Tag: woodstock

No Room at The Inn

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Whenever we plan a vacation, it has always been my practice to make all the arrangements well in advance.  Since my wife and I like to travel by car, I always plan our route, list the sights we will be visiting, calculate where we will be stopping each night and, of course, make hotel reservations.  We are both excited about the upcoming 50th Anniversary of the Woodstock Festival only one scant year away, so with twelve full months to prepare, I decided to look into hotel accommodations in the area.

With most hotel chains allowing rooms to be booked one year in advance, I thought I had a pretty good chance of scoring a room relatively close to Bethel, New York.  I was wrong.  It appears that many of the original 400,000 attendees are still around, and that they were all ahead of me in line to book a room.  The closest place I could find was eighty miles away, with the hotel site calculating the drive time to Bethel as one and a half hours.  TRAVEL ADVISORY: If Route 17B looks anything like it did in 1969, it would be smart to plan for an additional ten hours of drive time each way.

The apparent level of interest in making the trek back to Yazgur’s Farm is amazing, especially since plans for the anniversary celebration have not yet been formalized.  I had the good fortune to have worked at Woodstock as a police officer, and my wife and I have been back to visit that place on two occasions.  This time around, though, we are looking forward to being in the company of so many others who were there in August, 1969, as well … or, at least, who claim they were there.

With hotel rooms in such short supply, one can only guess at the arrangements people will be making.  VW buses have been replaced by Winnebago RVs, of course, and those who relished the charm of sleeping in a pup tent with a dirt floor now prefer “glamping” with king sized beds and gourmet meals.  The living and sleeping accommodations in 1969 were grim, a fact illustrated perfectly by one “Woodstock Veteran” who posted this memory in an online discussion:  “I went to Woodstock with $350 in new camping equipment, and came home wearing somebody else’s shoes.”

We will be trekking back to Woodstock next year, and making the best of the hotel arrangement.  Note to self: make sure the room has a suitable TV, and a refrigerator for refreshments.  That way, if the weather, the crowding and the traffic turn out to be anything close to the original, we can simply stay in air-conditioned surroundings, a “cold one” in hand, watching the festivities on every channel.  And even though we will be sitting eighty miles from the stage, we can comfort ourselves that we made it closer than many of the folks who tried to get there in 1969 and couldn’t get past Poughkeepsie.

And we will be going home with our own shoes.

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Where Has That Half-Century Gone?

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Hard to believe, but the 50th Anniversary of the Woodstock Festival is only one year away.  Many of us have, no doubt, begun to make arrangements to return to Bethel for the jubilee but, for those unable to join us, do not be concerned … this celebration is certain to be thoroughly recorded and reported upon; at least six film and documentary production groups from the United States and Europe have projects under way, with a number of print media series’ in development as well.

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The Psychedelic Bus on display at the Museum at Bethel Woods

Given the certainty of wall-to-wall coverage, it might not be a bad choice to simply remain home and watch all the hoopla from the comfort of a recliner.  If you intend to show up in person, though, you will likely notice a few differences from the last time we got together in that soggy meadow in rural upstate New York:

 

Clothing  Tie-dyed fashions seem never to have gone out of style, but I suspect that some of us now purchase our jeans with expandable waistbands.  And while huarache sandals will surely be in evidence, many of us may opt, instead, for comfortable walking shoes.

Alcohol and Drugs  Yes, we will be drinking some wine but, given the passage of time, we will probably be consuming a goodly amount of Metamucil as well.  And when it comes to drugs, any substances we consume this time will be less “recreational” and more “therapeutic” (think cholesterol, blood pressure and arthritis).

Traffic Jams  Unlike the region-wide gridlock we all endured in 1969, this time the roads will not be clogged with Volkswagen Beetles and dad’s station wagon.  Any traffic tie ups during this gathering will result from tour buses stopping to drop us off where Yasgur’s Farm used to be.

Mud   During our last get together, it was cool to get a running start and then slide in the ever-present mire.  That won’t happen this time; many of us have learned how hard it is to get back up once we have fallen and, besides, somebody could break a hip.

Public Nudity  Many of us have gained a few pounds and are less sure-footed than we were during those glorious days in 1969, so skinny dipping may be more challenging.  Be sure to take extra care climbing in and out of those local bodies of water.

So, with those cautions and nuggets of advice in mind, it is time to start some serious planning.  Somebody should call Wavy Gravy and ask him to make sure the Hog Farm bus is tuned up and ready to roll.  And for a culinary trip down “memory lane,” ask him to bring along the granola recipe he prepared as his iconic “breakfast in bed for 400,000” in 1969.

Finally, it will be important to have adequate medical services on hand this time.  Dr. Bill Abruzzi (the “Rock Doc”) achieved stardom for his treatment of “bad trips” at Woodstock and other rock concerts, but his talents (if he can even be located) may be less in demand this time.  For next year’s anniversary, organizers should line up medical staff with skills appropriate to the needs of those most likely to be in attendance … in other words, doctors with experience in geriatric medicine … who accept Medicare.

Paging Doctor Leary

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Anyone who came of age during the cultural upheaval of the 1960’s and 1970’s, will likely recall the name and exploits of Dr. Timothy Leary.  An accomplished Harvard professor and researcher, he was well known for his advocacy of mind expansion drugs, with his hallucinogen of choice being LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide).  Leary was also well known for his signature exhortation that we should all: “Tune In … Turn On … and Drop Out.”

When his college research with LSD was discredited by lack of scientific rigor and his failure to adhere to established protocols, Leary was banished from academia.  Not to be dissuaded, in 1966, he founded the League for Spiritual Discovery (LSD) and proclaimed it a church.  He also declared the holy sacrament of his church to be … wait for it … LSD.

Interestingly enough, LSD has been around since 1938.  Though considered, at one time, to be potentially beneficial in treating alcoholism and various psychiatric conditions, its widespread recreational use in the 1960’s resulted in prohibition (See Leary, Timothy).  Nevertheless, Leary continued to urge us to expand the capabilities of our minds through the use of LSD, a position which resulted in his being pursued, arrested, imprisoned and otherwise excoriated.

LSD (also known as “acid”) was, of course, in evidence at the Woodstock Festival in 1969.  In one memorable statement, a stage announcer named Chip Monck (yes, his real name) warned the assembled masses:  To get back to the warning that I’ve received, you might take it with however many grains of salt you wish, that the brown acid that is circulating around us is not specifically too good. It’s suggested that you do stay away from that. Of course it’s your own trip, so be my guest.

Now, here is where it gets really awkward … despite all the bad publicity at the time, Leary may have actually been on to something! 

Some recent and closely controlled studies seem to show that, in very small doses, LSD may, indeed, be of some medical benefit.  According to researchers, hallucinogens appear to “harmonize” parts of the brain that do not usually work together, meaning such drugs could potentially be useful in treating certain disorders including PTSD and chronic depression.

In early 1995, Leary was diagnosed with prostate cancer, passing away on May 31, 1996.  Near the end of his life, he looked upon death as the final trip, and outer space as the great new frontier.  On April 22, 1997, Leary’s ashes (along with those of 23 others) were lifted into space in an American Pegasus rocket.

In his novel The Colorado Kid, Stephen King put it this way: “Sooner or later, everything old is new again.”  If so, then there is little doubt that Tim Leary, that charming huckster, is smiling somewhere.

Woodstock Everlasting

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The Woodstock Music and Art Fair was neither the first nor the last of a number of similar gatherings in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s.  In many ways, though, it holds a place of special significance in any discussion of the vast cultural changes so characteristic of that era.  Other concerts … Monterey … Isle of Wight … Altamont … Powder Ridge … contributed to the music and protest scene of that time, but only Woodstock has its own special and enduring brand: Woodstock Nation!

Since the initial publication of “Dear Hippie,” I have been invited to speak about Woodstock before a number of groups.  Across those sessions I met only a few folks who claim to have been in Bethel, but a vast number of others who, though not physically present, have vivid recollections of what they heard or read about those remarkable three days in August of 1969.  What I found especially impressive was that, young and old alike, people were acutely aware of Woodstock, and had a sense of what it seemed to meanIMG_1512 during that vibrant period.

While the conversation about Woodstock has allowed me to resurrect a number of fond memories, it has also shown me how deeply that singular event and that distinct period of time have touched so many people.  Clearly, if there is such a thing as a “Woodstock Nation,” its influence is felt well beyond the corporate boundaries of Bethel, New York, and is not limited solely to those with boots (or sandals) on the ground at the festival itself.  And though elusive, there is something about the texture of those three days that continues to resonate.  Having had the good fortune to be there, I suspect that it springs from the unexpected enormity of the event, and the fact that some half million people, effectively cut off from the rest of the world, persevered through an intuitive spirit of cooperation and good will.  And, yes, there was some music as well.

 

Some fifty years after the fact, the question remains: why does this event, originally billed as a mere music and art fair, remain so indelibly imprinted on our consciousness?  Theories abound, but Richie Havens, the first performer to take the stage at Woodstock, put it this way:  “Though it’s frequently portrayed as this crazy, unbridled festival of rain-soaked, stoned hippies dancing in the mud, Woodstock was obviously much more than that or we wouldn’t still be talking about it in 2009. People of all ages and colors came together in the fields of Max Yasgur’s farm.”

Nostalgia has a way of smoothing off the rough edges, so I am not surprised that those incredibly long hours, sodden fields, gridlocked roads and throngs of people seem less overwhelming today than they did in 1969.  Instead, my mind is drawn to more pleasant memories … smiling faces …  acts of kindness … expressions of appreciation … and the sense that we were involved in something bigger than all of us.  It was a very special time and place and, as the saying goes, if we didn’t do foolish things while young, we wouldn’t have anything to smile about when we are older.

For a lot of us, those days three days at Woodstock … well, they make us smile.

Hippie Holidays!

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So anyway, I’m sitting here trying to come up with some Christmas gift ideas for my bride, when my eyes fall upon an ad for something called “Instant Pot.” Whoa! Can this really be what the name suggests? Has some genius finally designed a system for creating weed without having to go through the whole planting, cultivating, and harvesting thing?

Alas, upon reading further, the full details of the “Instant Pot” became clear … it is nothing more than a new kitchen appliance that can be used to cook a wide range of foods in a variety of ways. Sigh … well, I guess that is a pretty good idea as well.

In my defense, my initial thoughts about this product were likely driven by fond reminisces of my recent visit to the site of the 1969 Woodstock Festival, and the fact that 25299353_10155944387606730_3239219049300052954_nthe 50th Anniversary of that singular event is just over the horizon. But come to think of it, perhaps there is more to it than just that … maybe there is, as some have suggested, some sort of a magical connection between Hippies, marijuana and Christmas.

For example, what should we make of the fact that the words C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S and W-O-O-D-S-T-O-C-K have the same number of letters? Or that S-A-I-N-T-N-I-C-K and W-A-V-Y-G-R-A-V-Y are identical in length? What about M-I-S-T-L-E-T-O-E and M-A-X-Y-A-S-G-U-R? Are these all mere coincidences? You be the judge.

There is even some speculation that Santa, himself, may be an occasional toker. Those who take that position cite, as evidence, several of his well known behaviors that are common to regular users of marijuana. For example:

Munchies It is a well known fact that smoking marijuana creates an appetite for copious amounts of tasty and binge-worthy food. Santa loves cookies … think of how many he eats in just one night!

Forgetfulness One notable side of effect of marijuana use is the way it is said to affect memory. Santa needs to keep a list for everything and, as we know, he has to check it twice. The guy can’t even remember who’s naughty and who’s nice!

Paranoia Like many marijuana users, Santa goes to great lengths to conceal his location and even his very existence!

Always Happy Stoners readily admit that, when high, it is difficult to suppress their giggles. Santa is always smiling, laughing and generally jolly. What does that tell you?

As we all cross our fingers wondering what we will find under the tree on Christmas morning, stoners can breathe easy. In North Pole, Alaska, a member of the city council by the name of Santa Claus (yes, his real name) took exception to a recent ordinance that prohibits a marijuana business in his city. He even went public with his objection noting: “Cannabis users will not be getting coal in their stockings unless they have done some other thing that might be considered egregious.”

Hippie Holidays!

Stirring the “Pot”

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Wrapping up a speaking engagement at a local high school, I had left some time for questions from the assembled students. The topic had been Woodstock and, since the students had been required to read “Dear Hippie … We Met at Woodstock: One Cop’s Memories of the 1969 Woodstock Festival,” there were a number of good questions about things like crowd size, weather conditions, music of that era and drug use.

As the class period came to an end, one young lady began to raise her hand, only to have her neighbor pull it back down. I decided to call on her for the last question anyway and, very softly, she posed one I had never been asked at a session like this: “Did you ever smoke pot?”

Whoa.

When the laughter in the hall began to subside, I thanked her for asking, and then answered truthfully: “No … at least not intentionally.” I went on to explain that the use of marijuana by concert-goers over those three days at Woodstock was so ubiquitous across the entire region that anyone within a twenty mile radius of the concert stage – including me – stood a good chance of experiencing some level of “contact high.” I was exaggerating, of course … but not much.

There is a popular aphorism concerning those who share their memories of that special time in Bethel, New York: “When someone says they remember Woodstock they probably weren’t there.” This is a sly reference, of course, to the purported negative impact marijuana use has upon memory … and it also helps explain (kiddingly) why it has taken so long to legalize pot: “The hippies kept forgetting where they left the petitions.”

With all this said, I have fond and strong memories of my time working as a police officer at this once-in-a-lifetime event. Recently, I was able to reinforce many of those recollections during a visit to the original concert site, and a tour of the lovely Museum at Bethel Woods, New York. The weather the day of my visit was pleasant, so my wife and I walked along Hurd Road … visited the meadow where it all took place … inscribed our names on a memorial … it was all good.

Walking through the Museum, itself, is an ideal way to get a sense of what occurred at that very location almost fifty years ago. Video presentations and static displays provide context and depth not only to the concert, but to the cultural conflict that was taking place in the United States at that time as well. We shopped around the Bindy Bazaar Museum Shop, of course, and picked up a few souvenirs … we even checked on my book! (see photo below)

In their song “Old Hippie,” the Bellamy Brothers sang of a fellow in his fifties who “dreams at night of Woodstock and the day John Lennon died,” all the while struggling to make sense of the societal changes going on around him. I suspect that many folks who came of age during the Woodstock era can understand the quandary of that old hippie trying to navigate a world he no longer understands. For me, a periodic journey back to Bethel is a refresher … a way to reconnect with a wonderful time in a truly extraordinary place.

Reflecting back on a singular event like Woodstock, I am reminded of the wisdom of Steven Wright: “Whenever I think of the past it brings back so many memories!”

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A Trip Down Memory Lane

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As the calendar turns to August, I am feeling the inexorable pull to return to a place that holds genuine meaning for me … Woodstock. Yes, a family reunion in upstate New York is the purported main reason for our visit this year but, truth be told, the prospect of a visit to the Museum at Bethel Woods and the historic site that used to be Max Yasgur’s farm … well, that is really tugging at my sleeve.

The fiftieth anniversary of the iconic Woodstock Festival is a scant two years off and, though I hope to return for a sure-to-be momentous reunion, one can never predict what the future might hold. That being so, I plan to make the most of my time in this very special place this summer. Maybe a stroll down Hurd Lane … a photo, perhaps, next to the “Tomb of the Unknown Hippie” overlooking the original concert site … even an unobstructed drive along Route 17b which, in August of 1969, was jammed for miles with abandoned cars. Ah, memories!

Though named the “Woodstock Music and Arts Fair,” the event was actually held in the small community of Bethel, New York. The Museum at Bethel Woods is an excellent venue for a visit as it contains a trove of mementos and memorabilia from that iconic gathering. I am pleased that my book Dear Hippie … We Met at Woodstock is available for purchase in the museum shop so we will, of course, be stopping there as well.

Though we have lived in the state of Texas for the past thirty years, I am looking forward to our visit to New York for another important reason … it was there (in the City of Poughkeepsie) that I began my law enforcement career just over fifty years ago. While I discuss a number of my law enforcement experiences in my book, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to do a Woodstock presentation and book signing at the Adriance Memorial Library in Poughkeepsie on August 16.

The fact that I was assigned to work at Woodstock as a police officer was pure serendipity, but it was an experience that I cherish. As I look forward to visiting a place laden with rich memories, I am reminded of the 1966 song by Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders: “Something Keeps Calling Me Back.” Indeed, something does.

Woodstock Book Now Available at The Museum at Bethel Woods

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We are very excited about the recent good news that the book Dear Hippie … We Met at Woodstock is now available for purchase at the Museum at Bethel Woods in New York.  This lovely facility – which is located on the grounds of the 1969 Woodstock Festival – does a wonderful job of collecting, tending and preserving the history of that iconic event.  The setting is beautiful, and fond memories abound.  For those who were there, this museum provides a wonderful trip down memory lane (especially if memories are a bit vague).  For those who weren’t there but want to know about the event itself along with a sense of the times, this facility is outstanding.  Their site can be found and enjoyed at bethelwoodscenter.org

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Hippie Holidays!

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With the 50th Anniversary of the Woodstock Festival only a couple of years off, I got to wondering how some veterans of that iconic event might be celebrating Christmas.  In their song Old Hippie Christmas, the Bellamy Brothers give us one possible answer:

All the kids made up their wish lists, Sunshine wants the A-bomb banned

Rainbow wants to go to ‘Frisco in an old Volkswagen van,

And the black lights and the lava lamps are flashin’ all about

And Santa in his sandals leaves us little doubt

That Christmas time is almost here and it’s gonna be far out

Some younger folks may not be clear on the reference to black lights and lava lamps, and the mention of banning the A-bomb is somewhat dated, but those of us who were around the 60’s and 70’s get it.  And as the song suggests Christmas, without a doubt, is going to be “Far Out.”tumblr_mxjphf1w2f1s1vvomo1_1280

Christmas Shopping for Hippies

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If you are looking for that last minute gift for an aging Hippie (or a Hippie “wannabe”), our latest book Dear Hippie … We Met at Woodstock might be a good choice.  The paperback version is in stock and can be received by Christmas, and the Kindle version is currently being offered at a reduced price.  Both are available at Amazon.com.  Simply type Dear Hippie in the Amazon search box and it appears instantly.

Our pre-Christmas book signing events were lots of fun, with many folks stopping by to share their recollections of the 60’s and 70’s.  For many, the memories and images of Woodstock remain vivid.  And while nobody adorned themselves in tie-dyed clothing and sandals, the conversations included a fair number of Woodstock-era phrases like “Far Out”, “Groovy” and “I’m Digging It!”

Perhaps there is more than a little truth in the popular saying: “Old hippies never die … they just flashback!”