1960s Rebels: Country Joe McDonald - Musician, Country Joe and the Fish

The late 1960s saw progressive ideas emanate from the countercultural underground and revolutionise society. Challenging oppressive, outdated norms and expectations, a small number of individuals brought about far-reaching changes as they sought to attain a better world. Their idealism and actions helped mobilise a movement which continues to inspire modern activists and shape how we live today. A child of communist parents, ‘Country’ Joe McDonald spent a lot of time around Berkley, California in the early sixties – a hotbed of student activism later in the decade. There he played music with a number of groups before writing "I Feel Like I'm Fixin' To Die Rag", an anti-Vietnam song which symbolised the feelings of his peers toward the War. Performing at Woodstock Festival in 1969 he opened the song with a ‘fuck cheer’ – a moment and a word which unified the crowd in their frustration around their country’s politics. You Say You Want a Revolution? Records and Rebels 1966 – 1970 10 September 2016 – 26 February 2017 vam.ac.uk/revolution