Ashes to Ashbury
"You weren't kidding then when you said, 'it's back down to Earth,'" Doc chuckled as he slid a basket of burger and fries in front of me."Yeah, there's time for poetry and free-flowing stream of consciousness stuff," I said, "and then there's time to get serious. But the title is still sort of clever, don't ya think?""Can't think of a better place to start than dust to dust." Doc smiled. "So where did we leave off last time.""Well, not happy with the status quo, with atomic bombs and the Red Scare, seemingly never-ending war overseas (the Big Ones I & II, Korea and now Vietnam), growing unrest at home (from McCarthyism to civil rights protests, marches and stands for free speech), a generalized disenchantment with the so-called American Dream, and all this ominous presence topped-off with the assassination of President Kennedy, killing their brightest hope...the kids ran away from home.""And where did they go?" asked Doc, as I took a bite into my juicy burger deluxe."The one epicenter with which I'm somewhat familiar is San Francisco. Now what got things shaking in this part of the West is a story in itself, one which I'm sure goes way back. But some of the biggest rumblings had their beginnings on Fillmore Street at the Six Gallery on October 7, 1955. For it was here that Allen Ginsburg---in the presence of fellow beat fathers Kerouac and Ferlinghetti, and many other best minds of his generation still standing---read his now (in)famous poem Howl. I think it's fair to say, that if Jack put things On The Road, it was Ginsburg's raw singing of his suffering that got the show rolling."So where did the show roll?" asked Doc, obviously amused as I took another bite or two."The exact breadth and reach of this critical event and defining moment is impossible to say, as it no doubt sent shock waves that are still being felt. But we can say for sure it's immediate impact spread from North Beach to around the corner of the Haight-Ashbury district. For it was there, drawn to a culture of a different sort, that many runaways began to congregate. And over the course of the next decade or so hipsters spawned hippies, and these initial wannabes created their own scene, this blossoming Garden of Eden, rich not just in books and poetry, but also music and play, concerts in Golden Gate Park and theatre in the street, with free admission no less.""Sounds almost too good to be true," smiled Doc, as I took another bite."Indeed, the sweet sound of success filled the air in the likes of Big Brother and the Holding Company, The Grateful Dead, Country Joe and the Fish, Jefferson Airplane and Quicksilver Messenger Service. Clothing and other goods could be had for no charge at the Digger's Free Store. Free expression was the generation's new dance, and along with all this came the age's new promise...free love!" "All for free?" Doc grinned. "That's a lot!" I reach for my fries now, and start shoving ketchup coated fingers in my mouth as I continue to talk."Yes it is, and why not? Well, at least in retrospect it makes sense. After all, it was freedom in general these kids wanted. Freedom from the burden of their tarnished past and quickly deteriorating inheritance. This was a new world they were creating, and an old way they were rediscovering...these modern day American revolutionaries. Idealists? Of course! Can you really start anywhere else? Success? Hell yes! Look at the best the scene had to offer! Failures? Sure. Has anyone, in the entire history of humanity ever carried-out a successful revolution without some sort of stumblings and failings along the way. And let us not forget, these revolutionaries, in the founding of their own culture, held peace, love and freedom as their highest ideals. Theirs was, after all, an attempt to create their own paradise." "That's a mighty tall order, almost bound to failure," Doc said, as I take a couple more bites of my burger."Lots of trial and error that's for sure, not to mention a lot more time needed than a single generation. That's why I say, even in the most subtle way, the movement is still with us today, still growing, still evolving. That ethereal mass of higher consciousness that bubbled to the surface in the mid-20th Century and exploded in the Sixties remains in the air still today. Theirs is good flower food, a hopeful inheritance for our children." "That mass of higher consciousness you talk about," grinned Doc, "hard to deny the origins of that bubble, it's pharmaceutical roots shall we say."Now I reach for my malted milkshake and take a few sips."So true, from hipsters to hippies, marijuana no doubt played a critical role in the formation and development of that mass consciousness. So too, later in the scene, did LSD, especially at the behest of Timothy Leary. I think it's fair to say these pharmaceuticals if you will, had an overall positive influence on the Haight-Ashbury scene. In fact, by all accounts, the whole scene wouldn't have happened without them.""Is that a recommendation then?" Doc asked, as I gulped another slurp and slurped another gulp of my chocolate shake."I've never tried LSD, so other researchers will have to speak directly to that one. But we know for a fact it's a very powerful hallucinogen which, like all drugs in that class, should be viewed with upmost respect. Marijuana on the other hand, while I believe it too deserves special respect, is a far more benign and friendly substance. In fact, in the realm of medicine, cannabis truly is---in terms of safety, uses, benefits and effectiveness---in a class by itself.""So what about other drugs that entered the scene," asked Doc, "drugs like heroin and cocaine?"Ketchup and mustard now dripped from my sloppy burger, a real mess I didn't mind one bit as I took another bite."No doubt these "deathbed" drugs helped ruin the scene, especially heroin from what I understand. From the lofty heights of 1967's Summer of Love Monterey Pop Festival and beyond, Haight-Ashbury saw a huge influx of kids from all over the country, many wide-eyed and naive, quick to try anything put in front of them. Enter the predator, the speed and heroin pusher out for easy bucks. Next thing you know, you've got kids strung-out on the streets. Combine the growing number of addicts with other complicating factors, economic and otherwise, and the whole scene begins to fall apart. Plus many of the area's icons, leaders and musicians start to move-up and out of the Haight, or become addicts and casualties themselves, many falling victim to that condoned culprit ...alcohol!""So it was drugs then," said Doc, "that ultimately ruined the scene."Swallowing the final bite of my burger, I reach for the few remaining fries."I don't think you can isolate any one factor in such a multi-dimensional happening. However, drugs like heroin and cocaine and alcohol were no doubt major culprits, as was that more lurid interpretation of free love which equates promiscuous sexual behavior with true liberation. Obviously a lot of naiveté was at work here, making prime conditions for exploitation. So a big enemy to the Haight-Ashbury scene was lack of education and experience. And of course, the federal government's misinformation and misclassification concerning illicit drugs did nothing to help. On the contrary, the newly created DEA only made matters worse by treating drug use as a criminal offense instead of the health issue it actually is.""So what's the lesson here?" Doc asked."To pay attention...to learn...to correct...to avoid the same mistakes.""Not bad," Doc said. "you're right at about a thousand words.""Plenty for an abstract anyway," I say, finishing the last bit of my malt."So what next genius?" Doc asked."I'm gonna see if I can put all this in the biggest perspective possible," I said, "at least based on what I know so far.""In a thousand words or less?" smiled Doc."Give or take a few," I smile back."Good. Now get the hell outta here," Doc grimaced, "or I'll put ya to work."Ding.Ding."Doc...""Love you too my genius dreamer."Ding.
