Kung Fu Hippie Rant

[Merryprankster]

My favorite "neo hippy" experience so far was the IMF meeting here in DC.

There were thousands of them running around, protesting capitalism... smoking phillip-morris produced cigarettes, wearing gap jeans, and carrying North Face backpacks.

I respect KC Elbow style hippies.

I just want to poop on the birkenstocks of those who act like the ones at the IMF....

[rogue]

People who were not hippies.

Jim Morrison: drunkard, wore leathers.
Hendrix: Violent drug addict. And I believe that Clapton, Ace Frehley, Eddie Van Halen have all influenced more guitarists than Hendrix. And no one has influenced more players than Chuck Berry!
Janis: Drunk blues singer.
The Stones, The Who: Peace, love and harmony?
Zep: OK early on they sometimes played at being hippies.
The Beatles: They wore the fashions, but that was about it.
The Cowsills: nuff said.

[KC Elbows]

So, let me get this straight, the Grateful Dead were not hippies, Charles Manson was, they destroy the environment(?), come from rich families, buy islands to grow and sell drugs from or alternately take welfare checks, take names like "Moon Daughter" or "Budokan"( ), and drive Range Rovers.

****.

I can see why y'all don't like them. That's why, as Merryprankster pointed out above, I have my own style of hippy. Here's how you can be one:

-First off, you don't have to like the Dead, though you will need a high tolerance for them.

-Second, recognize that it is a young worldview that is not justified by the look(a la manson) but by the philosophy and it's attempts at realization(a la Bruce Lee).

-You don't have to come from a rich family.

-If you're buying an island, do something more useful with it than growing drugs for wholesale production, or just keep it as a pristine place to spend some time, which is the cooler option anyway.

-Go hungry instead of taking welfare checks, as those are meant for people in real need, and the whole point, if you are well to do, is to go through hardship and grow from it.

-You really don't have to change your name, but you can if you want, it wasn't my thing, it's better, IMO, to redefine your name, but obviously there is merit to taking a name as well(just ask Running Bull).

-Finally, you should probably not take your Range Rover on the road, as you'll just ruin it and create an artificial need for more range rovers in the world, and anyway, shouldn't you be driving something more fuel economical? Do it right, get an old Scirocco that is held together by rubber bands, old pieces of sock, and has clear plastic in place of windows. Load it up with five backpacks and get going.

-Learn not to sponge. Gain the ability to find instant work. Help out those helping you.

-Learn something about the politics you wish to talk about. At the same time, if you know something is wrong, you don't have to have another option at that moment to have a responsibility to stop it.

-Finally, toke responsibly, and if you must toke and speak, try to do so with others who are toking.

BTW, throwing blood on people with furs is cool, and that's all there is to it. Fur is a luxury that is unnecessary and involves bashing a things head in until it stops twitching, pot is a luxury that involves explaining things in a rambling manner until the listener starts twitching. Two different worlds.

If you've got to wear a fur, then I've got to pee. On your fur. While you're wearing it. And I drink a lot of water.

One last thing. A lot of the complaint has been about the rich kid hippies. I've known a few like this, and I have no problem with the idea of rich kids going without a few years to learn hardship and what it's like for others. I can see, however, how it can be offensive when they are not really going without.

Peace.

[greendragon]

thank you MP for making the distinction. the modern day "neo" hippies are just a copycat clueless generation of consumer clones. Charles Manson? I thought that was a swastika on his forehead not a peace sign. Grateful dead not hippies? guess again. Some of you have some really specific stereotypes in your head. Sounds like even hippies hate hippies. This thread has given me a glimpse into how people think and the different reasons they use the term. Some will call any MA that uses "energy" or chi a tai chi hippie, what's up with that ?

[KC Elbows]

Hendrix was a hippy. He wanted to play a riff that made him feel like he was floating!!! He wanted everything to be groovy!!! Remember, "I'm gonna wave my freak flag high!"?!!!

Janice was also a hippy, albeit a drunk blues singing hippy(remember, she started out singing folk-hippy, anyone?)

Beatles-Paul-fringe hippy John-Total give peace a chance communism flirting hippy Ringo-To drunk to tell George- Followed the maharishi, sang peace songs, cr@pped hippy when he wasn't eating hippy

Zep: Early on? Watched The Song Remains The Same lately? Plant's episode on it oozes hippy, it exudes hippy, nay, it extrudes hippy right through the screen! That's more than halfway through their history, and past the bulk of their achievements as a band.

Ace Frehley- ???????? Ack, you're hurting me with this one, if Ace Frehley was so influential, I guess that would explain Winger, but is this a good thing?!!!

Van Halen- Really, we should just say Eddie Van Halen, he's the only one worth mentioning from that band. I'll grant that you're probably right, as far as playing style, he probably has influenced as many or more, however, as far as songwriting, specifically lyrics, van halen does not exist or persist, and all of their good instrumentation was pretty early on. But I am clearly opinionated here, I just think Eddie should have gotten a better lineup, and then his music wouldn't be ruined by the people who sing and play along with him.

However, I may have to admit defeat due to the fact that I cannot place "The Cowsills". Who the heck are they?

[ewallace]

It's funny how many protest fur (rich ladies) and not leather(bikers). I guess it's much easier to pick on a bunch of ladies.

Where did I hear that from anyway? I think it was on a thread here a while back.

[KC Elbows]

It's because of supply. Cows generally aren't endangered. The animals used for fur are.

And yes, it's all about pouring blood on rich women. Like you haven't done THAT before.

[greendragon]

right on KC, Jimi Hendrix was the quint-essential hippie. could be he was for peace and love because he was airborne infantry paratrooper in viet nam.

[ewallace]

Cows have feelings too.

I heard it feels better to be a white castle slider than a cheese burger.

[Braden]

KC - A wonderful example of the neo-hippy destroying the environment happened in Ontario where protests succeeding in shutting down our nuclear power supply. It was replaced with a coal plant power supply. Good job, environmentalists.

[KC Elbows]

What really amazes me is the catch-22 in the method being used to define who is a hippy. Hendrix is not a hippy because he had a violent streak. Yet the rich kid is a hippy because he sponges from the system. The Dead are not hippies because Jerry owned a Cadillac. Yet Manson was because he had a beard and started a death cult.

And yet, no one has argued whenever I say Bruce Lee was a hippy.

This KFO is a strange place. I think I might stay.

No wonder Old Jong feels at home. It's just like his work.

[Felipe Bido]

Turn me on, dead man...turn me on, dead man...turn me on, dead man...

Sorry, I couldn't resist

[greendragon]

O Sensei Morihei Ueshiba was a hippie ?

[KC Elbows]

Of course he was.

[MonkeySlap Too]

Could it be that Hippies are like any other group, and as a group are rather hard to define? Could there be perfectly good people and nutjobs?

Yeah, probably.

But I'll still give you a hard time KC, despite having the coolest backl to nature story I've heard in years.

And Gene, well dude, you were getting free concerts. That's just smart, not slacking.