Category Archives: history

TV for Trippers

February 12, 2014artyfacts, historyPatrick Edmondson

The Now Explosion went on the air in Atlanta, GA, in April, 1970. Since Ted Turner’s station was new he filled the late nights and weekends with The Now Explosion. Like MTV 10 years later, the show was programmed to stay on the air for hours at a time. In Atlanta, The Now Explosion was on the air 28 hours each weekend. In an age when TV became ancient grainy movies after midnight, this was a life saver for people too altered to go out or go to sleep. It was also very imaginative for the time. “Did the TV really just do that? or is it my mind??”

Production of music videos was often done after midnight at channel 36 where many Atlanta residents performed in synch with top forty songs. Some music videos were shot on film in Atlanta and suburbs. Later, when the program was syndicated nationally the videos made in Atlanta were seen across the country in cities such as San Francisco, CA, Washington DC, Sacramento, CA and Boston. In New York City, it ran for hours with high ratings before and after Yankee baseball games.After thirteen weeks, in Atlanta, The Now Explosion was picked up by Ted Turner, and was seen on his Atlanta and Charlotte TV Stations for an additional 13 weeks.

http://www.thenowexplosion.com/

Finery

Freaks. That was what hippies called themselves since each usually was considered a freak in their locale. So Jefferson Airplane sings ”…and all the other freaks will share my cares” . San Franciscan hippies partly looked so flamboyant because a hundred year old opera house had sold off their costumes in late 1966.

During the late 60s just getting dressed could be a political statement.

In 1967 Georgia there were no shops selling hippie clothing like you saw in the magazines and on TV. Even bell bottoms were usually only available as Navy surplus. Since Freaks followed a do your own thing ethic TO CREATE THE MOST ORGANIC CLOTHING POSSIBLE. people sewed a strip into the bottom of a pants leg to bell the bottom. People sewed their own clothes or altered what they purchased secondhand. And people began to embroider and paint their clothes. Tye-Dye was in and everyone thought they knew how. Even scout troops and church groups tried their hand. Freaks tye-dyed most anything available when the dye was ready.

Freak Clothing was fun and costumey or back-to-the-earth simple. People mainly divided into two groups. One only had a few possessions. Another had enough clothes to fill an apartment and thus last between monthly commandeering of a laundromat. Beloved jeans became souvenirs of the road and were patched and repatched onto works of art.

Most have vanished to recycling or trash, but a few beloved items are stashed away. We would like to collect a picture of your freak finery and urge you to consider donating it to the Atlanta History Museum or a like institution.
We are actively seeking a broader base to help with collecting artifacts, pictures, snapshots, and hippie stories. To preserve our collective history consider donating or bequeathing items through us to the Atlanta History Center. Bequest your stuff to the best preservation available where their significance will be honored and appreciated into the future.

Can you contribute your part?

1967 psychedelic surfer pants featuring my version of Skip Williamson’s psychedelic sun, created for Raisin Bran, mystere’s chosen mark

Display of hippie clothes and cultural items at our Mitchell House Show.

One in a series of vests for imaginary rock bands. — vests for imaginary rock bands.

One in a series of vests for imaginary rock bands. These were created by FSU art student Tommy Giradeau in 1967One in a series of vests for imaginary rock bands. These were created by FSU art student Tommy Giradeau in 1967 — One in a series of vests for imaginary rock bands. These were created by FSU art student Tommy Giradeau in 1967

I’m a £.S.D. addict medal from Great Britain. £.S.D. means “pounds, shillings, pence” and thus means I’m a money addict.

Psychedelic surfer pants back , long pants cut-off.. — Psychedelic surfer long pants cut-off.

Silk screen Felix covered many surfaces in our pad.

Duck Hat. Worn to sell the Great Speckled Bird at 14th and Peachtree, and everywhere else.

Donald Duck was a great influence, especially the Unca Scrooge adventures, and the hat looked like a duck while tripping.

Jeans worn for years, gives a whole new meaning to the organic clothing of today

There’s that sun again. It was the creation of underground cartoonist Skip Williamson, I learned in 2008.

Art Nouveau swirls planned for pants were never embroidered. Now commercialized versions of this style fill stores.

Rear of art nouveau pants — Art Nouveau swirls planned for pants were never embroidered. Now commercialized versions of this style fill stores.

subtle cosmic cowboy batiqued shirt by Eve

Goodwill dress shirt Eve batiqued into subtle cosmic cowboy

Leather vest made for my mother by John Wireface at Atlantis Rising.

Homage to Bucky Fuller -Spaceship Earth emblem silkscreen

The Scattering of The Tribes

February 7, 2014Community, historymlgiarra

In the early ‘70s developers moved on the 14th street and strip areas. Most rental property left became too expensive. The cheap places were filled with folks full of most anything but peace and Love. A rash of firebombings discouraged attempts to build a more solid community presence. No city officials seemed to look too hard to solve destruction so helpful to the big boys plans for urban renewal projects. Anyone with kids or wanting a peaceful, easy feeling had to look elsewhere.

Many People view the killing of Tree on 14th as being just after the high water mark. Read the Bird’s coverage here.

EPSON scanner image — **Photo of Fifi by Bill Fibben**
**Read about The Death of The Strip**

Flowing out from the eastern side of piedmont park, hip folks began to move into Virginia Highland and into the neighborhoods all along Ponce de leon.

Since Mr. More-Lanes wanted to pave Inman Park, Little Five Points and beyond into an expressway, ( see I-485 article) houses were rented and sold cheaply by indifferent realtors hoping to cash in before condemnation or concrete .

Who ya gonna call? RoadBusters!

Being on near direct bus routes to Georgia State and Georgia Tech, as well as the proximity of Emory, student counter culture people had already begun to inhabit cheap nooks and crannies of what could still be dangerous areas.

The hip folks began working hardto revitalize homes and organize institutions to benefit the whole community such as the B.O.N.D. credit union to collectively finance dreams. Gradually they won the hearts and minds of the old-time residents. People worked to make somewhere to live and let live. Children arrived and people created day care projects and got involved in making good schools. the organizations created, at least in part by veterans of The Strip and the 14th street community , are the same ones that today make atlanta’s intown neighborhoods such sought after, stimulating areas to live.

B.O.N.D. neighborhoods Little Five Points Emory village

But that “let’s build a community” with hints of “Let’s put on a show!” spirit is still spreading joyful living to Decatur , CabbageTown, Grant Park , East Atlanta, and other areas.

Lake Claire Community Land Trust