Taking Woodstock (book)
Encyclopedia
Taking Woodstock: A True Story of a Riot, a Concert and a Life is a memoir describing the origins of the 1969 Woodstock Festival
by Elliot Tiber
with Tom Monte. It was published in 2007 by Square One Publishers, Inc., and was adapted into a movie of the same name
by James Schamus
, Ang Lee's long time writing/producing partner. It was released in August 2009. Tiber is portrayed in the movie by Demetri Martin
.
The book describes Tiber's involvement, as a young gay
man, with the riots
at the Stonewall Inn
in New York City, and his key role in bringing the Woodstock festival to Bethel, New York
.
. His father, who was born in Austria
, and his mother was from Russia
. His father was a roofer. Tiber attended a Brooklyn yeshiva
. He graduated from Hunter College
with a Bachelor of Fine Arts.
In 1955, while Tiber was attending college, his parents bought a dilapidated boarding house in White Lake, which is located at the intersection of Route 55
and 17B
, a major intersection in White Lake, which is in the town of Bethel, New York
. The area, part of the Borscht Belt
, was in decline in the 1960s, and his parents struggled to meet their mortgage payments.
The property was soon expanded into a motel. Tiber chose to live in New York City and spend his weekends with his parents in Bethel.
After graduating from college, Tiber got an apartment in Greenwich Village
and became a display designer and decorator at the W. & J. Sloane
department store on New York's Fifth Avenue
. He also painted murals at upscale New York apartment buildings.
Tiber is gay, and he lived what he describes as a double life, pretending to be straight during his weekends helping his parents in Bethel, while living an openly gay life in New York City. The book describes the difficulties and traumas experienced by gays in the 1950s and 1960s. He describes being beaten up and robbed by youths who targeted him because of his homosexuality. He also describes encounters with celebrities, including Marlon Brando
, Wally Cox
, Rock Hudson
, Truman Capote
and Tennessee Williams
. Hudson is described as lying nude and comatose at an upscale party, where he was subjected to sexual acts by guests.
Gays tended to quietly accept their fate at the time, Tiber says, but that all changed after the Stonewall riots
, which occurred at a bar in Greenwich Village on June 28, 1969. Tiber describes being present at the Stonewall bar as the riots commenced, and he describes the experience as a liberating one that changed his life.
Tiber became president of the Bethel Chamber of Commerce, and he unsuccessfully sought a New York City clientele by inviting an acting troupe to the motel, and establishing an "underground cinema." He describes how he became friendly with Max Yasgur
, who operated the largest farm in the area and had his own brand of dairy products.
Lang was unimpressed with the motel property, so, according to Tiber's account, he told him about Yasgur's farm, which was located nearby, and drove with him to meet with Yasgur.
The book describes how the El Monaco became the headquarters for the Woodstock organizers, and how Tiber became the exclusive ticket agent for the festival and held a press conference at the motel. He describes in detail the strong opposition to the festival from local residents, some of whom created a human wall to try to stop young people from coming to the festival.
Tiber claims in the book that he was approached on several occasions by underworld characters, some of whom made threats, and that he and his parents had to physically fend them off, with the help of a transvestite named Velma. He also describes rowing out into the middle of White Lake, near the festival site, to pay off underworld characters.
Tiber was only able to come to the festival once, during which he had an LSD
trip, and describes how the entire experience of Woodstock changed his life.
, a Woodstock organizer, has said he found out about Yasgur’s farm from his own sources.
at a San Francisco TV station, where Lee was promoting a film. The Los Angeles Times
reported that "Tiber thrust his autobiography 'Taking Woodstock' into Lee's hands and pitched himself and his book as a kind of bookend to The Ice Storm
, Lee's film about suburbanites wrestling with the hangover of the 1960s." Lee showed the book to Focus Features
Chairman James Schamus
, who has written most of his films. Lee said, "It seems like it's random occurrence, but that randomness happens all the time. I chose to do it and I connect with the material. I think that's fate." Schamus wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation of the book.
Woodstock Festival
Woodstock Music & Art Fair was a music festival, billed as "An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music". It was held at Max Yasgur's 600-acre dairy farm in the Catskills near the hamlet of White Lake in the town of Bethel, New York, from August 15 to August 18, 1969...
by Elliot Tiber
Elliot Tiber
Elliot Tiber, born Elliot Teichberg in 1935, is an artist and screenwriter who has written a memoir about the Woodstock Festival, held in Bethel, New York in 1969....
with Tom Monte. It was published in 2007 by Square One Publishers, Inc., and was adapted into a movie of the same name
Taking Woodstock
Taking Woodstock is a 2009 American comedy-drama film about the Woodstock Festival of 1969, directed by Ang Lee. The screenplay by James Schamus is based on the memoir Taking Woodstock: A True Story of a Riot, a Concert, and a Life by Elliot Tiber and Tom Monte.The film premiered at the 2009 Cannes...
by James Schamus
James Schamus
James Schamus is an award-winning screenwriter The Ice Storm and producer Brokeback Mountain, and is CEO of Focus Features, the motion picture production, financing, and worldwide distribution company whose films have included Lost in Translation, Milk, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The...
, Ang Lee's long time writing/producing partner. It was released in August 2009. Tiber is portrayed in the movie by Demetri Martin
Demetri Martin
Demetri Martin is an American comedian, actor, artist, musician, writer and humorist. Martin is best known for his work as a stand-up comedian, contributor on The Daily Show and for his Comedy Central show Important Things with Demetri Martin.- Early life :Demetri Martin was born to a Greek...
.
The book describes Tiber's involvement, as a young gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
man, with the riots
Stonewall riots
The Stonewall riots were a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City...
at the Stonewall Inn
Stonewall Inn
The Stonewall Inn, often shortened to Stonewall is an American bar in New York City and the site of the Stonewall riots of 1969, which are widely considered to be the single most important event leading to the gay liberation movement and the modern fight for gay and lesbian rights in the United...
in New York City, and his key role in bringing the Woodstock festival to Bethel, New York
Bethel, New York
Bethel is a town in Sullivan County, New York, USA. The population has been estimated at 4,532 in 2007.The town received worldwide fame after it became the host of the 1969 Woodstock Festival, which was originally planned for Wallkill, New York, but was relocated to Bethel after Wallkill withdrew.-...
.
Before Woodstock
Tiber begins by describing his early years, and his awakening sexuality and alienation from his parents. He was born Elliot Teichberg to Jewish immigrant parents in Bensonhurst, BrooklynBensonhurst, Brooklyn
Bensonhurst is a neighborhood located in the southwestern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn.-Geography:Sometimes erroneously thought to include all or parts of such neighborhoods as Bath Beach, Dyker Heights, and Borough Park, or to be defined by the streets where the concentration of...
. His father, who was born in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, and his mother was from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. His father was a roofer. Tiber attended a Brooklyn yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
. He graduated from Hunter College
Hunter College
Hunter College, established in 1870, is a public university and one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Hunter grants undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in more than one hundred fields of study, and is recognized...
with a Bachelor of Fine Arts.
In 1955, while Tiber was attending college, his parents bought a dilapidated boarding house in White Lake, which is located at the intersection of Route 55
New York State Route 55
New York State Route 55 is a state highway in southern New York, running from the Pennsylvania state line at the Delaware River in Barryville to the Connecticut state line at Wingdale...
and 17B
New York State Route 17B
New York State Route 17B is a state highway located entirely within Sullivan County, New York. It connects the hamlet of Callicoon at its western end with the Monticello area in the east .-Route description:From its terminus at NY 97 in the hamlet of Callicoon New York State...
, a major intersection in White Lake, which is in the town of Bethel, New York
Bethel, New York
Bethel is a town in Sullivan County, New York, USA. The population has been estimated at 4,532 in 2007.The town received worldwide fame after it became the host of the 1969 Woodstock Festival, which was originally planned for Wallkill, New York, but was relocated to Bethel after Wallkill withdrew.-...
. The area, part of the Borscht Belt
Borscht Belt
Borscht Belt, or Jewish Alps, is a colloquial term for the mostly defunct summer resorts of the Catskill Mountains in parts of Sullivan, Orange and Ulster counties in upstate New York that were a popular vacation spot for New York City Jews from the 1920s through the 1960s.-Name:The name comes from...
, was in decline in the 1960s, and his parents struggled to meet their mortgage payments.
The property was soon expanded into a motel. Tiber chose to live in New York City and spend his weekends with his parents in Bethel.
After graduating from college, Tiber got an apartment in Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
and became a display designer and decorator at the W. & J. Sloane
W. & J. Sloane
W. & J. Sloane was a furniture and rug store in New York City that catered to the wealthy.-History:The company was founded as a rug importer and seller on March 2, 1843 by William Sloane who had just emigrated from Kilmarnock, Scotland, a town famous for weaving fine carpets and rugs. In 1852 his...
department store on New York's Fifth Avenue
Fifth Avenue (Manhattan)
Fifth Avenue is a major thoroughfare in the center of the borough of Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States. The section of Fifth Avenue that crosses Midtown Manhattan, especially that between 49th Street and 60th Street, is lined with prestigious shops and is consistently ranked among...
. He also painted murals at upscale New York apartment buildings.
Tiber is gay, and he lived what he describes as a double life, pretending to be straight during his weekends helping his parents in Bethel, while living an openly gay life in New York City. The book describes the difficulties and traumas experienced by gays in the 1950s and 1960s. He describes being beaten up and robbed by youths who targeted him because of his homosexuality. He also describes encounters with celebrities, including Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
, Wally Cox
Wally Cox
Wallace Maynard Cox was an American comedian and actor, particularly associated with the early years of television in the United States. He appeared in the U.S. TV series Mr. Peepers , plus several other popular shows, and as a character actor in over 20 films...
, Rock Hudson
Rock Hudson
Roy Harold Scherer, Jr., later Roy Harold Fitzgerald , known professionally as Rock Hudson, was an American film and television actor, recognized as a romantic leading man during the 1950s and 1960s, most notably in several romantic comedies with Doris Day.Hudson was voted "Star of the Year",...
, Truman Capote
Truman Capote
Truman Streckfus Persons , known as Truman Capote , was an American author, many of whose short stories, novels, plays, and nonfiction are recognized literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's and the true crime novel In Cold Blood , which he labeled a "nonfiction novel." At...
and Tennessee Williams
Tennessee Williams
Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III was an American writer who worked principally as a playwright in the American theater. He also wrote short stories, novels, poetry, essays, screenplays and a volume of memoirs...
. Hudson is described as lying nude and comatose at an upscale party, where he was subjected to sexual acts by guests.
Gays tended to quietly accept their fate at the time, Tiber says, but that all changed after the Stonewall riots
Stonewall riots
The Stonewall riots were a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City...
, which occurred at a bar in Greenwich Village on June 28, 1969. Tiber describes being present at the Stonewall bar as the riots commenced, and he describes the experience as a liberating one that changed his life.
Tiber became president of the Bethel Chamber of Commerce, and he unsuccessfully sought a New York City clientele by inviting an acting troupe to the motel, and establishing an "underground cinema." He describes how he became friendly with Max Yasgur
Max Yasgur
Max B. Yasgur was an American farmer, best known as the owner of the dairy farm in Bethel, New York at which the Woodstock Music and Art Fair was held between August 15 and August 18, 1969....
, who operated the largest farm in the area and had his own brand of dairy products.
Woodstock
Every year, Tiber sponsored a rock festival at which six to ten local bands would perform. As head of the chamber of commerce, he had the authority to grant himself an official town permit allowing him to conduct the annual music and arts festival. When Tiber learned that the town of Walkill had decided not to allow the Woodstock festival to be held there, Tiber telephoned Woodstock organizer Michael Lang and told him that he had a valid permit to hold a rock festival, and fifteen acres to hold it in. Lang flew over immediately in a helicopter and met with him.Lang was unimpressed with the motel property, so, according to Tiber's account, he told him about Yasgur's farm, which was located nearby, and drove with him to meet with Yasgur.
The book describes how the El Monaco became the headquarters for the Woodstock organizers, and how Tiber became the exclusive ticket agent for the festival and held a press conference at the motel. He describes in detail the strong opposition to the festival from local residents, some of whom created a human wall to try to stop young people from coming to the festival.
Tiber claims in the book that he was approached on several occasions by underworld characters, some of whom made threats, and that he and his parents had to physically fend them off, with the help of a transvestite named Velma. He also describes rowing out into the middle of White Lake, near the festival site, to pay off underworld characters.
Tiber was only able to come to the festival once, during which he had an LSD
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synaesthesia, an...
trip, and describes how the entire experience of Woodstock changed his life.
Aftermath
Tiber left Bethel shortly after the festival and became a set designer for movie studios in California. His father died shortly afterwards and his mother died in 2006. The motel became an Italian restaurant and was later torn down.Factual accuracy
Lang has disputed Tiber's account of the initial meeting with Max Yasgur, and said that he was introduced to Yasgur by a real estate salesman. Lang says that the salesman drove Lang, without Tiber, to Yasgur's farm. Sam Yasgur, son of Max Yasgur, agrees with Lang's version, and says that his mother, who is still alive, says Max did not know Tiber. Artie KornfeldArtie Kornfeld
Artie Kornfeld is an American musician, record producer and music executive. He is perhaps best known as the music promoter for the Woodstock Festival held in 1969.- History :...
, a Woodstock organizer, has said he found out about Yasgur’s farm from his own sources.
Critical reaction
Publishers Weekly called the book an "occasionally improbable yet thoroughly entertaining tale."Movie adaptation
Tiber met director Ang LeeAng Lee
Ang Lee is a Taiwanese film director. Lee has directed a diverse set of films such as Eat Drink Man Woman , Sense and Sensibility , Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon , Hulk , and Brokeback Mountain , for which he won an Academy...
at a San Francisco TV station, where Lee was promoting a film. The Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
reported that "Tiber thrust his autobiography 'Taking Woodstock' into Lee's hands and pitched himself and his book as a kind of bookend to The Ice Storm
The Ice Storm
The Ice Storm is a 1994 American novel by Rick Moody. The novel was widely acclaimed by readers and critics alike, described as a funny, acerbic, and moving hymn to a dazed and confused era of American life....
, Lee's film about suburbanites wrestling with the hangover of the 1960s." Lee showed the book to Focus Features
Focus Features
Focus Features is the art house films division of NBC Universal's Universal Pictures, and acts as both a producer and distributor for its own films and a distributor for foreign films....
Chairman James Schamus
James Schamus
James Schamus is an award-winning screenwriter The Ice Storm and producer Brokeback Mountain, and is CEO of Focus Features, the motion picture production, financing, and worldwide distribution company whose films have included Lost in Translation, Milk, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The...
, who has written most of his films. Lee said, "It seems like it's random occurrence, but that randomness happens all the time. I chose to do it and I connect with the material. I think that's fate." Schamus wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation of the book.