Chalupa Posted July 4, 2007 Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 The Summer of Drugs Forty years ago, dirty, stinky hippies converged on San Francisco to "turn on, tune in and drop out." BY TED NUGENT Wednesday, July 4, 2007 12:01 a.m. EDT This summer marks the 40th anniversary of the so-called Summer of Love. Honest and intelligent people will remember it for what it really was: the Summer of Drugs. Forty years ago hordes of stoned, dirty, stinky hippies converged on San Francisco to "turn on, tune in, and drop out," which was the calling card of LSD proponent Timothy Leary. Turned off by the work ethic and productive American Dream values of their parents, hippies instead opted for a cowardly, irresponsible lifestyle of random sex, life-destroying drugs and mostly soulless rock music that flourished in San Francisco. The Summer of Drugs climaxed with the Monterey Pop Festival which included some truly virtuoso musical talents such as Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, both of whom would be dead a couple of years later due to drug abuse. Other musical geniuses such as Jim Morrison and Mama Cass would also be dead due to drugs within a few short years. The bodies of chemical-infested, brain-dead liberal deniers continue to stack up like cordwood. As a diehard musician, I terribly miss these very talented people who squandered God' s gifts in favor of poison and the joke of hipness. I often wonder what musical peaks they could have climbed had they not gagged to death on their own vomit. Their choice of dope over quality of life, musical talent and meaningful relationships with loved ones can only be categorized as despicably selfish. I literally had to step over stoned, drooling fans, band mates, concert promoters and staff to pursue my musical American Dream throughout the 1960s and 1970s. I flushed more dope and cocaine down backstage toilets than I care to remember. In utter frustration I was even forced to punch my way through violent dopers on occasion. So much for peace and love. The DEA should make me an honorary officer. I was forced to fire band members and business associates due to mindless, dangerous, illegal drug use. Clean and sober for 59 years, I am still rocking my brains out and approaching my 6,000th concert. Clean and sober is the real party. Young people make mistakes. I've made my share, but none that involved placing my life or the lives of others at risk because of dope. I saw first-hand too many destroyed lives and wrecked families to ever want to drool and vomit on myself and call that a good time. I put my heart and soul into creating the best music I possibly could and I went hunting instead. My dream continues with ferocity, thank you. The 1960s, a generation that wanted to hold hands, give peace a chance, smoke dope and change the world, changed it all right: for the worse. America is still suffering the horrible consequences of hippies who thought utopia could be found in joints and intentional disconnect. A quick study of social statistics before and after the 1960s is quite telling. The rising rates of divorce, high school drop outs, drug use, abortion, sexual diseases and crime, not to mention the exponential expansion of government and taxes, is dramatic. The "if it feels good, do it" lifestyle born of the 1960s has proved to be destructive and deadly. So now, 40 years later, there are actually people who want to celebrate the anniversary of the Summer of Drugs. Hippies are once again descending on ultra-liberal San Francisco--a city that once wanted to give shopping carts to the homeless--to celebrate and try to remember their dopey days of youth when so many of their musical heroes and friends long ago assumed room temperature by "partying" themselves to death. Nice. While I salute and commend the political and cultural activism of the 1960s that fueled the civil rights movement, other than that, the decade is barren of any positive cultural or social impact. Honest people will remember 1967 for what is truly was. There is a saying that if you can remember the 1960s, you were not there. I was there and remember the decade in vivid, ugly detail. I remember its toxic underbelly excess because I was caught in the vortex of the music revolution that was sweeping the country, and because my radar was fine-tuned thanks to a clean and sober lifestyle. Death due to drugs and the social carnage heaped upon America by hippies is nothing to celebrate. That is a fool's game, but it is quite apparent some burned-out hippies never learn. Mr. Nugent is a rock star releasing his 35th album, "Love Grenade," this summer. http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110010291 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalupa Posted July 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 Poor Teddy. It sounds like he needs to do a couple of bong hits and chill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalupa Posted July 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 Oh and get a haircut, hippie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted July 4, 2007 Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 Forty years ago hordes of stoned, dirty, stinky hippies converged on San Francisco to "turn on, tune in, and drop out," which was the calling card of LSD proponent Timothy Leary. Get a haircut Ted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalupa Posted July 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 Mr. Nugent is a rock star releasing his 35th album, "Love Grenade," this summer. Holy crap!! Take a look at the cover of Ted's new album...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzmoose Posted July 4, 2007 Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 Ted Nugent complaining about "soulless rock music" is like George Bush complaining about incompetence in government... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe G Posted July 4, 2007 Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 Ted Nugent complaining about "soulless rock music" is like George Bush complaining about incompetence in government... Not to mention "random sex". Is that his current wife on that album cover? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brownian Motion Posted July 4, 2007 Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 I believe that what Mr. Micropenis is telling us here is that if rock musicians just got in touch with their inner businessman, as he has done, the audience for rock would be none-the-wiser and the republican party would have a broader base. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niko Posted July 4, 2007 Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 Ted Nugent complaining about "soulless rock music" is like George Bush complaining about incompetence in government... Not to mention "random sex". Is that his current wife on that album cover? if it was, would that make things much better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcy62 Posted July 4, 2007 Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 There's nothing worst then a penitent in case like these. Just take former smokers, the most annoying people on the earth's face. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alocispepraluger102 Posted July 4, 2007 Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 for ted's 'monkish' lifestyle, he seems rather unhappy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Alfredson Posted July 4, 2007 Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 A predictable diatribe from a stereotypical "black and white" Republican mind. No gray area, just "right and wrong". Just like his music, this piece is void of any subtleties. And I have to disagree that Morrison, Joplin, and Mama Cass were "geniuses". Hendrix, yes... but c'mon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stereojack Posted July 4, 2007 Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 Other musical geniuses such as Jim Morrison and Mama Cass would also be dead due to drugs within a few short years. Mama Cass died of a heart attack, directly linked to her obesity, from all reports. Is there any evidence that drugs (or the fabled ham sandwich) were involved? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted July 4, 2007 Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 Other musical geniuses such as Jim Morrison and Mama Cass would also be dead due to drugs within a few short years. Mama Cass died of a heart attack, directly linked to her obesity, from all reports. Is there any evidence that drugs (or the fabled ham sandwich) were involved? I was wondering about that too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcy62 Posted July 4, 2007 Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 From what I read, mr. Nugent didn't followed the wise behavior of Keith Richards. http://www.drownedinsound.com/articles/1157207 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim McG Posted July 4, 2007 Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 Mr. Nugent is a rock star releasing his 35th album, "Love Grenade," this summer. Holy crap!! Take a look at the cover of Ted's new album...... Yup. Nothing mindless or "barren of any positive cultural or social impact" here, huh. Hypocricy knows no bounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoGrubb Posted July 4, 2007 Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 Well, it appears that I'm in the minority here. I think he's pretty much right-on with his depiction of the 60s, especially the "soulless" musicians part. e.g. The first thought I had when I first saw Big Brother and the Holding Co. was "How the fuck did Janis Joplin get hooked up with these soulless mofos?" They were like oil and water, neither belonged with the other. They were way too much contrast for me. Anyhow, I'm not familiar with Nugent's music, maybe he is soulless, the kettle's calling the pot black (pot---hee hee, I made a pun.). The 60s were sure as hell the beginning of the demise of horns in pop music. The ushering in of synthesizers, volume to be heard in stadiums was maintained in small venues. Pure phony bs, imo. And the pill giving women a false sense of equality(not that some are and are not equal). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted July 4, 2007 Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 Anyhow, I'm not familiar with Nugent's music, maybe he is soulless, the kettle's calling the pot black (pot---hee hee, I made a pun.). The 60s were sure as hell the beginning of the demise of horns in pop music. The ushering in of synthesizers, volume to be heard in stadiums was maintained in small venues. Pure phony bs, imo. And the pill giving women a false sense of equality(not that some are and are not equal). Nugent plays hard rock/heavy guitar music. No synths or horns that I know of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.D. Posted July 4, 2007 Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 I'm surprised that the WSJ printed this screed...Teddy must have a good press agent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Berger Posted July 4, 2007 Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 I'm surprised that the WSJ printed this screed...Teddy must have a good press agent. How familiar are you with the WSJ editorial page? It's very different from the rest of the paper. Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted July 4, 2007 Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 Judging from his albums (and their covers in particular), I get the impression he's still upset over that whole suffragette movement.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.D. Posted July 4, 2007 Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 How familiar are you with the WSJ editorial page? It's very different from the rest of the paper. Not very (I hardly ever read editorial/op-ed pages of newspapers), except that I recall it as decidedly "right-leaning". I'll take your word for it, the editorial p. must be very different... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy Berger Posted July 4, 2007 Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 (I hardly ever read editorial/op-ed pages of newspapers) A wise man. Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Garrett Posted July 4, 2007 Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 Ted must've conveniently forgotten about the cover of his old band's first album. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted July 4, 2007 Report Share Posted July 4, 2007 The 60s were sure as hell the beginning of the demise of horns in pop music. Blood Sweat & Tears, Chicago, Tower of Power, Ten Wheel Drive, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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