SIXTIES, THE: SEX, DRUGS, AND ROCK 'N' ROLL {FINAL EPISODE} (TV)
Summary
The final episode of this documentary series highlighting important people and events in the United States in the 1960’s. The notion of the early 1960’s as embodying a conformist and materialistic viewpoint is challenged by the burgeoning Beat Generation, particularly the works of Jack Kerouac. So-called “Beatniks” arise and become common sights in coffee houses, along with rising folk singers of the time. Greenwich Village in New York City becomes a particular focal point for these people, affecting the political outlook of those within. It is during this time that Bob Dylan gains prominence for his folk sensibilities and politically-charged lyrics. Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles, California becomes the new center of rock n’ roll development in the United States and forms a sort of “community” of artists and musicians. During this time, teenagers in southern California are drawn to the so-called “Sunset Strip” and its nightclubs and entertainment venues. Adolescents gain more prominence and focus in this time, representing a shift in culture throughout the country. Drugs such as marijuana and LSD see more widespread use during this time, especially among young people; its popularity is owed in part to individuals such as Ken Kesey, who at this time writes the classic novel “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and extols the virtues of LSD after volunteering for a university experiment involving the substance. Kesey creates a commune in La Honda, California for others who want to experience LSD, and travels around the country in a painted school bus known as “Furthur” to spread his message. His efforts aid in the creation of the Grateful Dead and of meetings known as “acid tests” where he would aim to get as many people to try LSD as possible. All of these elements form essential parts of the growing countercultural movement, particularly in California. The psychedelic aspects of this movement manifest in places like the corner of Haight and Ashbury Street in San Francisco, where specialty shops and meetings of artists arise. “Diggers,” people who dedicate themselves to sharing wealth and resources with those who came to Haight-Ashbury, become more numerous, and they embody a movement which purports to be totally peaceful and free from political or sociological ambition. This counterculture creates a sharp divide between generations; older folk invent the “hippie” term in order to discredit the younger generation and disenfranchise those with legitimate grievances and philosophies. Tensions arise from the government in regards to Haight-Ashbury since they believe that political movements might capitalize on their “summer of love” for their own purposes; the young people of that area view such governmental resistance as “fascism.” Similar areas spring up in cities across the nation, and the nature of this movement is exemplified in the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival in Monterey, California, called “the ultimate love-in” by some. Soon the counterculture starts to exhibit influence on groups outside of its teenage proponents, particularly in regards to middle-class adults. At the same time, a “sexual revolution” is also taking place, due to the invention of birth control pills and changing attitudes about sex and reproductive rights in general, leading to a philosophy of “free love” and more casual sex. Kerouac is unwillingly put into the role of the “founder” of the Beat Generation; he does not appreciate this appellation and seemingly “disowns” the movement. Hippies in Haight-Ashbury become the subjects of fascination and tourism by the rest of the public, making its residents uncomfortable. To get away from these tourists, hippies go into isolated country homes to start hippie communes. In 1969, thousands congregate around a farm in upstate New York for what would become the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, one of the most famous moments in the 1960’s. Estimates of the size of the crowd range up to half a million, attracting people from around the country. The size and confluence of the event leaves an indelible mark on both the youth movement and the rest of America. An event with a similar goal, the Altamont Speedway Free Festival, begins in San Francisco soon thereafter, but the event goes awry when conflicts arise with the Hell’s Angels used as security. Violence erupts, beginning with the lead singer of Jefferson Airplane getting knocked unconscious and escalating from there, even resulting in murders. The hippie community suffers a further blow with the arrest of Charles Manson, supposedly a devotee of the hippie movement, for his role in a series of brutal murders. Soon the general public begins associating the hippie movement with people like Manson, inciting fear and hatred. These events contribute to a sort of unspoken deterioration of hippies in general, and Haight-Ashbury suffers as well, becoming crime-ridden and devoid of the free spirit which typified it. However, the hippies leave a lasting mark on society as a whole, and despite the end of their movement their aspiration of creating a better, more peaceful world is not forgotten. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: CNN
- DATE: August 14, 2014 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:42:34
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 115576
- GENRE: Public affairs/documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Public affairs/documentaries
- SERIES RUN: CNN - TV series, 2013-2014
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Tom Hanks … Executive Producer
- Gary Goetzman … Executive Producer
- Mark Herzog … Executive Producer
- Christopher G. Cowen … Co-Executive Producer
- Kirk Saduski … Co-Executive Producer
- Dan Partland … Supervising Producer
- Stephen J. Morrison … Producer
- Jenny Ewig … Producer
- Jane E. Russell … Co-Producer
- Michael Goetzman … Associate Producer
- Patrick Roscoe … Associate Producer
- Simon Brown … Associate Producer
- Alex Fleming … Associate Producer
- Aileen Silverstone … Associate Producer
- Adrian Garza … Animation
- Rachael Downs … Animation
- Brigitte Lattanzio … Animation
- Blake Neely … Music by
- Nathaniel Blume … Music by
- Ken Babbs … Interviewee
- Peter Coyote … Interviewee
- Douglas Brinkley … Interviewee
- Henry Diltz … Interviewee
- Chris Connelly … Interviewee
- Joel Peresman … Interviewee
- David Wild … Interviewee
- Michelle Phillips … Interviewee
- Graham Nash … Interviewee
- John Heilemann … Interviewee
- Tom Wolfe … Interviewee
- Lisa Law … Interviewee
- Grace Slick … Interviewee
- Todd Gitlin … Interviewee
- D.A. Pennebaker … Interviewee
- Michelle Ashford … Interviewee
- Richard Reeves … Interviewee
- Questlove … Interviewee
- Jack Kerouac
- Ken Kesey
- Charles Manson