In 1964, “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” author Ken Kesey rounded up a bunch of his like-minded, forward-thinking friends, who dubbed themselves The Merry Pranksters, and drove a psychedelic bus across the country. With the word “Furthur” as the bus’s destination, Kesey and the Pranksters, including driver Neal Cassady, aimed to both freak people out and spread their good will all throughout America.
Their antics were later captured in the 1968 novel, Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, by Tom Wolfe. As the story goes, the Pranksters popularity grew, eventually spawning the “hippie” movement in San Francisco. There, they started holding acid tests: picture it, a room with flashing strobe lights, tripped out displays, and the then-relatively-unknown Grateful Dead jamming in the background for several hours straight.
Now, fifty years later, it seems Zane Kesey wants to bring back the ol’ Furthur bus for another jaunt across America. In an interview with Vice Magazine, Zane shares that he is looking to raise $27,500 for the journey, and is accepting applicants for the ride.
Ultimately, the goal is to ride across country, and shoot footage for a feature-length film. The bus plans to make stops at several festivals along the way, including Lockn’, with the only Furthur performance of the year (the band takes its name from the bus), Phases of the Moon Festival in Illinois, and Great North Festival in Maine. Kesey is hoping festivalgoers will help to paint the bus as well.
For a donation of only $200, you can apply to join in on the festivities. In the interview, Kesey gives tips on how to increase your odds: “If you’re good at being a character or if you have equipment and want to come film, you’re going to rise to the top of the people we need. We also need people taking pictures for the blog and updating the website and blowing bubbles for the kids. All that stuff is really important.”
The hope for the journey is to remind people of the “innocent seed that started the 60s.” As Kesey explains, “The Pranksters weren’t out there trying to end the war or change the world; they were trying to have fun and go across the country just doing their thing.”
“We need to get some of that innocence and fun and approachability back. Once we do that, we can reclaim some of the power that the 60s had.”
God speed, Zane Kesey. You can find information about donating here.
-David Melamed (@DMelamz)