May 1967: Olompali Sunday Times #2

OLOMPALI SUNDAY TIMES
No. 2
THE FAN CLUB

A DEAL** A DEAL** A DEAL** A DEAL** A DEAL** A DEAL**
PIG-PEN's sweet face is now available in kelly green, blue, purple, maroon, and yellow when printed on the appropriately colored tee-shirt. Tee-shirts are available in medium, large, and extra-large, at the super-low, cheap price of only $2.50; include your name, address, and ZIP CODE, and we will do the rest.

HERE IN S.F..... During the month of April, Sunday afternoons meant thousands of tourists on foot and in their cars jamming the streets in the Haight-Ashbury. Tourists came to look at the hippies, and the hippies came to see if the tourists really came to look at them. People just looking at each other in the street on a beautiful, sunny afternoon, with nothing to do, and nowhere to go.

In an effort to make people happy by giving them something to do, the Dead played unannounced in the Panhandle of Golden Gate Park on a flatbed truck to anybody who would come and listen to them. Needless to say, people were much more interested in spending an afternoon in the park listening to music for free, than walking in the crowded streets looking at each other. Sunday afternoon, Saturday afternoons, and sometimes during the week, various bands from the area play to whoever wants to listen amongst the sun and trees in the park.

June 1, the band goes to New York City. The first time that N.Y.C. will hear the Grateful Dead will be in the park. After playing there for free one afternoon, they will start a two week job at the Cafe Au Go Go. They will return several days after their two weeks is up, just in time to attend and perform in the Monterey International Pop Festival on June 16, 17, and 18.

The Festival seems to be the biggest thing happening all over the country in the files of popular music. The Festival is a non-profit happening with proceeds over expenses going to San Francisco community efforts like the Diggers.

San Francisco groups performing at the Festival besides the DEAD include Big Brother and the Holding Company, Quicksilver Messenger Service, the Miller Blues Band, Jefferson Airplane, Moby Grape, and County Joe and the Fish.

You can't really understand or fully appreciate the Grateful Dead, unless you are aware of what they are spokesmen for. The scene in S.F. is largely generated by the rock and roll. It is the main means of income for the whole community. It started with the young people getting turned-on by the rock music at the Fillmore and Avalon. Then, before long it began to follow them home, very soon it was definitely part of their lives. Now they are dropping-out of suburban home life, high-school society, and coming to the big, weird city.
In Haight-Ashbury, where the band's home is, the streets are filled with young people who are vitally concerned with the well-being of each other, and the rest of the world too. They know that in order to get the whole planet as peaceful and free as their own society, they must BE what they preach. They live peace and love. They share food, clothes, cars, dope, and anything they own. The element of EGO has been reduced---people are becoming more tolerant and calm---there is a feeling in the air of sharing, just because that is so much more positive than being selfish. The negative attitude is being forced out of existence.
Walking down Haight St. is glorious. You see smile after smile. The only perplexed faces are the middle-aged tourists who aren't sure just what to think. They are handed flowers, oranges, printed poetry, and all sorts of nice things. They leave knowing that they saw a new idea working---an idea that they were never allowed to think--- They never had the chance to be mentally free. We inherited the evil and wars, but chose to ignore them to death---rather than to try and kill off everyone who does not see Utopia as we do.
All this love has several points---one big one is the Dead. They were the first to play in the Park for free, now it is happening every week-end, and sometimes during the week---all the top bands, all the little bands, and everyone turned-on in the bay area get together and rave for a day. The movement of Joy is spreading, and we are glad to be a part of it.

In the past several months, the DEAD have been doing filming for two very interesting and different programs. The first one filmed was with a crew from England's BBC. The film, called "THE SCENE" (to be shown July 17) will be the first color TV broadcast in England. The show included shots of the Dead at home, at the Avalon Ballroom, and in a new S.F. rock club, The Rock Garden.
The more recent filming, was in Richard Lester's new movie, "PETULIA", starring Julie Christie and George C. Scott. The band was in one scene being San Francisco atmosphere, and in another scene they were playing live in a warehouse here in the city. (VIOLA LEE BLUES is what you'll hear in the movie.)

*****HELP GET THE DEAD HIGHER****

EVERY CHANCE YOU GET, PROCEED TO HERALD THE GRATEFUL DEAD (ah, yeas) AS MARVELOUS SUPER... ...TO RADIO STATIONS, RECORD STORES, AND ANYONE AND EVERYONE YOU SEE ON THE STREET.

www.dead.net/tags/fan-club