Wavy Gravy and Camp Winnarainbow

A few of you might know that I spent much of the last year of my Bachelor's degree researching and studying 20th century American counterculture. My bachelor thesis dealt with 'The Rise and Fall of American Punk Rock: 1972-1986' so it was essential (fun) to learn about influential counterculture figures and movements in the years preceding punk rock.

Naturally, this included the Hippies. And one of the most influential voices of the Hippie movement were the Merry Pranksters. For those of you who haven't heard of them, I recommend reading Tom Wolfe's "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" which details the illuminating trips(!) across America taken by the Merry Pranksters on the bus called 'Further'. The Pranksters included Ken Kesey (author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest), Neal Cassady (Dean Moriarty in Jack Kerouac's 'On The Road'), Allen Ginsberg (poet extraordinaire) and Wavy Gravy among others.

I won't even try to sum up Wavy Gravy's influence on the period. You can read about him on Wikipedia  or on his own website. In all I've read and seen, this clown prince of the hippie generation is a truly likeable guy with sincere ambitions to help the world. Case in point, Wavy Gravy and his wife started Camp Winnarainbow in 1974 - a Circus and Performing Arts Summer Camp for Kids. Later, they extended the camp for adults. Way cool! If you were ever wondering about how to find your inner child and how to pump some creative free thought into your life, why not try a week learning circus skills with an enlightened cultural icon!

Here's a video from Camp Winnarainbow for Adults in 2007.


PS. I hear that Gus Van Sant is working on 2010 release of The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. (Far out, Man!)

Stay inspired!

Cheers,
Maurice
www.voiceone.fi