Stocking Up
August 15, 2023
Another day, another indictment – well, 10 indictments – involving disgraced, twice-impeached, now-four-time-indicted (so far), failed insurrection leader and Fifth-Amendment-dependent ex-one-term-president (and ostensible rapist) Donald Jinglebell Trump. Last night, a Georgia grand jury voted in favor of a plethora of indictments on racketeering/election interference charges against Trump, et al. Hardly worth mentioning at this point, but there we are. This is history in the breaking.
Donald Trump is the only president to have been indicted. He is
the only one indicted four times. And he did it all in one year. The total
number of indictments of all other presidents combined, covering all of
American history, is exactly zero.
But we have more important issues to consider at this moment.
Being in a rather lazy mood, or maybe it’s more burnout than anything else, the gang here at Paying Attention™ agreed it would be best to wander aimlessly down memory lane as we celebrate another favorite August holiday around here. If nothing else, may we recommend cranking up a few of the tunes featured below.
Whatever you decide, Happy Birthday Woodstock.
When Boomers Roamed the Earth
August 15, 2019
Max Yasgur was an upstate New York farmer and the largest
milk producer in Sullivan County, New York in 1969. Yasgur was a Republican who supported the
Vietnam War, but he went against the wishes of his sleepy rural community of
Bethel, and rented out his farm for a weekend music festival in August of 1969,
thinking it would be good for the local economy and would help bridge the
contentious generation gap.
What could be so bad about having a few thousand kids listen
to music in the fresh air for a few days?
Though the local folks for the most part wanted nothing to do with a
bunch of hippies coming anywhere near their peaceful environs, no one imagined
the size of the crowd or the ultimate notoriety of what was about to. It was like an invasion, a caravan if you
will, of unfamiliar outsiders, whose differences frightened these simple
people. In the end, it was, as Max
Yasgur would tell the crowd on his farm, “three days of fun and music, and
nothing but fun and music” that rocked the world. Literally and figuratively.
I did not make it to Woodstock. I really wanted to go, but I was not of
driving age and my parents would not let me.
Especially now that I have fewer days to look forward to than the number
I have already seen, I cannot blame them.
I did see the movie the moment it came out because I was not
willing to wait for it to come out on Netflix.
And I played the album many times on my cheapo turntable which I
foolishly set up on my suburban back lawn (Surprisingly, that album still plays
almost perfectly). Since then, I have
been a bit obsessed with what many have called “three days that defined a
generation.”
The Woodstock Music and Art Festival began on this day 50
years ago. The line-up of musicians was
and is legendary, if not unequaled. From
Richie Havens to Ravi Shankar, from Janis to Jimi, The Who, Santana, Sly &
the Family Stone, Joe Cocker, Joan Baez, Creedence, the Dead, CSNY, Country Joe
and many others.
Here are a few of my (many) favorite performances. I'll probably throw a few more choice tunes
on here over the next couple days.
Richie Havens – Freedom
John Sebastian – I Had a Dream
Max Yasgur
It is said, “If you can remember Woodstock, you weren’t
there.”
I. Mangrey reminiscing.
I remember Woodstock.
SPECIAL BONUS TRACK
Country Joe & The Fish
Missed some fun. Story of my life.
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