Real hippies only existed for a brief period in the 1960s. This is not a blog about them. This is dedicated to the bastard offspring of the original hippies. There are many variations on this theme. The unifying element is generally an affiliation with one or several bands playing improvisational music inspired by, but not necessarily similar to, the Grateful Dead. Although the improvisational element is always present, the style of music can vary from electronic (e.g. the Disco Biscuits) to cow funk (e.g. Phish) to bluegrass (e.g. String Cheese Incident). In fact, the allegiance to any particular band in the so-called jam scene goes a long way in determining exactly what type of "hippie" one might be. Each fanbase, while often overlapping, displays distinct characteristics, fashion trends and so on. Hippies often look upon other types of hippies with scornful disdain. Therefore some of the things hippies like are mercilessly ridiculed by other hippies.
Live long the hippies born in the eighties. We're inheriting this hippified yuppified Land from the originals and they totally fucked us!! How far we've come but how far we have to go. For all of our modern differences, hippies must stay together during this trump of a generation and clean up their fucking mess! The modern hippie is a well educated, drugged BUT NOT OVERLY DRUGGED, balanced diverse group who's openmindedness will usher a new 'age of reason' to maintain some sense of what it means to be American and be responsible and resolve to cultivate a culture of making moral sound decisions. Globally.
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