Blake Morgan’s Personal Blog Post, Entry #1:

Hi my name is Blake Morgan, I am a Senior at the University of Denver. My majors include Jazz Composition and Philosophy. My blog posts are in response to an assignment given by a Progressive Music course offered by the University of Denver.

Concerning Acid Rock regarding the counterculture specifically in the contexts of The Grateful Dead and Pink Floyd:

Drugs are often associated with the topic of Rock music. It can also be argued that Rock music is often associated with drugs. What is it that makes these two so compatible with one another? In this blog post, I will be examining the motivation and intentions of rebellion in countercultural Rock music, also known as Psychedelic or Acid Rock.

It seems that San Francisco was a very special place to be during the late 50’s and 60’s. The Beat generation called upon the youth of the United States and showed that life is a subjective matter and things should be done in a way that satisfies the individual. It was a call to question conformity, and the social logic of the preceding generation. The Beats condoned the concept of authentic expression and living authentic lives that were based off of living their real feelings, not their conditioned feelings. They accepted the notion of drugs as a tool used to expand one’s mind and see the world through new and innovative perceptions. And of course that acted as a major influence on the hippie counterculture.

The hippies enjoyed the idea of a like, free and loving community powered by the common experiences of love and consideration. They liked to stand out, and to show people that they wanted to be simply the way they wanted to be, rather than living up to an overwhelming social expectation persuades their vibes. It was a call to rebel against the morbid and boring generation of lifestyle of the 50’s.

And of course drugs and Rock N’ Roll played an exponential roll in this rebellious period. Ken Keasey was responsible for uniting the drug culture in the greater San Francisco area. He discovered that while on acid, one can transcend the norms of reality and think outside of the common perception. He held gatherings for people who were interested in experimenting with this new concept of transcendental perception and meditation. These were the Acid Tests. He would draw people together into some type of auditorium or large room, fill up Kool-Aid bowls with acid and encourage people to be free and express themselves. But he needed a force that would keep people entertained and present, so The Warlocks (later known as The Grateful Dead) would play long improvised jams for hours at a time. The music combined forms of Jazz, Blues, Country and Rock, but played out for extended periods of time and with a sort of wavy flange texture that suits the psychedelic experience. Their long guitar solos resembled and acid trip in and of themselves. They were long and combined modal with pentatonic scales giving them an unusual and unexpected trip-like Rock quality. The music was highly improvised, and, like an acid trip, was unaware of its intended destination. It was about the ride.  This was the first time young people could come together in a consequence free environment, be who they are, and not be judged. They were free, and young hippies began to recognize the impacts of music combined with mind expanding substances.

The Grateful Dead was for the Acid Tests in the United States, what Pink Floyd was for the UFO sessions in England. These bands were the uniting voices of an anxious and disturbed up-and-coming generation. The Victorian Era of England was comparable to the boring lifestyle of conformed America in the 50’s. Young adults in England were ready for a change and adopted a very similar mode of expression as that of the United States. Pink Floyd was the band that really provided leverage for this society -changing revolution. In the early days of Pink Floyd, they would play at the underground UFO gatherings which lasted all night and accepted the use of drugs and freedom of expression, be it emotional, sexual, or any other way. Their music was interesting to the public because they would play bluesy chord progressions under extended free form Rock. Inspired by acid, their sound, like The Grateful Dead, carried a sort of trip-like quality, and consisted of ambient sounds of voices in rhythm and long improvisations that were not typical of popular music at the time. It was a sort of call to change and free the creative musical mind, and it showed that the authenticity of creativity inspired and moved people in positive ways. This period in time was the opening of the gates to the famous sixties countercultural movement in both the U.S. and Great Britain.