European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 16, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Crash course on the 60s by Sid Schapiro Woodstock critically acclaimed As a graphically Slung my. Monumental documentary is a crash course in the sights and sounds of the 60s music culture. Publicized As a living spiritual and emotional testament to an event that has become a part of the nation s vocabulary the Rhyce hour movie is a truly artistic product presented in Eye startling technicolor. Director Michael Wadleigh producer Bob Maurice and their Crew went All out to capture the spirit of Woodstock. The reason the footage is so Beautiful Wadleigh said at a press conference is that i told everyone with a camera to shoot Only what interested him. To hell with feeling obliged to record information i said. When something turns you on. Stay with it " in showing it like it was Woodstock is a record not an analysis there is no narration no real attempt to examine society or a generation or musical history to learn How it was that hordes of people showed up stayed through three cloudburst in three Days and cheerfully endured hardships including shortages of food water shelter plumbing and mobility. The film recording an event so indicative of the Lime place mood and youth revolt was aimed primarily at the audience that was there or would have been Here if it had been humanly possible to get there. It had been reported that perhaps a million people were stranded in route by one of the most glorious traffic Lams Ever seen. Mud and melodies Rock and rain unrestricted Joy. Foar and fun pot and panic Are All displayed. In recording the off stage events the movie reveals the audience let s face it it was the audience that made the Woodstock festival such a fascinating phenomenon smoking pot practising yoga making love making their own music with pop can feeding each other and. Quite simply communicating with each other it does t ignore the less pleasant situations the girl driven to hysterics by fear of the crowd and the one who was sick perhaps because of a bad trip. About one third of Woodstock concerns itself with life at the festival by Means of interviews with the local townsfolk with Max Yasgur. The upstate new York Farmer whose farm was the site of the festival with a cheerful Man whose 0b it was to empty the portable latrines and especially with the kids themselves Beaul Lull one girl said of the festival and then went on to Tell the interviewer How her sister had disappeared High on Metherine. And that she hoped she could find her before monday because the sister had to appear in court. In capturing minute situations and comments by Tho participants the film places reactions of the townsfolk on the record with a memorable phrase while the pleased Surprise of a policeman at the peacefulness of the gathering is also noted. An Indian guru Complete with flowing Board has his word and a californian advocate of yoga breathing practices gives a demonstration to rapt followers. Various devices to stimulate a feeling of participation on the part of the theater audience Are employed. The use of split screens for instance May show a single performer from two or three different angles simultaneously. The split screen turned out to be an Ideal technique to show via Cinema Verile How the pilgrims to the Cal skill Mecca searched for that simplicity sensuality and Freedom of expression a spirit of tolerant Sweet togetherness in rain mud and refuse. An ironic effect is created As two Over-30 borscht Belt characters heatedly debate the alleged i moralities of pot smoking and nudity who Ever Hoard of 15-year-old girls sleeping in the Woods asked on while simultaneously on the left hand of the screen a couple lovingly cavort in the nude. Or picture a scene depicting Mike Lang. 23-year-old creator of the music festival wincing expressing with difficulty to his interlocutor the feeling of communication created in the Rural setting while on the other half of the screen a couple nonchalantly Sheds their clothing and proceeds to frolic in the grass note Sid Schapiro a stars and stripes new York Bureau Retiree originally wrote a review when Woodstock was released in 1970. The movie went on to win an Academy award. Earlier video versions Are almost unwatchable because of the inability to reconcile the wide screen movie to the to screen thereby ruining the effect of the split screen process. A new video version released recently restores the full wide screen effect by shrinking everything Down accordingly and it boasts a digitally enhanced sound track the Day the music turned into big Bucks by Robert Hilburn los Angeles times Anis Joplin was already on her Way to becoming a Rock legend when she stepped on stage 20 years ago at Woodstock her trademark bottle of Southern Comfort in hand. Arguably the most compelling White blues. Singer of the Era. Joplin was an electrifying performer who put so much emotion into each concert that her every night on stage had the feel of a triumphant final stand. Befitting to pm s status in Rock she was paid $7,500 at Woodstock $ 1.250 More than the who in the year of Tommy and $2,500 More than the highly regarded new teaming of Crosby stills Nash & Young. Concert promoter Bill Graham who was at Woodstock smiles today when he thinks of Joplin s fee and the bottle of Southern Comfort. They underscore for him the Way Rock n Roll has moved from the innocence and idealism of the late 60s to a $6 billion to $8 billion a year Industry Complete with corporate sponsorship and its own 24 hour Cable to channels. He shakes his head and says. Do you realize that if Woodstock took place now. Southern Comfort would pay her a million dollars for just holding that bottle echoing the View of most of the More than a dozen top pop Industry veterans Graham sees Woodstock not principally As a great musical moment but As the Day corporate America saw the big Money to be made in Rock. Indeed Woodstock itself was a grand attempt to escalate the scale of Rock. People like to talk about Woodstock As changing music but the music Community had already been shown by the Monterey International pop festival in 1967 that a new generation of artists had arrived said Joe Smith president and chief executive officer of Capitol Emi inc. Woodstock took Rock to the next level not so much the musicians themselves As the pictures that went around the world of those half a million people standing in the Field. Those photos were spectacular and they made corporate America realize that this youth culture was no longer some freakish underground scene. Woodstock legitimized Rock n Roll and it sent out the message that there was a lot of Money to be made in  the result was a revolution in Rock radio formats an onslaught of megabucks record contracts and a Stampede to vastly larger venues. All of that initially celebrated the underground Rock showcased at Woodstock but in the end ironically it worked to Squash the Radical or experimental edges that had been associated with the festival Graham believes that Rock would eventually have been subjected to Many of the same commercial compromises but suggests that Woodstock s dramatic Impact escalated the process by As much As five years Lou Adler co director of the non profit Monterey festival who produced the mamas and the Papas hits in the 60s and later produced Carole King s tapestry album perhaps puts it most succinctly if Monterey made Rock n Roll an Art form. Woodstock made it a business wednesday August 16, 1989 some facts by Roger Catlin Hartford courant top 10 highest paid acts at Woodstock Jinni Hendrix $18,000 blood sweat & tears $15,000 Joan Baez credence Clearwater revival $10.000 each Jefferson air plane the band Janis Joplin $7,500 each sly & the family Stone $7,000 canned heat $6,500 the who $6,250 paid $6,000 or less to play at Woodstock but More than $2,500 Richie havens $6.000 Crosby stills Nash & Young Arlo Gulfie $5,000 each Ravi Shankar $4,000 Johnny Winter $3,750 ten years after $3,250 country Joe and the fish $2.500 paid less than $2,500 Melanie Santana Joe Cocker Mountain paid a Flat $300 Shana a Woodstock performers they tried to get but could t beatles rolling stones nearby resident they hoped would drop by but did t Bob Dylan acts advertised to appear at Woodstock that did t Iron Butterfly Jeff Beck. Keef Hartley band acts you probably never heard of that performed at Woodstock Quill. Sweetwater Bert Sommer number of people who attended Woodstock at least 400,000 number of people who say they attended Woodstock 400 million ticket Price for Woodstock $6 a Day some of those who were at Woodstock who have died since Jimi Hendrix Janis Joplin Max Yasgur Al Blind owl Wilson of canned heal Keith Moon of the who Richard Manuel of the band Felix Pappalardi of Mountain Abbie Hoffman Paul Butterfield Tim Hardin acts whose careers were made at Woodstock Joe Cocker Santana Shana a Richie havens ten years after acts whose careers were enhanced at Woodstock the who sly & the family Stone Jimi Hendrix Crosby stills Nash & Young Arlo Guthrie Joan Baez acts whose careers were neither helped nor Hurt by Woodstock credence Clearwater revival Janis Joplin the band Johnny Winter Jefferson air plane grateful dead canned heal blood. Sweat & tears acts whose careers were ruined by Woodstock John Sebastian acts who were never at Woodstock but people still think they were Joni Mitchell Bob Dylan time of Day Hendrix played Star spangled Banner. 10.30 . Monday aug. 18 number of people remaining to hear it 25.000 those who wrote songs about Woodstock Joni Mitchell. Melanie Mountain canned heal Neil Young Van Morrison single most visible Woodstock after All these years snoopy s Bird brained sidekick in the peanuts comic strip no. 1 single at the time of Woodstock. In the year 2525 by Zager & Evans the stars and stripes Woodstock 20yearslater Page 17