A Tribute to Rock&Roll

What a decade it has been for music.Today, let us take the time to reflect on the music
 stars who had to leave this ephemeral world for, perhaps, a better one. The beginning of the decade was marked by the death of a one of the greatest guitarists to have lived. James Marshall Hendrix, better known as Jimi Hendrix, passed away the night of September 18th, 1970. Death came too early for Hendrix who was only 27 years old when death knocked on his door. However, by that time Hendrix had already enjoyed the adoration of thousands who flocked to see his fingers do wonders when he played the guitar. Hendrix will always be remembered by those who attended the Woodstock music festival and got chills during his rendition of the American national anthem in 1969.
Not yet a month after Hendrix’s death came the death of another young rock star of Woodstock fame. On October 4th, 1970, John Cooke found Janis Lyn Joplin dead in her room at the Landmark Hotel in Los Angeles. Joplin will always be remembered by her soulful voice and her lyrics that resonated with millions across the nation. She had a short career spanning four years, however, those four years were powerful enough to establish her as a rock icon. The New York Times wrote that Joplin was an artist who was, “overpowering and deeply vulnerable.” Before her tragic death at the age of 27, Joplin had the chance to headline her own tour and various music festivals. Long live the Queen of Rock and Roll.
During the late 1960s, one could not be around music fans without hearing mention of The Doors. Their poetic lyrics could not be denied. The writer of those lyrics and lead singer of the Doors, James Douglas Morrison, passed away the summer of 1971. On July 3rd, 1971, Morrison was found dead in the bathtub of his Paris apartment. He was 27 years old at the time his death, as well. Morrison had breathed and lived the tremendous fame rock had brought him at a young age. His knack for poetic lyricism will be missed in the  music world.
Before the end of the decade, music lovers all over the world were in mourning on August 16th, 1977. The King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Aaron Presley, had died that afternoon. With his signature look and energetic presence on stage Presley captured the attention of American audiences like no one  ever had before. Women swooned at his presence, and men envied his charisma during the 1950s and the 1960s. Although only a shell of his former self during the 1970s, Presley still sold out concerts and made headlines.
These four music icons left a legacy for the music world that cannot be surpassed. Always wrapped up in controversy, going concert after concert, and giving powerful renditions of our favorite tunes means that the four were the embodiment of rock and roll. Their lives serve as a reminder of what it is like when someone gives it their all of the music, but it is also a stark reminder of how their demise was caused by a drug culture instilled in the psychedelic era. However, let us turn up that radio a little louder and remember them as they were when they were on stage, always.

May the Force Be With You, George Lucas

 “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away,” begins the major motion picture of the century. Star Wars has quickly gone beyond being known in science fiction nerd circles to being a household name. Numerous articles, analysis, and reviews have been made about the film but not enough about the man whose genius brought the world of Luke Skywalker to the big screen. George Walton Lucas, Jr. was born on May 14th, 1944 in Modesto, California. He is the son of Dorothy and George a modest couple who then own a stationery store. As a young man Lucas was quite interested in cars, and he could always be found in a garage. The cars speed and look attracted him to the world of car racing, where he sought to have a career in. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, a near death experience in the year 1962 in a car accident would turn Lucas away from that career path. After his street racing phase, Lucas left his junior college by transferring to the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Art. There he discovered his passion for film-making and his natural talent for it. His talent was sharpened by the competitiveness in the film school and his proximity to cinematic legend Francis Ford Coppola. After failing in his first studio film, Lucas went to back to the drawing board for more film ideas. With the help of his mentors and colleagues, and his camera expertise the 1973 hit American Graffiti was born.The film is a summation of what Lucas’ passions were at the time. Due to his new fame and the critical acclaim for American Graffiti, Lucas was able to push through the production of Star Wars. Indeed Star Wars is a look into Lucas’ mind and is creative genius. To advance his movie making career, Lucas is the CEO of LucasFilm, his very own production company. Lucas is currently married to film editor Marcia Griffin. The couple has no children. It will be interesting to see what else Lucas comes up with next. May the force be with him.

The British Are Coming! The British Are Coming!

Rock has invaded our airwaves, and so have the British. Looks like The Beatles were only the beginning of the so-called British Invasion. Have you tuned in your radio lately? The sounds of Elton John, the Rolling, Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Who, and Pink Floyd flood the airwaves. Not only have these bands been on your radio, they have also brought their acts to a city near you. In the last couple of years, these British rock stars have taken all of their rock star presence to their fans. Most, if not all, of their tours have been critically acclaimed and widely received by the public. Notably, one of the aforementioned bands had a larger than life concert last night. Last night, April 30, 1977, Led Zeppelin held a concert with an estimated record of 76,229 rock lovers in attendance. The concert was held at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan as the end of the first leg of their 11th North American tour.  

The band was hailed as one of the greatest rock bands of our life time since 1971 with their hit single “Stairway to Heaven.” Since then, the band has worked tremendously and against a couple of personal setbacks to bring energy into the studio, and to their performances. The show at the Pontiac Silverdome last night is a testament as to what kind of band Led Zeppelin is. The number of attendants shattered the record The Beatles held previously. Adding yet another divide between the type of British rock in the 1960s and what we hear today.

The road leading up to the Silverdome was full of cars blasting the band’s previous hits in their car radios. It was a sight to behold to see that many music fans all gathered into one place to enjoy the night. Led Zeppelin began the night with the song “The Song Remains the Same,” and ended with “Trampled Underfoot.” Towards the end of the set list they rewarded their loyal fans by having a Jimmy Page solo followed by “Stairway to Heaven.” The audience went even more wild while they listened in to one of the best rock songs to date. Of course, not everything went well as often happens when there is a rock concert. There were those who were left outside of the concert and tried to cause a disturbance, but that is commonplace for a concert of this magnitude. Understandably they did not want to miss the show of a lifetime, and surely enough that is exactly what that concert was.

Don't Go Near the Water

The message of the film Jaws: don’t go near the water. Jaws is out now and its scaring audiences all over the country. Directed by up and coming director, Steven Spielberg, the film is a hit at the box office. Based on a best-seller by the same name the film is set in the fictional Amity Island, a beach goer getaway. The plot revolves around the beach goers woes when they encounter a great white shark out in the water near the beach, and the police chief’s quest to hunt down the animal. After a couple of attacks on the beaches of Amity, the town is in a frenzy to find the animal. This is especially true since the town’s mayor failed to act responsibly by closing down the beaches. His reasoning is that it will hurt local business by driving down tourism. Although well-intended his decision caused even more incidents with the shark and the beach goers. Then it is up to the police chief, a marine biologist, and an expert shark hunter to capture the beast before it preys on new victims. The shark is portrayed by three robotic sharks to make it seem more realistic than using special effects yet, less dangerous than using a real shark. And, the film stayed true to its location by actually filming sea side in a northeastern beach and not in a studio. Both decisions were made by Spielberg who wanted to capture a more realistic film.  Overall, the camera angles, music, and the use of 3 life sized robot replicas of the shark made the film visually and audibly invigorating. The film spans over 134 of pure thrill. There is no disappointment in how Spielberg manages for the viewer to jump out of their chair, even when they already know the shark is coming.

Get Down and Funky With It

Don Cornelius- host of Soul Train

You know what’s hip and happenin’? Soul Train. Feel the funk of the music of today when you switch your TV channel to Soul Train. The show watched by millions started out in Chicago as the love child of Don Cornelius, a disc jockey from the same city. Thanks to the financial support of Sears, Roebuck & Co. and Johnson Products Company, the show was expanded for the rest of the nation to watch. Don Cornelius hosts the one-hour show, and opens up a window to black culture some have not seen before. The show consists of a showcase of popular black music artists; there’s disco, jazz, soul and R&B played throughout the hour. Moreover, the hippest dance moves right now are displayed by the dancers in the show. Meanwhile the latest fashion trends are also in display. The people in the audience are not paid dancers, instead they are guests of the show who have shown up to have fun. The audience at home can enjoy watching people play the Soul Train Scramble Board. A scramble of letters is set up for two guest dancers to decipher the name of that night’s performer or a notable person in the black history in sixty seconds. Another signature of the show is the Soul Train Line. The Soul Train Line is perhaps one of the best reasons to watch Soul Train. Guests of the show line up in two lines opposite one another. Then when it is a couple’s turn, the couple “meets up” in the center of the line and dances down the aisle. This is where the guests can show the nation their groovy dance moves and talent. Although couples often try to outdo one another during the Soul Train Line, the show gives an aura of fun and not of competition. The show is now being broad cast to 8 cities nationwide: Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Houston, Cleveland and Detroit.  Catch Soul Train on the TV set and join in the excitement until Don Cornelius ends the show with "...and as always in parting, we wish you love, peace...and SOUL!"

Withdrawing the Troops from the Vietnam War- Politics in the 1970's

After three years of the Vietnam War’s proceedings President Lynden B. Johnson’s determined to not seek reelection in 1968, allowing the election of Richard Nixon. Serious negotiations began and continued throughout the next five years. 

The United States war movement in Vietnam triggered the largest anti-war movement in the nation’s history. Initiated by the bombing of North Vietnam in 1964 and the introduction of the draft for combat troops, war protest steadily increased for the next ten years. Students, government officials, labor unions, church groups and middle class families increasingly opposed the war as it climaxed in 1968, forcing a gradual withdrawal of U.S. forces. Some opposition was merely vocal at the start; however, it continued to escalate as the war progressed. Several examples led to violence such as the Kent State shooting in 1970.
Many factors played into this war’s great unpopularity with the people. The length of the war, the high number of U.S. casualties, and the exposure of U.S. involvement in war crimes such as the massacre at My Lai, helped to turn many in the United States against the war.

In September of 1969, Nixon attempted a new tactic to slowly begin the withdrawal of troops. His idea was proceed in force and intensify bombings directly of the communist sanctuaries in Cambodia. Lack of internal support made Nixon’s popularity difficult, though progress continued.
A battalion of the U.S. 9th Infantry Division left Saigon in the initial withdrawal of U.S. troops. These soldiers were the first of 25,000 troops that were withdrawn in the first stage of the U.S. disengagement from the war. There would be 14 more stages in the withdrawal, but the last U.S. troops did not leave until after the Paris Peace Accords were signed in January 1973.

In January of 1973 the United States, North Vietnam, South Vietnam, and the Vietnam Congress all signed a peace treaty that would withdraw the rest of the American troops with in a time frame of sixty days. This also created a political process and a transition into a peaceful ending and the resolving of the conflict in South Korea. This agreement did not end the fighting, however. 

The main goal if the US withdrawal of troops was called ‘Vietnamization’. This term was simply the idea in which South Vietnam would need to take on larger role in this fight against communism. The United States government simply wanted to enable to South Vietnamese to be able and take full control of their country.

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The Watergate Scandal- Politics in the 1970's

            In the high tide of the Vietnam War, Republican President, Richard Nixon was up for reelection. However, the nation was divided internally. In the midst of such a harsh political campaign, Nixon’s advisors (known as CREEP) felt the need to use forceful tactics, leading to the illegal espionage known as the Watergate scandal. Several unidentified burglars broke into the Democratic National Committee (DNC) office, located in the Watergate building in Washington D.C. The burglars stole top-secret documents as well as proceeding to wire tap the phones.

On June 17, 1972, the wiretapped phones were malfunctioning, leading to another break in. However, this time a security guard noticed the locks on the doors being taped and called the police, who arrived in time to catch the burglars red handed inside the Watergate building. However, unfortunately to the credit of the President, this was no ordinary robbery. The burglars were caught in possession of top-secret documents and though it could not be directly linked to Nixon, suspicions were raised as they were in possession of the white houses campaign phone number.

In August of 1972, Nixon made a speech denying any knowledge of the scandal. Most voters believed Him, leading to his reelection in November. After the election, it still could not be proven that Nixon knew exactly about the events, which occurred. His actions in the aftermath may have been even more severe.

It is no secret that he did do what he could to try and cover up the scandal. First it came to light that he was attempting to raise millions of dollars in “hush money” for the burglars trying to cover up their actions. Secondly, and perhaps even more severe than the scandal itself, Nixon tried to initiate a plan for instructing the CIA to secretly impede the FBI’s progress of the investigation. This was an obvious abuse of presidential power as well as a clear obstruction to justice.

Nixon continued to be backed into a corner as many of his aids began to be arrested in the wake of the prosecutor’s pursuit of justice, with some even testifying to his guilt. It became known that Nixon taped every conversation held in the oval office. After it became clear that the president could no longer hide the tapes and keep his role in the scandal under wraps, he resigned. Following this, his successor Gerald Ford made a bold move by pardoning Nixon on all accounts. Nixon never actually admitted to his guilt, but his reputation was certainly tainted for the rest of history.

Kent State Shooting- Politics in the 1970's

On April 30, 1970, in the midst of the Vietnam War, President Richard Nixon went on national television to make a monumental announcement. In this announcement He addressed the United States recent invasion of Cambodia and the need for 150,000 additional draftees. News of the draft demands provoked rioting all across the nation, particularly on collegiate campuses. Most notable being at Kent State University in Ohio, where protesters got out of hand leading to the engagement of the entire Kent police force, as well as well the surrounding communities.

On May 2, the governor of Ohio felt the need to dispatch 900 members of the National Guard, in hopes of striking fear into the uncontrolled hooligans. However, the riots continued to escalade. As the National Guard arrived, they were witnesses to a scene of the ROTC building being set ablaze.

May third was about the last attempt for peace for peace by the overseeing officials. Ohio Governor, James Rhoades prepared a statement that was anything but calm. He noted that they would use whatever force necessary to subdue the crowd, which he called the worst people in America.

On May 4, an anti-war rally was scheduled to be held; however, the government officials did their best to ban this rally from occurring. As a result of guard’s attempts to disperse the crowd, it only resulted in thrown rocks, and shouts of protest. The police were forced backwards, provoking twenty-eight guardsmen to open fire on a crowd of protestors. Approximately sixty shots were fired in thirteen seconds. Most of them aiming in the air or at the ground; though, unfortunately a few shot directly into the crowd wounding nine and killing four. If were not for University faculty marshals, further tragedy would have surely occurred. They pleaded with the students to not risk their lives any further by continuing on in protest.

Following the shooting, disturbance across the nation increased dramatically, leading to the shutdown of 500 college campuses. Despite the public outrage, the Justice Department initially ignored the need to instigate a grand jury investigation of the shooting. Though the president’s commission did release a statement acknowledging that the action of the guardsmen had been "unnecessary, unwarranted, and inexcusable." Eventually, a grand jury indicted eight of the guardsmen, but the charges were dismissed for lack of evidence. Some forty years later, this event is still remembered as a tragedy, with love and support still going out to those families who lost loved ones.