Furthur
Encyclopedia
International Harvester
International Harvester Company was a United States agricultural machinery, construction equipment, vehicle, commercial truck, and household and commercial products manufacturer. In 1902, J.P...
school bus
School bus
A school bus is a type of bus designed and manufactured for student transport: carrying children and teenagers to and from school and school events...
purchased by author Ken Kesey
Ken Kesey
Kenneth Elton "Ken" Kesey was an American author, best known for his novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest , and as a counter-cultural figure who considered himself a link between the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the hippies of the 1960s. "I was too young to be a beatnik, and too old to be a...
in 1964 for $1,500 from Andre Hobson in Atherton, California. The bus was stripped down and remodeled inside and out for a psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
excursion across the country with Kesey and his Merry Pranksters
Merry Pranksters
The Merry Pranksters were a group of people who formed around American author Ken Kesey in 1964 and sometimes lived communally at his homes in California and Oregon...
on board. The bus was named by artist Roy Sebern, who painted the word “Further” on the destination placard as a kind of one-word poem and inspiration to keep going whenever the bus broke down.
Beat legend Neal Cassady
Neal Cassady
Neal Leon Cassady was a major figure of the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the psychedelic movement of the 1960s. He served as the model for the character Dean Moriarty in Jack Kerouac's novel On the Road....
was the driver of the famous bus on its original trip to New York for the publication of Kesey's new book, Sometimes a Great Notion
Sometimes a Great Notion (novel)
Sometimes a Great Notion is Ken Kesey's second novel, published in 1964. While One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was arguably the more famous of the two novels, many critics consider Sometimes a Great Notion Kesey's magnum opus...
. The trip was filmed by the Merry Pranksters. Other Further trips included an anti-Vietnam war rally in 1966 and Woodstock in 1969 (without Kesey). More can be read about the adventures of the Merry Pranksters on Further in Tom Wolfe
Tom Wolfe
Thomas Kennerly "Tom" Wolfe, Jr. is a best-selling American author and journalist. He is one of the founders of the New Journalism movement of the 1960s and 1970s.-Early life and education:...
's book The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test, for which a movie directed by Gus Van Sant
Gus Van Sant
Gus Green Van Sant, Jr. is an American director, screenwriter, painter, photographer, musician, and author. He is a two time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director for his 1997 film Good Will Hunting and his 2008 film Milk, both of which were also nominated for Best Picture, and won the...
is in development.
The Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
sought to acquire the bus, but refused to pay to have the bus delivered.
Ken Kesey parked the bus in a swamp on his farm in 1989 when he acquired a new bus.
In November 2005, Further was pulled out of the swamp by Zane Kesey and a group of the original Merry Pranksters with the intent of restoring it.
Both buses currently reside at Kesey's farm (where his widow still lives) in Pleasant Hill, Oregon
Pleasant Hill, Oregon
Pleasant Hill is an unincorporated community in Lane County, Oregon, United States. As of July 2007, Pleasant Hill has a total population of 5,665.- History :...
.
The two top photos are of the second bus, a 1947 harvester, painted by Kesey and the Pranksters in 1990.
The correct name of both of Ken Kesey's buses is Further. The original bus had Furthur written in the destination sign for a brief period and Tom Wolfe called the bus Furthur in his book, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test is a work of literary journalism by Tom Wolfe, published in 1968. Using techniques from the genre of hysterical realism and pioneering new journalism, the "nonfiction novel" tells the story of Ken Kesey and his band of Merry Pranksters...
. The first Further died shortly after a trip to Woodstock. The second bus (a 1947 International Harvester) was created in the late 80s. The second bus is also called Further (not Further 2) and is not a replica.
The "Great Smithsonian Prank" was a prank on the media. The local TV station came to the farm where Kesey and friends were painting the new bus and later aired "Ken Kesey has restored the original Further and is taking it to the Smithsonian". The next morning a variety of national media were asking to "come along on the trip to the Smithsonian". The media rode along on Further for about a week thinking it was the original bus and that it was going to be donated to the museum.
In the 2007 film Across the Universe
Across the Universe (film)
Across the Universe is a musical romantic drama film directed by Julie Taymor, produced by Revolution Studios, and distributed by Columbia Pictures. The film's plot is centered around songs by The Beatles. It was released in the United States on October 12, 2007. The script is based on an original...
, a fictionalized version of the bus appears - this one a Chevrolet, bearing the name "Beyond" in place of "Further".