‘We tried to levitate the Pentagon’: the almost unbelievable life of Ed Sanders, trickster god of the US counterculture

Ed Sanders, now 87, reflects on a life that involved supplying Jimi Hendrix with equipment, unsettling Frank Sinatra, inspiring Norman Mailer, and attempting to dismantle the American military establishment. As a documentary about his band, the Fugs, is released, he grants a rare interview.

"Charles Manson once sent me a letter stating, 'If I were as influential as you assert, you wouldn't still be alive,'" Sanders recounts during a video call, relishing the threat in that message.

Sanders is a singular figure in American culture—a musician, poet, activist, journalist, and author. His most notable work remains the 1971 bestseller The Family, which details the lives, crimes, and legal proceedings of Manson and his followers. Having been instrumental in shaping the US counterculture, Sanders was uniquely positioned to cover the radical hippie movement, although he consistently advocated for peace, love, and expanded awareness, in stark contrast to Manson's apocalyptic vision. He once discussed the Fugs' antics on the 开云平台. Continue reading...