Flashback From the Tie-Dyed Decade

The Scene: Monday’s party at The Gate nightclub celebrating the home-video release of “Flashing on the Sixties.” The director, photographer Lisa Law, was at ground zero for many of the tie-dyed decade’s seminal events--everything from having Dylan writing songs in her home to running the free kitchen at Woodstock. Actor Severn Darden described their shared Hollywood Hills house as “like living in a cultural carbuncle.”

Who Was There: Law’s friends, a crowd laden with ‘60s credentials. Among the 250 guests were Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, Mike Nesmith, Michelle Phillips, Graham Nash, Dean Stockwell, Howard Hesseman, Ram Dass, Lainie Kazan, John Paul Jones DeJoria, Wavy Gravy, Max Gail, Paul Krassner, Jerry Rubin, Arthur Lee and Milan Melvin who said “if all the people who reconnected and exchanged phone numbers actually get in touch with each other, the whole damn thing could happen all over again.”

Who Was That Again?: The press release stated: “Members of the tribe will be gathering again.” Lainie Kazan? A member of the tribe? Exactly what tribe would that be? “We were all friends,” Kazan explained. “Even though I was in Vegas and they were in sandals.”

Most Notable No Show: Timothy Leary, who hasn’t missed any sort of party in years. “I think he forgot,” said Law. Or he was out on other tribal business.

Chow: Hors d’oeuvres and, later, an experimental ice cream from Ben & Jerry called Wavy Gravy. “The flavors come to Ben in dreams,” said Gravy. He described the combination of Brazil nuts, rain forest crunch and chocolate as “the most politically correct ice cream known to man.”

Dress Mode: To a large extent, the bell-bottoms, fur vests and Nehru jackets stayed in the closet. Of the few who tried to evoke the look, Joy Stockwell said “They tried, but they forgot. Thirty years is kind of pushing it.” Her contribution was buttons picturing a 22-year-old bearded, long-haired Bill Clinton that said “My President.”

Like, What Was Your First Clue?: One middle-age guest’s epiphany was, “You know, a lot of what went on in the ‘60s was kind of self-delusional.”

Speaking of Self-Delusion: “People think I’m 35. There are no lines in my face,” Jerry Rubin said. He attributed this to “handling stress well.”

Quoted: “A lot of people try to trivialize the ‘60s,” said Law’s ex-husband, Tom. “You have to remember it in the context of the Vietnam War going on. We were a counterpoint to the foolish brutality of the war. And history has proven us right.”

Tagline: “We missed the ‘60s in Ohio,” said Mark Mothersbaugh. “We’re late bloomers. We had to wait for the ‘90s.”