40 Years Ago today In Woodstock Nation, NY
August 15, 2009
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Woodstock Nation August, 1969 - 40 years later. I was there.
Three days of peace, love, music, beads, rain, mud, and lots and lots of different people who just managed to get a long because they wanted too.
For me, it was a transformation of a new understanding of the human condition, and how a simple smile is universal language that broke down barriers, and kindness toward each other was a common occurrence.
We endured terrible traffic and stranded the car on the side of the road to walk for miles. I was enormously grateful for the decent shoes, the apples, the water and the Oreo cookies too. Oh those Oreo cookies!!!
We endured torrential rains and through it all, we were still smiling and laughing. I remember being near enough to the stage to see Janice Joplin, but the sound was so bad, it sounded like someone was strangling a farm animal. I briefly met Max Yasgur, thanked him for his hospitality, but he so looked dazed and amazed, he had a look on his face of sheer surprise, shock and WTF! All I remember him saying was “Thanks, can you stick around and help clean up?”
The sheer enormity and diversity of the audience and the whole scene that seemed to constantly evolve was more like a cosmic wonderland. I missed Jimi Hendrix, enjoyed The Who, slept through Joe Cocker, danced to Santana and Jefferson Airplane, and loved Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Don’t remember much else about the music, but the expereince changed our world.
Would I do it again? Absolutely. It was a part of our history, and part of our culture, and set me on the path to think really big, and believe I could get along with everyone. It was a great lesson in acceptance and survivla for a young man, and besides, it will always be thrill to say, “Yeah, I was at Woodstock.” I am part of that faternity!
In my post event memories, I the thing I liked most was a long, hot shower in a motel room in Pennsylvania, on the way back to Ohio, and a big turkey club sandwich and a couple Cokes on the way home.
It Changed The World
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