Woodstock!

50 years! Jesus Im getting old. I was a young kid when Woodstock occurred at Max Yasgur's farm in upstate New York 50 freakin tears ago. And ya know what, I was not there. I was , in fact, to be honest, hardly aware it happened. I remember it on the news but I was far more into dreading going back to Catholic school for another year in August 1969 than a bunch of hippies in a muddy field listening to music.

But then came the next spring. 1970. A three album disc hit stores. A friend of mine and myself scraped together $10 and went to Walgreens and bought it. And we listened to it that same day. All three discs. Holy shit, it was a life changing moment. From Richie Havens doing Freedom to the end when Hendrix did Purple Haze that music embedded itself in my soul. It was raw, it was rough, it was not perfect. It was a concert. Damn I wanted to go to a concert so bad. It wasnt the slick in studio music I'd been used to. The Beatles, The Monkees, the Stones, The Doors, all of those bands I was into at that age. It seemed ALL concerts must be like this. Of course I was wrong.

Woodstock can only happen once. As many times as it has attempted to be duplicated it never has been. Give it up. Altamount happened just a few months later and people got beat up and killed and the ugliness of humanity came back full force. But for that 3 days in upstate New York in August 1969 humanity was free and nice and kind to each other. Its just a fact. Its not some hippie rewriting of history its just a fact and it cannot be taken away.

Later in 1970 the 3 hour movie came out. Now you could see what you'd been listening to on a record. The only problem was because it had a few F bombs in it and a few naked people bathing in a pond, it was rated R and this kid couldnt get in without an adult. Well my parents were not going to take me to see Woodstock thats for sure. So we had to find an alternative. So my friend and I bought tickets to see one movie at the Six West Theaters (yes we had a "multiplex" in 1970) and snuck into the Woodstock movie. And we got caught and booted out. Ok thats traumatic. I wasnt sure I could ever show my face there again. Then we tried again a week later. But this time we followed very closely some guys in their 20's into the theater and sat right next to them which probably freaked them out a bit. Then the movie started. We moved. For 3 hours we SAW what we had been listening to for all those months. Holy shit again. I knew all those songs by heart by now. Thats what those guys and gals looked like. F bombs and nudity. Who cares? Get on with the tunes man.

I almost jumped out of my seat to rock out to Santana doing Soul Sacrifice. I fell in love with Grace Slick, Roger Daltrey became a golden God, Sly and The Family Stone, and the beauty of CSNY doing Suite Judy Blue Eyes. Migawd it was an experience.

I am not one to wax nostalgic that much but if I could go back in time would I makes myself go to Woodstock? Hell no. I dont like crowds, mud, traffic, pissing in the woods, taking drugs. I dont like any of that but as far as Woodstock goes, musically, it was my go to moment. When I realized that live music was fuckin great. No matter who it is. You can be playing a classical tune on a violin and I'll listen in awe. You can twang yourself thru a country song I'd turn off immediately if I heard it on TV or the radio, but live I'll listen. Ive seen so many diverse things live in my life and basically its all because of Woodstock. The beauty of it sticks with me to this day.

A side note. Once I came home and heard the Woodstock album I had coming from the basement. I'll never forget it. It was Hendrix doing the National Anthem. . I went downstairs and saw my Mom sitting in a chair listening to the album. I suppose to make sure her first born wasnt listening to some drug addled Satan music. I asked her if she liked any of it/ She said no. This National Anthem is terrible. Why do you like this music? What appeals to you because I hear nothing in fact I think you bought a defective album.

That was the definition of the Generation Gap.

(PS Later in life I had the Dead on in the basement and Truckin came on. Mom came down and asked what was that? I said it was the Grateful Dead. She said "I like that song, play more like that" and went back upstairs.

My Mom, the Deadhead.