ABBIE HOFFMAN
Abbie Hoffman (November 30, 1936 – April 12, 1989) was an American political and social activist who co-founded the Youth International Party (“Yippies”). Hoffman was arrested and tried for conspiracy and inciting to riot as a result of his role in protests that led to violent confrontations with police during the 1968 Democratic National Convention, in a group known collectively as the “Chicago Eight”. While the defendants were initially convicted of intent to incite a riot, the verdicts were overturned on appeal. Hoffman arose to prominence in the 1960’s, continued his activism in the 1970’s, and has remained a symbol of the youth rebellion of the counterculture era. (More from Wikipedia)
The Unknowns played a gig once with Tom Petty and rock legend Del Shannon; and Bruce Joyner became good friends with Shannon as a result. Joyner recalls that Shannon was scheduled to play on one of his records the week after he killed himself. I think of Del Shannon as being one of the Prozac suicide casualties: someone who committed suicide out of the blue that seemed somehow connected to his taking that once ubiquitous drug (1960’s radical Abbie Hoffman was another).
(June 2011)
