1. WOODSTOCK
At the beginning I wanted to work about something rock, but there were so many kind of
topic we could talk about…. But if I found and choose this subject it was only thanks to
chance … , a good Jimi Hendrix cd’s too and especially his interpretation of the star spangled
banner.
PICTURES

4. TEXTS
.....We Were Half a Million Strong
A lthough I had brought several rolls of film with me to Woodstock, I only took a
handful of photos.
At the time, I felt as though it was too "establishment" or "commercial" to capture this
moment of time on film.
I also decided not to purchase any t-shirts that were on sale for the same reason.
Well only about 20% of the photos that I did take came out and what I wouldn't do to
have an original Woodstock tee now (one that I got while I was there).
I could just kick myself.
The head count (kind of a pun) for Woodstock ranges from 500,000 to 650,000
depending on who was doing the counting and whether or not they counted those
who were stuck in traffic and were turned away. One estimate was even a high (yes,
another pun) as 1 million!

5. JIMI HENDRIX
Experiencing Jimi Hendrix live at Woodstock in 1969 may have been the most surreal
moment anyone could possibly feel after 3 spacey days of living life. I've heard some describe
it as a strong sense of deja vu. Anyone who has ever experienced The Jimi Hendrix
Experience should right now take a moment to remember the grooves coming out these cat's
earthly instruments...for real.
Hendrix was born on November 27, 1942 in Seattle, WA and began his music career after
being discharged from the Army. His career began in Clarksville, TN which is apparently
where he learned to play the guitar with his teeth as that is the custom there.
With not much success in the South, Hendrix moved to New York where he won an award for
best amateur at the Apollo (that’s pretty much the only time you will hear him called that),
and became the guitarist for the Isley Brothers. From there he gravitated from band to band
and finally began his own and called it The Jimi Hendrix Experience.
The band gained massive amounts of popularity in the UK and eventually the US with the
assistance of highly regarded entries in the cool books of such guitarists as Eric Clapton and

6. Jeff Beck. He was signed to Track Records where he produced records that even the most
faithful practitioners of music snobbery must revere.
Of the 500,000 peak of the people at Woodstock, only about 180,000 fans actually saw
Hendrix’s performance due to weather and an array of technical difficulties. Thus only about
a third of the crowd witnessed one of the most memorable rock and roll performances of all
time as well as Hendrix’s version of the Star Spangled Banner, which is now a symbol of an
entire era.
The two hour set during Woodstock 1969 was the longest of Hendrix’s career and in that span
he’d managed to outpace his entire backing band and continue on his own as a face melting
solo act.
The influence of Hendrix is quite possibly one of the most prevalent of all time and he is still
revered as one of the best guitarists in history 39 years after his death in 1970.
Those who follow rock music undoubtedly are familiar with the sonic train wreck that is often
associated with hard rock which is a direct effect of the style implemented by Hendrix. Hard
rock and heavy metal would be mere myths without the technically sound yet chaotic
brilliance that Hendrix pioneered. The use of the wah-wah pedal combined with pitch changes
in guitar solos which were popularized by Cream are a result of Hendrix’s brilliance and are a
staple in the heavy metal world. The funk style guitar fused with the classic blues feel can be
observed in the music styles of such guitarists as Prince, and Eddie Hazel of Funkadelic .
The myriad of elemints that Hendrix used in his guitar playing encompasses many genres and
stretches to the regions of hip hop as well. Artists such as ?uestlove, Chuck D of Public
Enemy, and Ice-T of Body Count have all claimed Jimi Hendrix as an influence.
Song : Woodstock by joni Mitchell
I came upon a child of god
He was walking along the road
And I asked him, where are you going
And this he told me
I’m going on down to yasgurs farm
I’m going to join in a rock n roll band
I’m going to camp out on the land
I’m going to try an get my soul free
We are stardust
We are golden
And we’ve got to get ourselves
Back to the garden
Then can I walk beside you
I have come here to lose the smog

7. And I feel to be a cog in something turning
Well maybe it is just the time of year
Or maybe its the time of man
[From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/j/joni-mitchell-lyrics/woodstock-lyrics.html ]
I don’t know who l am
But you know life is for learning
We are stardust
We are golden
And we’ve got to get ourselves
Back to the garden
By the time we got to Woodstock
We were half a million strong
And everywhere there was song and celebration
And I dreamed I saw the bombers
Riding shotgun in the sky
And they were turning into butterflies
Above our nation
We are stardust
Billion year old carbon
We are golden
Caught in the devils bargain
And we’ve got to get ourselves
Back to the garden