Sunset Strip curfew riots

Last updated

Sunset Strip curfew riots
Part of the hippie movement
Los-angeles-free-press-1966-11-18 p.3, no 2.jpg
Demonstrators outside the Pandora's Box nightclub on November 12, 1966; originally published in the Los Angeles Free Press
DateNovember 1966 January 1967 [1]
Location
West Hollywood, California, United States
Parties
hippies

The Sunset Strip curfew riots, also known as the "hippie riots", were a series of early counterculture-era clashes that took place between police and young people on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California, United States, in 1966. [2]

Contents

History

By the mid-1960s, The Sunset Strip had become a place dominated by young members of the hippie and rock and roll counterculture.

At the behest of business owners and residents, in 1966 the Los Angeles City Council imposed nightly curfews intended to curtail the growing "nuisance" of hippie antiwar protests. [3] They targeted the Strip's most prominent rock club, the Whisky a Go Go, forcing its managers to change the club's name to The Whisk . [4] Furthermore, annoyed residents and business owners in the district had encouraged the passage of strict (10 p.m.) curfew and loitering laws to reduce the traffic congestion resulting from crowds of young club patrons. [5] This was perceived by young local rock fans as an infringement on their civil rights, and for weeks tensions and protests swelled.

On November 12, 1966, fliers were distributed along the Strip inviting people to demonstrate later that day. [2] Hours before the protest one of L.A.'s rock 'n' roll radio stations announced there would be a rally at Pandora's Box, a club facing forced closure and demolition at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Crescent Heights, and cautioned people to tread carefully. [6] That evening, as many as 1,000 youthful demonstrators, including such celebrities as Jack Nicholson and Peter Fonda (who was handcuffed by police), erupted in protest against the perceived repressive enforcement of these recently invoked curfew laws. [5]

The unrest continued the next night and off and on throughout November and December. Meanwhile, the local administration had decided to get tough, and rescinded the "youth permits" of twelve of the Strip's clubs, thereby making them off-limits to anybody under 21. In November 1966, the Los Angeles City Council voted to acquire and demolish the Pandora's Box. [7] The club was eventually demolished in early August 1967. [8]

According to Timeline's Matt Reimann, the riots anticipated a cultural rift that only grew in the coming years. [4] In this light, Bob Gibson, manager of the Byrds and the Mamas and the Papas reflected: "If you had to put your finger on an event that was a barometer of the tide turning, it would probably be the Sunset Strip riots." [9]

Cultural impact

Regarding the importance of the Sunset Strip riots, The Guardian journalist Woody Haut argues that "it was, if nothing else, an early salvo in the "culture wars", a battle which continues to this day (...)." [10] He furthermore argues that the riot's most lasting effect had to do with the music that came out of the event.

The incident provided the basis for the 1967 low-budget teen exploitation film Riot on Sunset Strip , [11] and inspired multiple songs:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hippie</span> Person associated with 1960–1975 counterculture

A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States during or around 1964 and spread to different countries around the world. The word hippie came from hipster and was used to describe beatniks who moved into New York City's Greenwich Village, San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district, and Chicago's Old Town community. The term hippie was used in print by San Francisco writer Michael Fallon, helping popularize use of the term in the media, although the tag was seen elsewhere earlier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buffalo Springfield</span> Canadian-American folk rock band

Buffalo Springfield was a rock band formed in Los Angeles by Canadian musicians Neil Young, Bruce Palmer and Dewey Martin and American musicians Stephen Stills and Richie Furay. The group, widely known for the song "For What It's Worth", released three albums and several singles from 1966 to 1968. Their music combined elements of folk music and country music with influences from the British Invasion and psychedelic rock. Like contemporary band the Byrds, they were key to the early development of folk rock. The band took their name from a steamroller parked outside their house.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunset Boulevard</span> Thoroughfare in Beverly Hills, West Hollywood and Los Angeles, United States

Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, United States, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades east to Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles. It is a major thoroughfare in the cities of Beverly Hills and West Hollywood, as well as several districts in Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunset Strip</span> West Hollywood portion of Sunset Boulevard

The Sunset Strip is the 1.7-mile (2.7 km) stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through the city of West Hollywood, California, United States. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with the city of Los Angeles near Marmont Lane to its western border with Beverly Hills at Phyllis Street. The Sunset Strip is known for its boutiques, restaurants, rock clubs, and nightclubs, as well as its array of huge, colorful billboards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whisky a Go Go</span> Nightclub in West Hollywood, California

The Whisky a Go Go is a historic nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip, corner North Clark Street, opposite North San Vicente Boulevard, northwest corner. The club played a central role in the Los Angeles music scene from the 1960s through the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Standells</span> American garage rock band

The Standells are an American garage rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in the 1960s, who have been referred to as a "punk band of the 1960s", and said to have inspired such groups as the Sex Pistols and Ramones. They recorded the 1966 hit "Dirty Water", written by their producer, Ed Cobb. "Dirty Water" is the anthem of several Boston sports teams and is played following every Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins home win.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Chocolate Watchband</span> American garage rock band

The Chocolate Watchband is an American garage rock band that formed in 1965 in Los Altos, California. The band went through several lineup changes during its existence. Combining psychedelic and garage rock components, their sound was marked by David Aguilar's lead vocals, songwriting, as well as proto-punk musical arrangements. The band's rebellious musical posture made them one of the harder-edged groups of the period with many critics labeling them as America's answer to the Rolling Stones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">For What It's Worth</span> 1966 single by Buffalo Springfield

"For What It's Worth " is a song written by Stephen Stills. Performed by Buffalo Springfield, it was recorded on December 5, 1966, released as a single on Atco Records in December 1966 and peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the spring of 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lou Adler</span> American record producer (born 1933)

Lester Louis Adler is an American record and film producer and the co-owner of the Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, California. Adler has produced and developed a number of high-profile musical artists, including The Grass Roots, Jan & Dean, The Mamas & the Papas, and Carole King. King's album Tapestry, produced by Adler, won the 1972 Grammy Award for Album of the Year and has been called one of the greatest pop albums of all time.

<i>Riot on Sunset Strip</i> 1967 film by Arthur Dreifuss

Riot on Sunset Strip is a 1967 counterculture-era exploitation movie, released by American International Pictures. It was filmed and released within four months of the late-1966 Sunset Strip curfew riots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernest E. Debs</span> American politician

Ernest Eugene Debs was an American politician. He was a California State Assembly member from 1942 to 1947, a Los Angeles city councilman from 1947 to 1958 and a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors from 1958 to 1974.

"Daily Nightly" is a song by Michael Nesmith of the Monkees, which appeared on their fourth album, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd., in 1967, and was featured in two second-season episodes of their television series, "A Fairy Tale" and "Monkees Blow Their Minds".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gazzarri's</span> Nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States

Gazzarri's was a nightclub on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California. The venue was a staple of the Los Angeles music scene from the 1960s until the early 1990s. The Doors and Van Halen were featured house bands there before being signed to major record labels. It was the backdrop for Huey Lewis and the News' short form promotional music video for their 1984 hit The Heart of Rock and Roll.

The hippie subculture began its development as a youth movement in the United States during the early 1960s and then developed around the world.

<i>Where the Action Is! Los Angeles Nuggets: 1965–1968</i> 2009 box set by Various Artists

Where the Action Is! Los Angeles Nuggets: 1965–1968 is the fifth box set in Rhino Records' Nuggets series, released September 22, 2009. The set's four discs each focus on a different aspect of the underground rock music scene in and around Los Angeles at the end of the 1960s. The first disc, "On the Strip", features bands that rose out of the Sunset Strip scene; disc two, "Beyond the City", focuses on bands from the surrounding areas outside the city's borders; disc three, "The Studio Scene" covers bands' attempts to exploit the Los Angeles sound for a commercial audience; while disc four presents the movement away from psychedelic and garage rock towards the country rock sound which became popular in the city late in the decade. The boxed set was compiled and curated by Los Angeles native, Andrew Sandoval. On December 1, 2010, this project was nominated for a Grammy Award in the best Historical album category.

<i>A Web of Sound</i> 1966 studio album by The Seeds

A Web of Sound is the second album by the American garage rock band the Seeds. Produced by Marcus Tybalt and released in October 1966, it contained the single "Mr. Farmer" and the 14-minute closing song "Up In Her Room". The album did not chart, though it has received generally favorable reviews from music critics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electricity (Captain Beefheart song)</span> 1967 single by Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band

"Electricity" is a song by Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band, from their 1967 debut album Safe as Milk. Beefheart claimed that A&M Records dropped the band after co-owner Jerry Moss heard the song and declared it "too negative" for his teenage daughter to listen to; Safe as Milk would ultimately be released by Buddah Records. Beefheart's vocal performance shattered the microphone recording him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pandora's Box (nightclub)</span>

Pandora's Box was a nightclub and coffeehouse on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, California. It was at the center of the Sunset Strip curfew riots in 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Sloths</span> American garage rock band

The Sloths are an American garage rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. Although short-lived, the band had a profound presence on the Sunset Strip's live scene, and their lone single, "Makin' Love", while not very commercially successful during its original release, has been heavily praised since its inclusion on the Back from the Grave series. The Sloths, after their re-discovery by music historians, are now considered to be one of the "great lost garage bands", and surviving band members have been conducting reunion tours since 2012.

<i>Inside Pop: The Rock Revolution</i> 1967 film

Inside Pop: The Rock Revolution is a 1967 American television documentary by David Oppenheim about young pop and rock musicians producing music as "a symptom and generator" of social unrest and generation gaps. Hosted by Leonard Bernstein, it was commissioned by CBS and broadcast on April 25, 1967. Musicians who appeared in the documentary included singer-songwriter Janis Ian, who performed her song "Society's Child", and Beach Boys leader Brian Wilson, who performed his song "Surf's Up".

References

  1. Priore 2007, p. 11: "... across the span of three months, from November 1966 to January 1967, a series of curfews, crackdowns, and harassment by local authorities resulted in unrest, youth riots, and, ultimately, the closing of the clubs themselves."
  2. 1 2 3 Hajek, Danny (February 20, 2019). "A Thousand People In The Street: 'For What It's Worth' Captured Youth In Revolt". Morning Edition: American Anthem. NPR. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  3. "'Anarchy on Sunset Strip': 50 years on from the 'hippie riots'". The Guardian . November 11, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Reimann, Matt (April 18, 2017). "During the Sunset Strip 'hippie riots,' young people and celebrities fought for the right to party". Timeline. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  5. 1 2 Rasmussen, Cecilia (August 5, 2007). "Closing of club ignited the 'Sunset Strip riots'". Los Angeles Times .
  6. Priore, Domenic (2007). Riot on Sunset Strip: Rock 'n' Roll's Last Stand in Hollywood. Jawbone Press. ISBN   978-1-906002-04-6.
  7. Baker, Erwin (November 30, 1966). City Moves Swiftly to Condemn Teen Club: Ordinance Will Lead to Buying of Pandora's Box. Los Angeles Times
  8. Felton, Dave (August 4, 1967). Hippies Pout, Politicians Cheer as Pandora's Box Is Wrecked. Los Angeles Times
  9. Quisling, Erik (2003). Straight Whisky: A Living History of Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'n' Roll on the Sunset Strip. Bonus Books. ISBN   1566251974.
  10. Haut, Woody (November 11, 2016). "'Anarchy on Sunset Strip': 50 years on from the 'hippie riots'". The Guardian. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  11. Clifford, Terry. (May 8, 1967). "'Riot' Takes Superficial Look at LSD Parties". Chicago Tribune. p. b8.
  12. Gilliland, John. "Show 34 – Revolt of the Fat Angel: American musicians respond to the British invaders. [Part 2]". Pop Chronicles . Episode 34. Pasadena, Calif.: University of North Texas Digital Library. KRLA 1110 . Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  13. Rasmussen, Cecilia (August 5, 2007). "Closing of club ignited the 'Sunset Strip riots'". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  14. Ihnat, Gwen. "The Monkees' "Daily Nightly" introduced the rock world to the Moog".
  15. "Standells, The". Nostalgia Central. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  16. Greenwald, Matthew. "'Safe In My Garden': Song Review". AllMusic . Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  17. Griffo, Paul. "1960s Hollywood riots and kissing a Sunset pig". Medium.com. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  18. "White Allyship and the "Sunset Strip Riots," 1966". Journal of Popular Music Studies. Retrieved September 11, 2023.