There are probably as many myths about Furthur as there are facts. Stories about Ken Kesey, the Furthur bus, and the Merry Pranksters have taken on lives of their own, often beyond the “truth.” That’s frequently a good thing, and to be expected for such magical topics. We get lots of questions, though, and we’ll try to answer some of them here.
“Didn’t I see Furthur, fully functioning and beautifully painted, in recent pictures or at show somewhere?”
Yes. There is a current version of Furthur (pictured below, getting a touchup) on the road. It’s maintained by Zane Kesey, and he frequently displays it at festivals and concerts on the West Coast. It’s not the original 1939 International Harvester, though, that made the famous trip. That one is still a rusted hulk awaiting our restoration help.
Is it “Further” or “Furthur”?
Yes. Actually both are “correct.” The Pranksters prefer to be open minded on the topic, and use both spellings, depending on how the mood strikes them. The Furthur Down the Road Foundation settled on spelling it with a “u,” as the IRS and other entities were less flexible than the Pranksters about the spelling.