Focusing on Rio de Janeiro, the epicenter of the countercultural scene in Brazil, the first chapter analyzes the emergence of a local hippie movement, known by the neologism desbunde, in the late sixties and early seventies, the most repressive period of military rule. For young people who opposed the authoritarian regime, there seemed to be three options: join the clandestine struggle, leave the country, or desbundar, or “drop out,” and live on the margins of society. The author analyzes the circulation of countercultural ideas and styles in a vibrant alternative press, such as O Pasquim, and the spaces associated with them, such as the Ipanema neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro. The author devotes a section to the work of Luiz Carlos Maciel, a journalist who propagated countercultural ideas and practices with reference to Brazilian and international contexts. The author also focuses on the work of Raul Seixas, a Brazilian rock musician who advocated for an “alternative society.” This chapter examines the tensions between the counterculture’s disengagement from capitalist society and the emergence of a consumer market with its own advertising language, which sought to appeal to a broader section of urban middle-class youth.
