International Society For Krishna Consciousness - in Popular Culture

In Popular Culture

The Hare Krishna mantra appears in a number of famous songs, notably those sung by The Beatles (and solo works of John Lennon, George Harrison, notably on his hit "My Sweet Lord", and Ringo Starr). There is a reference to singing kirtan of Hare Krishna mantra in The Beatles' "I Am the Walrus" (the line "Elementary penguins singing Hare Krishna"). Ringo Starr's song "It Don't Come Easy" contains the words "Hare Krishna!" and was written with the help of George Harrison. Later Paul McCartney produced a single with a picture of Krishna riding on a swan on the cover, although there was not any chanting of Krishna's names inside. Of the four Beatles members, only Harrison was actually a member of ISKCON, and after he posthumously received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2009, his son Dhani Harrison uttered the phrase "Hare Krishna" during the ceremony. The contemporary Broadway Musical Hair also included a song (credited as "Be-In") that included the mantra.

Hüsker Dü's 1984 album Zen Arcade combines portions of the Hare Krishna mantra with the melody of The Strangeloves' "I Want Candy" in the song "Hare Krishna". In one of Aerosmith's songs from their 1997 album, Nine Lives, whose original cover caused some controversy with Hindus, a line in the song, 'The Farm', says, "I wanna be a Hare Krishna, tattoo a dot right on my head, and the Prozac is my fixer, I am the living dead". The mantra also appears in The Pretenders' "Boots of Chinese Plastic". One song from 1969 by the Radha Krishna Temple, simply titled "Hare Krishna Mantra" reached no. 12 in the UK music chart and appeared on the music show Top of the Pops. It made the no. 3 slot in German and no. 1 in Czechoslovakian music charts. Less well-known but equally relevant to fans of pop music culture are recordings of the Hare Krishna mantra by The Fugs on their 1968 album Tenderness Junction (featuring poet Allen Ginsberg) and by Nina Hagen.

The 1980 film Airplane! features several Hare Krishnas, led by the actor David Leisure. The 1979 The Muppet Movie has a running gag where someone always says "Have you tried Hare Krishna?" every time someone mentions that they are lost. In the 1978 movie Dawn of the Dead, a Hare Krishna zombie can be seen. In the 1981 movie Stripes, the character of Russell Ziskey played by Harold Ramis is seen dancing around and chanting 'Hare Krishna! Hare Krishna!' after having his head shaved upon entering basic training for the U.S. Army. Also, in the 2001 television series Scrubs, the character JD is seen dancing, chanting and playing the tambourine with a group of Hare Krishnas after having his head shaved to support a patient with Leukaemia.

Dev Anand in 1971 directed movie Hare Rama Hare Krishna. Although it talked about the hippie culture, the movie has a famous song based on the words "Hare Rama Hare Krishna".

The Rockstar game Grand Theft Auto features groups of Hare Krishna throughout its fictional cities. The game controversially gives the player a 'Gouranga' bonus for running over an entire procession.

In a fifth-season episode of Mad Men ("Christmas Waltz," May 20, 2012), set in December 1966, it is revealed that the character Paul Kinsey (played by Michael Gladis) has joined the Hare Krishna movement. He is depicted as having shaved his head and participates in early ISKCON meetings led by Prabhupada in New York City.