Next May marks the 50th anniversary of the legendary Aquarius Festival. Co-founder Johnny Allen reminiscences with Nelly about those heady days in Nimbin, 1973, when he and a bunch of alternative thinkers went back to nature and created history.
Listen to the full interview and hear the manifesto on Roadtrip, Tuesday June 7 at the 4.30pm mark here.
Johnny is currently involved in preparations for the big event, tracking down people like Philippe Petit who walked a tightrope at the event and the following year walked between the Twin Towers of New York, a feat that is documented in the fabulous film ‘Man on a Wire’.
The Bauls of Bengal also performed at the festival, spinning the crowd into an ecstatic state with their mystic rhythms and song. The New Zealand group Blerta is not longer around but we hear some of their music in the package, alongside that of South Africa’s Dollar Brand.
Apart from his participation in Nimbin’s golden anniversary, Johnny is working on the creation of a Queer Museum for Sydney and is co-curating a Queer Sydney night for Vivid. He also runs a toy museum at Carcoar which he opens when he feels like it.
