5 Things Hippies Don't Want You To Know About Woodstock

Hello! There is this article on cracked.com http://www.cracked.com/article/116_5-facts-about-woodstock-hippies-dont-want-you-to-know_p2/
that says Woodstock was only created for money, not peace or the love of music, and that the musicians who had lyrics against capitalism and greed kept demanding high prices to perform, and that people were raped, and three were killed.
i still think that isn't bad for such a large crowd, but i was wondering if any of you on here went to Woodstock? If yes, could you tell me if admist all the chaos you still had a good time and met loving people? Thank you!

 

I didn't go but one of my brothers did. He said it was "Out of sight!".

 

haha, thanks bunches!

 

The Food For Love concession stand was burned down when they either doubled or tripled prices on hamburgers.

Three people died. One person was accidentally run-over by a tractor, one had a ruptured appendix, and one person O.D. on heroin.

But 500,000 people heard a concert that will never be equaled. As for me personally it was worth the trip just to hear Hendrix and Santana.

Funny story...I was the only person at the concert that I spoke to who had heard of Santana before they played Woodstock. Because I had seen them in the spring of 69 in Offenbach Germany at a soccer stadium. Where they performed with Ten Years After and Quick Silver Messenger Service, three or four months before Woodstock.

I paid about 8 marks to attend that concert, which was about $2.00 in those days. And I was stunned by their infusing rock with a heavy Latin beat, they were amazing. I became an immediate fan.

Besides what happened at Altamount between the Rolling Stones and Hells Angels was far worse then what happened at Woodstock. The Altamount race track concert was the worst concert of its kind, because a person was murdered and several others were also killed. This concert ended the 60s on an exceptionally negative note, to say the least.

 

Being 8 or 9 at the time oviously I wasnt there but I think Woodstock was created both as a financil venture and peace and love. That was a different time than us younger ones know of. There was nobody murdered at Woodstock...that anybody is aware of. Deaths from an accedent an OD and a health issure although unfortunate had nothing to do with behavior issues. As was pointed out there was the murder at Altamount. I think the concert was very sucessful in proving that people can live together in peace and love if they want to. And they did so under some pretty rugged conditions. Its too bad that we have lost that belief that dream that the people had then.

 

Speaking of Altamount..The entire matter was filmed during the making of the Rolling Stones tour movie Gimme Shelter. If you young ones haven't seen the movie its worth the price of admission.

This concert did more harm to our culture then any other single event, and you should be aware of it.

 

I love how the hippies all got scared off by rain before the best performances of the concert (not rereading article to see if it's mentioned)

Guess they were afraid of bathing...

 

Are we supposed to believe anything in cracked.com? Sounds like pure sensationalism. You heard from WE1 who was there, and one of my best friends went, so I can ask her any questions you have.

 

For those of you who live in a city of at least 400,000 people, think of all the crap that occurs in the space of three or four days. Why am I not surprised that shit occurred at Woodstock.

 

I think that on this plane woodstock was conceived as a chance for a really awesome party, but those who conceived that idea needed money to make this party happen, so hooked up with two guys who wanted to make money . Then the event happened . At first it made no money then after a decade or two it did make money .

But on another plane it was a universal gathering, an event that was meant to happen in that time and space to become a step in the universal movement of peace and ecstatic love accross the universe, in which we are al part of today .

I would of loved to have been there, but I am only 35 . But I was part of the second summer of love, the dance party movement, and that was imo just as relevent, just as ecstatic, and just as mad as the first summer of love .

I often wonder when a new generation will embrace another pure psychedelic movement again, I'm sure it will happen, and even though I'm getting older I would love to experience it .

 

Only if you're talking about the planes of reality vs the planes of hippie wishes and dreams.

Concerts don't end wars; raves don't make the universe a better place.

It's great to celebrate love, it's great to come together; but why can't they be great on their own merits, why must we exaggerate their influence and cloud our very sense of reality? And what makes a concert full of money and fights and violence such a great expression of love?

I'd say the rave scene was way greater in that respect.

 

Who said they ended wars ? Raves do make the universe a better place, at that time and space for the person at the rave, they definately do, they can shape people into more loving and open people, that stays with an individual for life, making the universe a better place .

No one is exaggerating their influence . Woodstock was a party over three days over forty years ago and people are still talking about it . I would say the influence it has had speaks volumes right there .

Because it still invokes feelings of love in people today, no matter what the reality, proves it was a great expression of love.

Why would you say raves were greater in that respect?

They are not the be all and end all but simple steps, one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind .

 

Protests end wars, and music inspires protesters. So there you have a direct correlation between the two. Remember all things on our planet are inner-related.

 

Music inspires attitudes -- attitudes are not necessarily action. That's an indirect correlation. Same with violent media and violence. There may be some connection; but only with the proper environment in place.

Music can be a useful tool for protest, music can support protest. But a gigantic concert/festival has nothing to do with world peace unless it's fundraising or acting as a protest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FhMMmqzbD8"]Target Ain't People - YouTube

 

We still talk about the Titanic. It had very little influence over travel, regulations, etc.

Everyone exaggerates the influence of Woodstock. It was a party with lotsa hippies. It was a gigantic, tumultuous party, that was only a part of a movement already happening. Teenagers getting high, dressing down, and having sex instead of embracing family values, and the social standards.

While Abbie Hoffman fought desperately to change things; his message went unheard at Woodstock; and the teens partied on.

Everyone kisses Woodstock's ass, half of the people my age probably don't know his name. If that doesn't prove how irrelevant it really was (that a party has overshadowed the hero of the political youth), I don't know what does.

For the reasons you already stated.

I would say Woodstock had a very negative impact and helped towards the end of the movement; and has recovered in reputation alone.

 

you talk like you were there. were you? yes, for some, woodstock probably was just about sex drugs and rock n roll. but i believe that many people were genuinely transformed, raised to a higher consciousness. maybe not, i wasn't there. but from stories i have heard, which may not be true or it may be absolutely true, most of the people say that it changed their life and made them live differently, in a positive way. maybe they didn't change the world, but from documentaries and videos i have seen - man do they all look happy! doing the most simple, goofy things could be the most fun for them, and they didn't care one bit about reputation or how others perceived them. they were jsut happy and carefree from what i can tell, determined to change the world through their own joy. you can't start a wide-scale reovlution without an inner one.

 

Um.. this would invalidate your argument as well; if you had to be there to have an opinion

 

I think your missing the point of woodstock as I see it Duck .

I see it as a footprint in a path, you are looking at the footprint only, you are examining what is in that footprint and not where that footprint leads .

If it wasn't for events like woodstock, and I'm not saying woodstock was 'THE' event, but events like woodstock, there would never have been a rave era imo .

Let me elaborate . First we had embryonic events like The Acid Tests and the Trips festivals, then we had Monteray, then Woodstock, then Altamont, then through the seventies we had The Grateful Dead events and disco and punk . Then in the late eighties Rave developed .

It is all footprints, and woodstock was a fucken big footstep . If it wasn't for events like Woodstock influencing, even if through unrealistic romantic means, the people who started the rave movement like Ramplings Shoom night, the Hacienda club, Goa, Ibiza and the balearic region would never have had the inspiration to do what they did .

Believe it .

Old hippies moved to places like Ibiza and Goa, their influence created lifestyles that allowed the younger generations to explore realms that led to the rave movement .

I am not focussing on what happened at woodstock, and I think Abbie Hoffman is a fucking cock .

But it can not be denied that it has had a massive influence on the minds of many and inspired in them a spark to push that form of expression, experience further .

And that is good enough to me .

 

Now I remember why I left this forum several years ago, its full of kids like Duck who don't know their ass from a hole in the ground.

 

Cracked is such a respected source of news after all. I would put them right up there with the New York Times.

It's their business to be cynical and mock, but I do not think that changes how special the event was. During the first one thousands gathered with no trouble (despite everyone being REALLY high) in peace. Compare that to the second one when their children spurred on by awful music that encouraged the anger such as Limp Bizkit rioted. Quite a difference in generations I think.