And I’ve always wondered where the funding for Kesey and Leary came from. The Merry Band of Pranksters had to get gas and eat. Where did the money come from?
Theoretically it came from Kesey’s book sales. That was how they had the ranch to hang out on. I’m sure everyone pitched in for wine and weed. I don’t think they were big beer drinkers. The first thing suspicious about the Dead was they first came together in Palo Freaking Alto, where LSD “leaped the lab/street barrier” and was immediately associated with the Dead’s sound.