Altamont...40 years later

captaincaptain · 12-06-2009, 11:40 AM

I was listening to some Stones just now and found out its been 40 years since the Altamont music festival. A lot say this was the death of the 60's and all of the "flower power" peace that came with it. What are your thoughts on the subject?

LoathsomePete · 12-06-2009, 12:34 PM

I think if any lesson is to be learned from that tragic event it's this... hiring a biker gang for security is a really stupid idea.

right-track · 12-06-2009, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoathsomePete

I think if any lesson is to be learned from that tragic event it's this... hiring a biker gang for security is a really stupid idea.

Didn't the guy who was killed pull a gun?
I know the bikers were hardly innocent that night and added to the hostility at Altamont (if not all of it) but the individual who pulled the gun out was high on drugs.
I doubt ordinary security would have dealt with the man so efficiently. It makes me wonder what might have happened had they not been the security for this gig.
I'm unsure about the gunman's motives...

LoathsomePete · 12-08-2009, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by right-track

Didn't the guy who was killed pull a gun?
I know the bikers were hardly innocent that night and added to the hostility at Altamont (if not all of it) but the individual who pulled the gun out was high on drugs.
I doubt ordinary security would have dealt with the man so efficiently. It makes me wonder what might have happened had they not been the security for this gig.
I'm unsure about the gunman's motives...

Ordinary security would've beaten the snot out of him with billy clubs but he'd still be alive. Hells Angels decided to rush him with a knife (which is admirable in a retarded sort of way) and decided that murder would be the most efficient way of handling the situation. Regardless, it cost someone his life and while he was incredibly stupid for doing what he did and definitely deserved time in prison, he did not deserve to have his life taken. I know it can be justified as self-defense, but still... sucks for his family, especially right at the beginning of the Holiday season.

mr dave · 12-08-2009, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by right-track

I doubt ordinary security would have dealt with the man so efficiently. It makes me wonder what might have happened had they not been the security for this gig.

at that point you have to wonder though, would the gunman have even pulled the pistol had the security not been an intimidating biker gang?

as for this being the 'death' of the 60s i think it's just a cop out for the flower power movement. same way that they use the coincidence of Woodstock's turnout as a reflection of the peak of their movement they used Altamont's negativity as justification for never having actually done anything.

galt54 · 05-01-2024, 08:22 AM

The counterculture of the 1960s was not worth preserving. That said, it *was* a tragedy that someone got killed at the Altamont concert.

The hippie subculture sucked. It was *so* stoopid to do drugs as a shortcut to happiness.

12-06-2009, 11:40 AM	#1 (permalink)
captaincaptain I Am Become Death Metal Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Stankonia Posts: 695	Altamont...40 years later I was listening to some Stones just now and found out its been 40 years since the Altamont music festival. A lot say this was the death of the 60's and all of the "flower power" peace that came with it. What are your thoughts on the subject? __________________ LAST.FM RYM

12-06-2009, 12:34 PM	#2 (permalink)
LoathsomePete Cardboard Box Realtor Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Hobb's End Posts: 7,648	I think if any lesson is to be learned from that tragic event it's this... hiring a biker gang for security is a really stupid idea. __________________ Last.FM 101 Albums That May Not Change Your Life, But I Really Like And You Might Too

05-01-2024, 08:22 AM	#6 (permalink)
galt54 Music Addict Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: A suburb of Stockholm, Sweden. Posts: 191	The counterculture of the 1960s was not worth preserving. That said, it was a tragedy that someone got killed at the Altamont concert. The hippie subculture sucked. It was so stoopid to do drugs as a shortcut to happiness.