Counterculture within a Counter-Culture: New Zealand, Psychedelic Rock, and the Moral Guardians of the 60s and 70s
Rock Music Studies September 2, 2018 DOI: 10.1080/19401159.2018.1510739 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that New Zealand's distinctive history and cultural context caused its 1960s counterculture and psychedelic rock scene to develop differently and later than in other countries. |
Abstract
ABSTRACT New Zealand started as its own counter-culture, and its history of state-controlled broadcasting, conservative Britishness, youth delinquency and drugs meant that “the” counterculture of the 1960s played out very differently to elsewhere. Psychedelic rock fared the worst of all, and the reasons for this are manifold. Numerous artists experimented with psychedelia, but the music of the counterculture became caught in a period of accelerated change. Despite a late showing of music festivals and hippiedom, many artists had already moved away achieving success overseas, and the 80s seemed to arrive in New Zealand before the 60s had entirely run its course.