Vintage photos show how people lived, partied, and protested during the 'Summer of Love'
Held in January 1967, San Francisco's Human Be-In event was a precursor to the Summer of Love.
The Human Be-In event took place in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park on January 14, 1967, and is considered a key moment that led to the Summer of Love.
Featuring counterculture figures including psychologist and psychedelic-drug advocate Timothy Leary and writer Allen Ginsberg, the event drew as many as 30,000 attendees, who gathered to meet like-minded young people, play music, dance, recite poetry, and in many cases trip out on psychedelics.
It would inspire later iterations, such as the Colorado Human Be-In in July 1967.
The movement began in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco.
By spring break in 1967, young people began to flock to the Haight-Ashbury district in San Francisco. From dropout high school and college students to runaway minors, they began to fill the streets in what became a never-ending gathering.
The Summer of Love was defined by a strong ideological movement.
While masses would gather at music events and bond over their shared love for rock bands, the most significant part of the summer was the political movement that spread across the country and drew young people to the West Coast.
With some members of a historically large generation — the baby boomers — entering their teenage years in 1967, the youth movement rapidly gained momentum.
The hippie culture that erupted in the Haight-Ashbury district held an anti-war stance and preached about peace and love as a new way of life. They stood against consumerism and were distrusting of the government, setting up free shops and clinics within the district.
Some of the largest gatherings happened at music festivals headlined by acts like the Grateful Dead and Jimi Hendrix.
At some of the summer's most populous events, like the Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain Music Festival and the Monterey Pop Festivals, up to 60,000 people gathered to hear acts like the Who, Otis Redding, the Grateful Dead, the Mamas & the Papas, Jefferson Airplane, and Janis Joplin play live.
With thousands of hippies traveling from other states for the music festivals, California became the center of one of the largest cultural exoduses in American history. PBS reported that it was "the largest migration of young people in the history of America."
That summer, The Beatles released "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," a soundtrack of the scene.
Encapsulating the spirit of the times, which was influenced by the growing popularity of psychedelic drugs like LSD and psilocybin, The Beatles released their eighth studio album, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."
The album was released on May 26, 1967, ahead of the Summer of Love. With lyrics speaking of peace, love, and surrealism, it resonated with the growing hippie communities in the US and Europe.
Use of psychedelic drugs was widespread and a significant element of the movement.
Discovered in 1943, the synthetic psychedelic drug LSD became a defining element of the Summer of Love.
Psychologist Timothy Leary was an advocate for psychedelic drug use and research. His speeches, which encouraged young people to "turn on, tune in, drop out," became a mantra through which the hippie youth shaped their spiritual experimentation, aided by the drugs.
Protesters often faced police resistance.
Mass protests across the country, whether it was spreading the hippie ideals of peace and love, or rejecting racial injustice, popped up in major cities like New York, Detroit, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC.
Local authorities were overwhelmed by the thousands of young people migrating to San Francisco. On March 24, 1967, a headline ran in the San Francisco Chronicle announcing the mayor's "war on hippies." Despite the authorities' opposition to the movement happening in the Haight-Ashbury, the hippies ultimately outnumbered them.
Meanwhile, in Detroit and Newark, New Jersey, people were protesting racial injustice.
While the hippie youths gathered in California, the greater Civil Rights Movement continued spreading in the Northeastern states, where thousands protested the racism that persisted after the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964.
The riots peaked during what became known as the " long hot summer of 1967" in cities including Detroit and Newark, over issues including police brutality and racial injustice.
The riots, which went on for days at a time, often saw the involvement of the US National Guard and Army troops, which heightened tensions. On July 24, 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson invoked the Insurrection Act to help suppress riots in Detroit.
Hippies and draft dodgers began seeking refuge in communes separate from the rest of society.
Seeking to escape the authority of the US government and the structure of life they saw as damaging to society, many hippies — among them, Vietnam draft dodgers — moved to rural communes, where they could live outside commercialism.
Preaching self-reliance, these communes aimed to "return to the land."
The "back-to-the-land" movement in 1967 focused on a detachment from power structures rather than revolting against them.
Self-reliance through independent farming led to the rise of organic food, vegetarianism, and holistic medicine, as reported by History.com.
But not everyone's commitment to the movement endured, and by fall, some began to return home.
The far-reaching impact of the "Summer of Love" was partly due to mass media representation of the movement, including a Time cover dedicated to the hippies.
Over the course of the summer, the movement achieved dominance in the music charts, with songs like "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" by Scott McKenzie spreading the idea of a cultural movement promoting love taking place in San Francisco.
By the peak of the summer, Haight-Ashbury had become a hot spot not only for young people seeking to connect with like-minded souls but also for tourists wanting to witness the crowds that had taken over the city.
However, as the summer came to an end and the new school year started, young people began leaving, with some returning to their work or studies.
The "Summer of Love" ended with a symbolic funeral.
On October 6, 1967, a mock funeral was held in the Haight-Ashbury district. The deceased? "Hippie, devoted son of Mass Media," read flyers around the city.
The event was meant to give an official end to the "Summer of Love" in San Francisco that had become plagued by addiction, per the University of California San Francisco.
"We wanted to signal that this was the end of it, to stay where you are, bring the revolution to where you live and don't come here because it's over and done with," Mary Kasper, who organized the event, told PBS, as reported by the Saturday Evening Post.
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Business Insider
5 hours ago
- Business Insider
Vintage photos show how people lived, partied, and protested during the 'Summer of Love'
Held in January 1967, San Francisco's Human Be-In event was a precursor to the Summer of Love. The Human Be-In event took place in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park on January 14, 1967, and is considered a key moment that led to the Summer of Love. Featuring counterculture figures including psychologist and psychedelic-drug advocate Timothy Leary and writer Allen Ginsberg, the event drew as many as 30,000 attendees, who gathered to meet like-minded young people, play music, dance, recite poetry, and in many cases trip out on psychedelics. It would inspire later iterations, such as the Colorado Human Be-In in July 1967. The movement began in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco. By spring break in 1967, young people began to flock to the Haight-Ashbury district in San Francisco. From dropout high school and college students to runaway minors, they began to fill the streets in what became a never-ending gathering. The Summer of Love was defined by a strong ideological movement. While masses would gather at music events and bond over their shared love for rock bands, the most significant part of the summer was the political movement that spread across the country and drew young people to the West Coast. With some members of a historically large generation — the baby boomers — entering their teenage years in 1967, the youth movement rapidly gained momentum. The hippie culture that erupted in the Haight-Ashbury district held an anti-war stance and preached about peace and love as a new way of life. They stood against consumerism and were distrusting of the government, setting up free shops and clinics within the district. Some of the largest gatherings happened at music festivals headlined by acts like the Grateful Dead and Jimi Hendrix. At some of the summer's most populous events, like the Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain Music Festival and the Monterey Pop Festivals, up to 60,000 people gathered to hear acts like the Who, Otis Redding, the Grateful Dead, the Mamas & the Papas, Jefferson Airplane, and Janis Joplin play live. With thousands of hippies traveling from other states for the music festivals, California became the center of one of the largest cultural exoduses in American history. PBS reported that it was "the largest migration of young people in the history of America." That summer, The Beatles released "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," a soundtrack of the scene. Encapsulating the spirit of the times, which was influenced by the growing popularity of psychedelic drugs like LSD and psilocybin, The Beatles released their eighth studio album, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." The album was released on May 26, 1967, ahead of the Summer of Love. With lyrics speaking of peace, love, and surrealism, it resonated with the growing hippie communities in the US and Europe. Use of psychedelic drugs was widespread and a significant element of the movement. Discovered in 1943, the synthetic psychedelic drug LSD became a defining element of the Summer of Love. Psychologist Timothy Leary was an advocate for psychedelic drug use and research. His speeches, which encouraged young people to "turn on, tune in, drop out," became a mantra through which the hippie youth shaped their spiritual experimentation, aided by the drugs. Protesters often faced police resistance. Mass protests across the country, whether it was spreading the hippie ideals of peace and love, or rejecting racial injustice, popped up in major cities like New York, Detroit, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC. Local authorities were overwhelmed by the thousands of young people migrating to San Francisco. On March 24, 1967, a headline ran in the San Francisco Chronicle announcing the mayor's "war on hippies." Despite the authorities' opposition to the movement happening in the Haight-Ashbury, the hippies ultimately outnumbered them. Meanwhile, in Detroit and Newark, New Jersey, people were protesting racial injustice. While the hippie youths gathered in California, the greater Civil Rights Movement continued spreading in the Northeastern states, where thousands protested the racism that persisted after the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964. The riots peaked during what became known as the " long hot summer of 1967" in cities including Detroit and Newark, over issues including police brutality and racial injustice. The riots, which went on for days at a time, often saw the involvement of the US National Guard and Army troops, which heightened tensions. On July 24, 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson invoked the Insurrection Act to help suppress riots in Detroit. Hippies and draft dodgers began seeking refuge in communes separate from the rest of society. Seeking to escape the authority of the US government and the structure of life they saw as damaging to society, many hippies — among them, Vietnam draft dodgers — moved to rural communes, where they could live outside commercialism. Preaching self-reliance, these communes aimed to "return to the land." The "back-to-the-land" movement in 1967 focused on a detachment from power structures rather than revolting against them. Self-reliance through independent farming led to the rise of organic food, vegetarianism, and holistic medicine, as reported by But not everyone's commitment to the movement endured, and by fall, some began to return home. The far-reaching impact of the "Summer of Love" was partly due to mass media representation of the movement, including a Time cover dedicated to the hippies. Over the course of the summer, the movement achieved dominance in the music charts, with songs like "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" by Scott McKenzie spreading the idea of a cultural movement promoting love taking place in San Francisco. By the peak of the summer, Haight-Ashbury had become a hot spot not only for young people seeking to connect with like-minded souls but also for tourists wanting to witness the crowds that had taken over the city. However, as the summer came to an end and the new school year started, young people began leaving, with some returning to their work or studies. The "Summer of Love" ended with a symbolic funeral. On October 6, 1967, a mock funeral was held in the Haight-Ashbury district. The deceased? "Hippie, devoted son of Mass Media," read flyers around the city. The event was meant to give an official end to the "Summer of Love" in San Francisco that had become plagued by addiction, per the University of California San Francisco. "We wanted to signal that this was the end of it, to stay where you are, bring the revolution to where you live and don't come here because it's over and done with," Mary Kasper, who organized the event, told PBS, as reported by the Saturday Evening Post.
Geek Vibes Nation
a day ago
- Geek Vibes Nation
GVN Talking Comics: Paul Pope On Upcoming NYC Gallery Exhibit At Philippe Labaune (Starts June 19)
When asked about his artistic legacy, renowned cartoonist and artist Paul Pope knew the impact he wanted to have: 'When I do something, I want it to be timeless,' says Pope. 'I don't want to chase the zeitgeist—I want to create something that will feel relevant in 10 or 20 years.' If you ask fans of his work and his contemporaries, Paul has achieved those goals and then some. To honor his artistic achievements, the Philippe Labaune Gallery in New York just opened The Paul Pope Exhibit in conjunction with Felix Comic Art. The exhibit will present original pieces from seminal comics, including Batman: Year 100, Battling Boy, THB, Heavy Liquid , alongside homages to European artists such as Hugo Pratt and Moebius. In addition, the exhibit will feature some of Paul's commercial art, including illustrations for the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and The Grateful Dead, as well as some of Paul's more personal pieces. In advance of the Exhibit's opening, we were fortunate to catch up with the iconic artist to talk about his artistic beginnings, his self-published work, and the new exhibit. So we are honored to welcome Paul Pope to GVN Talking Comics. Creative Origins GVN: Thank you for sharing just a bit of your time, Paul. Since this is my first opportunity to chat with you, let's start with some of your creative background. When did you first take an interest in comic art and whose work inspired you to pursue it? PAUL: I was reading comics before I could actually read. I grew up in rural Ohio with my mom and later, my grandparents. My dad came back from hockey camp in Ontario one time with this massive slab of vivid color pictures in stacked boxes featuring outrageous and enticing characters with names like Doctor Doom and The Dreaded Dormammu. I was hooked. The stories were like complete heroes journeys cast in garish color amber, to be revisited time and time again. I'd say it was Jack Kirby and then Carl Barks (the 'good Donald Duck' artist, as he was called) who first lured me in. This was in the 70s. Comics were really hard to acquire back then, so I had that one collection, Bring On The Bad Guys from Marvel Comics, and later an issue of Kamandi and a few Disney comics. They seemed to come from their own pocket universes, unlike anything else I'd seen before. Self-Publishing GVN: As you developed your talent, you self-published some of your work through your own Horse Press, including Sin Titulo (1993) and The Ballad of Doctor Richardson (1994). What made you decide to start your own publishing concern, and did you seek any advice in doing so? PAUL: I was initially planning to be an art academic and part-time painter, like my first master artist, Pheoris West, whom I studied under at Ohio State University. We covered all the art fundamentals and I also studied art history. He was the one professor I had who was sympathetic to my ambitions to be a professional comic book artist, but he steered me to more traditional art fundamentals such as color theory, anatomy and composition. I broke into comics in the early '90s, when the self-publishing movement was gaining steam. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was already huge. Jeff Smith's Bone was gaining traction, Mike Allred broke in, etc. I started working at a print shop to gain some experience and did my research and gradually made solid plans and contacts in the printing and distribution wings of the comics market. I didn't need much since I was in my early 20s and it was a good time to take risks. I read a lot of books on 'how to self-publish' and 'how to start your own company' and later met some older people in the industry who could give me good advice. A lot of it was just persistence and a dash of luck or timing. 'Chance favors the prepared mind,' as Louis Pasteur said. It's been one of my mottos since then. GVN: Eventually, you did work for numerous publishers, including Kodansha, Japan's manga publisher, First Second Books, DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, and so many others. Did your creative process change any when working for the 'mainstream' publishers as opposed to self-publishing your own stories? Working with the Audience in Mind PAUL: Not really, actually. The main challenge was that the editors required full scripts or story treatments. Before I started working with Kodansha and DC Comics (sometimes with Marvel and elsewhere), I had no editorial input at all. I just made it all up, and whatever seemed right made it to print, warts and all. I was–and am–mindful that the 'mainstream' audience might require a more detailed or rendered style, they may not want vague or experimental comics. So I try to work with the audience in mind and tell a story which hits all the quadrants, but hits it well above the bullseye. Even with something like Batman Year 100, I tried to make a legitimate and fresh Batman GN, but do it in a new or surprising way. Keeping Awards in Perspective GVN: Over the years, your work has garnered the appreciation of fans and critics as well as some of comics most prestigious awards. Did you ever feel that the recognition you earned somehow validated your approach and hard work, or are you a creator who feels like you worked for your own satisfaction, and what recognition came from that was just a bonus? PAUL: I like what Nick Cave said when he refused the MTV Music Award for Best Artist in 1996 – 'My muse is not a horse.' The awards are a sign that people value your work, but you can't throw your arms around an award and an award won't pay the bills. Honestly, the real rewards come at around 2 am when you're alone in your studio and you did a perfect page or a page which surprises and delights you, knowing it won't be seen for months or maybe years. It takes years to complete a graphic novel. It's a long haul. So the award must essentially be internal. The Paul Pope Exhibit GVN: Speaking of recognition, starting next month, New York City's renowned Philippe Labaune Gallery, along with Felix Comic Art, will host a career-spanning exhibit of your work. How did this opportunity come about, and how hard did they have to sell you on the idea of displaying your impressive breadth of work? PAUL: Honestly, if it wasn't for my girlfriend Neha this show wouldn't have come about. She was the one who mentioned to Philippe that we ought to collaborate. We were at the Will Eisner exhibit Philippe hosted months ago, and they just started talking. I am sort of a shy person, actually, so I'd have not suggested it. Philippe offered the chance and we just rolled with it. The timing is really good, though, since my 2nd monograph PULPHOPE2 just came out. So this is the official book launch for the project and a lot of the work in the show is from the book itself. GVN: When it came to decide what pieces to display, did you have complete control over that or did you work with the Gallery and Felix Comic Art to decide the direction the exhibition would take? PAUL: It was ultimately Philippe's decision, he knows his market and what will bring people into the gallery. I think I brought about twice as much work as we finally decided upon. It's a very good cross-selection of my work stretching almost 30 years, unbelievably. In conjunction with my art rep Felix Lu, they set prices and decided which pieces made the final cut. I think people will be happy to see the originals up close and personal. Most of this work has never been shown publicly. Viewer Takeaways GVN: This show will go from Thursday, June 19th, through Saturday, July 26th. By the end of the show, what would you hope that those who visit will take away from the exhibit? PAUL: Well, I chose the name 'pulphope' for a reason– we work in pulp fiction and print on cheap paper, we make mass produced disposable pamphlets and paperbacks, but within the lines and words we can contain the greatest ideas or impulses an artist can express. I want people to be inspired by the work and see an example of what you can make happen if you have a stubborn refusal to give up on a dream and you continually keep questioning and searching. When I see original art, I get inspired to work harder. Recently Philippe exhibited pages by Guido Crepax, one of my all-time art heroes. It was very moving and life-affirming. I hope this exhibit can offer that to somebody, in its own humble way. Upcoming Projects GVN: Thank you once again for your time, Paul. Before I let you go, please remind our readers about this great exhibit and any other projects you might have upcoming. PAUL: Thank you! My next book release is the first of the multi-book series, Total THB, collecting over 1000 pages of my 'lost' science fiction epic. Book one is out November 2025. I'm also working on finishing Battling Boy 2. When that is collected into one volume, it'll be over 500 pages. These things take a long time to make! Felix Lu and I also plan to open a new private commission list later this year. I like staying busy. If you are in the New York area and are a fan of Paul's work, you can't go wrong in visiting this exhibit. The Paul Pope Exhibit will be open to the public from Thursday, June 19th, until Saturday, July 26th. The Philippe Labaune gallery is located at 534 West 24th Street in New York and is open from Thursday through Saturday, from 10am to 6pm. The roots of Philippe Labaune Gallery have a strong European influence: among the artists are esteemed creators such as Lorenzo Mattotti, Nicolas de Crécy, Guido Crepax, Dave Mckean or François Schuiten. In recent years, American artists such as Landis Blair, Rebecca Leveille Guay, Mike Mignola, Frank Miller, and Peter de Sève have helped Philippe Labaune Gallery to foster a community of overlapping art collectors and comic fans from all over the world.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Volvo's Abbey Road Mode Turns the EX90 Into a Personal Music Venue
Volvo's Abbey Road Mode Turns the EX90 Into a Personal Music Venue originally appeared on Autoblog. Music is an essential part of driving, whether through your car's radio, on physical media, or a streaming service like Spotify or Apple Music. Some of us have that special mixtape, burnt CD, or mixtape full of the essential tracks meant to lift the spirits on the morning commute, the drive home, or a long drive somewhere far away. One of the bands I grew an unhealthy, obsessive fixation over when I was a kid was The Beatles, and ironically, one of those songs on one of my driving playlists is Drive My Car. Though we know the words and notes of our favorite songs by heart, the most discerning ears know that there are wildly different and noticeable differences when we listen to them in our cars, our headphones, and through various types of speakers. Nothing can compare to the experience of attending a live performance or being in the room with artists as they record. However, if you're a Beatles fan like I am, you might need a time machine to experience that era. But while time machines and flux capacitors remain the work of fiction, Volvo's latest software update has a cool new feature that may be the next best thing: a way to bring you closer to one of the most iconic studios in the world. After teasing this feature last year, Volvo has officially introduced what they call the 'Abbey Road Studios Mode' in an over-the-air (OTA) update for its all-electric EX90 models equipped with the optional Bowers & Wilkins High Fidelity Audio system. This innovative digital audio experience has been crafted in collaboration with audio engineers from the actual Abbey Road Studios in London and high-end audio experts at Bowers & Wilkins. In essence, Abbey Road Studios Mode was made to replicate the distinct sound and acoustic character of the Abbey Road recording rooms inside the Volvo EX90. In its quest to explore the limits of the in-car music listening experience, Bowers & Wilkins worked closely with the same audio engineers who obsessed over the minute, fine details for a wide range of music artists to create a series of digital soundscapes that could bring the studio alive in the big Volvo EV's ultra-quiet cabin. Though other expensive brand-name high-end stereo systems in other cars allow you to tweak, tune, and mess with various equalizer (EQ) settings like the balance, bass, treble, and even focus the sound on passengers or drivers, Volvo says that the Abbey Road Studios Mode is different. The mode comes with some special presets that 'provide a selection of sounds, optimised for different listening styles,' as well as a special 'Producer Mode,' which 'allows you to engineer your own sound' by adjusting between retro-style warmth or modern, crisp depth, and even shifting the simulated acoustic environment in the same way George Martin would've done. 'The Abbey Road Studios Mode brings the unique sound of our spaces and equipment to the Bowers & Wilkins system in the Volvo EX90 for the first time,' Abbey Road Studios GM Jeremy Huffelmann said in a statement. 'We are hugely proud of this collaboration, and excited for Volvo customers to experience this landmark technology.' The Abbey Road Studios Mode is a nice addition to the EX90, which already features a Dolby Atmos-capable, 1,610-watt Bowers & Wilkins system with 25 speakers placed throughout one of Volvo's quietest interiors. As a music fan, words underestimate the kind of songs that were recorded at Abbey Road. We're talking 190 of The Beatles' 210 song catalog, Lennon's Imagine, the entirety of Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of The Moon, modern hits like Lady Gaga's Born This Way, Frank Ocean's Pink + White, and even the scores of Oscar-winning movies like Gravity and The Shape of Water. Although it may seem like a bit too much of a niche "if you know, you know"-type of deal, I feel that given the studio's rich history in modern music, the 'Abbey Road mode' is the ultimate form of an audiophile's stamp of approval, which can sway at least some music-loving buyers towards the Volvo. At least for me, it could make "Drive My Car" sound true to the original recording. Volvo's Abbey Road Mode Turns the EX90 Into a Personal Music Venue first appeared on Autoblog on Jun 18, 2025 This story was originally reported by Autoblog on Jun 18, 2025, where it first appeared.
