I thought you and Koan might enjoy this piece about a drug addled hippie reflecting on the Glory Days.
Regina resident reflects on attendance at Woodstock 40 years ago
Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
So begins the inspirational poem "Desiderata", which came to mind for Regina resident Michael Martorana when he reflected on his attendance at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair — 40 years ago as of this weekend.
"It summed up, I think, what I believed then, and to some extent, what I believe now," he said of the poem.
Being on good terms with all was also what Woodstock was all about, as recalled by Martorana — who originally hails from the Bronx, but has lived in Regina for about 35 years.
He and a group of friends attended the iconic weekend-long concert, which drew a well-behaved audience of about 400,000 to an upstate New York dairy farm owned by Max Yasgur. In terms of music, the Woodstock festival featured shows by 1960s icons like Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, the Who and Sly & the Family Stone.
"What brought me there was the music," Martorana said. "What also brought me there was a political statement against the war — that people could hang out and be cool. Granted, it was only for four days. If that situation was two weeks, I don't know if it would have been the same result. We've all read Lord of the Flies. But for those four days, it worked."
Martorana, a retired Christian ethics teacher and married father of seven, recalled a very different period in the history of the world.
"It was a time where our innocence had been taken away from us so we tried to regain it," he said. "I'm talking about the killing of the Kennedys, the Vietnam war, the killing of Martin Luther King, Jr. It felt like you were very vulnerable . . . so maybe we escaped into sex, drugs and rock and roll, I don't know. But I think Woodstock was the beginning of an awakening for me — a spiritual awakening that there was more to life than just that."
Martorana remembered crowds of hundreds of thousands of people, the likes of which he has never seen since, he said.
The constant sounds coming from the stage and the smells of campfire and mud also stood out in his mind during an interview at his home on Friday.
"When the rain happened, it put a damper on things literally," he said. "The mud got a little bit on people's nerves. Everything was sticky and muddy. But then the music started and people really didn't care. We just did the best we could."
Many people shed their clothes and it wasn't an issue, Martorana said.
"There was skinny dipping, and a lot of naked people," he said. "There was no overt sexuality. People were just sitting around naked and stoned."
Negativity toward others appeared to be absent, he remembered.
"I think I was also impressed with the way people got along," he said. "There was never a hint of violence or impatience. We just kind of tolerated. I think there was at least half a million to a million people involved, coming and going. People just stopped where they were and partied."
Martorana, who experienced in live performance — at Woodstock and at numerous other concerts — some of the most iconic artists music of a century, said he finds plenty to keep his musical appetite satiated in Regina.
"I always tell people here they don't know how lucky they are," he said of the city. "There's some very top quality people here. The music scene here is awesome."
Martorana said he thinks it's important to remember the good things and the way Woodstock was, for history's sake.
But he also recognized changes between then and now.
"John Lennon also wrote a song called 'The Dream is Over,'" he said. "Woodstock happened in August of 1969. (After that,) Janis Joplin died. Jim Morrison died. Jimi Hendrix died. They shot Lennon . . . so the dream is over. I live very well. If my wife and I were alone, we would try to downsize. We realize the more you have the more it owns you. That philosophy came out of (Woodstock), too."
Martorana wondered if some people who were at Woodstock are still embracing the mentality of the festival in its fullest.
"I was saying to somebody today, I bet you in places like Arizona, Mexico, California, you might see a remnant of the Woodstock generation still trying to be as free from, I guess, the bullshit you and I experience each day," he said. "Still trying to live that dream."
His life has led him to pursue elements of that dream is his own way.
"Even my own friends, some of those guys (who also attended Woodstock) are dead," he said. "And that's a whole other trip. As I get older too, I recognize my own mortality. I'm not going to be here for ever. Nobody is. And that's not a morbid thing. That to me is a reality check. That says, 'Hey wait a second, it can happen like that.' Each day is a gift. Back then, maybe I didn't see that."
Now, he has his priorities clearly established, he explained.
"At this stage in the game, I want to the best dad, the best husband, the best person I can be."
His advice to youth of today was simple: "Be honest."
Martorana still keeps in contact with some of the friends with whom he attended Woodstock, and he noted this anniversary weekend will be marked by a celebration for some of them.
"A lot of my friends were talking about a special celebration this weekend," he said. "They're going to dress in hippie clothes and they're going to play the music and they're going to dance and they're going to sing. A lot of people are going to party."
Many have reflected and will be reflecting on the four-decade old festival, including Vancouver Sun writer Kevin Chong.
"The 40th anniversary of Woodstock, perhaps the epoch of the hippie era, provides an opportunity to take a balanced look at its impact," he wrote. "Ultimately, Woodstock is remembered fondly because it embodies the goodwill and music of an era."
The music and goodwill certainly seemed to stand out most vividly for Martorana, the latter also made clear in the final lines of the "Desiderata":
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
leaderpost.com |
