Can someone give me a decent definition of "hippy"?

Seems to me that the term 'hippy' is about as relevant as 'beatnik' these days, but....there are still folks who smoke tons of dope, live in VW vans, wear Berkenstocks and disregard hygene altogether, so I suppose hippies are still around. But, do hippies consider themselves hippies (or is the term "freak" more applicable, as in Zonker from Doonesbury and "letting your freak flag fly," etc?) in the same manner Punks call themselves -- whether credibly or not -- Punks!

Hippies that we grew to love were attractive, middle class idiots with no real money worries trying desparately hard to be different... just like every other packaged scene.

There was a moment when free love and drugs were going to change the world, but then the accountants graduated and had to go to the blue chip companies that had connections back to their dads etc.... these people went on to finance Gates et al and the hippies grew up to be the biggest capitalists around.

It's all been ruined by TV, because it preached the version too many aspire to... there used to be imagination, now it is just a game of fashion snap

These days I suppose the connotation could be reduced to Phish and/or Ozric Tentacles fans. Not to impeach or cast ill aspersions on either. I was hippie once - back then. confessedly...-jeff

"dude, haven't we had this conversation before?" * takes toke *

Heavy!

What's a Berkenstock?!

The people you're describing are what most English folk would call "New Age Travellers". Some of them come from poor backgrounds, some from rich. "Hippy", if that word means anything to me, is a stereotype that can also apply to urban, house-dwelling folk - whose parents buy them homes which they then get the council to pay the rent for whilst dealing in skunk weed, creating "mind-blowing" trance and ceaselessly advocating the creation of a more caring, egalitarian society.

Only kidding. Perhaps a hippy is someone who likes certain drugs e.g. pot, acid, E, ketamine and disapproves of the use of alcohol/speed/heroin?

I think I might be onto something...

Sorry Tracer Hand, I haven't read every single post in the forum, and I'm far too much of an arrogant bastard to bother doing a "search" or whatever you hairy internet freaks do on this forum.

I read the thread tho, dude. I sincerely hope this one will be more interesting.

A Birkenstock is a type of shoe favoured by vegans and lesbians, to generalise wildly. I know nothing more.

Chris, surely if their homes are bought for them there is no rent for the government to pay? Oh, wait that's the scam!! * slaps forehead *

hippy = anyone who appeared in Woodstock the Movie (besides the policemen). "he had like... wild eyes, man!"

hippy (adj.): Having large and/or prominent hips.

Birkenstocks are sandals. They are very comfortable and good for bad feet (orthopedic) like mine. I have been wearing them for 20 years, they are the best shoes for summer. There is a hippie connotation as they look a little like "Jesus shoes" ("Jesuslatschen" in German). Real hippies do not wear shoes at all, they walk barefoot. And they neither shave nor cut their hair.

People will sometimes call your music 'hippy music' if you improvise, play 'long'instrumental tracks, use unusual percussion instruments or have a flautist or violinist, or even just a lot of members. You can see their point. But, unless you actually sound like like The Grateful Dead, they might well, like Chris says, be 'overusing to the point of meaninglessness'. My own personal hippy (non-musical) test is: if you hear someone talking about'energy' or 'energies' (as in 'there was a bad energy', or 'our energies were really close') they are probably a hippy.

Hippies don't exist anymore - but their offspring do - the crusties and swampies.

HIPPY GIRL - LONG, STRAIGHT HAIR. LONG TAPESTRY LOOKING SKIRT, WITH JEANS UNDERNEATH IN THE WINTER, NO UNDERWEAR IN THE SUMMER. DASHIKI (SP?), LOTS OF HEMP, BIRKENSTOCKS. USUALLY TOE RINGS ON HER DIRTY FEET. SMELLS OF PATCHOULIE AND MARIJUANA. USUALLY CARRIES HER MONEYIF SHE HAS ANY(USUALLY SHE DOES, BECAUSE DADDY GAVE HER SOME) IN HER HEMP CHANGE PURSE.

HIPPY GUY - DREADS, OR LONG UNKEMPT HAIR. AGAIN LOTS OF HEMP PRODUCTS, PANTS MADE OUT OF PAIRS OF CORDUROYS THEY CUT UP AND MADE INTO THEIR OWN PANTS. USUALLY WITH A DEAD TYE DIE OR PHISH SHIRT. USUALLY HAS A BEARD, RATHER SCRAGGLY. CARRIES HACKEY SACK AND DEVIL STICKS IN HIS HEMP BACKPACK, ALONG WITH HIS ASSORTED GLASS AND CLAY WATER PIPES. USUALLY HAS 75 BOOTLEGS OF DEAD, PHISH, DAVE MATTHEWS ALL WITH THE SAME SONGS JUST DIFFERENT STOPS ON TOUR. DRIVES A VW, WITH DEAD STICKERS ALL OVER IT.

OOPS, FORGOT HOW THEY BOTH LIKE TO TALK ABOUT "THE TWENTY MINUTE DRUM SPACE AT THE VERMONT DEAD SHOW".

Don't forget the stray cat that lives in a Rolling Rock box by the van. And the percussion instruments.

Poops has pretty much rounded that up. I'll add that they usually claim to have sold grilled cheese at some Phish concert.

haha, grilled cheese at a concert. hilarious and true. I have to admit I did have a penchant for hippy chicks in college, mainly because after 20 bong tokes, they believed in FREE LOVE. But after I saw what was going on down there, I wanted to get out the hedge clippers not a condom.

modern hippies can be found infiltrating other subcultures. their aroma may vary, but they can be spotted by their stupid, stupid, stupid desire to hold dress-up and theme parties. modern hippies are also united by an unbelievable distrust of cold hard facts, instead preferring hearsay and third-hand information.

Well, there you go posters, another youth subculture neatly dissected.

I should apologise to Tracer Hand as I don't think the ILM posters have really dug deep enough in their responses, but I am graciously prepared to forgive them.

The cultural gulf between the US and UK is in evidence. Phish have a lot to answer for, but not as much as Bush.

I'm saddened no-one took me up on the drugs angle - nevermind, I have contacts.

Has anyone here seen "Withnail and I" or is it just me? If you haven't - SEE IT! Every student in th'UK has but it remains a funny, wonderful film, produced by George Harrison no less.

Don't forget! You're all welcome to come round my house for tea when you're in town.

I admit I think my definition is the best: Hippies don't like alcohol/speed/heroin. If you like those drugs, you can be sure that whatever you are, you aren't a hippy/hippie.

Why hasn't Momus posted? The invisible fucking opera company of tibet I ask you. That guy needs to do some hod-carrying.

Ciao.

I admit I think my definition is the best: Hippies don't like alcohol/speed/heroin. If you like those drugs, you can be sure that whatever you are, you aren't a hippy/hippie.

If Deadheads are hippies then this statement is completely false. Believe me.

So hippies are people that like the Grateful Dead and take pretty much any drug they like?

Well THANK YOU!!!, that's all I needed to know! I was obviously getting a bit carried away there, thinking it was a meaningless term that could be applied to pretty much anyone who takes drugs, but I can now see, thanks to you Sean, that it's a meaningless term that can be applied to anyone who takes drugs AND likes the Grateful Dead.

Yours with unimpeachable sincerity,

Chris Sallis

I did not say that the word hippy can be applied indiscriminately to anyone who likes the Grateful Dead and takes drugs. I simply said that your claim that anyone who likes alcohol/heroin/speed can't be a hippy is untrue if you include Deadheads in your definition of hippy. I speak from (unpleasant and upsetting) personal experience. That's all.

withnail and i is the worst film evah made

yeah the whole hippy thing......think punk took over then money and then a mish mash of it all creating crusties ....who incidentally do loads of drugs and not so defined as alchol speed H.....crusties do them all.......generation E ..... got shot in the eighties if you smoked a doobie.....my experience www.planetflash.da.ru

I lived with some 'hippies' who would put down 'hippies'.

all hippies put down other hippies so that no-one will realise they are hippies. the only non-hippies are the ones that call themselves hippies. Especially people who live in Christchurch and change their first name by deed poll to hippie.

I must say, in repsone to an earlier mention of real hippies not wearing shoes, that I rarely wear shoes and when I do, it's usually under protest. I went barefoot for nearly 3.5 years on Dead tour in the late '80s and early '90s, and I toured for awhile with some chicks who told me they'd been barefoot since '83. It was quite cool, travelling in the van, partying, jamming tunes, being barefoot, getting into foot massages with these two kind earth mothers as a kind of barefoot hippie connection ritual, along with hugs and the occasional full-blown orgiastic frenzy. Damn, those were the days.