In August of 1969, former chief photographer for Rolling Stone, Baron Wolman, attended Woodstock to capture the essence of musically driven harmony through candid photos of the musicians, of course, but also through countless photos of the hundreds of thousands of fans who made history together. Wolman’s new book, aptly titled Woodstock, comes out on Friday, Jan. 15, and Wolman will be on hand at Photo-eye Bookstore (376 Garcia St., 988-5152) signing copies from 5-7 pm, so we gave him a call.
What was more satisfying, the show itself or satisfying your artistry?
It was a little of both. It was an unbelievable concert, because nobody had seen all those bands together at one time. The music was phenomenal, but the event itself was also phenomenal, and what was more interesting to me was all the people who were there;
300,000 people and no violence, no branded T-shirts, people caring for each other. It really was the end of an era.
Is there a particular photo you feel perfectly encapsulates the fest?
There's one of this woman, and I don't know if she was high or what, but she's dancing like a maniac lost in music euphoria. There's one very significant shot of a National Guard evac chopper, and it's important to me because these military guys were there to help out the counter-culture hippies, even though there was a lot of differences between the military and the counter-culture.
Do you have any advice for musicians when it comes to
photographers?
I do! Musicians treat photographers like pariahs, and I don't care if we're groupies at heart, there's no photographer whose good shots won't help a band. I was never there to take anything away from a musician, and these days, we are thrown in a pit and get to shoot maybe two songs at the beginning of a set, when the most exciting stuff happens toward the end. Plus, we're all standing next to each other and wind up with the same picture. Bands and managers need to understand that photographers can actually help them.
Santa Fe Reporter