35 years ago now: Woodstock Festival Aug.15,16,17 1969

Another milestone anniversary for the mother of all outdoor music festivals is here. Funny thing because yesterday I went to the Little Steven Underground Garage Festival at Randall's Island. Not many parallels with Woodstock other than that it was a large group (a fraction of the Woodstock one, but still cool) of people converging to hear some great music. Although this group of people was there more for the music and not so much united as some sort of cultural movement. By the way, the New York Dolls, now only with David Johansen and Syl Sylvain remaining, were AMAZING. Other highlights were The Dictators, and of course, Iggy. Yeah...The Strokes were there, but ya know what.....f*ck those guys. Two words: Rich kids. In fact I think if they changed the name of the band to The Rich Kids, I'd have more respect for them.

Now a little word about the 60s and the hippies and all that. Over the years the whole hippie thing has got such a bad rap due to it's sub-mental nostalgization. For me that whole era wasn't just about getting high and wearing funny headbands. The fact that (at least part of) the youth culture of the 60s was united behind some sort of alternative way of thinking and rejecting the establishment on the political and cultural fronts is/was pretty cool. The complete opposite of the youth of today which seems more interested in a Girls Gone Wild meets Johnny Knoxville/Jackass mentality. Youth at large don't give a damn about much these days. The 'Digital Youth' of today that look like a bunch of Paris Hiltons dating a buch of guys that look like Joey Fatone blows! Glad I got to be in my 20s ten years ago. But I'll stop here at the risk of sounding like a cynical goofball.

I'll just add one thing. When I was at the fest yesterday Kim Fowley, arguably one of the more important architects and scenesters of the rock and roll underground was a guest MC. Alot of the kids who came to see The Strokes, and even some of the adults, had absolutely no idea who this guy was. Yeah he looked like an embalmed lanky Frankenstein who was babbling on, but he was still cool and funny. At one point he was wearing a bright yellow sport coat and slacks and some of the kids were yelling things like 'sit down bannana man!!' , 'f*ck off old man!!' 'get off the booze!!' and stuff like that. Little did they know that if it wasn't for him the world wouldn't have had a band likeThe Runaways. Even if that isn't important ya gotta admit that at the very least this guy had his hands in the rock n roll pie before any of these kids was even a Hershey Bar in their dad's back pockets.

Fer Real! :drink:

[ Edited by: donhonyc on 2004-08-15 20:41 ]

i've been listening to KZPS (local classic rock station)... they are having a "Psychedelic 60's weekend" most of their songs haven't been too Psychedelic, so I've been calling them up requesting Electric Prunes, 13th Floor Elevators, Vanilla Fudge, Etc.

BTW Don, I'm with ya man.
I was born a couple of years too late, but I will say today's youth really have no grasp. And niether will tomarrow's unless the learn from past mistakes. Oh well, when their kids are that age, they will say the same thing about the Strokes being up on stage.

-one man aspiring to be everyone’s favorite unkle.
http://www.unklejohn.com

[ Edited by: Unkle John on 2004-08-15 21:29 ]

[ Edited by: BaronV on 2004-09-09 20:11 ]

I was born this month, 35 years ago, and as a kid growing up I was into so much of the music of Woodstock, I would always ask my Mother why? Why could you not have gone and given birth at the festival, and her reply would be "well I just did not listen to that music" she was too much of a Wisconsin farm girl. When Woodstock II happened on the 25th anni. I was in the Marines and was not able to go, so instead I went and got the orginal logo tattooed on my arm from a drawing I did.

Cool Tat, Tiki toa, nice solidarity with a significant event in all our lives, no matter our age. I was 14 in 69', and very aware of the Festival, though in no position to go. It was a very different time and all things feed the future. However unfortunate to see the myth of the Velvet rear its head in this context. The future lay elsewhwere...

On 2004-08-16 14:03, Stratiki wrote:
However unfortunate to see the myth of the Velvet rear its head in this context. The future lay elsewhwere...

...and that would be?

Velvet Underground?
Velvet Revolver?
Velvet paintings?

I was driving through upstate New York in 94, about one week after the 25th anniversary of the original Woodstock. I took a small detour to check out the site of the concert, and there I saw a psychedelic painted school bus at the side of the road, selling souvenirs.

I stopped the car, got out - and saw that the only other customers at the bus were the performer Melanie (most famous songs: Lay Down - Candles in the Rain, Brand New Key) with her family. She had performed at the original Woodstock, and comes back almost every year for the reunion event. She and her family were very friendly - she presented me with a complimentary autographed CD - and I got some great pictures of them with some original Woodstock signs.

I was only 8 years old at the time of the original concert, so this latter event was a very nice and personal Woodstock memory for myself.

Vern

Sorry Unkle John, not paying attention, can't even afford that! I meant the myth of the Velevet Underground and their supposed significant impact on everything from Music to cream cheese. Been living with this for a long time, never fails to PMO...(Velvet painting on the other hand, I like...)