I was watching the movie/documentary Woodstock (1969 outdoor Rock Concert) for the umpteenth time on VH1 Classic Ch. today. I really enjoy watching performances by some of my favorite bands and interesting to see them in their younger years. The award winning documentary movie has it covered from the kids calling home to getting soaked and bathing in a nearby lake. All the good and the bad on film.

I remember reading an article in National Review a few years ago that interviewed the farmer and family who owned the land. They seemed to talk mostly about the downside of the entire event. Let's face it, near the end they did have to call in the National Guard. The party wasn't much of a dream after a while and if you weren't stoned or high enough, you might notice you were trudging along in mud and rain with not much supplies available even if you had the money. They didn't paint the best picture of the event and they were there.

I just watched the images during the following words by attendees:

Wavy Gravy - "What we have in mind is breakfast in bed for 400,000!"
Information Booth - "If anger is red, and envy is green, what color is jealousy?"
Max Yasgur - "I'm a farmer-I don't know how to speak to 20 people at one time let alone a crowd like this.."

Hahahaha. Interesting. I could of sworn I saw the likes of Steve Brooks in the crowd. Just teasin'...

So, I was wondering, since I was only a year old at the time, did any of you Café members attend the event?

I particularly want to know if any of you watched Janis and Jimmy do their thing.

You know Janis, Janis Joplin, the one who said "How are you out there? You're stayin' stoned and you got enough water...."

Well Amen...

Hahahaha...

I coulda gone, a friend of mine was thinking about it, but there was this party being planned for that weekend and it was so far, so ... nah, not worth it.

(If I knew then what I know now...)

NPR did a documentary a long while back - interviewed the farm owner (Max Yasgur) who had to deal with a lot of hassle, but the thing he remembered most was his neighboring farmers threatening not to do business with him if he rented to those hippie troublemakers. And right off he changed from waffling about signing to thinking "nobody's going to talk to me that way and tell me what to do with my land" and never regretted it. But what I remember most is some girl calling home to reassure her parents, who had heard about the chaos ... "Mom, calm down, it's just a few miles from Grossinger's, if it gets too bad I'll go there."