Woodstock

Can it be 40 years since Woodstock? For just about anyone my age (60), Woodstock conjures up some very specific memories. Living in the mid-west, there were few people who probably actually attended the music festival. I did meet someone from Galesburg who claimed to have attended. Who knows if he really did?

I can remember the news coverage on TV that week-end. I thought it looked pretty cool; my dad (who rarely shared his opinion on such matters) thought it seemed pretty ridiculous. I know the news coverage focused much more on the traffic, the mud, and lack of food rather than the musical aspects of the week-end. It would take the release of the film on Woodstock the next year to provide that memory.

The film came out in the summer of 1970 and I was working as a cook in a bar in Galesburg, (Infinity Plus One). One of the waitresses was a Galesburg HS grad. a year older than me, and I had a crush on her all summer. Finally, near the end of the summer I got up the courage to ask her out and we went to the movie Woodstock. I remember being really impressed with how well they tried to capture both the music and the community aspects of the concert goers. I bought the Woodstock album because of the movie and played it often for many years. We passed it on to our son Marshall who I hope continues to cherish it.

There's been some good articles on Woodstock (Smithsonian magazine) and cable documentaries (Woodstock: now and then) that have come out recently, that have been fun and educational to read and watch. There are always back stories that are interesting, like the couple who are on the album cover. Woodstock was one of their very first dates; they eventually got married and are still married.

The idealism of our youth and the counter-culture ideals were lived out in Woodstock, three days of peace and music. It will always represent a dream that remains unfilled.