Photos by Robert W. Young
CAROL DECK REPORTS ON A MAD, MAD WEEKEND OF MONKEES, BEATLES AND THE GROOVIEST GROUPS IN THE WORLD!
The rules of the game, printed and handed out to press at the beginning of the first International Pop Festival, held in Monterey, Calif., stated “This is a festival, not a war,” and advised us all to “Turn off your mind, relax and float downstream.”
And so we did, and with many thousands of others we sat for over 20 hours during a period of two-and-a-half days on cold, hard, uncomfortable metal folding chairs. And what a groovy time we had!
Over 30 of the top groups in the recording industry performed, and many more came to see or to introduce friends.
MONKEES PETER TORK and MICKY DOLENZ, though busy recording and preparing for their tour, took time off to come up from Hollywood… MICKY never did make it on stage, except to sit on the side and watch the BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD… but PETER was kept busy all weekend introducing LOU RAWLS and THE BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD and then trying to quiet fans who had climbed up on the walls and roofs of the arena looking for BEATLES.
Rumors whipped around the festival all weekend that at least one, if not three, of the BEATLES were there… only one not reported seen was RINGO STARR… but none of them ever appeared on stage… Heaviest rumor was that GEORGE HARRISON would introduce RAVI SHANKAR, who completely creamed everyone with his very peaceful, beautiful, refreshing music… but GEORGE never showed.
MICKY DOLENZ was far from inconspicious in his complete (American) Indian outfit, including feathered headress which flowed down to his heels… MICKY told FLIP that he made the entire outfit himself and that the head-dress, despite its size, was really very light and comfortable… but he did have to take it off when he went out into the audience to watch The Who because people couldn’t see over it.
At one point MICKY couldn’t find a seat and decided to sit on the ground in an aisle but told he would have to clear the aisle, so he returned backstage where he spent most of the festival.
Another who made no attempt to remain unnoticed was Rolling Stone BRIAN JONES, who strolled about during the entire festival in floor length (India) Indian beige robes… Brian looked very pale and his hair seems to be a lighter shade of blond… he could definitely use a little of the good California sunshine… unfortunately he didn’t get any in Monterey where it was cold and overcast the entire weekend and even rained once while OTIS REDDING was on stage.
Photographers at the festival didn’t give BRIAN JONES too much trouble until PETER TORK decided to say hello… PETER walked across the front of the arena and leaned over to shake hands with BRIAN, he was sitting in the second row with a blond girl who was with him all weekend, and several dozen flash bulbs exploded in their faces.
At one point later a photographer was giving BRIAN a particularly bad time and an official asked him to move on and offered to throw him out of the arena… but ANDREW OLDHAM said “No, it’s alright.”
Latest kick with singers seems to be to take up photography… among those sporting cameras during the festival were DEWEY MARTIN, STEVE SILLS, MIKE WILLIAMS and DINK (of The KNACK).
SEEN AT THE FESTIVAL… DAVID CROSBY of the BYRDS and PAUL KANTER of the JEFFERSON AIRPLANE wandering through the booths… The MOBY GRAPE feeding chocolate chip cookies, which had far more than chocolate chips in them, to their manager… Former Action Kid MIKE WILLIAMS standing backstage as though looking for someone… JOHNNY RIVERS gone hippie in white pants, blue turtle neck sweater and soft white vesty thing lined and edged in grey fur.
SIMON AND GARFUNKLE singing “I wish I were a corn flake” and BRIAN JONES asleep in the audience… PAUL BUTTERFIELD of P.B. Blues Band, and DAVID CROSBY on stage applauding the MIKE BLOOMFIELD THING, a relatively unknown blues band who rocked the festival… JIM MCQUINN introducing himself to the festival audience with “Hi, I’m Roger” and CHRIS HILLMAN wearing what was probably supposed to be an (India) Indian outfit but bore a strong resemblence to the old Dr Kildare shirts.
RUSS GUIGERE of the Association trying to make it to Big Sur but being stopped by too much traffic and fellow Associate BRIAN COLE saving your starving FLIP reporter by swiping sandwiches and cokes from artists’ club.
In the audience to see and hear RAVI SHANKAR—BRIAN JONES, DEWEY MARTIN, STEVE SILLS, several ANIMALS, most of the ASSOCIATION, JIM MCQUINN, CHRIS HILLMAN, DAVID CROSBY, PAUL SIMON, JOHNNY RIVERS, CASS, JOHN AND MICHELL, most of the JEFFERSON AIRPLANE and just about every other recording artist at the festival.
The festival opened with the ASSOCIATION and “Enter The Young” and closed with the MAMAS AND PAPAS and “Dancing in the Streets,” both of which are a fair indication of what went on during a most beautiful weekend in Monterey.
Next issue—complete details of the Pop Festival including the two guitars that were smashed on stage, the flowers and carrots that were given out and what made the whole festival worth while for Paul Simon.
