At the beginning of the Summer of Love in 1967, Andy was arrested for handing a 19 year old girl a can of beer at an outdoor music festival. While behind bars he befriended his cellmate, Eugene Imbrogno (the man who would kill him less than 5 years later).

In 1968, Don Wehr hooked Andy up with the penthouse apartment above the Camel bar in North Beach. It became an after-party hangout for musicians, artists, and hangers-on. Carlos Santana, Bob Kaufman, and Lawrence Ferlinghetti, were regulars.

One of Andy's roommates told Andy's son, Jon, that “The whole tragedy with your dad marked a very frightening and haunting period in the underground community of North Beach. Everything changed after the murder. Everyone was terrified. Everyone began carrying weapons. No one trusted anyone. It was the end of an era. "