Saturday, January 30, 2010

More Bethel



Here he is, bounding from the woods of Yasgur's Farm, clean-shaven and ready for an evening's entertainment. What is more femmy, the bounding figure, the font or the background color? Could it be more sedate?


I think I sorted it out, doesn't make me feel much better, but perhaps it's this: They had to give whatever occupied the site of Woodstock a name and brand that had a vague connection but did not evoke directly either the original bachanal nor the third one 20 years later that ended with the kind of un-peaceful rebellion everyone worked so hard to avoid during the first one (the middle one, in '94, was probably more of a fitting sequel to '69, though it was as much about the big biz rock had become as a nostaligic revisitation). Plus, I presume they want an ongoing enterprise that will draw crowds of all kinds, vs. a pure rock venue that draws more of a younger, hell-raising set.




OK, I get that. And I also get that most women over 35 prefer something a little tamer, and the little guy bounding from the woods and through the fields with his flute at the ready bespeaks such.




Still, it is telling that this is the logo that represents the birthplace of Woodstock Nation.

Speaking of Woodstock/Bethel

Here's a link to Gail Collins column that compares Obama inauguration to Woodstock, an apt comparison I would say.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/22/opinion/22collins.html

More on ridiculous logo for Bethel Woods, I understand why they did it (will address that further as well) but it still makes me want to hurl when I consider what the site at Yasgur's Farm represents. Let's just say the logo does not bespeak rock und roll nor the counterculture. Maybe it does bespeak what the counterculture hath become. . .

Friday, January 29, 2010

I think I fathom the reasons behind the branding choices for the art center and concert venue that now occupy the site of the Woodstock festval. Still, the little dancing floutist that adorns the logo and the name of the place (Bethel Woods Center for the Arts -- I can just see the aging boomer types lining up for the water color class) are a sad testament to what has become of the children of the garden, the lot that gave us a cultural revolution, some seriously good music and an exit from Vietnam. When I figure out how to do it I'll try to copy the logo and post it here.

http://www.bethelwoodscenter.org/museum/40anniversary.aspx

Quote for Right Now

"He is sadly deficient in ironic self-detachment."