10 Places to Relive the '60s

By Katy Marquardt

Posted August 13, 2009

Many of the most crucial events of the 1960s—including the civil rights victories, antiwar protests, and the sweeping cultural revolution—left few physical traces. All but a handful of the decade's famous counterculture hangouts shuttered their doors long ago, and you won't find any monuments where major student uprisings took place. Sure, you can drive up to Woodstock to see where you once reveled in the mud, but there will be no public intoxication, tents, fires, or camping.

As the organizers of Woodstock 1994 and 1999 probably learned, that history can't be recreated. "What's celebrated about the Sixties are a couple of things," says Bryant Simon, a history professor at Temple University. "It was a moment when youth ruled, and, secondly, there was a certain kind of freedom of expression, of dance, of bodies. Getting high was sort of a third thing—there's a sort of sweetness to those memories. And it was a moment where it seemed that idealism ruled, a certain kind of wide-eyed, sweet, and tender idealism."

Maybe we can't go back, but it's still possible to capture the spirit of the decade by attending festivals like Bonnaroo, strolling through neighborhoods that invoke fond memories, and reliving landmark events through engaging exhibits.

[Slide Show: 10 Places to Relive the '60s.]

On August 15, the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts will observe the 40th anniversary of Woodstock with a concert featuring bands that performed at the original three-day festival, at the original site near Bethel, N.Y. The Museum at Bethel Woods—which is sold out Saturday—tells the Woodstock story through clips (some of which you can watch inside a replica of the Merry Pranksters' bus and others in an immersion theater), memorabilia, and a video booth where you can hear—or share—personal stories.

Former flower children who have returned to their old haunts have found many cornerstones of the counterculture movement "domesticated," as Thomas Sugrue, a University of Pennsylvania history and sociology professor, puts it. "A lot of these places have been remade by their own success, attracted more mainstream and corporate investors that changed the landscape of these places dramatically." Take the Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco, once a hippie mecca and the former stomping grounds of Sixties icons like the Grateful Dead and Joni Mitchell. "There are still music shops and radical bookstores and places that sell tie-dyed T-shirts and marijuana paraphernalia," says Sugrue, who teaches a course on America in the Sixties. "But there's also a Starbuck's. Berkeley's very similar. So much of it has been gentrified because of escalating real estate prices." But as long as you don't let the Gap harsh your mellow, a stroll down Berkeley's Telegraph Avenue may bring back fond memories.

Another major crossroad for free spirits, New York, still has some remnants of the decade—such as the Chelsea Hotel, which hosted many writers and musicians, including longtime resident Bob Dylan. But the bohemian vibe of neighborhoods like Greenwich Village has waned (many say it's long gone). Still, musicians play in Washington Square Park on warm afternoons, and the people-watching is excellent. You may even see some tie-dye.

Elements of the Sixties ethos still linger in college towns such as Ann Arbor, Mich., and Madison, Wis., because of their mix of students and idealists. "One remnant is in Ann Arbor at the Hash Bash where people smoke marijuana publicly," Sugrue says. "It's a re-enactment of a certain element of the Sixties . . . so you do find in college towns more self-consciousness about the role of 1960s and, on occasion, attempts to relive that moment."

Summer music concerts and festivals are an obvious place people attempt to recreate the music—and feel—of the Sixties. Expand your mind beyond Sixties touring acts and experience a new generation of free-thinking artists at festivals like All Good in Masontown, W.Va., the High Sierra Music Festival in Quincy, Calif., and Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, a five-day jam held each year on a farm in Manchester, Tenn. "You've got bands like Phish and Widespread Panic taking the vibe of the Dead to recreate, in their own way, the kind of collectivity that people share in," says Simon. "It's running a risk of becoming too commercial . . . but it still has a kind of wild freedom and improvisation. The music is happening right now at this moment."

It may sound mundane, but another way to commemorate the music of the decade—and explore its evolution—is through museum exhibits. The thing about documenting music history is that it requires more than just plaques and heavy text. One of the most engaging examples is the Jimi Hendrix exhibit at the Experience Music Project in Seattle, which includes a sound-effects interactive and rare film footage. There's also a collection of Hendrix's guitars (including shards of the one he destroyed at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967). Another point of interest: The museum was designed by Frank Gehry. In Detroit, the birthplace of Motown Records—also known as Hitsville, U.S.A.—beckons visitors with a museum that invites visitors to clap and sing in an echo chamber that creates reverb sound and other effects that make the "Motown Sound" unique.

Memphis is not only home to the Rock 'n' Soul Museum, which chronicles the rise of soul music, it's also a major landmark of the civil rights movement. Partially located in the Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King Jr., was assassinated, the National Civil Rights Museum features captivating photography and life-size exhibits that include a segregated lunch counter and the burned shell of a Greyhound bus used in the Freedom Rides. Revisit another dark chapter of the Sixties at Dealey Plaza's Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas, which houses more than 35,000 items related to the assassination and legacy of President John F. Kennedy. Looking for a more uplifting way to relive Sixties history? Mark the 40th anniversary of man's first walk on the moon at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where a new exhibit features spacesuits and other gear used by the moonwalkers.

"Circle of Rock" (by Sixthman blog)

A few weeks ago, I was asked to present an overview of how the music business works to a group of peers. This picture is the best image I could come up with to create a visual of how it works. So here is my interpretation.

The artist is the center of the universe and each circle represents a planet orbiting them. The MANAGER acts as a regulator of gravity that pulls, pushes or manages the distance and influence over the artist. He or she solicits, negotiates and secures any professional relationship with the artist.

For that service, the manager EARNS 15-20% of all the revenue that the artist generates. Being a manager is like being both parents. The fun one and the firm one at the same time.

Starting from the top of the circle, we have the BOOKING AGENT. This person is critical to developing the artist as a touring machine that can sell out stadiums for $100 a ticket. The agent earns 10% of what the artist gets paid when they perform live. This is usually the largest income stream for an artist. The booking agents have the relationships with the PROMOTERS who are responsible for guaranteeing the artist a fee to perform and then producing and promoting the show in a specific town and venue. Producing the show means renting out a venue, hiring the crews to set up the sound system, lights and the stage. Promoting the show entails taking out advertising with local radio stations and print outlets. This part has obviously changed as both radio stations and print outlets have diminished in audience and influence.

The TOUR MANAGER is hired by the manager to manage the band, crew, buses, trucks etc while on tour. They are the “General” on the ground and responsible for making sure the operation and the band move from town to town. These are good people to know and very valuable. A good one can earn $4,000+ a week, depending on how big of venues the band is playing and how many trucks, buses and private jets are in the convoy.

MERCHANDISE is a revenue stream for artists but not a significant one until they begin headlining larger venues. Until that point, it is mainly a little gas money and branding for the group. Once they play to 2,500+, it can become real money despite the fact that it can be a distraction to the organization due to all the moving parts of designing, ordering correct amount, shipping it, selling it at shows and managing it etc. Most artists will sell the rights to a 3rd Party company who will then manage the entire process with some input from the band about designs. In exchange for the rights to the merchandise, bands will get a 20-25% amount of all sales and the MERCHANDISE company will make their profit after they pay for the design, goods and cost to have someone on the road selling it.

RECORD LABEL is not what it used to be. When I began my career, you had to have a label to break big because they had the money to help you make your album, distribution channels to record stores, the promotion team to call on radio stations and more money to pay the independent radio consultants to get it on the radio. The label gave you an advance of $150,000 to a $1,000,000 depending on how many other labels were interested in exchange for the rights to sell your music in a store for $12.99 and give you a $1.50 per CD (after you paid back the advance, marketing costs and costs to pay radio stations to play the album of course). Now that anyone can make an album in their basement and sell it on ITunes, the recording and distribution barriers are removed. In addition, radio just doesn’t mean what it used to and independent consultants were shut down for “payola”.

DISTRACTIONS are more like a comet that can blow your sun (artist) up quickly. The manager really earns his money by protecting his artist from any of these destroyers. All of them can make the artist lose sense of reality and the mission at hand.

PERFORMING RIGHTS societies collect money from radio stations and all public businesses who play recorded music for their audiences and customers. BMI, ASCAP and SESAC are the main ones and they collect millions of dollars from all over the world each year, take 20% off the top and distribute the rest to the song writers (people who actually write the lyrics and the music) and the publishers (people who manage this process for the song writer). If the artist records a song they did not write, then they do not get any of this money. As you know, many country artists do not write their own songs. Since they do not make money from PERFORMING RIGHTS or PUBLISHING, it puts more pressure for them to earn money from live concerts. Think that might explain why country artists have such a reputation for taking good care of their fans and putting on great live shows?

PUBLISHER administers the collection of royalties from the performing rights societies and from the sales of albums and exploits the song writers music in tv and movies. When a publisher gets a song in a movie, it is called a Synchronization License (synching up music and video) and the publisher is responsible for soliciting these opportunities, negotiating and collecting for the song writer. When an album sells in a store or on I Tunes, the song writer earns $.0925 for each copy of the song that is sold. The publisher collects that as well and splits with the song writer.

ATTORNEY handles all entertainment related legal issues of managing the contracts with and between all these relationships and either charges 5% of all monies earned by the artist or an hourly fee for service.

BUSINESS MANAGER is responsible for being the CFO of the organization and collects all monies, pays all expenses, budgets for tours and keeps the artist from pulling an MC HAMMER.

Ok, so there it is. My 15 years of music business experience all in one BLOG. I have been blessed to be an artist, a promoter, a manager, a record label, a tour manager and a distraction.

When the artist lives up to his or her responsibilities as the SUN, the story usually works out.

DISCLAIMER – I do not claim to be an expert and some of this data is not 100% accurate or standard, so please do not quit your job today and run down to an open mic to begin managing a band, as tempting as I make it sound….

Get Moving: 14 Songs By Which To Pack And Unpack (according to Paste magazine)

1. The Rolling Stones - "Gimme Shelter"
2. The National - "Apartment Story"
3. The Spinto Band - "Brown Boxes"
4. The White Stripes - "I'm Bound To Pack It Up"
5. Joe Cocker - "With A Little Help From My Friends"
6. White Rabbits - "Leave It At The Door"
   
7. Andrew Bird - "Tables & Chairs"
8. St. Vincent - "The Bed"
9. Wilco - "Box Full Of Letters"
10. Modest Mouse - "Paper Thin Walls"
11. Tom Waits - "Picture In A Frame"
12. Pavement - "Date With Ikea"
13. Radiohead - "Everything In Its Right Place"
14. The Everybodyfields - "Good to be Home"

An idea for something to listen to tomorrow and while I continue to move. Again. Seems to be a lasting theme in my life right about now, so why not supplement it with music? Good thing I already have almost half the tracks (bolded) ... I'll probably go a' searchin' for the others soon.

// Parallels //

johncmayer: What's the next record going to be like? Super melodic California rock v.2.009. I'll always love blues but I wanted to up the pop game.

Some people are pissed that it won't be bluesy like Continuum, but I'm really okay with it ... I've come to love the album, but initially it was way too mellow for me in the wake of Heavier Things. Then again, a lot of people didn't like that album because it was "overproduced." Listen - anything is "overproduced" following Room for Squares, whose tracks all boast a similar acoustic rock feel. I just think it's silly that there's all this complaining about what the album will and won't be.

First of all, we DON'T KNOW anything yet besides the raw material he's presented us with throughout the Battle Studies journey -- key word being "raw." In some sense, it doesn't even matter what we think of the new stuff because it'll hardly be the same once it's finished (... yeah, yeah you can make an argument about lyrics, but there's a good chance those will change, too!)

It should be easy to at least appreciate John's efforts to give us a behind-the-scenes look into Battle Studies' production, even if it's too early to appreciate the music (... I do, but apparently some people are already disappointed with what they hear.) People are pissed that he hasn't been posting blog updates lately ... to which I can only say, "Would you rather have an album, or video clips?" It was a cool thing to do for a while, but if it distracts from the heart of the matter, I'm okay to replay what he's already given us in exchange for a new CD in November. Seriously, listen to '3x5,' people.

There's a lot of worry surrounding this album's release, I think. Fans wonder if he's been rushed to finish it or if his intentions have been tainted by fame. I was guilty of both of the above, before I realized that it's not fair to judge. How many of us have grown up in the spotlight? As if we don't already stumble upon sufficient conflictions as we mature, he has aged with the dual-edged blade of fame in his back -- a finger on the shutter release or the "Record" button decides whether he will be praised or victimized at that moment. 'Humanized' is somewhere in between, but it's an angle that wore out it's welcome once everyone knew he was going to be big.

John's long-time fans fear they will never again see the boy who wore cargo pants to the Grammys, and knew even less then about where his music would take him than style. But being 'human' means living, learning, making mistakes, going through phases, and changing. And isn't that why we all loved him in the first place? So why should we take his indiscretions personally? Thankfully, the majority of our mishaps aren't frozen in time to be rubbed in our faces later, but he's not so lucky.

I guess a lot of this rant spawns from current events in my own life. I'm making some major changes and expecting some major critism. I'm preparing for what people will say because I know the people claiming they support me the most will be more upset by the inconvenience I'll inadvertently cause them than happy for me to be moving on. People are determined to ignore or reject change, but it's so impossible.

Embrace, accept, appreciate. Imagine what a better place the world would be.

JM Songs I'm Skipping

(As inspired by a topic on MSM about what songs even John's fans dislike. I know I have my own, but am learning them now as I listen on 'shuffle.' Will be updated as new discoveries are made.)

- Bigger Than My Body
- No Such Thing
- Say
- Mercy (cover on '08 tour)
- Covered in Rain
- Inner City Blues cover
- Daughters, most of the time
- Crossroads (cover on '08 tour)
- 83