You can’t say that Ken Babbs invented the ‘60s. But you can say that he and his best friend Ken Kesey, along with their crew of Merry Pranksters, helped pull the country out of its Eisenhower-induced cultural slumber and wake us up to new and different levels of consciousness as far as what we can be individually and as Americans. The “Intrepid Traveler” novelist, and raconteur joins Morning Shift before performing Saturday with Thrill Jockey Record’s Heat Leisure at Thalia Hall as part of Levitation Chicago.(Flickr/SurFeRGiRL30)