BOOK REVIEW: “Woodstock, Three Days That Rocked the World”
The Woodstock music festival drew nearly a half a million people in 1969. Yet, while the festival was held near Woodstock, New York, primarily because Bob Dylan lived there, the musical pied piper didn’t want anything to do with it.
“The flower generation — is that what is was?” he once said. “I wasn’t into that at all. I just thought it was a lot of kids out and around wearing flowers and taking a lot of acid.”
Even some of those who did perform at Woodstock didn’t believe in the movement. Pete Townsend, the Who guitarist who famously smashed activist Abbie Hoffman with a guitar during the show, derided the hippies who attended.
“I walked through it all and felt like spitting on the lot of them,” he said, “trying to make them realize that nothing had changed and nothing was going to change.”
Despite the naysayers, Woodstock was a part of an unprecedented movement: In 20th Century America, groups of people had never questioned government like they did in the 60’s, challenging war, political scandal and prejudice. And even if you did believe — as Townsend once wrote — that the new boss would be just the same as the old boss — you have to admit one thing: The music of the 60’s transformed rock and roll.
The Woodstock Festival, now celebrating its 40th anniversary, marked the zenith of that change. While some of the acts that performed there have come and gone (Anyone heard of Melanie lately?), the music of that era marked a shift from the old days to contemporary. In fact, I’d argue, any number of artists who played at Woodstock could still sound current today.
While I wasn’t old enough to be at Woodstock (and my parents, at 30, were apparently too old), I’m fascinated by the event, which is nicely chronicled in “Woodstock, Three Days That Rocked the World” ($35, Sterling Publishing). The book, edited by Mike Evans and Paul Kingsbury, is a thorough account of the festival and the times, stocked with great photos, interviews and interesting factoids.
To name a few factoids:
* Michael Lang, the brainchild behind this massive event, was just 24 at the time.
* Director Martin Scorsese originally worked on the “Woodstock” film as an editor.
* By the time Jimi Hendrix gave his famous performance, only about ten percent of the crowd remained. (Due to delays, the festivals stretched into Monday, when many had to leave.)
* Joni Mitchell, who wrote the definitive song about Woodstock — covered to success by Crosby, Stills & Nash– never performed there. (As she was headed to the show, she saw the huge crowd and feared she’d miss her apearance on ”The Dick Cavett Show.” So she went back to the hotel and wrote “Woodstock.”)
* Richie Havens improvised his now-legendary song “Freedom” after organizers told him they needed him to kill more time on stage.
* The Beatles had considered playing Woodstock, but any plans to do so were thwarted when John Lennon was denied entrance to the U.S. due to drug charges.
The book includes information about each act that performed, noting their set lists and the day and time they played. (The Who played at 5 a.m. on a Sunday.) Also included are media accounts of the festival, a Where Are They Now section and a list of acts that didn’t show up. (Jim Morrison of the Doors apparently feared he might be assassinated; Led Zeppelin’s manager didn’t want them to be just another band on the bill.) There’s even a breakdown of the massive expenses associated with the festival, including: $20,000 for garbage men to clean up afterward, $200,000 for advertising, and $18,000 for Jimi Hendrix’s performance — plus $12,000 for his film appearance.
While it took a long time for Woodstock Ventures to break even — it did in 1980 – the event was a priceless benchmark in a tumultuous time. Just months after Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated, it showed there was still skepticism but yet also much optimism.
And, as Townsend’s band mate, Roger Daltry once said, it was a heck of a show.
“Woodstock was probably the single best show in history,” he’s quoted to say in the book. “Townsend doesn’t like it because he is an idiot.”
A few months later, a violent festival at Altamont would set the hippie movement on a downward spiral. And 40 years later, music has once again shifted, though somehow it lacks the soul, depth and desperation it once had.
While the “Woodstock” movie — with its great performances — is still the best chronicle of that event, the book is a perfect companion. If Woodstock were a class, this would be the textbook.
I was living on the East Coast that summer before heading to UCSB for college in the Fall of 1969, and was one of the few dummies who actually bought advance tickets to Woodstock! by the time our group arrived, the fences were down, and the promoters had conceded that the show was a freebie. I kick myself periodically that I didn’t think to hold on to the tickets, but it was so damned wet that weekend, I’m pretty sure they would not have made it through in any event. It truly was an amazing experience, and we were very aware while attending that history was being made. My fondest memory was Country Joe leading the f bomb cheer.
Everytime a catch a glipse of the movie on TV I can’t help but watch. One of my favorite parts is watching Michael Lang get floored by what it turned out to be. I can’t imagine how he kept it all together.
I have never spoken with anybody that attended but I think that could make for some interesting conversation. Although the story would change completely from person to person.
What an amazing experience it must have been. Wish I had been there.
I’m looking forward to watching the film “Taking Woodstock,” a coming-of-age story set against one of the most chaotic, transformative events of our time.
The movie, based on Elliot Tiber’s nonfiction book, opens in theaters on Aug. 28.