Merry Pranksters vs Hells Angels

Vivek Kadakia March 2, 2010
Merry Pranksters vs. Hells Angels
The Merry Pranksters were a group of people during the 60s who started the “hippie” movement as described by Tom Wolfe in “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.” The pranksters were led by Ken Kesey, an author who wrote “One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” The pranksters had a very new and odd lifestyle that was influenced Kesey. As the book commences Wolfe describes these characters when he first encounters with them in the back of a pickup truck. Wolfe says that the pranksters have become very noticeable to the cops, “even the costumes, the Jesus Christ strung-out hair, Indian beads, Indian headbands, donkey beads, temple bells, amulets, mandalas, god’s-eyes, fluorescent vests, unicorn horns, Errol Flynn dueling shirts.” (Wolfe 3) He also mentioned their shoes.
The pranksters at the time had causeda very unique subculture. Other than their strange attire they also had become drug addicts. Keseysmuggled these drugs to them at the time they were legal. The pranksters felt that psychedelic drugs such as LSD should be the new culture and the youth of the country must try this. They alsohad a bus in which they travelled around the country having “acid tests.” During this movement Kesey met with the Hells Angels, a group of bikers in San Francisco.
The Hells Angels also had their own subculture in which they had their own thoughts and they also had their own unique way of dressing. When Kesey first met with these angles, he was accepted by the Angles because “he had just been busted for marijuana, which certified him as Good People in the Angels’ eyes.” (Wolfe 169) The hells angels also believed that a man can’t be trusted unless they have done time in jail. They dressed different from the pranksters and were all about Harley Davidson motorcycles. Kesey described them with their beards, long hair, and the sleeveless denim jackets. Wolfe also described them as a violent group and had never been invited...