thirty".

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: MaineDog
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 08:42 AM

Those of us who didn't OD and otherwise survived did, in fact grow older.
MD

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: GUEST
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 08:35 AM

Old hippie and proud of it. Against war. IN favor of love. Peace, Martin.

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: wysiwyg
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 08:30 AM

OLD?!?!?!?!?!?!

We got OLD?!?!?!?!?!

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: MaineDog
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 08:28 AM

To be a hippie seemed like a good idea at the time, so I began to let my hair grow. By the time it seemed long enough, the movement had gone bad imo . I have heard of old hippies being called Mudpies which I suppose is what you get when you squash a Mudcat.
MD

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: SINSULL
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 07:55 AM

I was never a hippy. Never did drugs. Worked for a living. I am making it up for it now.

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 07:31 AM

Not so much hip and groovy as hip replacement now then?

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: kendall
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 07:30 AM

I was never a hippy. Irrisponsible lay abouts.

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: MBSLynne
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 07:15 AM

I find a lot of old hippies have sold out to the establishment though. They don't seem to have the drive to protest about a lot of things any more. Or is it that the Angry Young Men turned into Grumpy Old Men?

For me, time stopped when they put the flowers in the barrels of the guns....

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 07:13 AM

It was 30 years ago this week that the Sex Pistols first hit our ears (literally) and the Punk scene exploded..... Half those middle aged bank managers with mortgages, pension plans and Vovlo Estates used to be screaming, puking, spiky green haired pogo-dancing yobs....

I'm still trying to be a hippy.... still look like a mobile camping shop when wearing a kaftan and Prozac doesn't have the same effect as other drugs.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: A Wandering Minstrel
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 07:09 AM

Hey those purple velvet loons and tie-dye are still perfectly wearable. Lots of us are still young hippies at heart, its just the outside thats got older, greyer and more "comfortable"

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: Hand-Pulled Boy
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 05:39 AM

Long grey hair is 'shameless'. Bald is beautiful. Oh yeh, Jimi Hendrix once stayed at a guest house in Pearson Park, Hull.

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: Crystal
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 04:24 AM

Oi What about us YOUNG Hippies?

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 04:12 AM

I wanted to be a hippy, but I never really had the figure for it.

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: Bird Flu
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 03:43 AM

LSD was brilliant - took the stuff a couple of hundred times between 1971 and 1976. Sunshine, black, pink, green microdots,strawberry fields, blue cheer, purple haze, purple pyramids - blimey the stuff was coming out of my ears!

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: Gedpipes
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 02:38 AM

Martin Gibson - welcome back to the enlightened chat site

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: Purple Foxx
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 02:34 AM

This was when he was establishing himself in Britain.
I think that Having Chas Chandler as a manager would explain it.
"'Scuse me while I kiss the sky,pet."

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: Paco Rabanne
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 02:30 AM

Really? Did he get lost on his way to Hull??

"They came to the revolution in their daddy's cars" - John Sebastian on Woodstock

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: Purple Foxx
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 02:21 AM

Beg to differ FT implausible though it seems Jimi Hendrix lived in Heaton for a while.

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: Paco Rabanne
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 02:10 AM

Yes it is! There weren't any hippies up here in the frozen North of England, kaftans were a bit thin on the ground.

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: MBSLynne
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 02:06 AM

I am still a hippy...and 'old' is a state of mind! I still hate the establishment. I still have long hair...but then I'm a woman so it's not quite the same. I still get spaced out on peace and love and all that stuff. I don't do drugs and never have. Don't need them cos peace and love are mind-blowing enough without. I still get wound up by all the wars and nasties that happen in the world when everyone should be being nice to each other. My protesting energies are now more focused into environmental issues but I see that as a natural progression.

Lately, I've been wondering where all the other hippies had gone. So many seem to have turned into capitalist establishment figures. I think you are right Martin...a lot of the old hippies can be found on Mudcat. Not sure about the Sargasso Sea bit though.

Oh...and I'm STILL proud of being a hippy!

Love Lynne

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: Little Hawk
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 12:21 AM

Once upon a time I was a hippie too (sort of) and was very of proud of it. Had very long hair, but did no drugs whatsoever, being a resolute noncomformist by nature, hated the establishment, didn't trust older people, all that crap.

Now I trust older people, still hate the establishment, still have long hair, am still thin, and still don't do drugs.

Good idea for a thread.

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: Once Famous
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 12:13 AM

Good one! I mean    Good one.

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: GUEST,Art Thieme
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 12:11 AM

End that sentence with a 'period' !

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: Once Famous
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 12:05 AM

"Breathe deep. The gathering gloom.............."
         .........The Moody blues

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: Peace
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 12:05 AM

Have your sound on . . . .

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: Ron Davies
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 12:03 AM

Sleep tight, "Martin"--and breathe deep.

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: Once Famous
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 12:03 AM

That song was made famous by Gogi Grant, Ron. Now it's a music thread with an expert in it.

and if you can't breathe, get out of the kitchen. Or something like that.

Subject: RE: BS: Mudcat's Old Hippies
From: Once Famous
Date: 31 Mar 06 - 12:02 AM

That's not what I said, Menstrual. Why don't you just go somewhere and clot?