Diversionary Tactics... Psychedelic Ads!

In honor of John McCain's never-ending, chicken-shit diversionary tactics, I take this opportunity to step away from all the political and economic silliness swirling around right now, to show you some really trippy ads and psa's from the 1970s:

Here is a psychedelic bicentenniel ad by the U.S. Information Agency:


Peter Max video for The Beatles, "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds":
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Here is the infamous 1974 7-Up "Bubbles" ad ("We see the light of 7-Up!"):


Here is the follow-up 1975 ad by 7-Up:


Sesame Street's Psychedelic Alphabet:


Here is a Hanna Barbara Anti-Drug PSA from 1970:


Here is an anti-smoking PAS by Peter Max:


Here's a 1968 Peter Max 7-Up ad:


Here is a 1970s Peter-Mix-ish Intermission Cartoon:


Trippy 1970s Cinema Ad:


Psychedelic McDonald's Ad:


Here's a trippy Levi's Blue Jeans ad from 1977:


F&F Throat Aid psychedelic ad:


And even Campbell's Soup got in the act:

The Deadly Writers Patrol

One of my friends and mentors from back in Madison - Craig Werner - is one of the founding members of a writing group that has evolved into a full-fledged magazine, The Deadly Writers Patrol. Here is how they describe themselves:

The Deadly Writer's Patrol began innocently enough. A master's degree student at the University of Chicago living in Madison needed a project to fulfill the requirement of a writing class. Lisa called the Vet Center seeking permission to assemble a group of veterans to instruct them in a particular method of creative writing. The Vet Center staff batted the concept around before giving Lisa tacit approval.

Since its inception in 1981, one of the primary objectives of the Madison, Wisconsin Vet Center has been to assist veterans to express themselves coherently and concisely and effectively. Generally we rely on psychotherapy, particularly group psychotherapy, as the modality to allow meaningful self-expression.

Our experience as counselors tells us that even a veteran's "combat voice" may predate military service. We learn the rules and methods of self-expression at home, in school, from peers, cultural and religious background, television, song, and movies and the military. We adopt a style that works to accomplish our goals in each of those settings.

Like every other institution, the military relies heavily on language and proper use of and understanding of that language. However, in the military, only a few people are allowed to speak. Debate is stifled Silent respect is promoted. Mostly the soldier is at a loss how and where to describe war and his/her role. The war remains under wraps and thus seemingly under control.

After Tet of 1968 and the presidential elections of the same year, the military lost its ballast that the cause was just, essential and obtainable. As disheartened veterans began returning in numbers to "the world" and began to speak from their soldier's voices, that world, the government, churches and schools discovered that veterans had a message to convey. Groups like Vietnam Veterans Against the War spoke critically. Medals were hurled back into the political face of America. Veterans grew their hair long. Grass roots veterans groups popped up across the country not rallying to the flag but to a belief that the government that induced the war and the military brass that led the war did not share the intensity and destruction of the war.

Of equal strength were those veterans who felt our folly was in not winning the war. We failed to wage war properly.

Yet perhaps an even more numerous group who thought that the war was part of duty and obligation to country existed but stayed out of the fray. Theirs was not to reason why, theirs was but to do or die and later cry.

America went on business as usual while many veterans' lives were stuck in the mountains and rice paddies of Vietnam.

Lisa offered to help veterans purge their disheveled, unvoiced feelings using the constructive and creative techniques of writing. She mentored our writing careers for a semester. Then without a trace she disappeared. We wrote on. One of the original members, Howard Sherpe, dubbed the group the "Deadly Writer's Patrol." We have been meeting for eight years. The current members are: Tom Deits, Jean Duesler, Tom Helgeson, Lisa Photos, Steve Piotrowski, Howard Sherpe, and Craig Werner.

Not all members are veterans but to each the single word "Vietnam" holds deep and deadly meaning. What you are about to read are members' and other invited writers' stories. Vietnam may not be directly mentioned in a story but it is the backdrop, the curtain that rises and falls, the chord that pulls the string.

This is a grassroots project, open to everyone. If you are a Vietnam veteran, I hope you will check it out. If you know a Vietnam veteran, please pass this link along to them and encourage them to subscribe to The Deadly Writers Patrol and, more importantly, to contribute their own thoughts, memories, photos and words to the project. And, even if you are not a Vietnam vet, but are interested in Vietnam and the 1960s, again, please subscribe and consider contributing. Finally, spread the word far and wide. This is a worthy endeavor which deserves wide support... it is good people doing a good thing. I hope you might make the effort to get behind it and help make it a success.

Reflections On RFK

NPR had some very good coverage of the 40th anniversary of Robert F. Kennedy's assassination the other day and I think it is worth reposting here. Check it out!

• "RFK's Shooting Turned Photographer into Historian"
• "Writer Remembers RFK's Death"
• "Jack Newfield, Looking for the Man in RFK Myth"
• "RFK Assassination Sparked Changes in Secret Service"
• "RFK Delivers News of King's Death"
• "Should Site of RFK Assassination Be Preserved?"
• "Pete Hamill Recalls RFK"
• "Ted Sorensen Recalls Tragedy Repeated"

Here is one of RFK's '68 ads:


Another RFK campaign ad:


Here is a bunch of different excerpts of RFK talking on various subjects:


RFK and those crowds!


Here is footage of RFK in South African in 1966:


RFK Smacks Down Republicans and Joins Chavez on Picket Line:


Walter Cronkite coverage of 1968 California primary:


RFK on Merv Griffin Show in '67:
part 1
part 2
part 3

RFK on Jack Parr show in '64:


Here is the trailer for a new documentary, "RFK Must Die: The Assassination of Bobby Kennedy":


Here is a 2-part report that suggests the CIA had a hand in the RFK assassination:




And, lastly, Nebraska Public Television did a very good documentary on the 1968 election in our state. It was the last year (before 2008!) that our state mattered in a presidential race!!

The Music of the Vietnam Era

I am teaching my "America in the Sixties" class again this semester. Not surprisingly, students are drawn to the music of the period, so I do a lot with it in the course. Over the past few times I've taught the class, I've been expanding my Vietnam-era music mix. It is up to a 5th CD at this point. We don't deal with every track in class, but I put the following expanded mix on reserve so they can listen more broadly, if they'd like. Most do.

So, here is the list of tracks. I thought I'd share, but I am also always interested to hear suggestions for new tunes to add to any category and, I suppose, arguments to elimnate aything you think does not belong. The "patriotic/pro-war music" section is the weakest, so any suggestions there are particularly welcome...

Music about soldiers’ experiences:
• The Ballad of the Green Beret, Sgt. Barry Saddler
• Vietnam Blues, Sarge Lintecum
• Saigon, Saigon (Dinky Dow Do)
• Run Through the Jungle, Creedance Clearwater Revival
• Chain Of Fools, Aretha Franklin
• Green Eyed Lady, Guess Who
• To Susan On The West Coast Waiting, Donovan
• Battle Hymn Of The River Rats, Johnny Cash
• Izabella, Jimi Hendrix
• Oh, Camil (The Winter Soldier), Graham Nash
• Shakin All Over, The Guess Who
• Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town, Kenny Rogers & the First Edition
• Waist Deep In The Big Muddy, Pete Seeger
• Soldiers of Peace, Graham Nash
• These Boots are Made for Walking, Nancy Sinatra

Anti-war/protest music:
• I Ain't Marchin' Anymore, Phil Ochs
• Blowin' In the Wind, Bob Dylan
• I Got a Letter from LBJ, Tom Paxton
• Hell No, I Ain't Gonna Go, Matt Jones and Elaine Laron
• Vietnam, Paul Kaplan
• Hole In The Ground, Thom Parrott
• The Times They Are a-Changin', Bob Dylan
• Where Have All the Flowers Gone, Pete Seeger
• Draft Dodger Rag, Phil Ochs
• Universal Soldier, Buffy St. Marie
• Two Hangmen, Mason Profit Band
• Agent Orange Song, Country Joe McDonald
• Kill for Peace, The Fugs
• Looks Like We're Fixin' to Die Rag, Country Joe & the Fish
• Universal Soldier, Donovan
• Masters of War, Bob Dylan
• Eve of Destruction, Barry McGuire
• It Better End Soon, Chicago
• Gimme Shelter, Rolling Stones
• Ohio, Neil Young
• Maggie's Farm, Bob Dylan
• Fortunate Son, Creedance Clearwater Revival
• Power to the People, John Lennon
• What Are Their Names?, David Crosby
• Hey Joe, Jimi Hendrix
• Rejoyce, Jefferson Airplane
• Machine Gun, Jimi Hendrix
• Ballad of Penny Evans, Steve Goodman
• What About Me?, Quicksilver Messenger Service
• Street Fightin' Man, Rolling Stones
• For What It's Worth, Buffalo Springfield
• Give Peace a Chance, John Lennon
• All Along the Watchtower, Jimi Hendrix
• War, Edwin Starr
• Vietnam, Jimmy Cliff
• Ball Of Confusion, The Temptations
• What's Goin' On, Marvin Gay
• Singing in Vietnam Talking Blues, Johnny Cash
• Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore John Prine
• What is Truth, Johnny Cash
• We Gotta Get Out of this Place, The Animals
• Paint It Black, Rolling Stones
• Who'll Stop The Rain, Creedence Clearwater Revival

Patriotic/Pro-war music:
• Okie from Muskogee, Merle Haggard
• Battle Hymn Of Lt. Calley, C Co (Feat. Terry Nelson
• Hello Vietnam, George Strait
• Fightin' Side of Me, Merle Haggard
• Song of the patriot, Johnny Cash & Marty Robbins

Counter-cultural/psychedelic music:
• White Rabbit, Jefferson Airplane
• The Unknown Soldier, The Doors
• It Can't Happen Here, Frank Zappa
• Sky Pilot, Eric Burdon & The Animals
• Insense and Peppermints, Strawberry Alarm Clock
• Good Morning Starshine, Oliver
• Volunteers, Jefferson Airplane
• That's It For The Other One, Grateful Dead
• All You Need Is Love, The Beatles
• Break On Through, The Doors
• Cream Puff War, Grateful Dead
• Mary Jane, Janis Joplin
• Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, The Beatles
• Tales Of Brave Ulysees, Cream
• Get Together, The Youngbloods
• Beautiful Jam, Grateful Dead
• Revolution 1, The Beatles
• Walking Blues, Quicksilver Messenger Service
• I Need a Man to Love, Janis Joplin
• Purple Haze, Jimi Hendrix
• Tomorrow Never Knows, The Beatles
• Dear Mr. Fantasy, Traffic
• The End, The Doors
• In The Year 2525, Zager and Evans
• Morning Dew, Grateful Dead
• Star Spangled Banner, Jimi Hendrix
• Imagine, John Lennon

I also intersperse the following 60s news clips throughout my Vietnam mix. They come from a nice 2-CD set, featuring Walter Cronkite and Fred Friendly, titled, "I Can Hear It Now":
• NEWS: Tonkin Gulf Incident & Resolution (August 4, 1964)
• NEWS: Defoliate Jungle/Bombing Restraint, 1964
• NEWS: Burning of village of Cam Ne - (with Morley Safer)...
• NEWS: LBJ rap
• NEWS: Government officials voice optimism about war
• NEWS: Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearings
• NEWS: New Hampshire Primary: Sen. McCarthy challenges LBJ (1968)
• NEWS: Senator Robert F. Kennedy decides to run...
• NEWS: Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., April 4, '68...
• NEWS: "I've been to the mountain top..." - (with Martin Luther King)...
• NEWS: Robert F. Kennedy Speaks Of Dr. King And Violence (1968)
• NEWS: Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy , 1968
• NEWS: 1968 Democratic National Convention...
• NEWS: Demonstrations at Columbia University...
• NEWS: Vice President Spiro Agnew castigates news media...
• NEWS: Nixon on End of War
• NEWS: Nixon policy speech, November 3, 1969
• NEWS: Reprise On Tonkin Gulf Resolution (February 6, 1970)
• NEWS: Nixon rap
• NEWS: Nixon, "We are caught in war, wanting peace..."
• NEWS: Peace demonstration/moratorium, Oct. 15, '69 & Nov. 15, '69...
• NEWS: Nixon rap

LeRoy Grannis, "Big Waves"

I've been hitting politics hard recently, so I feel moved to head in a different direction...

I am teaching my "America in the 60s" course this semester, so have been poking around in a variety of sources and came across these amazing surfing photos by LeRoy Grannis. Just like the hippies, the surf scene was another interesting laguna of youth culture in the 60s. These photos are drawn from the M+B Gallery website and here is what those folks have to say about the artist:

A surfer since 1931, LeRoy Grannis was born in Hermosa Beach, California in 1917 and began shooting surf-culture images on 22nd Street in Hermosa in 1960 as a hobby at the suggestion of a family doctor. His work immediately appeared in the important surf culture magazines of the time including Surfer, Reef and Surfing Illustrated. He quickly became one of the sport's most important documentarians, voted into the International Surfing Hall of Fame as the number one lensman in 1966 and in 2002 was awarded SIMA's Lifetime Achievement Award. Grannis was the subject of The Surfers Journal's first ode to the master photographers in 1998 with Photo: Grannis; his work was featured in Stacy Peralta's 2002 award-winning documentary of the sport, Riding Giants; and most recently, LeRoy Grannis: Birth of a Culture was published as a limited-edition, signed collector's edition monograph by TASCHEN. The artist, who will turn ninety this year, continues to photograph the sport from his home near San Diego.

Well, dag. I'd sure like to meet that guy, wouldn't you? Here are a few of his beautiful photos (click any photo to enlarge):










When I saw these, it reminded of me of Tom Wolfe's "The Pump House Gang," which focuses on California surf culture during this period (thanks to my friend TJ for turning me on to that one back in graduate school). Here is an interesting recent article from San Diego Magazine on "The Pump House Gang" 40 years later:

"Forgiving Tom Wolfe: Four decades after publication of The Pump House Gang, the work is still a point of contention for members of the local surf culture whose lives it chronicled"

To find out more about the whole book, click here:
Tom Wolfe, "The Pump House Gang"

To check out the entire exhibition by LeRoy Grannis at the M+B Gallery website, click here:
LeRoy Grannis, "Big Waves"