Woodstock: Untold Stories
Austin Convention Center, March 21Woodstock occurred 40 years ago this August, but just talking about it can still draw quite a crowd. Author Holly George-Warren led a group of Woodstock veterans through a panel so enjoyable that it went 30 minutes over and no one seemed to care. It started with a 10-minute teaser from the upcoming, newly expanded movie, coming this June, and then everyone had something interesting to add. Musicians who were there, Gregg Rolie and Michael Shrieve of Santana, Stu Cook of Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Jocko Marcellino of Sha Na Na, ran through personal memories of the mud and how much they were paid. Hugh “Wavy Gravy” Romney rambled on about how members of the Hog Farm were flown in from New Mexico to act as security. Famed recording engineer Eddie Kramer gave insight on what he discovered and was allowed to use on the new DVD and CD, while festival producer Michael Lang gave background on Woodstock’s beginnings while dispelling, and sometimes confirming, rumors of what really happened. Among those in the nearly full room were several behind-the-scenes participants who shed some light on what it was like in the trenches. Kramer remarked with a sense of amazement how “it still resonates with everybody,” adding: “It wasn’t really three days of peace and music. It was three days of drugs and hell.”
This article appears in March 27 • 2009.