It was 55 years ago - Woodstock: ten myths about love and peace
It was an era when anything seemed possible: On July 20, 1969, a human being first set foot on the moon. Just under four weeks later, images reached the public that seemed to be from another planet - or at least announced the founding of a new nation - the Woodstock Nation. Political activist Abbie Hoffman coined this term with his eponymous book, linking it to the hope of a new, peaceful age in human history. The renowned poet Allen Ginsberg even spoke of a "great planetary event".
While the great expectations of a renewal of humanity were not fulfilled, Woodstock briefly shone a light on what was socially possible. Here, many things came to the fore that would become a fixed part of alternative culture in the 70s and 80s - from skinny-dipping to the consumption of muesli to Eastern relaxation techniques. The "Time" magazine called this the "long way from Janis Joplin to Claudia Roth".
Even today, there is much idealization when Woodstock is spoken of - numerous myths have persisted. The ten biggest myths.
1. The festival took place in Woodstock
Originally, the festival was indeed supposed to take place directly in Woodstock, a town located in the state of New York. However, after protests from local residents, the organizers had to find a new location - and they found it in Wallkill, which was 30 kilometers south of Woodstock. However, the residents here also successfully opposed it - so in the end, they landed in the community of White Lake, Bethel, 76 kilometers away. There, the organizers rented a piece of land from farmer Max Yasgur for $50,000. Even here, the residents were far from pleased with the expected influx of hippies - some citizens even called for a boycott of Max Yasgur's milk. Ultimately, the administration of the town, which had a population of 2,366, gave the green light.
2. The biggest stars of the 60s performed at Woodstock
The real top stars of the era stayed at home: The Beatles were no longer giving public concerts, Bob Dylan didn't want to, and neither were the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, The Beach Boys, The Doors, or Elvis. Even Led Zeppelin, who were about to launch their world career, declined. The biggest stars at Woodstock were Jimi Hendrix and The Who. For Santana, the performance was the starting shot for a career that continues to this day.
3. Jimi Hendrix's performance was the stormily celebrated highlight of the festival
The best for last: Jimi Hendrix had contractually agreed to perform as the headliner of the festival right at the end. However, the program was delayed due to the storm, causing Hendrix's performance to be pushed back further and further. When he took to the stage, it was already daylight. Monday morning, 8:30 a.m. Only a fraction of the audience was still there - estimated 40,000 out of the initial 500,000 festival-goers.
4. There was an uncommercial spirit
Even back then, a festival was above all a gigantic economic undertaking. Most of the more well-known musicians performed for a - for the time - generous fee. Some artists didn't even try to hide the fact that they were only there for commercial reasons. The performance of The Who almost didn't happen because the organizer didn't have enough cash. The British band wanted to play only for prepayment - with great difficulty and the use of a helicopter, the organizers managed to get the money on a Saturday night.
5. Woodstock was musically significant
That's a matter of taste, of course. However, fact is that the Monterey Pop Festival of 1967 was far more influential for the musical development of the 60s. British band The Who celebrated their triumphant breakthrough in the US, and the stars of Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin rose here as well. Simultaneously, Monterey was an impressive showcase of West Coast sound: With Country Joe and the Fish, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Moby Grape, The Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, Buffalo Springfield, Grateful Dead, Scott McKenzie, and The Mamas and the Papas, nearly all prominent California bands were present. From New York came Laura Nyro and Simon & Garfunkel. And even the black music scene was represented: With Booker T. & the M.G.'s, Otis Redding, and Lou Rawls, some promising soul musicians were there.
In contrast, Woodstock had - besides some musical highlights - numerous disappointments: Musicians like Tim Hardin or John Sebastian had doped up on LSD or other drugs, the Grateful Dead played what they considered their worst concert. Janis Joplin also fell short of her potential: She performed with a completely new backup band, the Kozmic Blues Band, that was barely rehearsed. Additionally, she had drunk too much - even that was better in Monterey!
6. The later festival anthem "Woodstock" was written by Joni Mitchell based on her own experiences.
Joni Mitchell was on her way to Woodstock with her manager David Geffen but returned to New York upon hearing about the chaotic conditions and mud. She watched the rest of the festival on TV at home. Deeply moved by the events, she wrote a song: "It was remarkable how well this mass of people got along, there was an enormous optimism. From those feelings, I wrote the song 'Woodstock'", she recalled later.
Mitchell cited traffic conditions as the reason for her cancellation, as it would prevent her timely return to New York and her appearance on the renowned "Dick Cavett Show". It took place a day after the festival ended, on Tuesday, August 19, 1969. Mitchell could have reached the show even if she had attended Woodstock, as Crosby, Stills, and Nash, as well as Jefferson Airplane, also made it.
7. The organizers made a killing with Woodstock
Initially, it seemed like the festival would be a total financial disaster for the organizers. Revenue of 1.4 million dollars stood against expenses of 2.7 million dollars, leaving Woodstock Ventures Inc. with a debt of 1.3 million dollars. It took until 1980 for the company to get out of the red, as Woodstock Ventures was only minimally involved in the royalties for the film and albums. Others made the big money: The "Woodstock" movie grossed over five million dollars for Warner Brothers in just a few weeks - by 1999, that amount had reached over 100 million dollars. Additionally, the triple album sold six million copies, bringing in another 100 million dollars.
8. Festival-goers had a casual attitude towards their bodies and nudity
Famous for its music, Woodstock is also remembered for its bathing scenes: hundreds of hippies jumped naked into the lake. This gave the impression that the visitors had a very relaxed attitude towards their naked bodies. However, the sense of shame must have been very strong. Only due to the initiative of an individual did people overcome their inhibitions. Photographer Barry Levine recalls: "It was incredibly hot and people were gathered around the pond. Everyone was waiting, you could tell they wanted to go in but didn't dare - what do you do when there are so many people? David and I took off our pants and jumped in. We didn't think anything of it. That was the official permission for everyone to strip naked and dive into the water."
9. Woodstock Festival was a political event
"3 Days of Peace & Music" was the motto of the Woodstock Festival - and that's exactly what it was meant to be: the peaceful gathering of a huge number of people, accompanied by beautiful music. Nothing more, nothing less. Naturally, the majority of people were critically inclined towards the US establishment and opposed the war. However, there was no room for political agitation at Woodstock. This is demonstrated by an incident during The Who's performance: while the band was playing, political activist Abbie Hoffman pushed his way to the microphone and complained about the arrest of his friend, anarchist John Sinclair. With the words "Get off my stage", Who guitarist Pete Townshend hit the speaker with his guitar and pushed him off the stage - to the roaring applause of the audience. Townshend also firmly rejected the idea that Woodstock was the birth of an alternative lifestyle: "All these hippies who thought the world would change today. (...) What they thought was an alternative society was basically just a field where you were knee-deep in mud and everyone was taking LSD. If that was the world they wanted to live in, they could kiss my ass," the musician said later. The US magazine "Newsweek" summarized on August 25, 1969: "For political activists, the festival was a disappointment (...). Woodstock can be placed in a different, parallel tradition, which emerged in San Francisco at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 (...). Woodstock stands for (...) the withdrawal of youth from the world of politics into the sanctuary of their youth and their senses." And Bob Dylan, who lived in Woodstock at the time, summarized: "The generation of flower children - was that it? I had nothing to do with it. For me, they were just a bunch of kids with flowers in their hair who were taking a lot of acid. What do you make of that?"**
10. The entire festival was completely peaceful
Considering that half a million people spent three days in a confined space, it's quite remarkable that so little happened. However, not everything went smoothly - there were even fatalities. On Saturday morning, a 17-year-old visitor was run over by a tractor with a sewage tanker in his sleeping bag. There was also violence: musicologist and radio editor Volkmar Kramarz, who was 15 at the time and attended the festival, remembers in an interview with the "Cologne Express": "There were fierce confrontations between hippies and Vietnam veterans. Fights broke out." None of this is reflected in the Woodstock film - and so Woodstock has gone down in history as a peaceful event.
Despite the peace and harmony often associated with Woodstock, there were instances of tension between attendees. For example, musicologist Volkmar Kramarz, who was 15 at the time, recalled fierce confrontations between hippies and Vietnam veterans, leading to physical fights. Contrarily, the iconic musician Santana gained significant momentum from his performance at the festival, marking the beginning of a long and successful career.
