T H E M O N T E R E Y C O U N T Y H E R A L D • S U N D A Y , J U N E 1 0 , 2 0 0 7 MONTEREY INTERNATIONAL POP FESTIVAL ♥ 1967-2007 ♥ THE SUMMER OF LOVE T H E F E S T I V A L “The Pop Festival was an event that altered our world from the inside out. The Monterey International Pop Festival was a seminal event in rock ’n’ roll history — and defined Through our ears, eyes and minds, a new culture redirected the future.” a generation that embraced peace, love and — John Bassett McCleary, author change. The unprecedented bill of musically diverse acts showed rock’s power to change the world. Preceding Woodstock by two years, it was the first major rock festival, the first ever rock charity event and spawned the first ever rock concert movie. For one weekend, June 16-18, 1967, the harsh 40 YEARS AGO realities of the Vietnam War — student unrest, the Cold B y J O H N B A S S E T T M c C L E A R Y War, racism, urban riots, Herald Correspondent poverty and domestic he sun was shining on 30,000 politics — were forgotten music lovers. Even the and even transcended. morning fog sparkled. The artists performed for Harmonica notes flowed Poster by Tom Wilkes free, with all revenue between the oaks and pines. donated to charity through the nonprofit Monterey Festival Foundation. TGuitar riffs tore through leaves. Estimated weekend attendance figures went as Lovers cuddled in their sleeping bags high as 200,000, and the festival is remembered amid the sweet smell of green fondly as the apex of the so-called Summer of Love. dreams. The Monterey International Pop T H E S T A F F Festival on June 16, 17 and 18, 1967, was not just a musical event. It was not just an excuse COMMENTARY for young people to come together to do frivolous, youthful things. It was the beginning of a new kind of gathering. It was the beginning of a new form of music. It was the beginning of a political and spiritual SPECIAL TO THE HERALD John McCleary movement. ➤ Directors: From left: Lou Adler and John Phillips Everyone who ➤ Emcees: Eric Burdon, David Crosby, Bill Graham, attended Chet Helms, Brian Jones, John Phillips, Paul Monterey Pop Simon, Tommy Smothers, Peter Tork was changed by ➤ Film crew: D.A. Pennebaker and Associates the experience. ➤ Founding board of directors: Lou Adler, Donovan, First, we stopped Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, Roger McGuinn, using words such Terry Melcher, Andrew Oldham, Alan Pariser, as “attended.” Johnny Rivers, John Phillips, Smokey Robinson, “Made the scene” Paul Simon, Brian Wilson was more like it. Secondly, we T H E L I N E U P became “The Hippie “experienced,” Friday, June 16 Dictionary: A really The Association; The Paupers; Lou Rawls; Cultural experienced, not Beverly; Johnny Rivers; Eric Burdon and The Encyclopedia of the just for a résumé, Animals; Simon and Garfunkel 1960s and 1970s,” but spiritually and Saturday, June 17 by John Bassett politically. Canned Heat; Big Brother and The Holding McCleary (Ten Company (with Janis Joplin); Country Joe and The The Pop Speed Press) Festival was an Fish; Al Kooper; The Paul Butterfield Blues Band; PHOTO BY ED CARAEFF/Special to The Herald Quicksilver Messenger Service; Steve Miller Band; event that altered Perhaps the most iconic image of the Monterey International Pop Festival was The Electric Flag; Moby Grape; Hugh Masekela; The our world from the inside out. this colorized photo of Jimi Hendrix lighting his guitar on fire. Byrds; Laura Nyro; Jefferson Airplane; Booker T Through our ears, eyes and minds, a and The MGs; Otis Redding new culture redirected the future. Sunday, June 18 In each generation there are the “greatest” generation. My 1960s. Yes, the Monterey Ravi Shankar; The Blues Project; Big Brother defining moments. For some, Pearl generation is responsible for a lot International Pop Festival was a and The Holding Company; The Group With No Harbor may be that point. To others it more than just S, D and R&R. love-in! Name; Buffalo Springfield; The Who; The Grateful could be 9/11. For me it was Let’s make a list: the civil rights If you choose to consider only the Dead; The Jimi Hendrix Experience; Scott movement, anti-war, ecology, McKenzie; The Mamas and The Papas Monterey Pop and Woodstock. Of music of Monterey Pop, that alone is course, this opens my generation up women’s liberation, men’s lib, gay and a story of many dimensions. That to a flood of ridicule. lesbian rights, health and whole food, event brought into prominence two of S E C T I O N C R E D I T S Many folks think that sex, drugs exercise and body awareness, new the most memorable performers of and rock ’n’ roll were the only spirituality and all self-help the past 100 years and the future 100. ➤ Cover design: James Hererra/The contributions of the hippie culture. movements. Oprah wouldn’t have a Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin were Herald. Photos of Janis Joplin and police Yes, I said hippie culture. job if it weren’t for the Hippie both triumphant and tragic. officer courtesy of Elaine Mayes. I am a hippie and proud of it, and, Counterculture! Ravi Shankar and his Eastern soul ➤ Editor, layout and design: Mike Hale yes, there is a hippie culture. My It all started with the Beatnik ➤ Copy editor: David Jackson generation is the peace generation, mentality of the 1950s and the people who came along right after germinated at the love-ins of the Please see McCleary page 3 MONTEREY INTERNATIONAL POP FESTIVAL ♥ 1967-2007 ♥ THE SUMMER OF LOVE counterculture. McCleary But we were the guinea pigs, and now it seems we did not die in vain because people are starting to listen. From page 2 The flower child has not wilted. Our idealism was founded in a compassion More than for this Earth and its inhabitants. The and music introduced a generation of 20,000 fans sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll for which we spiritually-starved people to the camped were ridiculed has been proven to be of possibility of other religions. Ravi was peacefully on a purity that shines in comparison to presented to America at the Pop the football what we see displayed today. Festival. We were now given the field at In 1980 several things happened to opportunity to choose our own derail the evolution of mankind. John religions, not that of our parents. Monterey Lennon was killed, Ronald Reagan was And then psychedelic music was born Peninsula elected and Bo Derek was voted a 10. during those few days. You can take College. Some Today it is time for us to compare those music out of psychedelic music, but you performers events with Monterey Pop. can’t take the psychedelics out of played The Monterey Pop moment was a psychedelic music. And it uplifted us impromptu glimpse of how people could live. The not only to pleasure but to intellectual concerts there reality that followed was shattering. pleasure. at night. On this 40th anniversary of The In all cultures, music is the fuel for Monterey International Pop Festival, let our emotions. Psychedelic music us re-evaluate the way our world has elevated our awareness of the world gone since then. Let us relive the around us. debate about the hippie culture. Those Monterey Pop was the convergence of us who consider ourselves hippies of music, psychedelics and Eastern THE HERALD FILE welcome this scrutiny. And if you sensibility. It was particularly recognize that we were right, please, frightening to those whose job, wealth rock ’n’ roll, but we soon realized that heart monitor of this world, but it was please, for the sake of your children and and power demanded religious and there were many more dimensions to much more than that. children’s children, make changes in I will not paint the hippie economic obedience. Our individuality the culture. And one of the dimensions your life today. was that it was a culture, albeit a counterculture in a “whitewash” of and intellect would make it impossible tie-dye. There were mistakes and for them to control us anymore. “counterculture.” John Bassett McCleary is a Monterey Even the sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll tragedies. A number of the performers Even if you were to observe Monterey on the stage on that June weekend in resident and author of “The Hippie Pop and ignore the music, you would were different, a reaction to that before Dictionary: A Cultural Encyclopedia of it. 1967 have died or self-destructed in the have much to consider. The society that experiment that is the hippie the 1960s and 1970s.” was being born there was soon to By the way, hippies did not invent enlighten the world on many levels. sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll! These very One of the changes being made that important elements of life have been weekend was people’s understanding of with mankind since the beginning, manhood. Men’s liberation is a when we were still a slimy ooze. movement of the ’60s and ’70s that most What hippies were trying to do was people overlook. make sense of these things. And we In the 1950s, many young men have done a pretty good job of doing so, AT suffered from the expectations of our if you care to listen to us.