A GENERATIONAL REVOLUTION

WOODSTOCK IN THE SUMMER OF 1969, THOUSANDS OF YOUNG AMERICANS GATHERED ATIAS GER'S FARM AND JAMMED ALONG WITH JIMI HENDRIX, JANIS JOPLIN, RICHIE HAVENS AND SO MANY MORE ICONIC MUSIC SOUNDS.

IT WAS A FESTIVAL OF MUSIC AND LIFE COUPLED WITH THE BURGEONING SEXUAL AND DRUG LIBERATION OF THE TIME.

AS 138 CELEBRATES THE SUMMER OF '69, LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT WOODSTOCK MYTHES THE VERSUS WOODSTOCK REALITY AND JOINING US NOW TO YOU GO ALONG ON THIS TRIP AND TO DISCUSS HOW WOODSTOCK MARKED THE END OF AN ERA FOR THE ENTIRE COUNTRY AND THE BEGINNING OF A NEW ONE, ONE OF OUR FAVORITE GUESTS PROFESSOR ROBERT THOMPSON, FOUNDING DIRECTOR OF AMONG OTHER THINGS THE FOUNDER DIRECTOR OF THE BLEIER CENTER FOR TELEVISION AND POPULAR CULTURE AT SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY.

ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO HAVE YOU HERE WITH US TO TALK ABOUT ALL OF THESE THINGS.

LET ME START WITH WHAT WAS THE LURE?

I MEAN OBVIOUSLY THE MUSIC WAS ATTRACTIVE.

BUT WHAT WAS -- WHAT WAS?

WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION THAT BROUGHT SO MANY PEOPLE TO THIS PLACE.

YEAH, YOU KNOW PART OF IT WAS JUST MAGIC.

IT WAS KIND OF A DISORGANIZED THING.

IF YOU GO BACK AND SEE HOW -- IT WAS ORALLY GOING TO HAVE TICKETS AND THEN THEY HAVE TO OPEN IT TO FREE.

THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE THING SET UP.

TRAFFIC WAS COMPLETELY NOT ACCOUNTED FOR.

BUT FOR ALL NUMBER OF REASONS, DOZEN OF THESE GREAT PEOPLE PLAYING, THIS BECAME KIND OF THE SIREN CALL IN THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE COUNTER CULTURE TO COME, COME, COME TO WOODSTOCK.

SOMETHING REALLY SPECIAL WILL HAPPEN THERE.

AND SOMETHING DID.

AND I DON'T THINK IT WAS THE MUSIC.

THE MUSIC ONLY BECAME IMPORTANT WHEN THE FILM CAME OUT AND WHEN THE SOUND TRACK CAME OUT.

LET'S FACE IT, MOST OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO WERE THERE WERE SO FAR AWAY THEY COULDN'T EVEN SEE THE BAND LET ALONE HEAR THEM.

THE SOUND SYSTEM WASN'T DESIGNED FOR THAT MANY PEOPLE.

THIS WAS SO MUCH MORE ABOUT A HAPPENING AND IN MANY WAYS YOU AND I, YOU WORRYING ABOUT YOUR SUMMER JOB, THAT SO ESTABLISHMENT, THE FACT AN THAT WE DIDN'T GO WAS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THEY WANTED TO.

LET'S TALK ABOUT SOME OF THOSE MYTHS VERSUS REALITIES.

ALL RIGHT?

SO THE FIRST ONE YOU TOUCHED ON, THE NOTION OF THE MUSIC, FABULOUS MUSIC.

LEGENDRY PERFORMERS BUT NOT THAT MANY PEOPLE ACTUALLY GOT TO HEAR THEM.

IN SO MANY WAYS SO MANY MORE PEOPLE SHOWED UP THAN WAS EXPECTED.

MOST PEOPLE WERE WAY, WAY FAR BACK.

AND LET'S REMEMBER, THIS IS BEFORE THEY HAD THE BIG VIDEO SCREENS SO ALL YOU HAD TO DO IS LOOK YONDER AT THOSE TINY, TINY THINGS THAT MAY OR MAY NOT BE THE PEOPLE PERFORMING.

SO THE MUSIC WAS IMPORTANT, THAT WAS WHY THEY WERE THERE.

THAT'S WHAT BROUGHT THEM THERE BUT ONCE THEY GOT THERE IT WAS ABOUT ALL OF THIS OTHER STUFF.

SEE A COUPLE OF INTERESTING THINGS.

ONE YOU MENTION THE FACT THAT THIS IS ONE OF THOSE EVENTS THAT SO MANY MORE PEOPLE SAY YEAH, I WAS AT WOODSTOCK.

YOU LOOK AT THEM AND SAY NO, YOU WEREN'T.

BEYOND THAT, WE TALKED ABOUT THE MUSIC.

IT'S THIS SORT OF THIS VISION, THE MYTH OF THIS IDEAL LICK GATHERING IN MEADOWS AND LOVELY SORT OF PERSONAL INTERACTIONS.

TALK ABOUT LIKE THE WEATHER AND THE MUD AND THE FACILITIES, FOOD, WHAT WAS THAT ALL ABOUT?

THIS WAS IS THE PERFECT MANIFESTATION OF THE COUNTER CULTURE OF THE HIM HAD IIE MOVEMENT AS WE CALLED IT BACK THEN.

YOU'RE RIGHT.

THIS WAS BACK TO THE GARDEN.

IT WAS A DAIRY FARM, FOR HEAVEN'S SAKES.

THIS REALLY DID YOU KNOW, IN SO MANY WAYS WAS THE EPITOME OF WHAT SO MUCH OF THE COUNTER CULTURE WAS ABOUT.

AND WHEN THEY GOT THERE, NATURE CONTINUED TO COOPERATE BY RAINING AND MAKING MUD AND ALLOWING PEOPLE TO LITERALLY BECOME ONE WITH NATURE AS THEY FELL IN THE MUD.

AND THEY DIDN'T MIND.

I THINK MOST AUDIENCES TODAY WOULD NEVER TOLERATE THE CONDITIONS AT WOODSTOCK.

THE LACK OF ENOUGH BATHROOMS, LACK OF FOOD AND WATER AND ALL THE REST OF IT.

BUT SOMEHOW THAT BACK TO THE GARDEN THING REALLY WORKED.

WELL, AS WE SAID, IT WAS EIGHT FASCINATING MOMENT IN TIME THAT CAPTURED SO MUCH OF WHAT WAS GOING ON IN OUR CULTURE AND OUR SOCIETY BACK THEN.

AND WHEN WE HAVE YOU ON HERE, IT ALWAYS ILLUSTRATES TO ME WHY YOU'RE SUCH AN EXTRAORDINARY TEACHER BECAUSE WE LEARNED SO MUCH FROM YOU IN OUR CONVERSATIONS.

PROFESSOR ROBERT THOMPSON -- IT'S ALWAYS OUR PLEASURE TO HAVE YOU HERE WITH US AND SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS.

WE'LL LOOK FORWARD TO OUR NEXT CONVERSATION.

THANKS AGAIN FOR JOINING US AND YOU BE WELL.