1960s Men's Long Hair Meant Something

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Graham Nash is a British-American singer-songwriter and musician. This was recorded in 1989., Nash is known for his light tenor voice and for his contributions to the development of folk-rock music. He first gained fame as a member of the British pop group The Hollies in the early 1960s, where he was a key figure in the band's success with hits like "Bus Stop" and "Carrie Anne." Nash is perhaps best known for his role in the formation of Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN), a supergroup that also included David Crosby of The Byrds and Stephen Stills of Buffalo Springfield. Later, with the addition of Neil Young, the group became known as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (CSNY).

CSN's harmony-rich folk-rock sound was influential in the late 1960s and early 1970s, with songs like "Teach Your Children," "Our House," and "Woodstock" becoming anthems of the era. Nash's songwriting, both with The Hollies and CSN, showcased his keen sense of melody and harmony, as well as his commitment to social and political issues.

Beyond his musical career, Graham Nash is also known for his work as a photographer and visual artist, having published several books of his photography. He has been involved in various political and environmental causes throughout his career.

Graham Nash continues to tour as a solo artist and with various configurations of his bandmates, offering performances that span his entire career. He also continues his work in photography and social activism. However, for the most current information about his activities and projects, it would be best to consult recent sources or his official website.

There are so many comments on my channel regarding people who "hate" hippies although mostly, what they are talking about, isn't about hippies at all. The hippies my team found when we were making our television series on the 1960s for primetime PBS (it aired on TV in 1991) were not political. They avoided politics. They also avoided for the most part cities. They were part of the counterculture. They mostly lived in the countryside. They provoked a national interest in organic food etc. Smoked dope for sure. Did a lot of other strange things and probably for the most part had loose free sex relationships. But they weren't the ones who for example, spit at returning Vietnam soldiers at the various airports of the United States. A very small group of political radicals did that who were aggressive and sometimes violent.

Hippies had philosophies which many just went along with but some created. Aggressive behavior was disapproved of even if only spoken. Hippie clothing was unique. Fabrics were "natural". Art was very flowery some of the time. Travel through America and traveling the world to other hippie centers was a part of life. When the city got too hard, you went to the countryside. There were many hippie behaviors based on values and ethics and then repeated by people who wanted to be part of the community. Was it a cult? Some of the time. Was it a movement? Some of the time. Was it just teenagers not wanting to grow up – having a good time – living off the land or off mommy and daddy's money? Some of the time.

I interviewed many hippies or as some of them call themselves "x hippies" for my television series and for other films that I have made and most like that they were part of that generation and that movement. Some became practicing born-again Christians. Some became farmers. Some became stockbrokers and businessmen. Some teachers and social workers. To categorize their actions after the 60s as any one thing is incorrect (such as that they are all greedy business people today).

I am very proud of the TV series I made for PBS called Making Sense of the Sixties. I had the chance to spend a year examining my youth and how I became an active member of the 60s generation. If you are from that generation or a child of the 60s, I think you would find the entire series of value.

Here is a quote from Hesiod in the 8th Century BC “I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond words. When I was young, we were taught to be discreet and respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly disrespectful and impatient of restraint"

[timmy-the-ute]

But by the 70s even the establishment types grew out their hair.

[kyrebanorg]

It's funny how you can 97% accurately judge a book by it's cover. Lol

[bowlofsake]

Well, I still have long hair. I had to cut it to work where I did. I then retired and my hair is over my shoulders now. No one can tell me at 66 to cut my hair. Flying my freak flag again.

[StopNuclearBallisticMissle]

Recently I bought my LSD from a white guy with dreads. I knew he was the real deal.

[primejay]

The governments and churches would cut natives hair by force

[randmayfield]

The biggest argument I ever saw my parents get into was over the hair length of my 17 year old sister's new boyfriend. My dad wasn't having it and my mom stood up for my sister. It was just hair, the guy was actually an okay guy. My dad was just being protective of my sister. About a month later my dad died on Thanksgiving day. He was a great father and I was lucky to have him.

[Sweetpopsodacan]

Blue hair and other colors today seems to fill that role nicely.

[leprechaunbutreallyjustamidget]

Or maybe short hair just means they don't want to fuck with it every morning

[agingerbeard]

David I don't know how I missed the milestone passing, but congratulations on 1 million subscribers. You continue to challenge my thinking and delight me in equal parts almost daily with your content, and it is a thing that will stay with me thru my whole life. I love that we are basically strangers and yet you have affected my life in a potent way. Thank you and congrats! 💙

[eileenconnors]

He’s so right. It was so awesome to see a long-haired guy across the street so we waved a peace sign. It really was a magical time❤

[sovereignbrehon]

It was a BIG deal. I remember the tail end of this, especially the chasm between WWII and Korean War vets and Vietnam vets at the VFW. Vets who came back and grew their hair out simply didn't go to the VFW most of the time and when they did it was tense. Really tense.b

[Devin-boce]

“You knew they hated the government” shit, time to grow my hair out

[GBuaccc]

Fellow long haired dude. I absolutely agree, my taste in music is impeccable.

[Mres]

Long hair acts as our antenna for your body.

[maureen]

I love a man with long hair, especially if he's really handsome.

[mattyp]

Might have deviated in prior years but it 💯% still signifies the same today in 2024

[AhJodie]

A lot of these pics in this video are the wrong type of long hair. After the Vietnam war and the make love not war era, came a different thing where people were styling their hair with all sorts of chemical products and using curling irons and blow dryers and stuff.... and they were not the same people. Remember the song by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.... I almost cut my hair? So emotional of a that is more the feeling he is talking about, after that was lol. There is still a group of hippies that live in Tennessee in a commune that is called The Farm, which they put out a book on that, but many other projects too. Thank you for all you do David!

[lizardkingwalking]

Skip to the 70s....everyone gets along and Disco is born

[tamarrajames]

What he was saying was true for most of the 60s, but a new type of police (narcotics officers), colloquially known as Narcs began to show up around the mid 60s. They were operating undercover, dressed like Hippies, had a lot of the jargon right, and wore their hair long. People were on the move back then, and new faces were a common sight in the areas where we hung out.

A new guy would arrive with worn cowboy boots, jeans, a brightly coloured shirt, fringed jacket, dusty knapsack, and a guitar. He would start chatting people up, asking if anyone knew a crash pad he could stay, and he was usually brought to one. He would accept a toke or two on a joint going around, and talk about where he had last been, and even dropped names we would know. He would busk on the street with his guitar, and contribute toward rent and food, and even take his turn at chores in the house, like everyone else.

After awhile he would hook up with one of the girls, and they would become a couple. He would ask where he could score some weed or acid, and would be given an introduction by someone. That would open the door for him to make his own purchases, which he would always share some with the housemates. He would take part in protests, be ins, love ins, and music festivals. He hung in the coffee clubs, and went to the clubs to watch bands. In short, he became a known member of the community.

Occasionally he would get busted, like so many others…but somehow he always managed to ditch his stash, and be let go when there was no evidence to hold and charge him. The local dealers knew him, and he would ask to buy larger quantities, which led to a small dealer introducing him to a bigger dealer, who might sell half a key, or even a whole one. Every deal was completed by he and the dealer sampling the goods.

He would do the same, only asking for speed, and get the same introductions, agree to the deal, and try the product before any money changed hands. Finally it would be smack (heroin), and he kept upping the quantities he was looking for. After 5 or 6 months, the police would swoop in and arrest all the dealers, random people carrying small amounts for personal use, and even his girlfriend (he might be arrested too.

He would get released on bail, move somewhere else, and repeat the process, but he would be back for the court cases to testify to having bought X drugs from persons A, B, and C. Those people would do time, even his “girlfriend”, there would be a shortage of drugs for a week or two, and new dealers would take the place of the old. You could no longer trust every guy with long hair.

The Diggers took photos of every known Narc, as they were on the stand testifying, or as they left the courthouse. These photos were lined up on a poster, just their faces with their undercover name, and where known, their actual name and badge number below the photo, and where they were known to have operated. At the top of the poster in bold letters were the words, “BEWARE NARC”, and handed out to anyone who wanted one. They were posted in crash pads, coffee houses, clubs, and businesses run by Hippies and Diggers.

Things got very uptight, because if you vouched for a Narc to a dealer, nobody would trust you anymore. Drug deals became more convoluted, it was like playing spy games, with drop boxes, places to leave the money, and instructions on where your drugs would be for pick-up. It was No in person dealing after that. Suspected dealer’s phones were tapped, so pay phones were used with middlemen doing the talking.

There were also “weekend Hippies”, who were clean cut working people. On the weekends and holidays, they would wear a long haired wig, dress in designer Hippy style, come out to the clubs, and try to buy some drugs. These people never quite got the lingo right, and were always a little nervous. They wouldn’t get you busted, they just wanted to live in both worlds.

If a bust commenced, they were gone like flash paper touched by a match. They weren’t respected, but some guys would engage to get them drugs if they shared. They would take the money and set up a buy, take some of the drugs off the top, and replace them with oregano (in the case of weed), or sugar in the case of harder drugs.

For acid, they had to agree to give a certain number of tabs, barrels, or blotters to the middle man. They were expected to share with others once they had the drugs. Monday morning they would be back at work in a suit, the wig left at home waiting for the next weekend. By the mid to late 70s, all this changed again. Most every guy had longer hair to some degree, and the wigs were gone.

Drugs were available for the asking at clubs based on Studio 54 in NYC, and cocaine was as plentiful as an alcoholic drink. Those clubs had a whole event every night they were open. Trump used to be a regular at Studio 54, which is where he was introduced to cocaine. You only got in if you were rich and/or famous, an attractive female, or dressed outrageously enough to add to the circus like ambiance.

So basically, the window when long hair on guys really meant something lasted only the first half of the 1960s. Once the Narcs started using it to infiltrate, regular Hippies still wore it, but it was no longer an automatic entree into the community. Every new person coming around was watched and tested before people warmed up to them, or expected to find a like minded person in there. It was good while it lasted…and besides, women went for guys with long hair.🖤🇨🇦

[JWF]

Here I'm inspired to quote the late great Charlie Daniels "If you don't like the way I'm livin' then just leave this country boy alone!" 😎🎶✌