Monday, September 3, 2007

Golden Gate Park , September 2, 2007


I was thirteen during the "Summer of Love". I had just figured out that my parents and society were full of shit. They preached "God is Love" in church, taught us the Golden Rule, created a fantasy world of how it should be, on tv and in movies, then practiced bigotry, intolerance, greed, and violence in the real world. The "Summer of Love" was a time when the children actually tried to practice what they were taught. It was a complete repudiation of our parents and society. Fueled by psychedelic's they tried to create a world without boundaries. No limits. This was the birth of free speech, free love, and free thinking.

The music that came out of San Francisco at this time captured my imagination and touched me in a visceral way. Nothing like it had ever been heard. Here was where musical exploration really took off. Reverb, wah-wah,Leslie's on Hammond B's, echo, and feedback. STEREO !!!
Multi-track recording and special effects were new and represented a new frontier for music.

Unfortunately our children have turned into our parents and we are as ridiculed and trivialized today as much as then. The world was changed and so many of the things that are taken for granted today are a direct result of the passions played out on the streets during this time.

What's so funny about peace, love. and understanding ?

Absolutely nothing to those who didn't close their minds and sell out. Nothing to those who haven't given up on living a life worth living. Nothing to those who have found out how to truly love.




Set Times




Considered the first "Hippy"



Mike Wilhelm


Barry Melton




Dan Hicks



A Hot Lickette


Rowan Brothers


?




Wav
y Gravy, Salmon, and Lobster


An original Digger


My friend the troll


Leopard Man and his Angel



Interesting People









Mat's back stage he's so cool



Taj Mahal


Canned Heat


Paul Kantner gives me the Eye


Not sure who he is but he sure was cool





Brian Auger on the Hammond B


Gotta Love It



Lydia Pense & Cold Blood


C'mon give me a break





By the end the crowd had swollen to maximum engorgment




6 comments:

Russell CJ Duffy said...

takes me back. what a year 67 was huh? i too was 13 then but being a brit preffered 66!

some of those blokes look a little like two of my all time favourite artists...beefheart and zappa.

cool.

Mat said...

'66 was actually the real summer of love in San Francisco. I seem to remember '66 was the mods and rockers?

Anonymous said...

MAXIMUM ENGORGEMENT

Russell CJ Duffy said...

mods and rockers is right but what did it for me was the beatles 'revolver'. dylans 'blonde on blonde' and the mothers first album 'freak out'

and, not that it will mean a thing to you, WE (england)won the world cup!! (about the only time we did but hey!)

Mat said...

Revolver and Rubber Soul were my fav's. Blonde on Blonde, amazing what a voice coach can do.

Maximum Engorgement = Swollen to Bygod.

heliotrope said...

mat...Kantner...had his adopted daughter hanging out here for the weekend...she was cool with a "Betty Boop" kind of voice that was slightly annoying at first...but then her general coolness won out.

funny...I have a pic up of the Airplane from '65 with Skip Spence...one of my heros...Kantner is so young but he looks the same in many ways to your pic of him.

Hope all is well...
helio