''Going Furthur'' is an American-Canadian documentary film about taking

Ken Kesey Ken Elton Kesey (; September 17, 1935 – November 10, 2001) was an American novelist, essayist and Counterculture of the 1960s, countercultural figure. He considered himself a link between the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the hippies o ...

's bus '' Furthur'' back on the road in 2014 for a 75-day trip covering 15,000 miles, along with a group of new

Merry Pranksters The Merry Pranksters were followers of American author Ken Kesey. Kesey and the Merry Pranksters lived communally at Kesey's homes in California and Oregon, and are noted for the sociological significance of a lengthy road trip they took in the s ...

Synopsis

''Furthur'' is a retrofitted

school bus A school bus is any type of bus owned, leased, contracted to, or operated by a school or school district. It is regularly used to Student transport, transport students to and from school or school-related activities, but not including a charter ...

purchased by author

in 1964 to carry his " Merry Band of Pranksters" cross-country. The bus was also featured in

Tom Wolfe Thomas Kennerly Wolfe Jr. (March 2, 1930 – May 14, 2018)Some sources say 1931; ''The New York Times'' and Reuters both initially reported 1931 in their obituaries before changing to 1930. See and was an American author and journalist widely ...

's 1968 book ''

The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test ''The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test'' is a 1968 nonfiction book by Tom Wolfe written in the New Journalism literary style. By 1970, this style began to be referred to as Gonzo journalism, a term coined for the work of Hunter S. Thompson. The book p ...

''. In Summer of 2014, Zane Kesey, son of Ken, took a replica of Furthur on the first major trip since Ken took the bus to Europe in 1999, on a 15,000 mile tour of the United States, stopping at music festivals and other events. The bus makes stops at The Chapel of Sacred Mirrors -

Alex Grey Alex Grey (born November 29, 1953) is an American visual artist, author, teacher, and Vajrayana practitioner known for creating spiritual and psychedelic artwork such as his 21-painting ''Sacred Mirrors'' series. He works in multiple forms includi ...

and Allyson Grey's art sanctuary,

Millbrook, New York Millbrook is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in Dutchess County, New York, United States. Millbrook is located in the Hudson Valley, on the east side of the Hudson River, north of New York City. Millbrook is near the cent ...

, the infamous home of

Timothy Leary Timothy Francis Leary (October 22, 1920 – May 31, 1996) was an American psychologist and author known for his strong advocacy of psychedelic drugs. Evaluations of Leary are polarized, ranging from "bold oracle" to "publicity hound". Accordin ...

and Woodstock's 45th anniversary. The film features archival footage of

Hunter S. Thompson Hunter Stockton Thompson (July 18, 1937 – February 20, 2005) was an American journalist and author, regarded as a pioneer of New Journalism along with Gay Talese, Truman Capote, Norman Mailer, Joan Didion, and Tom Wolfe. He rose to prom ...

, and features interviews with

, Lee Quarnstrom,

Ken Babbs Ken Babbs (born January 14, 1936) is a Merry Prankster who became one of the psychedelic leaders of the 1960s. He along with best friend and Prankster leader, Ken Kesey, wrote the book '' Last Go Round''. Babbs is best known for his participat ...

, George Walker and

Wavy Gravy Hugh Nanton Romney Jr. (born May 15, 1936), known as Wavy Gravy, is an American entertainer and peace activist best known for his role at Woodstock, as well as for his hippie persona and countercultural beliefs. Romney has founded or co-founde ...

. The filmmakers later made 6 trips to complete the film, including visiting

Burning Man Burning Man is a week-long large-scale desert event focused on "community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance" held annually in the Western United States. The event's name comes from its ceremony on the penultimate night of the event: the ...

festival.

Release

The film had its premiere at San Francisco DocFest in June 2016. The film also played at

Maui Film Festival The Maui Film Festival is a film festival held annually on the island of Maui, Hawaii. It is based at Grand Wailea Resort and includes film premieres, filmmaker panels, special screenings, tributes, award ceremonies, culinary arts celebratio ...

Whistler Film Festival The Whistler Film Festival (WFF) is an annual film festival held in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. Established in 2001, the festival is held the first weekend of December and includes juried competitive sections, the Borsos Awards, and the Pand ...

Byron Bay Film Festival The Byron Bay Film Festival (BBFF) is a popular AACTA Awards accredited independent awards-based film event held in the late Australian summer at the Palace Cinemas, in the coastal town of Byron BayBrunswick Picture Housein Brunswick Heads and ...

, San Juan Film Festival and had a screening at Burning Man. The film was nominated for an

Alliance of Women Film Journalists The Alliance of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ) is a non-profit organization founded in 2006. It is based in New York City and is dedicated to supporting work by and about women in the film industry. The AWFJ is composed of 84 professional female ...

award at the Whistler Film Festival.

Home media

The film is slated to be released through streaming services beginning July 9, 2021.

References

External links

* {{Ken Kesey, state=collapsed 2016 films English-language Canadian films 2016 documentary films American documentary films Canadian documentary films 2010s road movies 2010s English-language films 2010s American films 2010s Canadian films English-language documentary films