Last week in Eugene, OR, longtime Deadhead and NBA Hall of Famer Bill Walton met up with some old associates, the Merry Pranksters, to cruise the college town. They rode aboard Furthur, the legendary school bus bought by Ken Kesey in the mid-60s, to transport his his band of Pranksters across the country.
The history between the Merry Pranksters and the Grateful Dead is a long one, as the Pranksters essentially formed the counterculture movement. Needing a band to play at their regular “Acid Tests” in San Francisco, CA, Kesey contacted the up-and-coming Grateful Dead, and the rest was history. It’s no surprise that Walton, who went to college at UCLA, would find his way into becoming a Deadhead.
Walton has more than casual ties to Oregon, having won an NBA championship with the Portland Trail Blazers in the mid-70s, as well as Eugene, stating that it’s one of his favorite places to visit. While visiting the University of Oregon campus early in 2015 to call a college basketball game, he noted, “Eugene is one of the legendary places in Oregon…It’s one of the power spots, one of the special places on earth. It’s a place where you can be yourself.”
Well, this definitely looks like Bill Walton being himself. Watch Walton’s ride aboard Furthur with the Merry Pranksters via gratefulweb below: