August 20th, 2009
Wanderlust, Woodstock, Wanderstock, Woodlust?
I’ve been fascinated with all of the Woodstock coverage this month: images from the event, interviews with organizers, previews for the upcoming Ang Lee movie, Taking Woodstock порно молодыми с зрелых . Watching the 40-year old event come back to life, yet again, I realize only now that I’ve had a deeply implanted reverence for Woodstock for as long as I can remember, and yet I never really stopped to think: Why. What I actually know about the festival is very little. I’ve simply taken it on some kind of collective cultural authority that it mattered…a lot.
In the media coverage of this, the 40-year anniversary, solid arguments have been put forth in support of Woodstock as a turning point, our standard for countercultural youth energy; and strong arguments have been made that it was really only a so-so musical event, an organizational nightmare, and a self-indulgent folly. Detractors chalk its iconic status up to good PR; the festival benefited from being located so close to NYC, the media capital of the world, and from the release of the film one year after the fact, that exposed a broader audience to what was–historically important or not–a visual candy store of images of young, scantily clad, dirty, hungry, happy hippies. Woodstock was well attended, but it was also well analyzed, giving it an air of importance almost immediately. нaчaл дрочить
I happen to think it was probably a little of both. I’m sure it was an organizational nightmare and a self-indulgent folly, but I bet it was also filled with the irresistible energy of youth in revolt.
The thing about a festival is that it is self-conscious. It sets out to make a statement. Those who have bought in–literally, bought the tickets and made the journey–have bought into an agenda. Whether its Woodstock, Burning Man or more recently, Wanderlust, what defines a festival (versus a concert) is the active participation of the attendees in the creation of something bigger, something that might last a weekend, but reverberate for 40 years.
Just the other day, my friend Jeff, one of the organizers of Wanderlust, sent me a link to this photo stream from the event. I share it with you because it’s beautiful and full of promise. As I watched the photos I felt an instant nostalgia for the event I’d experienced only a few weeks before. Take a look, spread the love, and if you feel pulled to the mission that defines the Wanderlust festival, book your trip to Tahoe next summer and I’ll see you there.
posted by schuyler brown
Filed Under: Skyelab