That's it, I'm firing up my time machine and heading to SF circa 1967

[Taverner]

I'm going to move to Haight Street and start a band

I think I'll call our band "The Police" and do all kinds of rock/reggae fusion

And I'll play at Woodstock!

[wtbymark]

1. Say High to Jerry for me while you're there..

[lob1]

2. Hey, I saw you there, man. You rocked. Whatever happened to you?

[Taverner]

3. I dunno - some English teacher named Gordon stole all our material!

[lob1]

23. Hey, I saw Gordon, too. He rocked! He sounded a lot like you.

[SpiralHawk]

4. Be sure

to wear some flowers in your hair

[slackmaster]

5. Watch out for the bad antacid that was going around back then

:hi:

[SpiralHawk]

7. "That was the style back then. Bad antacid & turnips." - Gramps

[spanone]

6. you're gonna have to wait a while since the police didn't form till the late 70's...good luck

[Taverner]

9. Even better! We'll be way ahead of our time!

Of course people will say "Marley who???"

[spanone]

11. i smelled genius from the first letter you typed....can i go too?

[Taverner]

13. Sure! In fact, if we go back to 66 we could actually learn our instruments!

[spanone]

17. naw it's the new millenia, you don't need to play or sing!!!! it's fookin' great

[FailingParachute]

8. I wanted to go to Monterey in the worst way

Mom and Dad, for some strange reason, would not let their 16 year-old travel cross country on the back of his cousin's motorcycle.

They couldn't stop me from Woodstock though (they tried), so at least I was 1 for 2.

[mulsh]

20. I missed Monterey but went to the Fantasy Fair on Tam.

for some reason my school teacher Dad thought it would be educational for his ten year old twins to attend with him.

http://blogs.marinij.com/marinhistory/mount_tamalpais/

and it was, it was.

Performers For Saturday were:
P.F.Sloan
The Grass Roots
Moby Grape
The 13th Floor Elevator
Spanky and Our Gang
Rodger Collins
Blackburn and Snow
Every Mother's Son
The Sons of Champlain
Jefferson Airplane
The Mojo Men
The Merry Go Round

The Performers for Sunday were:
The Byrds
The Loading Zone
Tim Buckley
The Doors
Every Mother's Son
Wilson Pickett
Hugh Maskela
The Steve Miller Blues Band
The Seeds
Country Joe and the Fish
Smokey Robinson and The Miracles

[Taverner]

22. Tim Buckley - one of the most underrated acts of the 60's

[timtom]

42. Tim freaking Buckley!

His first two albums are still among my favorites. His voice was incredible.

[Blue_In_AK]

26. Three of my favorites there

13th Floor Elevators
Tim Buckley
Country Joe & the Fish

:) I'm happy now.

[timtom]

41. 13th Floor Elevators

His brother used to play jazz guitar in a bar I ran in Austin in the late 70's. Roky's mom would sit on a couch at the rear and watch.

[Blue_In_AK]

46. I used to see Roky and the Elevators

play at the University of Houston in 1967-68. They were really phenomenal live. Easter Everywhere is still one of my favorite albums.

[Brother Buzz]

62. I attended Sunday

KFRC promoted the event and my my curiosity was piqued. I was fifteen but grew up attending Mountain Plays in the amphitheater and hiking the east slopes of Mount Tam so I had a plan. I scratched up the dough and purchased my ticket from Village Music, Mill Valley. I took the bus up but hiked down, it was a grand day.

[Capn Sunshine]

55. Just the opposite for me!

Monterey was so close, and I went to Haight every weekend in '67. The whole concert was like a happy accident, we went to Monterey the same weekend the festival was happening without knowing. But come Woodstock, it was as far from home as you could be and still be in the USA (almost a direct diagonal from So Cal and my father knew there was not good odds my Porsche would make it that far and back without needing some attention. I was pretty naive for being the hippest teenager on the planet; I thought there were VW-Porsche mechanics everywhere like there were in CA. Beyond that, I didn't have the bucks to go and needed an advance. No Woodstock.

[JuniperLea]

10. Come Back Woody Guthrie!

It's Christmastime in Washington
The Democrats rehearsed
Gettin' into gear for four more years
Things not gettin' worse
The Republicans drink whiskey neat
And thanked their lucky stars
They said, 'He cannot seek another term
They'll be no more FDRs'
I sat home in Tennessee
Staring at the screen
With an uneasy feeling in my chest
And I'm wonderin' what it means

Chorus:
So come back Woody Guthrie
Come back to us now
Tear your eyes from paradise
And rise again somehow
If you run into Jesus
Maybe he can help you out
Come back Woody Guthrie to us now

I followed in your footsteps once
Back in my travelin' days
Somewhere I failed to find your trail
Now I'm stumblin' through the haze
But there's killers on the highway now
And a man can't get around
So I sold my soul for wheels that roll
Now I'm stuck here in this town

Chorus

There's foxes in the hen house
Cows out in the corn
The unions have been busted
Their proud red banners torn
To listen to the radio
You'd think that all was well
But you and me and Cisco know
It's going straight to hell

So come back, Emma Goldman
Rise up, old Joe Hill
The barracades are goin' up
They cannot break our will
Come back to us, Malcolm X
And Martin Luther King
We're marching into Selma
As the bells of freedom ring

[Taverner]

12. Ahhhh a shout out to Emma Goldman - my heroine

She rawked in a way that no one has rawked since...

[Gabi Hayes]

14. you might like this cd/book combo. I got it from my library and IPodded all four discs:

the book is really interesting, and the pix are fantastic. Grace Slick is achingly beautiful in many shots, and the 'costumes' everybody wears are quite the thing. well worth a look

http://www.rhino.com/store/ProductDetail.lasso?Number=165564

Disc 1, “Seismic Rumbles,” maps the divergent fault lines separating the tradition pop flavors of the early 1960s from San Francisco's emerging bands that were inspired by the more complex rock and roll of The Beatles and Bob Dylan. Highlights include “Can't Come Down” from Dead precursors The Warlocks, the demo for Quicksilver Messenger Service's “Who Do You Love,” the earliest incarnation of the Airplane on “It's No Secret,” “I Feel Like I'm Fixin' To Die Rag” from Country Joe & The Fish and “Mr. Jones (A Ballad Of A Thin Man)” from a prehistoric Grass Roots ensemble.


Disc 2, “Suburbia,” takes a trip to the nearby burgs of Berkeley, Sausalito, Sacramento, and San Jose to explore the garage, folk-rock, and musically-hybrid psychotic reactions to San Francisco's psychedelic stew. Stand-out tracks include Teddy & His Patches “Suzy Creamcheese,” The Chocolate Watchband's “No Way Out,” and Frumious Bandersnatch's “Hearts To Cry.”


Disc 3, “Summer Of Love,” celebrates the myriad riches of that era-defining season, featuring classics from iconic artists including Jefferson Airplane's “White Rabbit,” Santana's “Soul Sacrifice,” the Dead's “The Golden Road,” and Grace Slick and The Great! Society's “Somebody To Love.” Plus Moby Grape's “Omaha,” Blue Cheer's “Summertime Blues,” Sly & The Family Stone's “Underdog,” The Charlatans' “Alabama Bound” and the Steve Miller Band's “Roll With It.”


Disc 4, “The Man Can't Bust Our Music,” charts the visionary artistry and mind-blowing evolution of the maturing San Francisco sound - an epic musical wellspring that changed the course of rock and roll and gave birth to freeform FM radio. Stand-out tracks, among the greatest in 20th century rock, include Santana's “Evil Ways,” Janis' “Mercedes Benz,” “White Bird” from It's A Beautiful Day and the Dead's “Dark Star.”


The 4-disc compilation, produced by rock historian Alec Palao, comes in the form of a deluxe hardbound book with 120 pages of sumptuous, rarely seen photos, plus track notes by Palao and essays by Ben Fong- Torres, a writer and editor at Rolling Stone Magazine during its earliest days (and many years after), and music journalist Gene Sculatti, all three with deep roots in the S.F. Bay area.

[buzzycrumbhunger]

15. The Police in 1967?

Your parallel universe is messed up, man. Sting was all of 15 or 16 back then and the Police were still 10 years in the future. ;)

[Taverner]

16. Exactly! We'll be considered way ahead of our time!

Kind of like Michael J Fox's guitar solo in "Back to the Future"

[buzzycrumbhunger]

30. Doh!

Hang on, then. There's probably a crapload of history we can take advantage of, if that's your angle. We can save some people, win a lottery or 100, and get in on the ground floor of some serious technology. On the way back, we should score a gross of acid and stop off in Cupertino about 1976. :)

[Taverner]

34. Cool! We can drop with Steve Jobs!

I just want to play Police music

As a guitarist, the police are hands down the funnest music to play, once you get the rhythm.

[buzzycrumbhunger]

36. Hehe--my point exactly.

I don't play anything, but I bet I have killer groupie talents I haven't explored (much), and as I was too young to follow my brother to SF back then, I have a lot to make up for! :)

[1]

18. be sure to wear some flowers in your hair...

[leveymg]

19. The Haight was already Dead by the Summer of Love

Set the wayback machine back another click.

[Taverner]

21. Um, yeah that pic sure looks dead...

NOT!!!!

[leveymg]

27. That's what Kesey said. Don't shoot me, I'm only reporting!

The Merry Pranksters cross-country road trip on the day-glo painted school bus nicknamed Further. The Merry Pranksters painting the bus at Kesey's home in La Honda, California, the bus leaving La Honda in June 1964, down into Berkeley, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Big Sur, through Arizona, the Southwest, Louisiana and New Orleans, through Pensacola, Florida and up the East Coast into New York City, in which the Pranksters are seen arriving by way of the New Jersey Turnpike in July 1964. Featured are the numerous wild adventures inside the bus, including Neal Cassady at the wheel. There is also footage of the Pranksters' arrival on the bus Further (without Kesey) to the 1969 Woodstock music festival, acid tests at the Kesey home in La Honda and other California venues backed by music played by the Grateful Dead (before LSD became an illegal substance in 1966).

FURTHER

[Winterblues]

32. Depends upon what you mean by dead

I was there throughout the summer of '67 and it sure didn't seem dead to me..I lived on Fell and Divisedero(sp)..four blocks off Haight..

[leveymg]

37. I was a few clicks too young, alas, so it's tribal songs and lore.

Didn't make it to Bay Area until the early '80s. Still glowed.

What was the single best trip or memory for you?

[Winterblues]

43. Gracie Slick and Jefferson Airplane in Golden Gate Park

There was an almost constant free concert happening during that summer. Some really top names played for free, plus I was young and dumb and full of cum. I was in heaven..

[Taverner]

45. "Young, Dumb and full of Cum" - did you come up with that?

Genius if so!

[Blue_In_AK]

47. When were you living there, WinterBlues?

A little before me, I take it. I moved there the summer of '69. Hmm, sounds like a song. Funny we both ended up in Alaska.

[Capn Sunshine]

56. Hey man, so was I!

Did you know Steve?
PS I crashed in Alameda and commuted :)

[bedazzled]

66. i thought so, too! all of the vultures had arrived by then.

including charlie manson...

1965 and 66 were better.

[damntexdem]

24. Fine, but don't expect to find that warm San Francisco night.

There just aren't any warm San Francisco nights.

[Taverner]

25. Having lived here most of my life, I concur

[Blue_In_AK]

28. But you know what?

The night of that WestFest a few weeks ago, was really warm - I was amazed. (I lived in SF/Marin from 1969 to 1974)

Did you see my photos here? http://northernvisions.smugmug.com/Travel/Oakland-San-Francisco-Westfest/10143472_umU7n#697547741_aPodf

[Taverner]

29. Are you sure it was REALLY warm?

Those pictures look cold - I am envisioning one of those clear days with wind blowing cold air all over the place!

[Blue_In_AK]

31. No, actually, it really was warm.

Of course, I'm from Alaska so my inner thermostat may be skewed somewhat. I believe it was in the high 70s during the day and by the time we all let out just at sunset, it was real mild, no wind at all. Even my friend, who has lived down there since 1969, commented on how unseasonable it was.

I nearly died in Oakland the day before. It was sweltering.

[Taverner]

35. Ah well Oakland can get warm

Best kept secret of the bay area!

[PJPhreak]

48. Picture 62 is a longtime acquaintance of mine!

The Gent with the long brown hair....Known him since my "Deadhead Daze" !!

[Blue_In_AK]

49. No kidding!?

Are you still in touch? Maybe you want to pass this on to him. He and his lady friend really caught my eye as I was scanning the crowd with my telephoto lens. They so look the part. :hippie:

[PJPhreak]

54. We havent kept in touch...

The last time I spoke to him was in 2003 when I was in Tucson...I set up a network for his office.


His name is Robert Keating....Yes of "Those" Keatings,Think S&L Crisis of the late eighties. Not That Robert Keating,But a "Very" Close relative.

Like I said he is only a acquaintance,not a close friend....Don't let the "Hippie Suit" fool ya,He is Not a nice person.

[DU GrovelBot]

33. ## PLEASE DONATE TO DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND! ##

This week is our fourth quarter 2009 fund drive. Democratic Underground is
a completely independent website. We depend on donations from our members
to cover our costs. Please take a moment to donate! Thank you!

[Taverner]

44. BOT - BOT - GROVEL - BOT

BOT - BOT - GROVEL - BOT
BOT - BOT - GROVEL - BOT
BOT - BOT - GROVEL - GROVEL - BOT - BOT
BOT - BOT - GROVEL - BOT

[timtom]

38. Je me souviens.

I got out of the Marine Corps October 1966 and moved to San Francisco/Oakland (we moved back and forth a couple of times). Scott McKenzie. "When You Come to San Francisco." The Diggers in Golden Gate Park panhandle giving out free pancake breakfasts.

Robert Crumb got there about the same time. He ended up in the Haight, and I ended up in Berkeley as part of the Telegraph Avenue scene.

[conscious evolution]

39. Lets meet up there/then

I'll be the guy wearing a tye dye shirt.

[DearAbby]

40. May be cool this time around

I was only 12 then, had to be in the house by 8:00 pm.

[blues90]

50. I lived through all of it .

Trouble is if the time machine does not alter the future as in the book then I would have to go through it and relive it up until today all over again and there is no way I could handle that.

[GreenTea]

51. SF in 1966 - By 67 it was all but over, most of the people were leaving for rural areas...

The media had gotten wind of it and was there by 67 and fucking distorted everything, so every derelict started coming to our town...very soon hard drugs - heroin & speed started to dominate over psychedelics and pot...the republican governor (Reagan) was focusing on destroying nonconformist with undercover, subverting and blaming the counter-culture for everything.

1965 & 1966 was the time to be in SF...before everyone around the country started hearing about it...

And as many have said, uh-oh once the media gets a hold of it...it can't last....read about the days before 1967...month's before the media labeled it, the Summer of Love, it was over..No doubt things evolved out of SF for years afterward, even in 67....

But for real purity and community and sharing and really trying to get it right and saying fuck you to the usual boring conformity consumers & workers they wanted to box everyone into, it was 65 & 66.

On January 14th 1967 with the Gathering of the Tribes - Human Be-In, in Golden Gate Park...And then in comes the media...The Haight & community, started to rapidly go down hill....and many people started moving on to Northern CA, Southern OR, New Mexico & elsewhere to get away from it all, onto rural areas to truly, "do their own thing"!

Even the wonderful "Diggers" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diggers_%28theater%29 In October 1967, they staged The Death of Hippie, a parade in the Haight-Ashbury where masked participants carried a coffin with the words "Hippie--Son of Media" on the side....

All things have their roots and the roots of SF counter-culture really was in full swing in 1965 & 66 - Again, as 1967 rolled around it was dying off quickly and commercialism came in and exploited every aspect of SF alternative culture big time....Just look at how Hollywood portrayed it with fucking Nero jackets & 'groovy" phony haircuts & psychedelic colors & lights along with their bullshit music...talk about materialism, the complete opposite of what was happening in the Haight BEFORE 1967!!

[RagAss]

52. Great post....Thanks for the history.

[Capn Sunshine]

57. That nails the history...

of the actual "Heads" who were vanguards of the "movement" but the word, the vibe , the freedom, the great parties, the many many duplications and emulations of the Pranksters, that was still going strong, along with the same scene on the Sunset Strip, and the resulting party by those more into hedonism than a new civilization, THAT was definitely still happening, and quite a Party it was.

[GreenTea]

59. Yes I know....

I was born and grew up in the city (SF) I caught the tail end, and the words I wrote above is from my perspective as a young watcher and later (15 years old - 1968 Avalon - my first show) participant. And I definitely agree it was a party, but loving the true idealism that changed my life, I'm also a student of the time in the city (65 through 67) when I was simply a bit too young to really understand it then. As I said my first show was at 15 at the Avalon Ballroom in 68, that change my perspective and my whole life....(but I also believe Kesey was heading back to Oregon (Eugene) as well by 67 or 68)....But believe me I can go into much more greater detail of the time and times I had and saw, and yes it was fun and some great positive changes....I just wanted those who cared to know it wasn't what the media portrayed it before they busted in on the realness and the party in 1967....

[phasma ex machina]

58. PBS does a fair job of showing the decline of the Haight during 1967 in

Summer of Love. It's the ultimate irony to watch some of the morons who promoted "Summer of Love" slither away and leave the social mess that they helped create to responsible people who warned early on that SF could not handle such a human tide.

[GreenTea]

61. I saw that...There is also a good book...

mostly about the music...but you can't just talk about the music without mentioning the reasons it occurred and what it was all about....And the writer, Joel Selvin, who was there living it and later became the SF Chronicle music columnist and I believe, still is...does a pretty decent job describing the music evolution of the Haight via Virginia City (the Charltans) to the whole SF music & cultural scene and the SF bands...In so much as Selvin paints a decent picture of the the ego's, the media and the money that got to those who gave into it....and the inevitable.

Oh yeah, the book is appropriately titled, Summer of Love - by Joel Selvin

I'm pretty sure Selvin was also in, and describing his perspective for the PBS doc you mentioned...the PBS doc though goes much deeper into the decline & cultural aspects as I was trying to write about above than Selvin's book....That I find just as interesting & important as the music, light shows, posters and artist of that historical time in SF.

[phasma ex machina]

65. Looks like my kind of book. Thanks for sharing. nt

[Lagomorph]

53. I'll go with you.

I want to look up Jim Morrison. I've got some great song ideas! :headbang:

[bedazzled]

67. i wish i could've seen the doors....

sigh

they played at a CATHOLIC high school two miles away
from my home. union catholic -- pretty progressive
for roman catholics! the who played on my street in 1967
at holy trinity high school in westfield, new jersey.

those were the days.

i was, alas, only 9.

[bridgit]

60. ^_^

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ug-qQ6fXevo

[dysfunctional press]

63. why not dial it a little further back, first...

and (just for shits and gigs, mind you) have both poppy and babs aborted in their respective wombs...?

thanks in advance.

or is it already after the fact?

time paradoxes make my head hurt.

[Norrin Radd]

64. It's the duty of anyone with a time machine to kill Hitler and

break the nose off The Great Sphinx of Giza.

[Orsino]

68. I'd be pleased if the time traveler just made sure to take plenty of pictures of the young W. n/t