http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AKbUm8GrbM
It was a huge bummer when Woodstock was over. Many people had jobs and families to get back to, and hippies had communes and LSD to get back to. But long after the final chord of Jimi Hendrix's "Hey Joe" had faded into the Notheastern abyss, the spirit of Woodstock still lived on in the hearts of those in attendence--and in some more concrete ways.
Woodstock's Effect on Counterculture
Though the Vietnam War continued on and the role of women continued to be trivialized, the Counterculture movement began to disintegrate after Woodstock. Though people still protested, had orgies, and mandated Free Love, there was a lack of urgency in their fight. It was as if Woodstock was the common goal that legions of hippies had worked towards, and when it was over they felt fufilled. And why shouldn't they? Woodstock was a spectacular event that made real all the things that hippies believed in--peace, music, harmonious living, and an abundance of acid. Hippies might have had Greenwich in New York and the Haight-Ashbury in California, but Woodstock was the one place where hippies could come together and feel united. There are those that did not attend Woodstock that remember their youth fondly, that remember the days where they fought for the freedoms of black students and tripped on acid while listening to Jefferson Airplane. And those people still proudly call themselves members of the Woodstock generation because Woodstock was the place where couterculture reached its peak and hippies finally had the chance to be a part of an entirely Utopian society.
Woodstock's Effect on Music
Woodstock had both positive and negative effects on the rock groups of Counterculture. Groups like The Beatles and Creedence Clearwater Revival broke up soon after Woodstock, but neither of those disbandings can be directly attributed to the festival. The Beatles' breakup was more likely due to the tensions between Paul McCarteny and John Lennon, especially those tensions traced to Lennon's second wife, Yoko Ono; George Harrison's deepening friendship with Eric Clapton and his gradual separation from the group; and the very different artistic directions that each member of the band wanted to go. Creedence Clearwater Revival broke up because of the egos and infighting between band members. Both Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, two of the most famous Counterculture musicians, both died of drug complications within a year of Woodstock, perhpas because they knew that their fame had peaked at Woodstock.
However, Woodstock helped make gains in the careers of many musicians. Carlos Santana, now considered to be one of the greatest modern guitar players, had his career take off after his performance. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, who were having trouble in their relationship as a band during the time they performed at Woodstock, regrouped and became very successful in the decades to come and remain successful today.
Woodstock's Effect on LSD Use
Although the use of psychedelic drugs was very common during the Middle Ages, at no other time in history has the use of such powerful hallucinogens been seen than the time of counterculture. Since Woodstock was the peak of Counterculture, it was also the peak of LSD use. After Woodstock, hippies still used LSD heavily. However, as the movement drew to a close, the use of the drug pietered out sharply. Today LSD is not commonly used and the last FDA-approved study done with LSD took place in the 1980s.
Woodstock's Effect on Politics
When looking at the major political and social events that occurred in 1969, one notices a trend. The rise of intolerant or unsavory political activity was parralleled with an advancement of the Counterculture movement. These two lines rise until they peak in August 1969, when the government started to react more harshly to any dissent among its citizens with an equal increase in the protest action of the hippies. Towards the end of 1970 one can see the beginnings of a compromise between the Counterculture revolutionaries and the conservative government.
1969-1970 Timeline
1969
January
-LBJ----->Nixon transition
April
-Murders of Bobby Kennedy and MLK in the news
-300 students in Harvard’s Students for a Democratic Society involved in accident on campus, more than half are arrested
-People’s Park in Berkely
May
-Zip to Zap, music festival in Oregon, dispersed by cops
-First victim of HIV/AIDS in America dies
June
-SDS office in Chicago overthrown and taken over by the Weathermen
-Stonewall Riot in NYC, beginning of Gay Rights Movement
July
-Action in Vietnam War heats up
August
-Manson family murders
-Woodstock
September
-My Lai massacre
October
-14 black students kicked off of Wyoming State University for wearing black armbands into their coach’s office
-Days Of Rage
-Nuclear tests
-Massive peace demonstrations
November
-Nixon asks for support from the “silent majority” of those who support his efforts in Vietnam
-John Lennon returns his MBE medal to England because they supported the US invasion of Vietnam
December
-Draft lottery is selected for the first time
-Black panthers killed in a party raid
-Altamont free concert
1970 in US
January
-Nigerian civil war ends
-Mick Jagger fined for possession of weed
February
-The Who: Live at Leeds released
-Midwestern man kills his wife and kids and claims “the hippies did it”
March
-Non-Nuclear Proliferation Treaty goes into effect
-Homemade bomb blast kills three members of the Weathermen
-First “Earth Day” is celebrated
April
-Beatles disband
May
-Kent State shootings
-100,000 people protest against Vietnam in DC
-Henry Marrow dead of a hate crime
June
-First female generals in US
August
-Isle of Wright, largest music festival of all time, occurs
September
-Jimi Hendrix dies from drug overdose
October
-Janis Joplin dies of heroin overdose
November
-Democrats sweep midterm election
-Numbers of American Vietnam fatalities are decreasing
December
-EPA is established
It was a huge bummer when Woodstock was over. Many people had jobs and families to get back to, and hippies had communes and LSD to get back to. But long after the final chord of Jimi Hendrix's "Hey Joe" had faded into the Notheastern abyss, the spirit of Woodstock still lived on in the hearts of those in attendence--and in some more concrete ways.
Woodstock's Effect on Counterculture
Though the Vietnam War continued on and the role of women continued to be trivialized, the Counterculture movement began to disintegrate after Woodstock. Though people still protested, had orgies, and mandated Free Love, there was a lack of urgency in their fight. It was as if Woodstock was the common goal that legions of hippies had worked towards, and when it was over they felt fufilled. And why shouldn't they? Woodstock was a spectacular event that made real all the things that hippies believed in--peace, music, harmonious living, and an abundance of acid. Hippies might have had Greenwich in New York and the Haight-Ashbury in California, but Woodstock was the one place where hippies could come together and feel united. There are those that did not attend Woodstock that remember their youth fondly, that remember the days where they fought for the freedoms of black students and tripped on acid while listening to Jefferson Airplane. And those people still proudly call themselves members of the Woodstock generation because Woodstock was the place where couterculture reached its peak and hippies finally had the chance to be a part of an entirely Utopian society.
Woodstock's Effect on Music
Woodstock had both positive and negative effects on the rock groups of Counterculture. Groups like The Beatles and Creedence Clearwater Revival broke up soon after Woodstock, but neither of those disbandings can be directly attributed to the festival. The Beatles' breakup was more likely due to the tensions between Paul McCarteny and John Lennon, especially those tensions traced to Lennon's second wife, Yoko Ono; George Harrison's deepening friendship with Eric Clapton and his gradual separation from the group; and the very different artistic directions that each member of the band wanted to go. Creedence Clearwater Revival broke up because of the egos and infighting between band members. Both Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, two of the most famous Counterculture musicians, both died of drug complications within a year of Woodstock, perhpas because they knew that their fame had peaked at Woodstock.
However, Woodstock helped make gains in the careers of many musicians. Carlos Santana, now considered to be one of the greatest modern guitar players, had his career take off after his performance. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, who were having trouble in their relationship as a band during the time they performed at Woodstock, regrouped and became very successful in the decades to come and remain successful today.
Woodstock's Effect on LSD Use
Although the use of psychedelic drugs was very common during the Middle Ages, at no other time in history has the use of such powerful hallucinogens been seen than the time of counterculture. Since Woodstock was the peak of Counterculture, it was also the peak of LSD use. After Woodstock, hippies still used LSD heavily. However, as the movement drew to a close, the use of the drug pietered out sharply. Today LSD is not commonly used and the last FDA-approved study done with LSD took place in the 1980s.
Woodstock's Effect on Politics
When looking at the major political and social events that occurred in 1969, one notices a trend. The rise of intolerant or unsavory political activity was parralleled with an advancement of the Counterculture movement. These two lines rise until they peak in August 1969, when the government started to react more harshly to any dissent among its citizens with an equal increase in the protest action of the hippies. Towards the end of 1970 one can see the beginnings of a compromise between the Counterculture revolutionaries and the conservative government.
1969-1970 Timeline
1969
January
-LBJ----->Nixon transition
April
-Murders of Bobby Kennedy and MLK in the news
-300 students in Harvard’s Students for a Democratic Society involved in accident on campus, more than half are arrested
-People’s Park in Berkely
May
-Zip to Zap, music festival in Oregon, dispersed by cops
-First victim of HIV/AIDS in America dies
June
-SDS office in Chicago overthrown and taken over by the Weathermen
-Stonewall Riot in NYC, beginning of Gay Rights Movement
July
-Action in Vietnam War heats up
August
-Manson family murders
-Woodstock
September
-My Lai massacre
October
-14 black students kicked off of Wyoming State University for wearing black armbands into their coach’s office
-Days Of Rage
-Nuclear tests
-Massive peace demonstrations
November
-Nixon asks for support from the “silent majority” of those who support his efforts in Vietnam
-John Lennon returns his MBE medal to England because they supported the US invasion of Vietnam
December
-Draft lottery is selected for the first time
-Black panthers killed in a party raid
-Altamont free concert
1970 in US
January
-Nigerian civil war ends
-Mick Jagger fined for possession of weed
February
-The Who: Live at Leeds released
-Midwestern man kills his wife and kids and claims “the hippies did it”
March
-Non-Nuclear Proliferation Treaty goes into effect
-Homemade bomb blast kills three members of the Weathermen
-First “Earth Day” is celebrated
April
-Beatles disband
May
-Kent State shootings
-100,000 people protest against Vietnam in DC
-Henry Marrow dead of a hate crime
June
-First female generals in US
August
-Isle of Wright, largest music festival of all time, occurs
September
-Jimi Hendrix dies from drug overdose
October
-Janis Joplin dies of heroin overdose
November
-Democrats sweep midterm election
-Numbers of American Vietnam fatalities are decreasing
December
-EPA is established