Woodstock.
In 1970 a movie called Woodstock became a controversial issue
in Athens , Greece.
The country was under a military dictatorship
from 1967 and everything was censored.
When the movie was released, the univercity students in Athens started
a small riot outside the one and only theater in the center of the city
that had gotten permission to show it, and gathered
outside the theater carrying huge peace signs shouting for freedom
and after that the movie was forbidden for some months.
In retrospect it is funny when i think about the American foreign policy
that helped the military coupe,and the American student movement
particularly against the Vietnam war
that fueled the Greek student movement which would eventually helped
to end the dictatorship.
But becauase of it`s content, which was music and not political, they couldn`t
forbid it forever, so after some months and after it got censored,
i don`t know from what scenes, it finally got permission to be shown
in theaters around the city.
The fisrt time i saw it was with my parents,`cause they were afraid
to let me go alone in case of a riot or something worst could happen.
I was spellbound and i wished i could be old enough to be there.
I remember the performances that knocked me out were these of,
Joe Cocker doing a brilliant version
of The Beatlessong ,"With a little help from my friends",
Ten Years After playing "I am going home",
Santana playing "Soul Sacrifice"
The Who playing songs from their album "Tommy",
Crosby,Stills and Nash and the astonishing performance of
Jimi Hendrix!
I couldn`t wait for the next day to come so i could go and buy the three records
that captured most of the performances.
Later on that year another two records package came out with the rest of
the performances.
In 1997 i visited Woodstock for the first time
and i have been a regular visitor ever since.
in Athens , Greece.
The country was under a military dictatorship
from 1967 and everything was censored.
When the movie was released, the univercity students in Athens started
a small riot outside the one and only theater in the center of the city
that had gotten permission to show it, and gathered
outside the theater carrying huge peace signs shouting for freedom
and after that the movie was forbidden for some months.
In retrospect it is funny when i think about the American foreign policy
that helped the military coupe,and the American student movement
particularly against the Vietnam war
that fueled the Greek student movement which would eventually helped
to end the dictatorship.
But becauase of it`s content, which was music and not political, they couldn`t
forbid it forever, so after some months and after it got censored,
i don`t know from what scenes, it finally got permission to be shown
in theaters around the city.
The fisrt time i saw it was with my parents,`cause they were afraid
to let me go alone in case of a riot or something worst could happen.
I was spellbound and i wished i could be old enough to be there.
I remember the performances that knocked me out were these of,
Joe Cocker doing a brilliant version
of The Beatlessong ,"With a little help from my friends",
Ten Years After playing "I am going home",
Santana playing "Soul Sacrifice"
The Who playing songs from their album "Tommy",
Crosby,Stills and Nash and the astonishing performance of
Jimi Hendrix!
I couldn`t wait for the next day to come so i could go and buy the three records
that captured most of the performances.
Later on that year another two records package came out with the rest of
the performances.
In 1997 i visited Woodstock for the first time
and i have been a regular visitor ever since.
