2AM Traffic

I had been wanting to see the 1970 Woodstock documentary for a few weeks before I finally broke down and picked up a copy of the new 2-disc 40th anniversary edition director's cut. I watched it over a couple of days. It's pretty phenomenal.

Lately I've been feeling a compulsion to investigate some of the history of popular music. This time last month I probably couldn't have identified a quarter of the acts that played at the Woodstock festival. Now I know how powerful Joe Cocker's cover of "With a Little Help From My Friends" was, and how it stood as an anthem for a generation of young people who wanted to put a stop to a war they thought was unjust. Now I know about the hypnotizing ability of Santana drummer Michael Shrieve, who performs the best drum solo I've ever heard during the band's performance of "Soul Sacrifice". Now I know about the counterbalance of Joan Baez, whose acapella performance of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" resonated across a sea of 400,000 people, and Janice Joplin, who appeared to come apart at the seams as she sang just over a year before her death. I've seen the size of Richie Havens' hands as he not so much played but attacked an acoustic guitar to open the show, and Jimi Hendrix's skillful forays into noise during his rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner to close it.

It reminded me of the festival shows I used to frequent a few years back, but Woodstock carried with it a far different feeling. What made the event so special was the nearly blind faith of the organizers that it would successfully capture and promote a sentiment that was purely of the time. I've always thought of the 60's as a time far removed from the world in which I grew up, but they were kids just like I was. Some of them looked just like typical kids of today.

I went back at looked at the revival of the shows in 1994 and 1999, the latter of which I remember a bit more vividly. Woodstock 1999 ended in violence and anger. The show featured loud, aggressive and testosterone-fueled acts that incited the crowd to riot. It was such an embarrassment.

It's been forty years since Woodstock and I can't imagine another event of that size taking place, especially with the labels in the shape they're in today. But eventually, slowly but surely, a new group of young people are going to want to say that enough is enough. Music will break free of commercialism and hundreds of thousands will flock to celebrate it again. It's an ideal that I'd like to see renew itself. All it will take is a positive use of the technology we have at our disposal and the right set of principles that no product or marketing plan can sell us. Music was an expression of our humanity not too long ago. It will feel that way again.

Some other notes that I've been meaning to write lately: I'd like to start updating a blog every day again, but one that takes a look at issues that are going on in the world. I've been blogging for about ten years now and I miss the communal feel of certain blogs I used to run. Nobody seems to write or comment any longer. I miss reading about what people had on their minds. A lot of people have become stagnant in expressing themselves through the blogging medium (myself included).

I'd like my next blog to be the first completely and totally open blog that I run. In the past, I've worried about posting material that some of the people I know might find objectionable, but I'm becoming less inclined to write updates that delve into the kind of controversy I used to envision. I've been thinking of extending it off of wireandlight.ca along with the film reviews I've been writing lately. Wire and Light can encompass a creative hub that meets the needs of my ever-changing artistic inclinations.

I've started working on a live show for Wire and Light. I need to write a set list down so that I can hone it.

I'll be in Europe in less than a month. I'll be back with more thoughts on that next time.