"San Francisco's status as the epicenter of the '60s countercultural movement is well-documented, but it was not limited to just the city itself. Its elements spread into nearby cities like Berkeley, Oakland, Fairfax - all of Marin County, really - and even outside the Bay Area to places like Monterey and Big Sur. As gonzo journalist Hunter S.Thompson once wrote in his book "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas": "There was madness in any direction, at any hour.""
"When Santa Barbara author Max Talley was looking for California locales to be featured in his '60s-set thriller "Peace, Love & Haight" - a book featuring countercultural enclaves ranging from San Francisco to Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles - he naturally set one of the chapters in Santa Cruz. "Peace, Love & Haight: A Psychedelic Thriller" stemmed from Talley's desire to write a book about the '60s, one that showcased the parallels to today's political climate as well as stark differences."
"He was particularly drawn to the works of Ray Bradbury and Kurt Vonnegut. "I knew at some point I would write, but I played music for a while, I did some paintings, I did other things," he said. "Then, eventually, it sort of bit me and I figured I had to write some books and I had some various ideas of ones that I would do.""
San Francisco functioned as a central hub for 1960s counterculture, but the movement extended into surrounding Bay Area cities and coastal locales like Monterey, Big Sur and Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz developed visible countercultural communities characterized by rebellion, free expression and creative activity. Peace, Love & Haight places Santa Cruz among multiple California enclaves and highlights both continuities and contrasts between 1960s activism and contemporary political resistance. Modern resistance trends toward an older demographic shaped by prior battles rather than draft-protesting youths. Personal influences included Ray Bradbury and Kurt Vonnegut, with creative pursuits preceding a commitment to writing.
Read at The Mercury News
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