The Merry Pranksters were comrades and followers of American author

Ken Kesey Ken Elton Kesey (September 17, 1935 – November 10, 2001) was an American novelist, essayist and countercultural figure. He considered himself a link between the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the hippies of the 1960s. Kesey was born in ...

in 1964. Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters lived communally at Kesey's homes in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

and

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, and are noted for the

sociological Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation and ...

significance of a lengthy

road trip A road trip, sometimes spelled roadtrip, is a long-distance journey on the road. Typically, road trips are long distances travelled by automobile. History First road trips by automobile The world's first recorded long-distance road trip by t ...

they took in the summer of 1964, traveling across the United States in a psychedelic painted school bus called '' Furthur'', organizing parties, and giving out

LSD Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), also known colloquially as acid, is a potent psychedelic drug. Effects typically include intensified thoughts, emotions, and sensory perception. At sufficiently high dosages LSD manifests primarily mental, vi ...

. During this time they met many of the guiding lights of the 1960s

cultural movement A cultural movement is a change in the way a number of different disciplines approach their work. This embodies all art forms, the sciences, and philosophies. Historically, different nations or regions of the world have gone through their own i ...

and presaged what are commonly thought of as

hippies A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to different countries around ...

with odd behavior, tie-dyed and red, white, and blue clothing, and renunciation of normal society, which they ironically dubbed

The Establishment ''The Establishment'' is a term used to describe a dominant social group , group or elite that controls a polity or an organization. It may comprise a closed social group that selects its own members, or entrenched elite structures in specific ...

Tom Wolfe Thomas Kennerly Wolfe Jr. (March 2, 1930 – May 14, 2018)Some sources say 1931; ''The New York Times'' and Reuters both initially reported 1931 in their obituaries before changing to 1930. See and was an American author and journalist widely ...

chronicled their early escapades in his 1968 book ''

The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test ''The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test'' is a 1968 nonfiction book by Tom Wolfe. The book is a popular example of the New Journalism literary style. Wolfe presents a firsthand account of the experiences of Ken Kesey and his band of Merry Pranksters, ...

'', and documents a notorious 1966 trip on ''Furthur'' from Mexico through Houston, stopping to visit Kesey's friend, novelist

Larry McMurtry Larry Jeff McMurtry (June 3, 1936March 25, 2021) was an American novelist, essayist, bookseller and screenwriter whose work was predominantly set in either the Old West or contemporary Texas.

. Kesey was in flight from a drug charge at the time. Notable members of the group include Kesey's best friend Ken Babbs, Carolyn "Mountain Girl" Garcia, Lee Quarnstrom, and Neal Cassady. Stewart Brand, Dorothy Fadiman, Paul Foster, George Walker,

the Warlocks The Warlocks are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1998 by the guitarist/singer Bobby Hecksher. The band's music has ranged from psychedelic rock to drone music. There have been many changes in personnel since its for ...

(later known as the

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...

Del Close Del Close (March 9, 1934 – March 4, 1999) was an American actor, writer, and teacher who coached many of the best-known comedians and comic actors of the late twentieth century. In addition to an acting career in television and film, he was ...

(then a lighting designer for the Grateful Dead),

Wavy Gravy Hugh Nanton Romney Jr. (born May 15, 1936), known as Wavy Gravy, is an American entertainer and peace activism, activist best known for his role at Woodstock, as well as for his hippie persona and counterculture of the 1960s, countercultural be ...

Paul Krassner Paul Krassner (April 9, 1932 – July 21, 2019) was an American author, journalist, and comedian. He was the founder, editor, and a frequent contributor to the freethought magazine ''The Realist'', first published in 1958. Krassner became a key ...

, and Kentucky Fab Five writers

Ed McClanahan Edward Poage McClanahan (October 5, 1932 – November 27, 2021) was an American novelist, essayist, and professor. Biography McClanahan was born in Brooksville, Kentucky on October 5, 1932, to Edward Leroy and Jessie (Poage) McClanahan. He attend ...

and

Gurney Norman Gurney Norman (born 1937) is an American writer, documentarian, and professor. Biography Gurney Norman was born in Grundy, Virginia, in 1937. He grew up in the southern Appalachian Mountains and was raised alternately by his maternal grandparen ...

(who overlapped with Kesey and Babbs as creative writing graduate students at

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

) were associated with the group to varying degrees. These events are also documented by one of the original pranksters, Lee Quarnstrom, in his memoir, ''When I Was a Dynamiter''.

Origin of name

In an interview on

BBC World Service The BBC World Service is an international broadcasting, international broadcaster owned and operated by the BBC, with funding from the Government of the United Kingdom, British Government through the Foreign Secretary, Foreign Secretary's o ...

in August 2014, Ken Babbs suggested that the name "The Merry Pranksters" was his idea:

Membership

On the bus

Although a great many friends and associates spent time with Kesey at his

La Honda, California La Honda ( Spanish for "The Sling") is a census-designated place (CDP) in southern San Mateo County, California, United States. The population was 979 at the 2020 census. It is located in the Santa Cruz Mountains between the Santa Clara Valley a ...

ranch in the

Santa Cruz Mountains The Santa Cruz Mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are a mountain range in central and Northern California, United States. They form a ridge down the San Francisco Peninsula, south of San Francisco. They separate the Pacific Ocean from ...

south of

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, the core group of 14 people who became the 'Merry Band of Pranksters' that drove across the country in 1964 were: *

(The Chief, Captain Flag, or Swashbuckler), author (1935-2001) * Neal Cassady (Sir Speed Limit), driver (eastbound), author (1926-1968) * Cathy Casamo (Stark Naked), actress, girlfriend of Larry Hankin (1938-1992) * Ron Bevirt (Hassler), photographer (1939-) * Ken Babbs (Intrepid Traveler), author, boyfriend of Paula Sundsten (1939-) * John Babbs (Sometimes Missing), Ken Babbs' older brother (1937-2012) * Jane Burton (Generally Famished), Stanford philosophy professor, pregnant at the time * Sandy Lehmann-Haupt (Dis-Mount), sound engineer (1942-2001) * Paula Sundsten (Gretchen Fetchin or Slime Queen), girlfriend of Ken Babbs * Mike Hagen (Mal Function), cameraman * George Walker (Hardly Visible) * Steve Lambrecht (Zonker), businessman (1942-1998) * Chuck Kesey (Brother Charlie), Ken's brother * Dale Kesey (Highly Charged), Ken's cousin, "bus chaplain" * Linda Breen (Anonymous), a 14 year old runaway who hopped on in Canada during the original trip

Off the bus

Other on-again, off-again Pranksters (all of whom did not participate in the first cross-country journey, but may have the later trips) include, but are not limited to, the following: * Roy Sebern, artist (painted the name "Furthur" icon the bus) * Carolyn Adams Garcia (Mountain Girl), wife of

Jerry Garcia Jerome John Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) was an American musician best known for being the principal songwriter, lead guitarist, and a vocalist with the rock band Grateful Dead, which he co-founded and which came to prominence ...

and George Walker, mother of Ken Kesey's daughter Sunshine (1946-) * Chloe Scott, dancer (1925-2019) * John Page Browning (Zea-Lot or Cadaverous Cowboy), light show operator (1938-1984) * Gordon "Dass" Adams, Mountain Girl's brother (1940-) * Anthony Dean Wells (The Hermit) * Denise Kaufman (Mary Microgram), musician with

The Ace of Cups Ace of Cups is an American Rock music, rock band formed in San Francisco in 1967 during the Summer of Love era. It has been described as one of the first All female band, all-female rock bands. The members of Ace of Cups were Mary Gannon (Bass ...

* Ron Boise, sculptor (1931-1966) * Paul Foster, cartoonist (1934-2003) * Peter Demma, co-owner of Hip Pocket Bookstore with Kesey * Norman Hartweg, columnist (1947-) * Dorothy Fadiman, filmmaker (1939-) * Kathy (Zonker's girlfriend) (aka Sensuous X) * June (aka June the Goon) * Stephanie Kesey (Lips) * Zane Kesey (Chicken Leopard) * Simon Babbs (Lightning) * Margie Piaggio (Marge the Barge) * John Swan (Swan) * Euphoria Foster Paul's Daughter, artist (Marie) * Elaya Cassady artist (Firefly) * Matt Wade bus mechanic, artist (Little Jack) * Stewart Brand, author and futurist (1938-) *

, comedian and performance coach (1934-1999) *

, entertainer and activist (1936-) *

, author (1932-2019) * Lee Quarnstrom, author (1939-2021) *

(Captain Kentucky), author (1932-2021) *

, author (1937-) * Robert Stone, author; met the bus in New York City (1937-2015) *

Emilia Hazelip Emilia Hazelip (born Emilia Espinosa, Barcelona, Spain, 18 July 1937 - Carcassonne, France, 2 February 2003) was a Catalan organic gardener, former Merry Prankster, and pioneer of the concept of synergistic gardening. Her farming methods were i ...

, organic gardener (1937-2003)

Eastward bus journey

On June 17, 1964, Kesey and 13 Merry Pranksters boarded '' Furthur'' at Kesey's ranch in

, and set off eastward. Kesey wanted to see what would happen when

hallucinogenic Hallucinogens are a large, diverse class of psychoactive drugs that can produce altered states of consciousness characterized by major alterations in thought, mood, and perception as well as other changes. Most hallucinogens can be categorized ...

-inspired spontaneity confronted what he saw as the banality and

conformity Conformity is the act of matching attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to group norms, politics or being like-minded. Norms are implicit, specific rules, shared by a group of individuals, that guide their interactions with others. People often choo ...

of American society. Ken Babbs has suggested that the bus trip reversed the historic American westward movement. The trip's original purpose was to celebrate the publication of Kesey's novel ''

Sometimes a Great Notion ''Sometimes a Great Notion'' is the second novel by American author Ken Kesey, published in 1964. While ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (1962) is more famous, many critics consider ''Sometimes a Great Notion'' Kesey's magnum opus. The story i ...

'' (1964) and to visit the 1964 World's Fair in New York City. The Pranksters were enthusiastic users of

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

amphetamine Amphetamine (contracted from alpha- methylphenethylamine) is a strong central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), narcolepsy, and obesity. It is also commonly used ...

s, and

, and in the process of their journey are said to have "turned on" many people by introducing them to these drugs.Studio 360: Episode #1232 The psychedelically painted bus's stated destination — "further" — was the Merry Pranksters' goal: a destination that could be reached only through the expansion of one's own perception of reality. Novelist Robert Stone, who met the bus on its arrival in New York, wrote in his memoir '' Prime Green: Remembering the Sixties'' (2007) that those accompanying Kesey on the trip were Neal Cassady (described by Stone as "the world's greatest driver, who could roll a joint while backing a 1937

Packard Packard or Packard Motor Car Company was an American luxury automobile company located in Detroit, Michigan. The first Packard automobiles were produced in 1899, and the last Packards were built in South Bend, Indiana in 1958. One of the "Thr ...

onto the lip of the

Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon (, yuf-x-yav, Wi:kaʼi:la, , Southern Paiute language: Paxa’uipi, ) is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a m ...

"), Ken Babbs ("fresh from the Nam, full of radio nomenclature, and with a command voice that put cops to flight"), Jane Burton ("a pregnant young philosophy professor who declined no challenges"), George Walker, Sandy Lehmann-Haupt (dis-MOUNT), Mike Hagen (Mal Function), Ron Bevirt (Hassler), Chuck Kesey, Dale Kesey, John Babbs, Steve Lambrecht and Paula Sundstren (aka Gretchin Fetchin, Slime Queen). Zane Kesey and Simon Babbs edited the video and audio clips made by the Pranksters on the trip to produce a DVD (1999) called simply ''The Acid Test'', which is distributed by Key-z Productions.

Hells Angels

Kesey and the Pranksters also had a relationship with the

outlaw motorcycle gang An outlaw motorcycle club is a motorcycle subculture generally centered on the use of cruiser motorcycles, particularly Harley-Davidsons and choppers, and a set of ideals that purport to celebrate freedom, nonconformity to mainstream culture, ...

the

Hells Angels The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC) is a worldwide outlaw motorcycle club whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporatio ...

, whom Kesey introduced to LSD. The details of their relationship are documented in Wolfe's above-mentioned book, in Hunter S. Thompson's book, '' Hell's Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs'' (1966), and in

Allen Ginsberg Irwin Allen Ginsberg (; June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997) was an American poet and writer. As a student at Columbia University in the 1940s, he began friendships with William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, forming the core of the Beat Gener ...

's poem about the Kesey/Angels relationship, titled "First Party at Ken Kesey's with Hell's Angels" (December 1965).

Later events

In 1969, ''Further'' and the Pranksters (minus Kesey) attended the

Woodstock Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. ...

rock festival. In the same year, they attended the Texas Pop Festival at

Lewisville, Texas Lewisville ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, predominantly within Denton County with a small part lying within Dallas County. As a suburban community within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the 2020 census tabulated a population of 111 ...

. Kesey's ''Demon Box'' (

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

), a collection of short pieces, several about the Merry Pranksters, was a critical success. A subsequent novel, ''Sailor Song'' (1992), was not, with critics complaining it was too spacey for comprehension. In 1994, Kesey toured with the Pranksters, performing '' Twister: A Ritual Reality in Three Quarters Plus Overtime if Necessary'', a play he wrote in 1989 about the millennium, influenced by

L. Frank Baum Lyman Frank Baum (; May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) was an American author best known for his children's books, particularly ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and its sequels. He wrote 14 novels in the ''Oz'' series, plus 41 other novels (not includ ...

's Wizard of Oz works. The Merry Pranksters filmed and audiotaped much of what they did on their bus trips. Some of this material has surfaced in documentaries, including the BBC's Dancing In the Street. Some Pranksters have released footage on their own, and a version of the film edited by Kesey is available through his son Zane's website. On August 14, 1997, Kesey appeared with the Merry Pranksters at a

Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band is known for musical improvisation, extended jams, blending of genres, and a dedicated fan base. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon ...

concert during a performance of the song "Colonel Forbin's Ascent" from the album '' The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday'' (1987). Kesey and the Pranksters also helped stage The Enit Festival, held at the

Bill Graham Civic Auditorium The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium (formerly San Francisco Civic Auditorium) is a multi-purpose arena in San Francisco, California, named after promoter Bill Graham. The arena holds 8,500 people. About the venue The auditorium was designed by re ...

on November 22, 1997, with

Jane's Addiction Jane's Addiction is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1985. The band consists of vocalist Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery. Jane's Addiction was one of the first bands fr ...

, Funky Tekno Tribe,

Goldie Clifford Joseph Price MBE (born 19 September 1965), better known as Goldie, is a British music producer and DJ. Initially gaining exposure for his work as a graffiti artist, Goldie became well known for his pioneering role as a musician in t ...

, and Res Fest rounding out the bill. The original Prankster bus is at Kesey's farm in Oregon. In November 2005, it was pulled out of the swamp by Zane Kesey and family and a group of the original Merry Pranksters with the intent of restoring it. The

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

sought to acquire the bus, which is no longer operable, but Kesey refused, and attempted, unsuccessfully, to prank the Smithsonian by passing off a phony bus. Kesey died of complications due to

liver cancer Liver cancer (also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy) is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary (starts in liver) or secondary (meaning cancer which has spread from elsewhere to th ...

in November 2001. On December 10, 2003, Ken Babbs hosted a memorial to Kesey with String Cheese Incident and various other old and new Pranksters. It was held at the McDonald Theatre in

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast. As of the 2020 United States Census, Eu ...

. The proceeds helped to raise money for the ''Ken Kesey Memorial'' sculpture designed by Peter Helzer. The bronze sculpture depicted a life-size Kesey reading to three children while seated on a curved granite bench covered with quotations from Kesey's novels '' One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (1962) and ''

'' (1964). (Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Brian Lanker supplied the image.) Other benefactors for the project include

Bob Weir Robert Hall Weir ( ; né Parber, born October 16, 1947) is an American musician and songwriter best known as a founding member of the Grateful Dead. After the group disbanded in 1995, Weir performed with The Other Ones, later known as The Dead ...

Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...

(who starred in the 1971 film adaptation of ''

'') and

Michael Douglas Michael Kirk Douglas (born September 25, 1944) is an American actor and film producer. He has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and the AF ...

(who produced the 1975 film version of '' One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'').

2011 documentary

Alex Gibney Philip Alexander Gibney (; born October 23, 1953) is an American documentary film director and producer. In 2010, ''Esquire'' magazine said Gibney "is becoming the most important documentarian of our time". Gibney's works as director include '' ...

and Alison Ellwood directed a

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...

Magic Trip ''Magic Trip'' is a 2011 documentary film directed by Alison Ellwood and Alex Gibney, about Ken Kesey, Neal Cassady, and the Merry Pranksters. The documentary uses the 16 mm color footage shot by Kesey and the Merry Pranksters during their 1964 ...

'' (2011) about the Merry Pranksters, which was released on August 5, 2011.

50th Anniversary Trip

In April 2014, Zane, along with friend Derek Stevens, announced a

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, ...

to fund a 50th anniversary Furthur Bus Trip, offering donors a chance to ride ''Furthur''. The fundraiser was successful, and the trip took place between June and September 2014. Over 100 participants were invited to ride on legs of the trip as a new batch of Merry Pranksters. The 2014 journey was over 15,000 miles, 53 different events, took place in 29 different states and was 75 days of Merry Prankster mayhem and fun on the road. A group of filmmakers documented the journey, releasing a film titled '' Going Furthur''.

References

External links

Ken Kesey & the Merry Pranksters website
at

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

library {{Historic rock festival 1964 establishments in Oregon Counterculture festivals activists Oregon culture American psychedelic drug advocates