Magic Trip

AND THERE WAS JUST...

...OF ELECTRICAL IMPULSES.

IT WAS ALL SLIGHTLY UNBELIEVABLE.

CAN SOMEBODY GIVE ME A MIKE?

AND WOULD SOMEBODY PLEASE TURN OFF THE FUCKING REVERB?

THANK YOU.

NARRATION -- TAKE ONE.

WHEN DID THE '60s BEGIN?

THAT MIGHT SEEM OBVIOUS.

EVERYONE REMEMBERS THEM THIS WAY.

BUT REALLY THE EARLY '60s LOOKED LIKE THIS --

A BLACK-AND-WHITE, PICKET-FENCE WORLD STILL STUCK IN THE '50s.

BUT IN 1964, THIS MAN, KEN KESEY,

TOOK AN LSD-FUELED BUS TRIP ACROSS THE COUNTRY

THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING.

KESEY LIT THE FUSE FOR THE EXPLOSION OF THE '60s.

WHO WAS KEN KESEY?

HE LOOKS INNOCENT ENOUGH, DOESN'T HE?

NOT LIKE THE KIND OF GUY TO TAKE MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF LSD.

WHILE IN COLLEGE, KESEY MARRIED

HIS JUNIOR-HIGH-SCHOOL SWEETHEART, FAYE.

AS A COLLEGE ATHLETE, KESEY SHOWED PROMISE

BOTH AS A FOOTBALL PLAYER AND A WRESTLER.

KESEY ALSO LIKED PERFORMING AS AN ACTOR AND A VENTRILOQUIST.

HE LOVED THE MAGIC TRICK

OF SPEAKING THROUGH OTHER PEOPLE.

KEN, WHEN DID YOU DECIDE TO BECOME A WRITER?

I NEVER SAID I WANTED TO BE A WRITER.

I'M A MAGICIAN.

WRITING IS JUST ONE OF THE TRICKS THAT I DO.

AND QUITE A TRICK IT WAS.

BY 1964, AT THE AGE OF 29,

KESEY WAS ONE OF AMERICA'S GREATEST WRITERS.

HIS FIRST TWO PUBLISHED NOVELS WERE

"ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST"

AND "SOMETIMES A GREAT NOTION."

YET, AT THE HEIGHT OF HIS SUCCESS,

KEN TRADED HIS TYPEWRITER FOR A MOVIE CAMERA.

IF SHAKESPEARE WERE WRITING TODAY,

I DON'T THINK HE WOULD USE A QUILL PEN.

SO I STARTED GOING OUT AND TAPING WITH TAPE RECORDERS

AND FILMING TO SEE IF...

PEOPLE TALKED LIKE THEY DO IN NOVELS, AND THEY DON'T.

WITH A GROUP OF FRIENDS,

KESEY SET OUT TO MAKE A ROAD MOVIE.

THEIR TRIP WOULD BECOME A LEGEND,

BUT FEW EVER SAW THE FILM.

THERE WERE TECHNICAL PROBLEMS.

THEIR VOICES ARE ON AUDIO TAPE

BUT ALMOST NEVER IN SYNC WITH THE PICTURE.

AGAIN, THE TRANSMISSION OF THE '27 BUICK

INTO SECOND GEAR

AROUND THE CORNER AT 34th AND DEARBORN --

OR WAS IT CLARK? IT WAS SOMEWHERE.

HERE'S A SCENE WITH NEAL CASSADY,

THE FAMOUS SPEED-TAKING, REAL-LIFE INSPIRATION

FOR JACK KEROUAC'S FAMOUS NOVEL "ON THE ROAD."

BET HE -- UH-OH, SAY...

FOR 40 YEARS, KESEY AND HIS FRIENDS EDITED THE FILM,

NEVER GETTING WHAT THEY WANTED.

THEN IT WAS BOXED AWAY, FORGOTTEN, COLLECTING DUST.

NOW WE'RE GOING BACK TO THE VAULTS,

USING THE RARE FILM AND AUDIO INTERVIEWS

OF KEN AND HIS FRIENDS TO BRING THE STORY BACK TO LIFE.

LET'S GO, PRANKSTERS!

UNNECESSARILY, MR. CASSADY PROCEEDED NORTH.

HA HA HA!

* YEAH *

* YEAH *

CAR WRECK. CHILDREN, TO THE LEFT -- WRECK.

IT'S A JOURNEY THROUGH LIFE, YOU KNOW.

WHEN DID THE IDEA FOR THIS TRIP FIRST OCCUR TO YOU?

1963 CAME, AND EVERYTHING CHANGED.

WE'D GONE BACK -- ME AND GEORGE AND FAYE -- TO NEW YORK.

NEW YORK CITY EXTENDS ITS WELCOME.

THE SHOPS ON THE AVENUES.

THE NEW HOTELS. RESTAURANTS.

THE SIDEWALK CAFES.

THE HIT SHOWS. THE TINSEL OF BROADWAY.

WE HAD GONE BACK

TO SEE THE OPENING OF "CUCKOO'S NEST" ON BROADWAY,

WITH KIRK DOUGLAS PLAYING McMURPHY,

AND HE WAS TERRIFIC.

AFTER THE PLAY,

PART OF OUR DAYTIME DIVERSION

AS WE WERE CRUISING AROUND THE CITY,

WE TOOK A DRIVE OUT TO QUEENS,

WHERE THE CONSTRUCTION WAS GOING ON FOR THE WORLD'S FAIR.

HERE ON THIS VERY SITE IS TO BE ERECTED --

THEY'RE DOING IT AT THE MOMENT --

THE SYMBOL OF THE THEME OF THE NEW YORK WORLD'S FAIR.

THE UNISPHERE!

AND BY DIALING 1964,

I LAUNCH THE FINAL PHASE OF THIS GREAT EFFORT.

WE LOOKED AT IT AND SAID, "BOY, THIS IS SPECTACULAR.

WE'RE GONNA WANT TO COME SEE THIS."

WE VOWED NEXT YEAR WE'D GO BACK TO NEW YORK

TO THE WORLD'S FAIR.

ON THE WAY BACK, I WAS DRIVING ACROSS COUNTRY

IN A BIG OLD NICE STATION WAGON

WITH A COUPLE OF MY BUDDIES, NIBBLING ON CACTUS.

HERE IN THE ABC NEWSROOM IN NEW YORK,

WE FIRST RECEIVED A FLASH --

AS WE WERE DRIVING ALONG, KENNEDY BEGAN TO BE KILLED.

THREE SHOTS WERE FIRED AT PRESIDENT KENNEDY'S MOTORCADE

IN DOWNTOWN DALLAS.

THE FIRST REPORTS SAY THAT PRESIDENT KENNEDY

HAS BEEN SERIOUSLY WOUNDED BY THIS SHOOTING.

THE CROWD OUTSIDE IS QUIET

AND WAITING FOR SOME WORD

ON THE CONDITION OF THE PRESIDENT.

THE PRESIDENT'S DEATH IS OFFICIALLY CONFIRMED.

PRESIDENT KENNEDY AND GOVERNOR JOHN CONNALLY

HAVE BEEN CUT DOWN BY ASSASSIN'S BULLETS

IN DOWNTOWN DALLAS.

EVERYWHERE YOU WENT, YOU LOOKED IN PEOPLE'S EYES,

AND THEY ALL FELT THE SAME THING.

IT WASN'T JUST SADNESS.

IT WAS A LOSS OF AN INNOCENCE,

THE LOSS OF THE IDEA

THAT ALWAYS THE GOOD IS GOING TO PREVAIL.

THE TRAGEDY OF THIS DAY

IS BEYOND ANY INSTANT COMPREHENSION.

THERE'S NO WAY TO EVEN NEARLY DEPICT THE PAIN

AND THE FEELING OF CRISIS,

THE THING THAT ALL OF US SORT OF FEEL

WHEN IT'S REAL DARK.

THIS IS NOT AN ORDINARY SATURDAY.

THINGS HAVE CHANGED.

THIS WORLD THAT I WAS PRESENTING WITH THESE WORDS,

I BEGAN TO SUSPECT MIGHT NOT HAVE A WHOLE LOT TO DO

WITH THE WORLD OF THIS.

SO, WE DECIDED TO GO TRAVEL ACROSS THE COUNTRY --

I LOVE TO DRIVE ACROSS THE UNITED STATES --

GO TO THE WORLD'S FAIR, AND COME BACK ACROSS,

JUST TO EXPERIENCE THE...

THE AMERICAN LANDSCAPE AND "HEARTSCAPE."

WE WERE GONNA TAKE THE SAME STATION WAGON WE CAME BACK IN,

AND PRETTY SOON BABBS WAS HOME, AND HE WANTED TO GO.

I WAS IN THE MARINE CORPS FOR FIVE YEARS,

FLEW HELICOPTERS IN VIETNAM,

AND CAME OUT IN MAY OF '64.

GOT OUT OF THE MARINE CORPS -- I HAD ENOUGH OF THAT.

BABBS WAS STALKING AROUND.

THIS IS JUST AFTER HE GOT OUT OF THE MARINES.

HE BEGAN TO ASSIGN NAMES TO THEM.

HE BECAME "THE INTREPID TRAVELER,"

AND THESE WERE HIS "MERRY BAND OF PRANKSTERS."

"SWASHBUCKLER" BECAME MY NICKNAME.

GRETCH HAD COME DOWN FROM OREGON. WE'D MET HER.

I WAS AN ART STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF OREGON.

MY INTENTION WAS TO GET A RIDE.

I WAS GONNA WORK IN NEW YORK,

SWIMMING AT THE WORLD'S FAIR IN WATER BALLET,

'CAUSE THAT'S SOMETHING I KNEW HOW TO DO --

THE ROCKETTES IN WATER.

PRETTY SOON, HAGEN WAS THERE,

WHO'S AN OLD FRIEND FROM OREGON,

FRATERNITY BROTHER -- HE HAD A CAMERA.

SANDY. HE WAS A PHENOMENON.

HE WAS IN THE NUTHOUSE.

HE WAS LIKE THE ID STRIPPED OF EVERYTHING ELSE.

HE WAS JUST THERE.

AT HIS WORST, HE WAS CRAZY.

AND AT HIS BEST, HE WAS A GENIUS.

JANE BURTON WAS A PROFESSOR IN PHILOSOPHY FROM STANFORD.

SHE WAS PREGNANT, AND SHE WAS HUNGRY ALL THE TIME.

SO, SHE SAYS, "WELL, I'M GENERALLY FAMISHED."

AND SO SHE BECAME KNOWN AS "GENERALLY FAMISHED."

IT GOT TO BE KIND OF A PARTY.

IT'S HARD TO DESCRIBE IT,

JUST A BUNCH OF LUNATICS RUNNING AROUND ACTING IDIOTIC

TRYING TO GET TO THE EAST COAST SOMEHOW.

I MET KEN ON PERRY LANE.

CHLOE WAS THE GERTRUDE STEIN OF OUR SCENE.

I THOUGHT IT WAS PRETTY INSANE, ACTUALLY.

I REALLY DUG EVERYBODY FOR DOING IT.

ZONKER WAS JUST THERE.

WE WEREN'T PLANNING TO TAKE HIM. WE BARELY KNEW HIM.

EVERY TIME SOMETHING WOULD HAPPEN, HE'D FALL ASLEEP.

AND HE HAD THIS SNORE...

OKAY, HERE'S STARK NAKED.

NOW, I'M ATTRACTED TO HER. THERE'S NO QUESTION ABOUT IT.

BUT SHE'S JUST SO STRANGE.

MICHAEL HAGEN INVITED ME TO KEN'S HOUSE FOR A WEEKEND,

AND THAT'S HOW I MET EVERYBODY.

THERE WAS JUST A GREAT DEAL OF GENERAL JOVIALITY

AND TALKING AND LAUGHING AND DANCING.

AND EVEN THEN IT WAS LIKE A TROUPE OF MINSTRELS AND MIMES.

THEIR PRESENCE WAS VERY BEAUTIFUL.

THE NOTION OF US BEING WILD CRAZIES WASN'T TRUE.

WE WEREN'T LONG-HAIRED, AND WE WEREN'T IRRESPONSIBLE.

THERE WAS AN AMERICAN SENSE.

THAT'S WHY WE ALWAYS WORE RED, WHITE, AND BLUE

AND FLEW THE FLAG.

IT WAS TO TRY TO COOL THE PEOPLE OUT AND SAY,

"THIS MAY LOOK STRANGE TO YOU, BUT GET USED TO IT.

IT'S AMERICAN, AND WITHOUT IT WE'RE A DEAD NATION."

SINCE IT TURNED OUT THAT THERE WERE SO MANY OF US,

FRIENDS AND EVERYTHING,