1968 Conqueror of American Rock - Chapter 187



Only Krnovel

187. Again, Summer of ’69 (11)

The first vehicle to enter was Michael Wynn’s sedan. After that, Diana Ross’s limousine, and then the regular passenger cars and pickup trucks that came in were Travelers, Tom Waits, Aerosmith, Judas Priest’s vehicles, the Sangga Prosperity Association from Koreatown, and Siyoon’s family. And the last large van that came in had EGO written in large letters, as if it was an advertisement.

Instead of answering, Kevin just smiled.

It wasn’t the typical Korean housewarming party I knew, it was almost like a party. And it was a very extravagant party at that.

As the people who got out of the car greeted each other, boys on bicycles appeared. It was Van Halen. Michael Jackson was the first to run up and greet Eddie.

Jack, who lives in the same neighborhood, came walking in wearing shorts and slippers, holding a bottle of fine wine in his hand.

“Oh my. I live nearby so I’m the last one to arrive, haha.”

And so the grand housewarming party began.

The sky was red and the pool glowed golden. There was a small outdoor stage next to the pool. It was a place where you could play music from a jukebox and a band could play.

Kevin and Stella went up on stage and took the microphone.

“Thank you for coming to our new home today. Thanks to you all, we were able to have a wedding that will be remembered for a lifetime······.”

Kevin thanked each and every one of them by name. He also didn’t forget to mention the smog in London, where he was currently on tour.

After finishing his long greeting, Kevin handed the microphone over to Stella.

“My husband has given me a long enough thank you note, so I will keep it short. Today, I have prepared Korean food, my hometown food. I have marked the spicy food separately, so please check it out.”

Sister Stella came down from the stage playing light and cheerful music.

Jack, who loves spicy food, praised the spicy braised chicken as the best, and Angela used her experience to kindly explain Korean food to Americans who were trying it for the first time.

Since most of the Korean ingredients could be found in Koreatown, there were all kinds of food that could be found on a Korean banquet table.

“James, what is this dish called? It’s really delicious.”

There was a Korean dish that captured Diana Ross’s taste buds.

“It’s a dish called Japchae.”

“Chapchoi?”

“Yes, Japchae. It’s been a really long time since I’ve had this.”

She rolled up the japchae with her fork, took a bite, and continued speaking.

“James, is there any chance that we can go to Woodstock in August? Again, Summer of ’69?”

“We would appreciate it if you could come. Actually, I was planning on going to ask you formally. I have to sing ‘Share Your Heart’ live, too.”

She formally introduced me to producer Quincy Jones, who had come with her. He was the man who would go on to create a legend with Michael Jackson. Just shaking his hand made my heart race.

That night, we ate, drank, and sang until late at night.

* * *

Altamont Speedway in California.

In the middle of a wide field bathed in hot sunlight, a black luxury sedan appeared, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The man who had been waiting got out of the car first. He was wearing a beige cowboy hat and black sunglasses.

The two men who got out of the sedan that arrived were also wearing wide-brimmed hats.

“Welcome. Thank you for your long journey. This is Dick Carter.”

He smiled brightly and offered to shake my hand first.

“It’s only an hour and a half from the San Francisco airport. Nice to meet you, I’m Michael Lang.”

“Nice to meet you. My name is John Scher.”

When Michael Lang suggested Altamont as a Woodstock venue, John Shear was reluctant. It was too far from his home ground in New York. For one, he had recently been developing a formidable new band and was successfully leading EMTV. This time, he decided to trust his instincts.

Michael Lang squinted against the strong sunlight and looked around at his vast surroundings.

“I like it. Unlike Bethel, which is a mountain valley, it is flat and has many connected roads.”

“Sure. San Francisco and San Jose are right next door, and LA is a six-hour drive away. There’s no need to park your car on those narrow roads and march like Woodstock in ’69. And you know, it doesn’t rain in California in August. There’s no risk of electrocution like in ’69, haha.”

This is where the Rolling Stones held a free concert on December 6, 1969.

“At that time, Mick Jagger suddenly confirmed that he would come here the day before the concert, so the stage equipment and facilities were a total mess. If we prepare properly from now on, it will be incomparably better than Woodstock in ’69.”

Dick Carter gave them a detailed account of the situation at the Altamont free concert. There were no problems with transportation or the grounds at the time. The events that happened that day were all due to the Rolling Stones’ poor judgment.

The biggest problem was that he hired a biker gang called the Hells Angels instead of a professional security company to handle his security. But Michael Lang wasn’t the kind of person to make such a stupid decision.

“I really like this place. I don’t think there’s any place quite like it.”

“Yes. Even though California is hot, it’s not too humid, so as long as there’s some shade, it’s better than New York.”

“Okay, we’ll take a look around and make a decision as soon as possible and get back to you.”

“Yes, please feel free to take a look and contact me.”

Dick Carter gave Michael Lang a detailed map of the farm and a business card and headed back to his car. John Scher, who hadn’t said a word until the car pulled away, spoke.

“Michael, isn’t this place too far? Our broadcast only reaches the eastern region······.”

“John, were only New Yorkers at Woodstock in ’69? People came from all over the country. There were even people from Europe.”

“That’s true, but······.”

“The Rolling Stones announced the venue the day before, and over 300,000 people showed up. In just one day. That’s California. You saw it on the Sunset Strip. The rock scene is not on the East Coast anymore, it’s on the West Coast. Even though James bought Bethel Farm and expanded the facilities, they can only accommodate 50,000 people. Here, they announced the venue the day before, and it was a whopping 300,000. And we have two months left.”

John Scher thought calmly. He was right. In fact, all the bands that are doing well these days are flocking to LA. And the transportation here is really good. If we prepare thoroughly, unlike the Altamont concert, it could really become a festival that will go down in history.

“Now that I hear you say it, it makes perfect sense.”

“It won’t be comparable to ’69. Of course, I have to prepare much better than I did then. If we can host it successfully just once, we’ll be sitting on a mountain of money for the rest of our lives. I’ll buy an island in the Bahamas and fly back and forth to the US on my private plane. How about that? Isn’t it amazing just thinking about it?”

John made up his mind when he saw Michael’s confident look.

“Okay. Let’s write our history here!”

Michael smiled brightly and shook John’s hand.

* * *

I often went to Bethel to prepare for the festival. Annie and Angela, who love horseback riding, often came with me. Especially when Annie and I came without Angela, I always called Jake along.

I feel a little sorry for him, but Jake was the kind of Buddha who accepted all of Annie’s crazy personalities. I could do my work comfortably only with Jake around.

The two rode horses during the day and took a ferry on White Lake. In the evening, they practiced guitar in the motel barn. Thanks to this, Annie’s guitar skills improved day by day.

Angela also came to the farm to see Brownie on days when Traveler wasn’t performing. I was chatting with Captain Devon about the festival while marking the facilities on the map.

“Devon, James, drink this. It’s the milk I pumped and pasteurized myself today.”

Edsilla, who was now quite articulate, brought me some cold milk.

“Thank you, Edsilla.”

Tourrrr.

“Oh, that’s a surprise!”

I almost dropped the glass of milk.

“Whoa, Brownie. Sorry, James. I’m just saying it because I like you, haha.”

Angela, wearing a white cowboy hat, smiled brightly from her horse.

Brownie, who had sneakily approached me, was snorting and slurping. This guy had glossy brown fur all over, but from his forehead to his nose and mouth, it was white. His four feet were also white, as if he was wearing fur socks. He was much bigger than the other horses, and his muscles were enormous.

“Brownie is a British Shire breed of horse. He is the largest and strongest of all horses. He could easily be ridden by several grown men.”

Captain Devon knew everything about horses.

“Let’s go, Brownie!”

Angela rode her horse again and raced towards Annie and Jake.

We continued our conversation.

“So, James is saying that in addition to band performances, we should also exhibit art pieces, and perform dance and theater?”

“Yes, that’s right. We can also provide background music for the play.”

“It’s been a while since the members have been on stage, so I’m sure they’ll enjoy it, haha.”

If only loud music were played for three days, people might feel tired. If art pieces were displayed under cool trees, and various foods, things to see, and things to do were prepared, the festival would be more abundant.

“And here, they’re going to fence off this hill where there’s no grass and turn it into a mud pit.”

“If it’s mud… like Woodstock in ’69?”

“Yes, I don’t know if it will rain this time or not, but if it doesn’t rain, I’m going to make it by spraying water with a water truck. I vividly remember people having fun sliding down the mud at that time. I plan to make it by completely eliminating any dangerous elements so that people can play without worry.”

“Haha, it was really fun. I went back to being a kid and got covered in mud and played. When the rain stopped and the sun came out, my clothes got hard and it was uncomfortable though.”

“So I’m going to build a makeshift shower room next door.”

I sketched out a hill on the map to create a mud pit and a shower next to it.

“We will also deploy safety personnel and medical team tents.”

“Wow, this is really going to be a lot more fun than it was back in ’69. But this is going to cost a lot of money.”

“But in the long run, the returns we get will be much greater.”

“I’m really looking forward to it. Our members still go to the Motel Woodstock exhibit and reminisce about ’69.”

The conversation we were going to have today was almost over. Jake and Angela rode in, Annie in the lead.

“Swan, whoa whoa whoa.”

Hehehee!

The three men rode hard, and sweat dripped down the handkerchiefs tied around their necks.

“James, let’s go swimming!”

“Motel pool?”

“No, it’s in a bigger place.”

“where?”

Angela extended her hand to me.

“James, get on board. Our brownie is the strongest.”

Annie turned her horse and galloped toward the lake. Jake followed close behind her. Angela, who was carrying me behind her, gripped the reins tightly.

“Hold on tight, James.”

“Uh······? Yeah······.”

“Come on! Let’s go, Brownie!”

Come on, come on!