Adventures With Ken Kesey, Neal Cassady, The Merry Pranksters And The Grateful Dead

In the annals of American counterculture, few figures loom larger than Ken Kesey, Neal Cassady, the Merry Pranksters, and the Grateful Dead. Their collective adventures in the 1960s helped to shape the psychedelic revolution and left an enduring legacy on American culture.

Cronies, A Burlesque: Adventures with Ken Kesey, Neal Cassady, the Merry Pranksters and the Grateful Dead

by Ken Babbs

4.7 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	2774 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	572 pages

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Kesey was a novelist best known for his groundbreaking novel "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." Cassady was a beatnik writer and the inspiration for the character Dean Moriarty in Jack Kerouac's "On the Road." The Merry Pranksters were a group of Kesey's friends and followers who traveled the country in a converted school bus, known as the Further, spreading the gospel of LSD and free love. The Grateful Dead were a psychedelic rock band that emerged from the Merry Pranksters' circle and went on to become one of the most successful and influential bands of all time.

The Merry Pranksters' most famous adventure was their 1964 cross-country road trip, which they documented in the book "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test." The trip was a chaotic and drug-fueled affair, but it also had a profound impact on the counterculture movement. The Pranksters' message of peace, love, and freedom resonated with a generation of young people who were disillusioned with the Vietnam War and the materialism of the 1950s.

The Grateful Dead were a key part of the Merry Pranksters' scene. The band's music was a perfect complement to the Pranksters' psychedelic philosophy. The Dead's improvisational style and freewheeling performances created a sense of community and liberation that was unlike anything else in popular music.

The adventures of Ken Kesey, Neal Cassady, the Merry Pranksters, and the Grateful Dead are a fascinating chapter in American history. Their story is a reminder of the power of creativity and the importance of challenging the status quo. Their legacy continues to inspire artists and activists today.

Timeline of Key Events

• 1959

  Ken Kesey publishes his novel "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."

• 1964

  The Merry Pranksters embark on their cross-country road trip in the Further.

• 1965

  The Grateful Dead form in San Francisco.

• 1967

  The Merry Pranksters organize the Human Be-In in San Francisco, a gathering of over 100,000 people that is considered to be the start of the Summer of Love.

• 1969

  The Grateful Dead perform at the Woodstock Festival.

• 1970

  Neal Cassady dies in a car accident.

• 2001

  Ken Kesey dies of liver cancer.

• 2015

  The Grateful Dead perform their final concert at Soldier Field in Chicago.

Map of the Merry Pranksters' Cross-Country Road Trip