Someone doesn't like the summer of love
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Review of the exhibit at the DeYoung Museum in SF
But after reading a short explanation of The San Francisco Sound, one is also left with the feeling that we’re being asked (yet again) to revere this era for the sake of reverence, in the name of pure rose-colored folklore, and in the dullest kind of vacuum. Sure, the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane have come to represent not just a musical moment but a tribe, a lifestyle. Can we discuss what came after? What bands they influenced, or even what they stood for? Where can their nonconformist message still be felt in present-day San Francisco, where capitalism run amok has made it difficult if not impossible for artists to survive? Put bluntly: Why are we still talking about this? If it’s for reasons other than to tickle donors and tourists who came of age during this period and will smile fondly at the memories, please show us those.
In the meantime: Right this way, please. We have Jerry Garcia’s hat.
https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/2017/04/12/de-young-summer-of-love-50th-anniversary/
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Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
Pretty spot-on.
Pretty spot-on.
There are few truly safe bets in life, but one solid one for me is that I will not be going near this deal at the DeYoung, or likely any other of these upcoming "celebrations."
It's been my observation over the years that almost no one who was ACTIVELY involved in the actual scene spends much time re-telling or reveling in it. It's younger people or those who were around at the time but still watched from the sidelines who get the most excited about those years in SF.
That being said, IMO "to tickle donors and tourists who came of age during this period and will smile fondly at the memories" is fine, as far as it goes.
There is nothing wrong with a little nostalgia for those who lived in that time, but I agree with the article how the deeper influences & impact of those times are a much more complex and often darker story than is ever told. Which is too bad, because it is an interesting and important story, but it doesn't sell as easily as tie-dye and rose colored glasses.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Ausonius
Sounds about right to me. I
Sounds about right to me. I got over the romantic nostalgia of the era and it's people a long time ago, and I find the need for these anniversary celebrations bizarre.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Ausonius
The linked article about
The linked article about Peter Coyote's tour of the Haight is better:
https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/2016/01/13/haight-ashbury-peter-coyote-tour/
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Roy Batty
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
What do Bucky & Keyshawn have
What do Bucky & Keyshawn have to do with this thread?
And Peter Coyote is one I was thinking of when I said "almost no one who was ACTIVELY involved in the actual scene spends much time re-telling or reveling in it".
He does show up now & then in documentaries and things like that virtual tour, but the story he tells is much different than the one normally told.
And I don't think it's bizarre to celebrate anniversaries. They mark time, and looking back is a good way to see where we've been and where we are now. It's just a bit of a shame that most aspects of that "Summer of Love" era are always remembered in such shallow and clichéd ways.
But those ways and their popular images are still very profitable, and San Francisco is a tourism town so it's not surprising that those images, clichéd or not, are being ramped up and made available for a fee this summer.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: aiq
Broad signpost of a
Broad signpost of a sociological phenomenon. People need simple summaries and catchphrases in lieu of depth.
Still, LSD will be mentioned sooner or later every time it comes up and I know that really pisses off Jeff Sessions.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: St. Mark
I think part of the backlash
I think part of the backlash in response to celebrating the anniversaries of these Baby Boomer music festivals is the fact that we now have many, many music festivals that happen every year and gather thousands (sometimes hundreds of thousands) of people together as a regular matter of course.
In other words, it really doesn't seem like a particularly special cultural event to get a bunch of people together listening to music in a field. It's just called "summer" now.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: skyjunk
How about the history of a
How about the history of a movement that stood up to goverment, ended a war, and started the ecology movement, that really was the forefront of things like global warming, and cleaner air, you know all those thing that Trump is bringing back.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: (~)};)StealYourFace
Newberry
Newberry
but do check out the Jim Marshall SOL photo exhibit in the SF City Hall.
It's Groovy...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Hitchhiker awaiting "true call"
Cool looking museum.
Cool looking museum.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: My Name is
I still have a hard time
I still have a hard time passing up a show that has strong roots in the Woodstock Nation.
I am looking forward to seeing COUNTRY JOE McDONALD & THE ELECTRIC MUSIC BAND in June.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Alias
Several of the "we were there
Several of the "we were there" women I used to know in SF described a fair amount of "acquaintance rape" of underage girls in addition to the regular misogyny (plus good times, etc). Eeeeewwwwwww.
When I lived in San Diego on the beach, I knew a few local not-quite-street people who hung at the beach. Most were cool enough in their own special way. One guy said he had a friend who was unloading a few pieces of furniture, did I want it. Sure. When he came over, he was a little off, I suspected he was high. I split to use the restroom and when I came out he had his dick out and was spanking it. I was all "HELLNOGETTHEFUCKOUT!!!". His comment "I really miss the 60's, when people were cool."
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: My Name is
Hey Alias, I think you and
Hey Alias, I think you and Redneck might like this Country Joe show June 10
The programme will include in its entirety Country Joe & The Fish’s landmark 1967 debut album “Electric Music For The Mind & Body,” along with an acoustic segment. On the former material, Joe will be backed by the Electric Music Band, a quintet led by Grammy-nominated writer and archivist Alec Palao. Joining him to accompany McDonald are guitarists Matt Piucci (Rain Parade, Hellenes) and Derek See (Gentle Cycle, Strangers In A Strange Land), Jozef Becker (Thin White Rope, Loud Family) on drums and Andrea Hensler (Flower Furnace, Jean Genies). EMB will be opening the show with a set of classic covers from the era.
Palao assures that the proceedings will “exceedingly psychedelic”.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Sideshow Bob
Uber Snootier Than Thou.
Uber Snootier Than Thou. Sounds about right for the Bay Area . . .
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Cam
If you focus on the
If you focus on the extraneous bullshit, without focusing on the acid, it can be a bit tedious of a historical reflection.
The paradigm shift wasn't just for the sake of weirdness, nor was it just for the sake of love.
In this age, people, the aforementioned author included, are bored by the concept of love saving the world.
Call it the Summer of LSD instead, and see how much more exciting it becomes as a historical document.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Is forgiveness possible?
Can St. Mark ever pass over a
Can St. Mark ever pass over a chance to whine and cry about baby boomers?