By now, most jam scene fans know the story of Ken Kesey and The Merry Pranksters, a group of LSD-taking, culture-shocking youths who travelled the country in a bus labelled “Furthur.” Kesey, author of One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, led the group on a cross-country bus tour, hoping the whole experience would be turned into a movie. After hundreds of hours of footage were deemed unusable, the band of brothers simply went on to spawn the counterculture movement in San Francisco, giving rise to the Grateful Dead in the process.
The concept of going “Furthur” never really left the Dead scene, ultimately providing the namesake for the long-lived collaboration between Phil Lesh and Bob Weir. Lyrical cues from songs like “The Other One” also reference the Furthur bus, as Weir sings, “The bus came by and I got on, that’s when it all began… there was cowboy Neil at the wheel, on the bus to never-never land.” Cowboy Neil refers to Neil Cassady, the renegade spirit who would influence both the Beat generation and the hippie counterculture.
Excitingly, a new documentary will take footage from the Merry Pranksters in an attempt to capture this magical moment in time. More than a year after releasing their initial trailer, Going Furthur is set to premiere at the San Francisco DocFest on June 4th, at the Roxie Theater in SF. Zane Kesey (son of Ken), as well as original Pranksters like Ken Babbs and George Walker, are also featured in the movie, as is Wavy Gravy and more!
Additional screenings are set for the film throughout the month of June, including a showing at Mysteryland, the music festival held at the Bethel Woods, NY site of Woodstock, and more. You can get more information here.
Watch the trailer below:
[H/T JamBase]
https://www.periscope.tv/w/1yoKMmompWwKQ