RECOMMENDED: “Woodstock.”

RECOMMENDED: Concert Movie. “Woodstock.” The 1970 American documentary of the watershed counterculture Woodstock Music and Art Fair a.k.a. simply Woodstock Festival, which took place in August 15 to 18, 1969 on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel town in New York state. Directed by Michael Wadleigh, seven editors worked on this definitive project, including a 26-year old Martin Scorsese. 

       “Woodstock” since has gained a cult following among the hippie subculture and beyond. Thirty-two acts performed outdoors despite sporadic rain. Mud was all over, fun in peaceful chaos, kickass music. All in the seminal film that has since served as template for all live concert film coverage. 

       The original 1970 theatrical release of the film ran 185 minutes. A director's cut spanning 224 minutes was out in 1994; I have a DVD copy. Both cuts take liberties with the timeline of the festival. However, the opening and closing acts are the same in the film as they appeared on stage; Richie Havens opens the show and Jimi Hendrix closes it.

       I also have the expanded 40th anniversary edition, released in 2009 (DVD formats), which features additional performances not before seen in the film, and also includes lengthened versions of existing performances featuring Creedence Clearwater Revival and others.

       Although the event is widely regarded as an anti-war convergence, it wasn’t really political the way we regard “political” in these days of protest gatherings, music or whatever. “Woodstock” was more fiesta fun. I talked with some of those who were there—simply for the sheer love of music and connectedness. Such is the inspiration for my “Bonfires for Peace” community concerts. We just got together and played music for the people. All people. 

       My pick Woodstock performances, not in order: The Who (“We're Not Gonna Take It,” "See Me, Feel Me," “Summertime Blues”); Joe Cocker and the Grease Band (“With a Little Help from My Friends"); Country Joe and the Fish ("Rock and Soul Music"); Santana ("Soul Sacrifice"); Janis Joplin (“Work Me, Lord"); Jimi Hendrix ("Voodoo Chile,” “Purple Haze,” and "The Star-Spangled Banner"). 🎬🎭🎬

Visual: PBS.

RECOMMENDED. Book. “Chariots of the Gods?"

BOOK. “Chariots of the Gods? Unsolved Mysteries of the Past,” written in 1968 by Erich von Däniken and translated from the original German by Michael Heron. It involves the hypothesis that the technologies and religions of many ancient civilizations were given to them by ancient astronauts a.k.a. extra-terrestrials who were welcomed as gods.

       Do I believe in Mr Daniken per his UFO musings? Hmmmm. What I’d admit to is in those years, pubescent years, I was so enthralled with science fiction and E.T. tales. I also wallowed on R.L. Dione’s 1969 book “God Drives a Flying Saucer,” with more whacked out claims such as: God is not supernatural but is a technologically advanced Ufonaut or Saucerian God. The angel Gabriel hypnotized Mary and injected her with a hypodermic needle with God's sperm in it. Jesus was born by artificial insemination. Need I continue? LOL!

       Yet I must also admit that in these times of bombastic computer technology inventions, some of von Daniken and Dione’s eccentric thoughts would make some sense now. Dione, for example, asserted that JC didn’t really walked on water. It was a hologram beamed out of a UFO or flying saucer technology! Or the star over Bethlehem was a luminous flying saucer. And that, the human brain is akin to a radio, which can receive and emit electromagnetic signals.

      Meanwhile, Erich von Erich von Däniken wrote “Chariots…” when he was around 33. He is now 87 years old and still saying basically the same “conspiracy theory.” He is a regular on History/A&E Networks’ “Ancient Aliens,” a TV series that explores the ancient astronauts hypothesis, past human-extraterrestrial contact, UFOs, government conspiracies, and related pseudoscientific topics, such as remote viewing and psychic phenomena, in a non-critical, documentary format.

       The popular show, now on its 18th season, is inspired by the works of Mr von Däniken and Zecharia Sitchin. Known scientific minds Graham Hancock, Robert Bauval, Brinsley Le Poer Trench, Charles Hapgood, and Edgar Cayce, are also referenced in many episodes. Of course, you may be more familiar with producer/presented Giorgio Tsoukalos, himself a ufologist and proponent of the pseudoarchaeological theory that ancient alien astronauts interacted with ancient humans.

       Von Däniken’s main thesis in his book is that extraterrestrial beings influenced ancient technology. He suggests that some ancient structures and artifacts appear to reflect more sophisticated technological knowledge than is known or presumed to have existed at the times they were manufactured. He further adds that the Nazca lines (200 BCE – CE 700) in Peru could be "landing strips" for alien spacecraft. Etc etcetera. Of course, many of those theories have been debunked.

       But with the U.S. government’s allotment of huge budget for space exploration and UFO “surveillance,” the fantabulous folly of extra-terrestrial “humanity” has taken a new light. But hey just saying. This talk is still a lot more fun than the endless annoyances of partisan/political headbutt. 📚✍️📚