POSTER FROM THE PAST: Zig-Zag Man, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Quicksilver Messenger Service, June 24 & 25 1966, Avalon Ballroom
From Professor Poster
This happens to be probably one of the most classic and iconic “Posters
From The Past” done during the 1960’s. This is Family Dog poster #14 entitled “Zig Zag Man” (duh….what else!) and I’ve got a lot to say about it!This image is from the cigarette rolling papers product logo along with the Zig Zag product logo lettering. At the time this poster was done, most of the Hippie community smoked marijuana and, of course, used rolling papers to roll their joints. Just as almost everyone in the wealthy upper classes is familiar with the “Winged Lady” product on the Rolls Royce, most every Hippie was familiar with the product logo of the Zig-Zag man and the response in the targeted community to it’s appropriation for use on a rock concert poster was overwhelmingly favorable. EVERYONE just loved this poster. As cool as it was, other rock artists of the time said “Why didn’t I think of that?” It was so obvious, but it took Stanley Mouse and Alton Kelly working together for the very first time as Mouse Studios to come up with the idea and bring it to realization. There was however some fear that they would be sued for using this copyrighted image, but apparently the company saw it as free advertising and never bothered them. There is a certain irony to the quotation that they placed at the bottom of the poster. “What you don’t know about coping and duplicating won’t hurt you” This poster was so popular that it became the first poster to be pirated. When Chet Helms who was the head man of the Family Dog heard of the pirate posters he had a rubber stamp made up that read “Genuine Counterfeit” and with his posse went into the stores selling these posters and stamped as many copies before being ejected from the stores. It is part of the irony of their chosen form of Hippie Justice that both with and without the stamp these posters are also very collectable as well. The one seen here has a old both Mouse and Kelly’s signature from when it was first circulated!
And it was 50,……yeah 50 years ago!!! on this day in June back in 1966, that Big Brother & the Holding Company and the Quicksilver Messenger Service played this historic concert at the Avalon Ballroom here in our beautiful City by the Bay. Knock-out Light show provided by Bill Ham & Company (of which I was a fledgling member at the time) This poster has been printed an amazing NINE times both authorized and UN-authorized. Just as a footnote and not that it really matters to anyone but me, but it was the first time I dropped acid at the Avalon and I’ll never forget watching Janis as I sat on the floor right in front of the stage, singing her heart out. What a show it was ….especially for me!
Share the “Zig-Zag” man with a friend!
Nostalgically Approved by Professor Poster
