We all need someone we can bleed on,
And if you want it, baby, well you can bleed on me.
We all need someone we can bleed on,
And if you want it, why dont you bleed on me
-- Stones, Let It Bleed
I'm the co-author of the new book, Let It Bleed: The Rolling Stones, Altamont, and the End of the Sixties by Ethan A. Russell. The lead author and photographer is my old and dear friend, Ethan Russell. His site is Ethan Russell Photographs and if you like The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Who, and a host of other musicians, take a look.
In the meantime, I'm in New York City for a few events surrounding it's publication. Posting the resultant saving of the Republic will be light for the duration.
I'll have more to say about this book in the near future, but for now I am very, very pleased at how this book turned out. But first some samples of traveling music for a trip taken long ago.
And yes, I was at Altamont. They say that if you can remember the Sixties you weren't really there. My curse is that I was there and I remember everything. I think.
Posted by Vanderleun at November 18, 2009 4:30 PM
A good book is the best of friends, the same today and forever.
A good fame is better than a good face.
That is a sharp looking cover. We know you can write and Russell can photo-document, so the package must be superlative.
Posted by: askmom at October 13, 2009 5:54 PMDissection of the anomalous 60s is always pleasurable. For me, the Ben Fong Torres article in Rolling Stone was among the best contemporary jounalism at that tiem. A real slap in the face. I always knew there was a good reason I HATE the Hells Angels.
Posted by: Nancy Moss at October 13, 2009 6:27 PMWell, Russell can write too. Take it from me.
Posted by: vanderleun at October 13, 2009 7:36 PMthe only reason you hate the hells angels is cause your to ugly and we wont sleep with you.
Posted by: KOZZY at October 14, 2009 11:57 AMlooking forward to the book... Hey G, what do you think you forgot about the 60s?
Posted by: joe buzz at October 14, 2009 12:43 PMMonkeys...I likes them.
Posted by: monkeyfan at October 14, 2009 12:46 PMA little perspective on the Angels at Altamont:
They were hired to provide security for the concert -- a poorly-planned nightmare of an event held in a terrible site, and hosting about 400,000 stoned/drunk/crazy people. Outnumbered by something like 5,000/1, and prevented from easy movement or communication by an immense sea of flesh, I can understand (though not necessarily excuse) why they overreacted -- especially when you consider that they were paid for their services in *beer*, and drank their wages before embarking on their duties.
As for Meredith Hunter's death -- when this obnoxious speed freak was confronted by the HAs about the fact that he'd spent the entire concert threatening random people, he responded by unholstering a *loaded .357 Magnum* in the middle of a dense crowd, and pointing it at the Angels (check the footage in GIMME SHELTER). One of the HAs stabbed him to death; the killing was later ruled a Justifiable Homicide, given the circumstances.
Again -- not to justify the Angels' excesses, but given the task of handling a half-million intoxicated people squeezed into a giant junkyard, how well would we and eighty-odd of our friends have performed?
Posted by: Mungo at October 14, 2009 6:09 PMHaving worked security at large festivals (not as large as Altamont!) I'm sympathetic to Mungo's description of what happened. I can't speak for the HAs, but in my case, we were just trying to get everyone out of there alive and healthy.
Posted by: Gordon at October 15, 2009 5:03 AMCongrats! Can't wait to see it
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