Hippie

Rating:
Summary: To Old Freaks, Hippies, and Flower Children Everywhere
Review: An inspired tome, this coffee-table type book offers a stunning visual bridge between the oft-mingled (but not often analyzed together) American and British youth subcultures labeled in mass media as "the hippies." Its narrative is lively, entertaining, and richly informed by the author's personal friendships with a great number of literary, musical, and other creative folk from the so-called Sixties. Efforts to give due credit to women, sexual minorities, and the gender revolution of a "make love not war" ethos are both thoughtful and laudable. Women do end up more in decorative roles among the illustrations, however, than as cultural creators or political agents in their own right. Readers unfamiliar with the basic contours of Vietnam Era history also may be a bit confused by the continental shifts between U.S. and U.K. contexts. In addition, the chronology can get a tad slippery at points, with a purported division by year from (19)65 through 71 that only aspires to the framework it imposes. Musical history is strongest. Still, the Civil Rights insurgency in America -- which surely informed rock'n'rollers various innovations -- seems both underplayed and, at times, dangerously misunderstood. Thus one relishes the vibe of this book while wishing it held some deeper socio-historical rigor. Overall aesthetics of the design, however, are brilliant. The picture archives attract a standing (and sustained) ovation, ultimately making Barry Miles' HIPPIE a becoming addition to the underground reading rooms.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book with excellent pictures
Review: The irony is clear: a coffee table book about the counter-culture. Once you get past the irony, this a wonderful book which spans 1965 through 1971, the heart of the "hippie era." With text and excellent photographs makes you feel like you are there, even if you weren't.

The focus is on the rock music, including band photos, album covers and concerts. The author also looks at the hippie lifestyle, including Haight-Ashbury, New York City and other meccas for hippie activity. Glimpses of the civil rights and anti-war movements are also thrown in. This book shows the good and the bad sides of the hippie lifestyle. We see joyous concerts and peaceful outdoor gatherings together with creative artwork from the psychedelic artists. But we also see the downside -- drugs, wasted lives and the Summer of Love gone sour in 1967. If you were there, this book will remind you of why the mid-late 60's were golden. If you were not there, this book will make you wish that you were.