“Hippies could stink pretty bad.”
If you encountered a hippy chick, that smelled like patchouli it’s probably because she was using Patchouli to cover body odor, which is what bikers use it for and from what I’ve read the pirates used it as did cowpunchers.
BTW, we called the patchouli crowd “freaks” not hippies.
As a side note: 10 Years After:
Uh, I think the bikers used it to cover the smell of marijuana, as did the hippies. Neither cared about hygiene.
The early outlaw bikers used to be proud of their "originals" (jeans). Their objective was to get them so coated with grease and oil and dirt the jeans could stand up on their own. The more stiff the "originals", the more cool factor. After so much oil and grease they would have a sheen to them. IIRC, they stopped the tradition because of being 86ed from food joints and stores.
The early Outlaws, Hells'Angels, Galloping Goose, Pagans, Top Hatters, etc were really a funky bunch, but mostly harmless against "citizens" until other 1% clubs started up and the competition was on and got worse over the years.
Sidenote: Few people know that most of these early motorcycle clubs started from returning WWII vets. Their lifestyle choice were just to be left alone, be with their buds, and party in the wild. Many of the Biker movies in the 60's portrayed them fairly accurately.
The very start centered around their stripped down Harleys for hill-climbing and dirt oval racing. They needed the adrenaline rush they got in the war. And so was born the Gypsy Tour that still exists today, I think. They didn't turn anti-establishment until LE kept busting them for their rowdiness.
Ask me about the Hollister riot that was the impetus for the movie "The Wild Ones" starring Marlon Brando. I've been there and know the scoop. Yes, I've been a rider all my life, but only once hung out at an outlaw party by invitation. From what I saw, once was enough. I can't describe the disgusting things they did on a family forum.
Patchouli was used to cover up the marijuana smell.