By Groovy Reflections Team Members Gerry, Paul, and JoeRecently, we asked fans and followers of Groovy Reflections “If you had a time machine and could go back to one of these times, but only one, which would you choose? The four choices were:
- Haight-Ashbury
area of San Francisco and the 1967 Summer of Love
- 1969
Woodstock Music and Art Fair
- The
Village, Lower Manhattan NYC During Folk’s Heyday: Dylan, Guthrie, etc.
- Cavern
Club, Liverpool and Carnaby Street, London in the “Swinging 60’s”
Our Groovy Reflections team thought about it too and here’s what
three of the team members said:
Gerry:
Are you a dedicated follower of fashion?
It
was a VERY close choice between the Summer of Love and Carnaby Street, but MOD
won out for me as I envisioned shopping at Mary Quant and hanging out with
people resembling members of the Small Faces. The mini-skirt made a bold statement in
fashion and independence; you had to be downright groovy to wear one.
I was too young to properly participate in any of the
choices in the poll, but the thought of being transported to Swingin’ 60’s
London just for a short time...oh yeah! The fashion, the music, and the
accents! Would the Brits laugh at me when I say “kawfee”…oh wait, tea is the
drink of choice.
Paul: The Village. I’m a folkie that loves music and words
that come from the heart: Music that speaks not only to the people but is ABOUT
the people. Folk music tells a story, sometimes happy, often sad. In the words
of Phil Ochs, “there but for fortune, go you or I”, and as Pete Seeger said,
“there are many kinds of folk music, go to China and there’s Chinese folk
music, Russia and Russian folk music, there’s as many kinds of folk music as
there are folks”.
I love a good story and just can’t imagine wandering into
places like Gerde’s Folk City, The Bitter End, and the Village Gate and hearing
people like Arlo Guthrie, Odetta, Bob Dylan and Tom Paxton playing their latest
tunes for nothing more than pocket change when the “hat” was passed.
Imagine hanging at Dave Van Ronk’s apartment while folks
like Joan Baez, Richard Farina or Ramblin Jack Elliot show up to critique each others
work? You could wander the coffee houses and bars on MacDougal Street or the
infamous Bleeker Street and see Peter, Paul and Mary or maybe Paul Simon and
Art Garfunkel.
Pass through the Arch at Washington Square Park and hear an
impromptu jam session with Tim Hardin or Richie Havens and so many others! I
would love a chance to relive the most famous and prolific time in the music of
the people, by the people and for the people!
Joe:
Hmmmm….I was there. I lived thru the 60’s, starting them as a 7 year old and
ending them as a 17 year old. Old enough to see what was going on, too young to
participate. Woodstock? Too muddy. San Francisco….pretty cool. The Village?
Also cool, but not as cool as LIVERPOOL!!
Watching
the baby Beatles grow would be the best use of a time machine for me, out of
the four choices given. Keep Carnaby Street, I’ll take The Cavern Club. And
while I’m there, I will teach John and Paul a thing or two about songwriting!
I’ll tell them to write a song about a day in the life…….And then…………I woke up,
fell out of bed…
But
wait, there’s more! Click here for part two…
And
if you haven’t taken the poll yet, click here.
4 comments:
I would want to go back to 1969. Woodstock etc, all that's true. But that's the year I was married.
The Village was always home away from home for me. Always an interesting place to be. I lived in Jersey City so it didn't take long to get there. Early in the day would sometimes start at Bethesda fountain in Central Park at 72nd street for fun and games and then on to Washington Square Park for some herbal remedies and then wandering around in the Village. Those were the days!
I lived in Haight-Ashbury, so I'd pass on a return trip through that world and, although I've always wanted to go back in time to the Village, I'd rather go in the late 50s-early 60s during the Folk heyday. I'll opt for the trip to Liverpool, please! I have wanted so many times to experience all that!
Great comments...thanks! There's now a link to part 2 in the blog (just realized it wasn't there).
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