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Notes from a Garage

With John Gardiner

The fading Sixties; my favourite 1960's experience; and where to from here.....

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Well, here we go again......back to the Sixties......a familiar topic in this space. And this week, in honour of the 40th anniversary of Woodstock, the greatest arts and music festival in the history of the planet, I think I may talk about the Sixties for the whole darned column....But first, to Woodstock. I was extremely surprised there wasn't more hoopla surrounding a significant anniversary for this event. Perhaps it, like everything else familiar in my world, is fading into the mists of oblivion, and will soon be only a footnote in the history books for generations to come. I am watching the four hour version of the Woodstock movie to celebrate the occasion and, so far, I've not been disappointed by what I've seen. And what I have seen is enormous energy and passion from the performers on stage – check out Joe Cocker doing With a Little Help From My Friends – check out Janis – check out Jimi – check out Santana. It's amazing stuff – perhaps some of the greatest concert footage ever shot. And the simply ginormous crowd – huge beyond compare. Cars strewn like pick-up sticks for miles leading to the event.....Once you "parked" your car, it was really "parked" A big downpour and major electrical storm hit the site. It could have been, and perhaps should have been, a huge catastrophe. But it wasn't....as the organizers were saying after the storm....."It's working....it's a financial disaster, but it's working." It ended up being a free festival because of the throng of humanity that showed up without tickets or money....It was a city of young people – the second largest city in New York State – and there were no police, no basic rules and everyone co-existed under enormously adverse circumstances. It was truly a piece of magic in world history.....we will never see its like again. But back in the day, it was all about a brave new world. And I know the Woodstock generation copped out and sold us down the river into the mess we're in today, but for that small piece of time from about 1962-3 to about 1971, things surely looked like they were going to happen. It looked like the world would be reborn. I'm sorry it didn't happen. I wanted it to....and I'm not sure there's time anymore.....

So, I've got to re-tell this 1960's story, which actually happened in the 1970's – 1971 to be exact. It was the summer of my great hitchhiking expedition with my high school friend, Jim King, who I have lost track of. Jim and I found ourselves hitching along the TransCanada Highway from Ottawa to North Bay. As luck would have it, we ended up in Deep River at about dusk with likely 30 other very scruffy-looking young people. There wasn't much traffic by this time of the night, so we were all resolved to spending a very uncomfortable night in the ditch. Suddenly, out from the town of Deep River came a long line of cars....we wondered what was up. Turned out it was townsfolk coming out to the edge of town to eee if the young people stranded there were in need of food and shelter. So, Jim and I loaded into this old guy's car and he took us back to his place....fed us some food and gave us a place to sleep in his basement. Next morning, he cooked us bacon and eggs, drove us back out to the highway and wished us a safe journey. This is no joke, folks....this actually happened. And apparently during this period, the townspeople in Deep River drove out to the edge of town every evening to rescue stranded young people. And we really were perhaps the scruffiest bunch of young people you could imagine. Long hair, weeks of beard growth, no chance to bathe or wash your clothes....we were a mess. Everyone I tell this story to has a similar reaction...."That could never happen today". And that's so sad. That we have slipped that far back down the slope of civilization. Back in that other time, we were a trusting lot – we always gave our fellow man the benefit of the doubt. It's not like that anymore. These days, no one trusts anyone mostly – we just assume everybody is out to get us. It's too bad. Oh, that we could have learned in that other time....But thanks to the people of Deep River for teaching me a valuable life lesson. It was a special time...and we won't see its like again.

But I know, I know....it's what have you done for me lately? Woodstock is a fading memory and the Sixties are long since over....Where to from here, you might ask? Well, somehow we've got to re-capture the passion and the energy of the Sixties. Right now, we're just going through the motions.....we're not really moving. And the big thing about the Sixties was how different segments of society actually got along and tried to learn to sort of understand each other. Levels of creativiy were off the chart in the Sixties...we need that to happen again. Like another Enlightenment. We need our Moses....someone or something to lead us out of the wilderness...we need to do it together.

Well, there you have it! A bit of nostalgia from the old guy......I'll try to keep off this stuff for a while now....but you know.....Anyway, hope your summer is going well....and remember, "Hew to the line; let the chips fall where they may."



John Gardiner is a 25-year-veteran of the community newspaper business, but he is also a prolific writer of moralistic short fiction he refers to as "emotional thoughtscapes" or "adult fables". Samples of his fiction can be found at:

He has also produced a noteworthy piece of humanist philosophy which can be found at: http://www.xs4all.nl/~aboiten/ad502.htm He welcomes comments on his work.