The Counterculture
Ch. 23.3(pp. 777-781)
Counterculture: Notes• Define/Explain– Counterculture– Sexual Revolution– Woodstock– Altamont
• What social changes were promoted by the counterculture (make a list)?
• How did music both reflect & contribute to the change of this era?
‘50s vs. ‘60s
1950s• Conformity• Nine-to-five jobs• Corporate
world/businessmen• Neatly dressed• Flannel suits• Military power
1960s
• “Flower Power”• Long hair & outrageous
clothing• Rejection of regimented life• Bright colors & beads• Rejection of restriction• Challenged authority
A Time of Change
• Counterculture—Valued youth, spontaneity, & individuality
• Hippies• Promoted peace, love,
& freedom• New styles of dress,
music, & freer attitudes towards sex
• Recreational use of drugs
• “Generation Gap”• Lack of understanding &
communication between generations
A Time of Change
• Baby boom after WWII led to enormous generation
• College attendance levels were increased drastically
• Culture catered to them– Music producers, clothing designers, colleges,
even politicians
Sixties Style
• Women– Long, free hair– Loose fitting dresses
• Men– Long hair, beards– *Read sidebar on hair on
p. 779– Rejection of the suit & tie– Blue jeans, cotton shirts,
simple garments
• Ponchos from S. America
• Dashikis from Africa• Jewelry made by Native
Americans• Painted buses, cars, &
bodies• Pop art reflected Hippie
culture– Warhol & Lichtenstein
Sixties Style
• Op Art• Appeared they were
created by artists under the influence of psychedelic drugs
• Bright colors, optical illusions
The Sexual Revolution
• Rejection of traditional restrictions
• Sex should be separated from ties to family life
• New living patterns; communes, unmarried couples
• Open discussion of sexual subjects in mainstream media
• 1962 bestseller, “Sex & the Single Girl,” by Helen Gurley Brown
• 1966 report on scientific studies of sexuality, “Human Sexual Response,” by William H. Masters and Virginia E. Johnson
• 1972, “The Joy of Sex,” by Alex Comfort
The Drug Scene
• Psychedelic drugs• Cause brain to act
abnormally• Hallucinations, altered
perceptions of reality
• Drug use was more widespread, esp. marijuana
• Researchers at Harvard (Leary & Alpert) involved students in research using LSD
The Drug Scene
• Overdoses & addictions
• Janis Joplin, age 27, 1970
• Jim Morrison, age 27, 1971
• Jimi Hendrix, age 27, 1970
Music
• Revolution started by Rock & Roll of ‘50s
• Revival of folk music– Bob Dylan & Joan Baez
• British Invasion– “Beatlemania” begins in
1964– Rolling Stones– The Who
Woodstock
• August of 1969• Up to 500K spectators• Rural up-state NY• “3 Days of Peace &
Music”• Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie,
Santana, CCR, Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Who, Jefferson Airplane
• Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
• The Band, Jimi Hendrix• Lots of rain• Overcrowded, lack of
facilities, but peaceful
Altamont
• East of San Francisco• December of 1969• Rolling Stones, Santana,
Jefferson Airplane• Crosby, Stills, Nash &
Young• 300K+
• Hell’s Angels hired as security
• Paid $500 of beer?• Fights broke out• 4 deaths, 4 births, lots of
injuries, lots of property damage
• Soured “Love Generation”– Contradictory to “peace &
love” message
NOTES• Define/Explain– Counterculture– Sexual Revolution– Woodstock– Altamont
• What social changes were promoted by the counterculture (make a list)?
• How did music both reflect & contribute to the change of this era?
• #6 on p. 781, letter to editor, in regards to rules banning “hippie dress”
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