Owsley Stanley, 1935-2011

Posted on March 16, 2011 by alex

Owsley Stanley died in an automobile accident on March 13 in Australia, where he had been living.

Besides being known to Zappaphiles as a reference in “Who Needs The Peace Corps?”, Mr. Stanley was best known for his work as an amateur chemist, providing his wonder-tonic for the likes of The Beatles and The Grateful Dead. We also have Mr. Stanley to thank for the Dead’s skull logo and served as the inspiration for the group’s dancing bear logos.

We remain vigilant in learning if documents will be released revealing whether or not Mr. Owsley was indeed a CIA man.

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4 Responses to Owsley Stanley, 1935-2011

  1. Alex says:
    March 17, 2011 at 12:14 am

    Who can kill a general in his bed?
    Overthrow dictators if they’re Red?
    Fucking-a man!
    CIA Man!

    Who can buy a government so cheap?
    Change a cabinet without a squeak?
    Fucking-a man!
    CIA Man!

    Who can train guerrillas by the dozens?
    Send them out to kill their untrained cousins?
    Fucking-a man!
    CIA Man!

    Who can get a budget that’s so great?
    Who will be the 51st state?
    Who has got the secret-est Service?
    The one that makes the other Service nervous?
    Fucking-a man!
    CIA Man!

    Who can take the sugar from its sack
    Pour in LSD and put it back?
    Fucking-a man!
    CIA Man!

    Who can mine the harbors Nicaragua?
    Out hit all the hitmen of Chicag-ua.
    Fucking-a man!
    CIA Man!

    Who can be so overtly covert?
    Sometimes even covertly overt
    Fucking-a man!
    CIA Man!

    Who’s the agency well-known to God?
    The one that copped his staff and copped his rod?
    Fucking-a man! CIA Man!
    Fucking-a man! CIA Man!
    Fucking-a man! CIA Man!
    CIA Man! CIA Man!
    CIA Man! CIA Man!
    CIA Man!

    –the Fugs

  2. alex says:
    March 17, 2011 at 4:01 am

    Love me some Fugs…

    …how do I know you’re not me from the future?

  3. gooey miles says:
    March 18, 2011 at 3:20 pm

    DIG FRANKS MUSIC BUT I THINK HE IS FULL OF SHIT WITH HIS CIA..LSD CONSPIRACY THEORY…DID HE HAVE MAN ON THE INSIDE….ALWAYS THOUGHT FRANK THOUGHT HE HAD A LEG UP ON EVERYBODY.LOVE HIS MUSIC BUT AS A PERSON DIDN’T THINK MUCH OF HIM….OK BRING IT ON

  4. mark says:
    March 20, 2011 at 2:42 am

    I’m surprised this never comes up among Zappa fans, but Bear – as Stanley was known to Dead fans – was also the Dead’s original sound man and was behind almost all of their early live recordings, including albums like Live/Dead – the first 16-track live recording – or Bear’s Choice, and in creating their PA system.

    I sometimes wonder if Frank knew of his work in this area and what he thought of it.

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