1 00:00:00,720 --> 00:00:15,280 Speaker 1: Disgraceland as a production of Double Elvis. The stories about 2 00:00:15,280 --> 00:00:19,880 Speaker 1: the Rolling Stones Free Concert at Altamont are insane. The 3 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:23,320 Speaker 1: Hell's Angels, one of the most lawless and violent organizations 4 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:26,160 Speaker 1: in America at the time, were hired to run security. 5 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:29,600 Speaker 1: The free concert, which was expected to draw a crowd 6 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:32,199 Speaker 1: of upwards of one hundred thousand or more people, was 7 00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:36,199 Speaker 1: arranged in only thirty six hours. Minutes after arriving at 8 00:00:36,240 --> 00:00:39,320 Speaker 1: the concert site, Mick Jagger was cold cocked punched in 9 00:00:39,360 --> 00:00:43,000 Speaker 1: the face by an angry fan who, like many in attendance, 10 00:00:43,159 --> 00:00:45,720 Speaker 1: was likely tripping his brains out on the bad acid 11 00:00:45,760 --> 00:00:49,559 Speaker 1: that was going around. Altamont was intended to be the 12 00:00:49,600 --> 00:00:53,640 Speaker 1: West Coast answer to Woodstock, all peace, love and good vibes, 13 00:00:54,120 --> 00:00:57,560 Speaker 1: proof that the Baby Boomers could organize themselves, free of authority, 14 00:00:57,800 --> 00:01:01,240 Speaker 1: and shine as an example of a kinder generation and 15 00:01:01,280 --> 00:01:05,760 Speaker 1: a better way of life. In reality, Altamont was the opposite. 16 00:01:06,360 --> 00:01:09,640 Speaker 1: It exposed the lie of the sixties, punctuated the end 17 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:11,560 Speaker 1: of an era, and shone a light on who the 18 00:01:11,640 --> 00:01:15,759 Speaker 1: Rolling Stones really were. Not idealistic piece nakes, but rather 19 00:01:16,160 --> 00:01:19,440 Speaker 1: the most dangerous band on the planet, a band that 20 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:22,680 Speaker 1: made great music. Some of the greatest music ever made. 21 00:01:22,720 --> 00:01:25,080 Speaker 1: As a matter of fact, that music you heard at 22 00:01:25,120 --> 00:01:27,840 Speaker 1: the top of the show that wasn't great music. That 23 00:01:27,959 --> 00:01:31,720 Speaker 1: was a preset loop from my melotron called Mellowstone Samba 24 00:01:32,040 --> 00:01:36,080 Speaker 1: BK one. I played you that loop because I can't 25 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:39,080 Speaker 1: afford the rights to Nana Hey Hey, kiss him Goodbye 26 00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:42,640 Speaker 1: by Steam. And why would I play that specific slice 27 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:46,520 Speaker 1: of fake motown exit Cheese? Could I afford it? Because 28 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:50,360 Speaker 1: that was the number one song in America on December sixth, 29 00:01:50,440 --> 00:01:53,200 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty nine, And that was the day that the 30 00:01:53,320 --> 00:01:56,960 Speaker 1: Rolling Stone showed up at Dick Carter's Altamont Speedway to 31 00:01:57,040 --> 00:02:01,240 Speaker 1: headline a supposed festival of peace and love. Instead ended 32 00:02:01,320 --> 00:02:03,680 Speaker 1: up driving the final nail into the coffin of the 33 00:02:03,760 --> 00:02:08,680 Speaker 1: hippie movement. On this episode the Mellow Samba, Exit Cheese, 34 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:13,440 Speaker 1: Hell's Angels and the Rolling Stones. I'm Jake Brennan, and 35 00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:30,160 Speaker 1: this is disgrace that Johnny. Do I look like your 36 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:33,400 Speaker 1: old lady? No, look at me? Do I look like 37 00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:36,040 Speaker 1: your old lady? And why you fucking me like this? 38 00:02:36,760 --> 00:02:38,760 Speaker 1: Why you bending me over in the middle of FBI 39 00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:41,840 Speaker 1: headquarters at twenty six Federal Plaza in front of all 40 00:02:41,919 --> 00:02:45,160 Speaker 1: my coworkers who I vouched for you with and fucking me? 41 00:02:45,760 --> 00:02:50,600 Speaker 1: Why Johnny, you punk? Or what? John Joseph Miller, accused 42 00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:55,040 Speaker 1: killer and former Hell's Angels motorcycle club member turned FBI informant, 43 00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:58,880 Speaker 1: looked up at his FBI handler, special Agent Mark Young, 44 00:02:59,240 --> 00:03:02,280 Speaker 1: and in a low, near growling, unfiltered two pack of 45 00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:06,320 Speaker 1: Dave voice, said, I ain't no punk, then give me 46 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:10,080 Speaker 1: something I can use. For fuck's sake, These were the 47 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:13,639 Speaker 1: words Agent Young spat back into Johnny's face. Young tapped 48 00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:16,840 Speaker 1: his foot without rhythm or reason. His coffee and camel 49 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:20,959 Speaker 1: filtered breath was merciless, and the interrogation had been going 50 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:24,359 Speaker 1: on for days. Johnny was giving up everything he had 51 00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:26,959 Speaker 1: on his Hell's Angels as part of his immunity deal, 52 00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:29,840 Speaker 1: so every day for the past week he sat in 53 00:03:29,919 --> 00:03:33,680 Speaker 1: his tiny, sweaty, coffee and cigarette stinking office getting grilled 54 00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:38,400 Speaker 1: by agents. Some were cool and most were not. Agent 55 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:41,120 Speaker 1: Young was pretty fucking far from cool. As a matter 56 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:44,920 Speaker 1: of fact, He kept tapping his foot rapidly and his 57 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:48,640 Speaker 1: breath kept on stinking up the giant. All right, all right, 58 00:03:48,960 --> 00:03:54,080 Speaker 1: Johnny said, fucking Jagger Mick Sonny tried rubbing him out. 59 00:03:54,360 --> 00:03:57,640 Speaker 1: Agent Young stopped tapping his foot and stared straight at Johnny. 60 00:03:58,360 --> 00:04:03,280 Speaker 1: I'm listening. It was Altamont, man fucking Altamont, and Jagger 61 00:04:03,320 --> 00:04:07,080 Speaker 1: blamed the Angels Meridith Hunter. Plus the Stones never paid 62 00:04:07,120 --> 00:04:10,440 Speaker 1: Sonny and they never paid Al's legal fees either. Sonny 63 00:04:10,440 --> 00:04:12,560 Speaker 1: couldn't let that slide. Mike sure have kept his big 64 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:16,520 Speaker 1: lip shut. Sonny wanted him dead and bad. Agent Young 65 00:04:16,600 --> 00:04:19,880 Speaker 1: did his best to suppress his enthusiasm. He wanted to 66 00:04:19,920 --> 00:04:22,080 Speaker 1: hear more, but he also wanted Johnny to feel like 67 00:04:22,120 --> 00:04:25,440 Speaker 1: he had to earn it. He looked at Johnny. Yeah. 68 00:04:25,760 --> 00:04:29,320 Speaker 1: So the Hell's Angels had decided they were going to 69 00:04:29,400 --> 00:04:32,119 Speaker 1: murder Mick Jagger, but it wasn't going to be easy. 70 00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:37,200 Speaker 1: Mick was renting Andy Warhol's place out in the Hampton's 71 00:04:37,440 --> 00:04:40,520 Speaker 1: out on Montalk. The plan was to make it look 72 00:04:40,600 --> 00:04:44,120 Speaker 1: like an accident, sort of a home invasion gone wrong, 73 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:48,479 Speaker 1: but Warhol had his compound security wired tight. So the 74 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:51,559 Speaker 1: Angels came up with what they thought was an ingenious plan. 75 00:04:52,240 --> 00:04:55,240 Speaker 1: They'd avoid any gated or flat footed security out in 76 00:04:55,240 --> 00:04:58,560 Speaker 1: front of Andy's ocean front property by entering from the 77 00:04:58,640 --> 00:05:02,320 Speaker 1: back from where his back abutted the ocean. They're going 78 00:05:02,400 --> 00:05:04,880 Speaker 1: to get to Mick by boat, sneak up onto the grounds, 79 00:05:04,880 --> 00:05:08,320 Speaker 1: break into the house Charles Manson creepy Crawley style, find 80 00:05:08,360 --> 00:05:12,640 Speaker 1: Mick passed out and slit his throat. The local Hell's 81 00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:15,320 Speaker 1: Angels tasked to carry out the hit, loaded up a 82 00:05:15,360 --> 00:05:20,200 Speaker 1: small boat with assordid weaponry pistols, automatic weapons, knives, explosives. 83 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:23,120 Speaker 1: They even had hand grenades, and on the right night 84 00:05:23,160 --> 00:05:25,240 Speaker 1: they set off in their tiny little boat from the 85 00:05:25,279 --> 00:05:28,640 Speaker 1: East River of all places. The plan was to slip 86 00:05:28,680 --> 00:05:32,360 Speaker 1: out north pasted Rikers Island, into the Long Island Sound 87 00:05:32,360 --> 00:05:35,800 Speaker 1: and out to Montauk. They barely made it past Rikers 88 00:05:35,800 --> 00:05:39,440 Speaker 1: without getting made From there, the water got very choppy, 89 00:05:39,839 --> 00:05:41,760 Speaker 1: and by the time they made it into the sound 90 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:46,039 Speaker 1: a full on storm and hit Nick got bad fast. 91 00:05:46,640 --> 00:05:49,040 Speaker 1: The boat was a nineteen foot whaler with a weight 92 00:05:49,080 --> 00:05:52,280 Speaker 1: capacity of twenty five hundred pounds that was currently carrying 93 00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:55,880 Speaker 1: a small arsenal of weapons, five burly angels, and their 94 00:05:55,920 --> 00:05:58,840 Speaker 1: weight in beer. The vessel was in dubious shape in 95 00:05:58,880 --> 00:06:01,400 Speaker 1: the best of conditions, never in a full on storm 96 00:06:01,440 --> 00:06:04,840 Speaker 1: with a drunk landsman captaining it. Nothing on the boat 97 00:06:04,839 --> 00:06:07,600 Speaker 1: had been fastened down none of the angels had any 98 00:06:07,640 --> 00:06:12,440 Speaker 1: boating experience. The storm picked up with intense speed. The 99 00:06:12,520 --> 00:06:16,000 Speaker 1: conflicting currents swirled the chop into full on waves. The 100 00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:18,760 Speaker 1: angels held on tight with one hand, each gripping their 101 00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:22,440 Speaker 1: cans of Schlitz with their others. Instead of navigating through 102 00:06:22,480 --> 00:06:24,919 Speaker 1: the chop at a cautious speed, the angel at the 103 00:06:24,920 --> 00:06:28,600 Speaker 1: helm gunned it tried powering through the storm in the 104 00:06:28,680 --> 00:06:31,680 Speaker 1: driving rain seventy mile per hour winds. He eventually ate 105 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:35,239 Speaker 1: ten twelve foot waves. The tiny boat and inexperienced angels 106 00:06:35,279 --> 00:06:42,480 Speaker 1: were no match. They capsized. Somehow, They made it back 107 00:06:42,520 --> 00:06:46,080 Speaker 1: to land safely, and Jagger lived on. Of course, after that, 108 00:06:46,160 --> 00:06:50,440 Speaker 1: I'm not sure what happened, Miller continued. I heard Mick 109 00:06:50,560 --> 00:06:53,120 Speaker 1: freaked out when he heard about the attempt on his life, 110 00:06:53,279 --> 00:06:55,000 Speaker 1: and that he sent some heavies of his own down 111 00:06:55,040 --> 00:06:58,160 Speaker 1: to the Third Street clubhouse to try and intimidate the angels. 112 00:06:58,400 --> 00:07:00,719 Speaker 1: But that didn't work out too good for me. Mix guys. 113 00:07:01,400 --> 00:07:03,479 Speaker 1: Then I heard something about Mick and fifty thousand of 114 00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:06,479 Speaker 1: his dollars eventually making its way into club coffers, though 115 00:07:06,520 --> 00:07:10,920 Speaker 1: that I cannot verify. One of course, you can't what 116 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:13,760 Speaker 1: the fuck is this story time with Johnny? That's it, 117 00:07:14,120 --> 00:07:17,080 Speaker 1: That's all you got. The angels tried to kill Mick Jagger, 118 00:07:17,120 --> 00:07:42,400 Speaker 1: but what got the leathers? Wet Lauropunk nineteen sixty nine, 119 00:07:42,720 --> 00:07:47,880 Speaker 1: Summer August fifteenth through eighteenth, Upstate, New York, Woodstock Music 120 00:07:47,880 --> 00:07:52,480 Speaker 1: and Art Fair, three days of peace, love and Sixties idealism. Bethel, 121 00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:55,520 Speaker 1: New York. To be exact, Old Man Yascar's farm to 122 00:07:55,560 --> 00:07:59,280 Speaker 1: be precise Woodstock. If you could get past the money, 123 00:07:59,280 --> 00:08:04,040 Speaker 1: mass of hippie humanity was in its way, beautiful, beautiful, verdant, 124 00:08:04,080 --> 00:08:09,160 Speaker 1: Northeast farmland, lush, green and inviting. Fast forward four months 125 00:08:09,200 --> 00:08:13,119 Speaker 1: to December nineteen sixty nine in northern California, The Rolling 126 00:08:13,120 --> 00:08:17,400 Speaker 1: Stones Free Concert at Altamont. One day of music, six bands, 127 00:08:17,520 --> 00:08:21,720 Speaker 1: Unlimited Ballin Acid, speed and jug Red Wine. The Stones 128 00:08:21,800 --> 00:08:27,400 Speaker 1: Gift to the People. Livermore, California. Altamont Speedway compared to Woodstock, 129 00:08:27,600 --> 00:08:34,480 Speaker 1: was grim and gross, a stark landscape of hulking, rusted 130 00:08:34,520 --> 00:08:38,720 Speaker 1: cars from a generation ago, rotting on the hillside, overlooking 131 00:08:38,760 --> 00:08:42,440 Speaker 1: the youthful attendees with the judgmental eyes of scornful elders. 132 00:08:43,120 --> 00:08:46,200 Speaker 1: The crumbling racetrack in The bowl shaped valley was surrounded 133 00:08:46,200 --> 00:08:49,520 Speaker 1: by hills and stained with motor oil. The dry, crabby 134 00:08:49,559 --> 00:08:52,880 Speaker 1: grass was littered with trash, broken glass car parts, and 135 00:08:52,960 --> 00:08:57,599 Speaker 1: crashed a breed. Somehow this had become the location of 136 00:08:57,679 --> 00:09:00,680 Speaker 1: the ill conceived and poorly planned festival that was supposed 137 00:09:00,720 --> 00:09:04,120 Speaker 1: to mark the Stones triumph of America and close out 138 00:09:04,120 --> 00:09:06,599 Speaker 1: the Piece and Loved Sixties with the Stones front and 139 00:09:06,720 --> 00:09:11,040 Speaker 1: center in a cinematically glorious grand finale, but ended up 140 00:09:11,200 --> 00:09:14,480 Speaker 1: being one of the darkest, most violent mega concerts in 141 00:09:14,520 --> 00:09:19,199 Speaker 1: the history of rock and roll. The limo bumped along 142 00:09:19,240 --> 00:09:22,600 Speaker 1: the dusky road sixty miles outside of the San Francisco 143 00:09:22,720 --> 00:09:27,600 Speaker 1: city limits. Keith Richards was growing impatient. Man, how far 144 00:09:27,640 --> 00:09:31,120 Speaker 1: away is this place? Nick Jagger seated across from his 145 00:09:31,120 --> 00:09:35,040 Speaker 1: glitter twin and slulched down into the velvet upholstery. Exhausted, 146 00:09:35,320 --> 00:09:38,120 Speaker 1: closed his eyes to signal his annoyance, and answered Keith, 147 00:09:39,160 --> 00:09:42,520 Speaker 1: he can't hear you. Keith tapped on the glass partition 148 00:09:42,600 --> 00:09:45,160 Speaker 1: that divided the limo driver from the two of them. Hello, 149 00:09:45,559 --> 00:09:49,360 Speaker 1: are we lost? The driver either ignored Keith or was death. 150 00:09:50,240 --> 00:09:53,199 Speaker 1: Keith sat back, tugged at his sharp toothed earring, shook 151 00:09:53,240 --> 00:09:55,600 Speaker 1: his head, and they'd been in the car for more 152 00:09:55,640 --> 00:09:58,280 Speaker 1: than two hours, and before that it had been on 153 00:09:58,320 --> 00:10:01,640 Speaker 1: a plane. At least tomorrow there'd be a helicopter to 154 00:10:01,640 --> 00:10:04,200 Speaker 1: take them to the show and back again to San Francisco, 155 00:10:04,480 --> 00:10:06,800 Speaker 1: where they were staying around up the final leg of 156 00:10:06,840 --> 00:10:11,120 Speaker 1: their sixty nine tour. The free concert at Altamont would 157 00:10:11,120 --> 00:10:13,800 Speaker 1: be the grand finale, the icing on the cake of 158 00:10:13,840 --> 00:10:16,560 Speaker 1: their long state side tour, during which they had finished 159 00:10:16,559 --> 00:10:21,320 Speaker 1: a new record, somehow avoided venereal disease, alienated critics, further 160 00:10:21,360 --> 00:10:25,280 Speaker 1: developed their drug habits, and generally out rock starred even themselves, 161 00:10:25,559 --> 00:10:29,040 Speaker 1: cutting a zigzag swath of Genghis Kang style destruction through 162 00:10:29,040 --> 00:10:32,679 Speaker 1: the heart of America. Keith arched his head to peer 163 00:10:32,720 --> 00:10:36,160 Speaker 1: out the window into the blackness of early morning. No sun, 164 00:10:36,840 --> 00:10:40,680 Speaker 1: just dust and darkness, and they were ascended, climbing the 165 00:10:40,760 --> 00:10:45,480 Speaker 1: dusty northern California hills. Once peaked, they began their descent. 166 00:10:46,240 --> 00:10:48,680 Speaker 1: It was a steep decline, and Keith could feel his 167 00:10:48,760 --> 00:10:54,000 Speaker 1: stomach drop out. Here on this morning, they were completely alone. 168 00:10:54,200 --> 00:10:57,600 Speaker 1: The nineteen sixty nine Stones Tour, like all of their tours, 169 00:10:57,679 --> 00:10:59,400 Speaker 1: was a kind of high flying by the seat of 170 00:10:59,440 --> 00:11:03,080 Speaker 1: their pants situation. Some things like the major arena concerts 171 00:11:03,080 --> 00:11:05,480 Speaker 1: they've been giving in the Ed Sullivan show, were planned. 172 00:11:05,920 --> 00:11:08,960 Speaker 1: Other things like which hotels, which cars, and where a giant, 173 00:11:09,040 --> 00:11:12,679 Speaker 1: last minute free concert could be held were not. While 174 00:11:12,679 --> 00:11:15,880 Speaker 1: on the road, Mixed personal assistant Joe Bergman said of 175 00:11:15,920 --> 00:11:18,960 Speaker 1: the free concert, it's going to happen. Don't worry. We've 176 00:11:18,960 --> 00:11:22,400 Speaker 1: always done everything at the last minute, and it works. Sure, 177 00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:28,240 Speaker 1: it works till it doesn't. The Cadillac Fleetwood, certainly designed 178 00:11:28,280 --> 00:11:31,240 Speaker 1: for more elegant journeys than this, climbed the final hill 179 00:11:31,400 --> 00:11:33,959 Speaker 1: and then coasted down the other side into the dark, 180 00:11:34,040 --> 00:11:38,000 Speaker 1: dusty valley, and there, from behind tinted windows, Mick and 181 00:11:38,080 --> 00:11:41,600 Speaker 1: Keith got their first look at the scene, and there 182 00:11:41,679 --> 00:11:45,240 Speaker 1: was little to no organization. Fifty thousand fans, a fraction 183 00:11:45,320 --> 00:11:47,840 Speaker 1: of the amount that would arrive by showtime, filled with 184 00:11:47,920 --> 00:11:52,280 Speaker 1: pre show excitement, mostly teenagers, set up in makeshift campsites 185 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:55,600 Speaker 1: in the dark, huddled around smoky fires to keep warm. 186 00:11:55,880 --> 00:11:58,560 Speaker 1: All there almost a full day early for the concert. 187 00:11:59,480 --> 00:12:04,520 Speaker 1: Dogs roamed freely, scrounding for food, barking indiscriminately. Hungry cold 188 00:12:04,559 --> 00:12:08,240 Speaker 1: babies trembled and cried. Cars and vans were parked everywhere, 189 00:12:08,280 --> 00:12:11,040 Speaker 1: in every which way. Along the edges of the hills 190 00:12:11,160 --> 00:12:14,280 Speaker 1: lay those rusted up bodies of junk cars, silhouetted in 191 00:12:14,320 --> 00:12:16,640 Speaker 1: the hellish glare of the bonfire that had sprung up 192 00:12:16,720 --> 00:12:20,880 Speaker 1: dangerously close to the production scaffolding, a menacing skeleton that 193 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:24,280 Speaker 1: reached up into the filthy, charcoal smudged early morning sky. 194 00:12:25,160 --> 00:12:29,000 Speaker 1: It was clear from the jump Altamont was no woodstock. 195 00:12:30,600 --> 00:12:33,760 Speaker 1: Keith looked on in astonishment. What were they about to 196 00:12:33,760 --> 00:12:36,960 Speaker 1: embark upon? Just what in the fuck was life in 197 00:12:37,040 --> 00:12:39,640 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty nine? And who in the hell were the 198 00:12:39,720 --> 00:12:44,080 Speaker 1: rolling stones. Keith mumbled something about entering the mouth of hell. 199 00:12:44,800 --> 00:12:47,840 Speaker 1: Mick banged on the partition, signaling the driver to stop. 200 00:12:48,040 --> 00:12:52,000 Speaker 1: He looked to Keith and said it's time. Keith grabbed 201 00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:54,880 Speaker 1: his coat, a well worn leather greatcoat that in another 202 00:12:54,960 --> 00:12:57,880 Speaker 1: life had been the property of one of Hitler's Nazi officers. 203 00:12:58,400 --> 00:13:01,440 Speaker 1: Keith slipped it on, exited the limbo behind his front man, 204 00:13:01,679 --> 00:13:03,640 Speaker 1: and the two of them strolled out into the coming 205 00:13:03,720 --> 00:13:09,680 Speaker 1: day's battlefield. We'll be right back after this word word word. 206 00:13:14,440 --> 00:13:17,120 Speaker 1: Mick and Keith began slowly making their way through the 207 00:13:17,160 --> 00:13:20,320 Speaker 1: grounds in search of whatever the Speedway clubhouse might be. 208 00:13:21,160 --> 00:13:24,920 Speaker 1: They stepped carefully over sleeping bodies, blankets, shards of metal, 209 00:13:25,080 --> 00:13:27,360 Speaker 1: and couples who'd had too much weed or wine or 210 00:13:27,440 --> 00:13:31,440 Speaker 1: acid or all of the above. It was surprisingly cold, 211 00:13:31,720 --> 00:13:34,760 Speaker 1: and the early festival goers, weary of venturing too far 212 00:13:34,880 --> 00:13:37,280 Speaker 1: off of the grounds and into the domain of the 213 00:13:37,320 --> 00:13:41,080 Speaker 1: mountain lions and coyotes, began tearing apart the little available 214 00:13:41,120 --> 00:13:44,640 Speaker 1: festival fencing. They was for firewood. The light from the 215 00:13:44,679 --> 00:13:48,280 Speaker 1: flames guided micking Keith. Murmurs from the weary and stone 216 00:13:48,360 --> 00:13:52,040 Speaker 1: fans started burbling up. Soon a small crowd had filled 217 00:13:52,040 --> 00:13:54,000 Speaker 1: in behind them. As they made their way toward the 218 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:57,520 Speaker 1: belly of the speedway, a boy couldn't have been older 219 00:13:57,559 --> 00:14:00,000 Speaker 1: than fourteen hurried himself from the back and the line, 220 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:03,360 Speaker 1: find himself to Keith's right. Keith now had a walking 221 00:14:03,400 --> 00:14:06,199 Speaker 1: stick in his left hand. The boy had a lit joint, 222 00:14:06,440 --> 00:14:09,640 Speaker 1: a pinner. He said nothing to Keith, just pulled on 223 00:14:09,679 --> 00:14:12,040 Speaker 1: the grass and passed it to his hero at his left. 224 00:14:12,679 --> 00:14:15,800 Speaker 1: The two of them in steady motion. Keith grabbed the joint, 225 00:14:15,920 --> 00:14:18,440 Speaker 1: puffed and passed it to Mick to his left. The 226 00:14:18,480 --> 00:14:22,040 Speaker 1: boy said nothing, just kept walking. Keith did the same. 227 00:14:22,480 --> 00:14:25,720 Speaker 1: The three of them, the boy included, cool as fuck. 228 00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:30,680 Speaker 1: The darkness was a mood unto itself. The sinister glow 229 00:14:30,760 --> 00:14:34,200 Speaker 1: of the campfires, the acid induced tracers from their sparks, 230 00:14:34,520 --> 00:14:37,400 Speaker 1: the bitter red jug wine, the smell of grass, and 231 00:14:37,480 --> 00:14:41,480 Speaker 1: the murmuring makeshift entourage made the moment all the more intense. 232 00:14:41,960 --> 00:14:44,520 Speaker 1: It was as if all of them, Mick, Keith, the fans, 233 00:14:44,760 --> 00:14:47,120 Speaker 1: as if they'd all gathered there for the same reason, 234 00:14:47,200 --> 00:14:50,080 Speaker 1: but deep down felt that something else was going to happen. 235 00:14:51,200 --> 00:14:54,240 Speaker 1: Mick soldiered on through the gnawing feeling in his gut. 236 00:14:54,560 --> 00:14:57,400 Speaker 1: A stone sweet little sixteen looked up from the blanket 237 00:14:57,480 --> 00:14:59,800 Speaker 1: she was sitting on as Mick past held her arm 238 00:14:59,880 --> 00:15:01,960 Speaker 1: up in a faye attempt to touch him, and said, 239 00:15:02,320 --> 00:15:06,120 Speaker 1: are you real? Mick tried ignoring her, but she had 240 00:15:06,160 --> 00:15:09,320 Speaker 1: a point. Was he real? Was any of this real? 241 00:15:09,960 --> 00:15:12,920 Speaker 1: What if anything was going to happen? Would it all 242 00:15:12,960 --> 00:15:15,680 Speaker 1: work out as planned or as it was unplanned? And 243 00:15:15,720 --> 00:15:19,080 Speaker 1: who needed plans anyways? Woodstock went off largely without a 244 00:15:19,160 --> 00:15:21,520 Speaker 1: hitch and sew it out tomat It was a new day. 245 00:15:22,120 --> 00:15:25,920 Speaker 1: The band and the festival organizers could organize themselves. Kids 246 00:15:25,960 --> 00:15:28,920 Speaker 1: could police themselves. Just lay it on nice and mellow 247 00:15:29,000 --> 00:15:31,680 Speaker 1: and don't drop some heavy authority trip onto everyone and 248 00:15:31,720 --> 00:15:34,560 Speaker 1: crush the vibe. That was the beauty of the sixties, 249 00:15:34,640 --> 00:15:38,640 Speaker 1: wasn't it. Just let it happen. But this lack of planning, 250 00:15:38,720 --> 00:15:41,720 Speaker 1: everyone would soon discover, much to their dismay, meant a 251 00:15:41,840 --> 00:15:44,080 Speaker 1: lack of toilets, a lack of running water, a lack 252 00:15:44,120 --> 00:15:46,760 Speaker 1: of food, a lack of medical care, and most importantly 253 00:15:47,120 --> 00:15:50,200 Speaker 1: a lack of real security. But it would all just 254 00:15:50,600 --> 00:15:54,280 Speaker 1: work out so long as everyone cooled out and work together, right, 255 00:15:55,080 --> 00:15:57,000 Speaker 1: which was sort of how this festival came to be. 256 00:15:57,400 --> 00:15:59,880 Speaker 1: For every problem, there was a solution. Things were just 257 00:16:00,200 --> 00:16:03,840 Speaker 1: working out. Stone's ticket prices are too expensive. Ralph J. 258 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:06,800 Speaker 1: Gleeson slagging off the band too harshly in the press, 259 00:16:07,240 --> 00:16:09,960 Speaker 1: No problem. Throw a free concert as a give back 260 00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:13,120 Speaker 1: for the fans. Do it in San Francisco, opposite side 261 00:16:13,120 --> 00:16:16,080 Speaker 1: of the country of Woodstock, your own Woodstock. Fuck you 262 00:16:16,200 --> 00:16:19,320 Speaker 1: very much, mister Gleeson. Call up the Grateful Dead for advice. 263 00:16:19,520 --> 00:16:22,280 Speaker 1: They've been throwing free shows in Golden Gate Park for years. 264 00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:24,560 Speaker 1: Do it there. Oh, you're in the Rolling Stones, which 265 00:16:24,600 --> 00:16:27,400 Speaker 1: in nineteen sixty nine is like saying you're in Satan's army, 266 00:16:27,440 --> 00:16:29,800 Speaker 1: and unlike the dead, you've got no yank with the 267 00:16:29,800 --> 00:16:32,200 Speaker 1: parks department in San France. So a permit for a 268 00:16:32,280 --> 00:16:35,320 Speaker 1: party at Golden Gate Park, it ain't happening, no sweat. 269 00:16:35,440 --> 00:16:37,880 Speaker 1: Move the show to Sears Point Raceway, but the owner 270 00:16:37,920 --> 00:16:39,880 Speaker 1: of that location wants in on the rights to the 271 00:16:39,920 --> 00:16:42,520 Speaker 1: movie you've hired the Masals to produce, So fuck that guy. 272 00:16:42,800 --> 00:16:46,040 Speaker 1: What about Altamont the speedway up in Livermore. That guy, 273 00:16:46,200 --> 00:16:49,040 Speaker 1: the owner of Altamont's Speedway, Dick Carter. He doesn't even 274 00:16:49,080 --> 00:16:51,160 Speaker 1: want a fee, He just wants his name attached to 275 00:16:51,200 --> 00:16:53,960 Speaker 1: the festival branding, so everyone remember him as in the 276 00:16:54,080 --> 00:16:57,840 Speaker 1: Rolling Stones at Dick Carter's Altamont Speedway, which of course 277 00:16:57,920 --> 00:17:00,760 Speaker 1: no one does because of course you have no intention 278 00:17:00,800 --> 00:17:03,360 Speaker 1: of following through on the promise, because you're the rolling 279 00:17:03,400 --> 00:17:05,359 Speaker 1: fucking Stones and you can kind of do whatever the 280 00:17:05,359 --> 00:17:07,679 Speaker 1: hell you want. But really, because in the high flying, 281 00:17:07,720 --> 00:17:10,560 Speaker 1: move fast and break everything world you inhabit in nineteen 282 00:17:10,640 --> 00:17:13,520 Speaker 1: sixty nine, there just isn't the headspace to keep track 283 00:17:13,560 --> 00:17:16,600 Speaker 1: of details like this. But it's cool because hey, man, 284 00:17:16,840 --> 00:17:23,800 Speaker 1: just like I can tin to say it's gonna work out. Fine. Look, 285 00:17:23,960 --> 00:17:25,880 Speaker 1: you could already see it coming together in the early 286 00:17:25,920 --> 00:17:30,560 Speaker 1: morning darkness, sort of dirty, disheveled, peasant looking hippie children 287 00:17:30,640 --> 00:17:33,840 Speaker 1: falled making Keith a pair of debauched kings across an 288 00:17:33,880 --> 00:17:37,320 Speaker 1: apocalyptic wasteland toward a high metal gate that Mick thought 289 00:17:37,480 --> 00:17:41,160 Speaker 1: looked rather promising, And it was locked, and they called 290 00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:43,800 Speaker 1: out for someone to let them in, and they waited, 291 00:17:44,359 --> 00:17:48,600 Speaker 1: they shared. Finally somebody pushed the chain link metal outward 292 00:17:48,760 --> 00:17:50,760 Speaker 1: and they were allowed to pass into the inner sanctum 293 00:17:50,800 --> 00:17:56,119 Speaker 1: of the Speedway, Altamont, December sixth, nineteen sixty nine. The 294 00:17:56,200 --> 00:18:00,439 Speaker 1: location had been chosen just thirty six hours earlier, six hours. 295 00:18:00,880 --> 00:18:04,119 Speaker 1: Who changes plans this big so close to start time? 296 00:18:04,560 --> 00:18:06,720 Speaker 1: In today's day and age and the read and react 297 00:18:06,760 --> 00:18:09,560 Speaker 1: Twitter lamb, That might make sense, but this was fifty 298 00:18:09,640 --> 00:18:13,160 Speaker 1: years ago. The band changed the location after the Stones 299 00:18:13,200 --> 00:18:15,800 Speaker 1: decided that the Sear's Point location wasn't going to work, 300 00:18:16,200 --> 00:18:19,480 Speaker 1: mainly because of the movie rights beef. However, in reality, 301 00:18:19,760 --> 00:18:23,480 Speaker 1: that location had everything. Dick Carter's Altamont Speedway did not 302 00:18:23,960 --> 00:18:27,199 Speaker 1: such basic necessities as the capacity to hold a massive 303 00:18:27,200 --> 00:18:31,080 Speaker 1: crowd with its available working staff, running water, toilets, etc. 304 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:34,600 Speaker 1: But alas it was not to be here and the now. 305 00:18:34,880 --> 00:18:38,000 Speaker 1: Mick looked on as the crew at Altamont assembled the stage. 306 00:18:38,160 --> 00:18:41,199 Speaker 1: It was a mere four feet tall, its security barrier 307 00:18:41,359 --> 00:18:44,439 Speaker 1: a thin piece of twine for an expected audience of 308 00:18:44,560 --> 00:18:48,640 Speaker 1: one hundred thousand. Hippie planning at its best that would 309 00:18:48,640 --> 00:18:52,720 Speaker 1: prove to be the centerpiece for the coming disaster. Keith 310 00:18:52,760 --> 00:18:55,280 Speaker 1: and Mick found the band's trailer behind the stage, and 311 00:18:55,359 --> 00:18:59,320 Speaker 1: Keith chilled, thought about sleeping, did some cocaine instead, then 312 00:18:59,359 --> 00:19:02,359 Speaker 1: thought about the day. He was excited to see the 313 00:19:02,400 --> 00:19:04,760 Speaker 1: set of his friend and cosmic soul brother in arms, 314 00:19:04,800 --> 00:19:09,040 Speaker 1: Graham Parsons. Later that afternoon, Graham's band, the Flying Burrito 315 00:19:09,080 --> 00:19:11,800 Speaker 1: Brothers was opening up the show, along with Crosby, Stills, 316 00:19:11,880 --> 00:19:15,800 Speaker 1: Nash and Young, The Jefferson Airplane, Santana and the Dead, 317 00:19:16,240 --> 00:19:18,600 Speaker 1: and Keith was dug in ready for the day to 318 00:19:18,600 --> 00:19:23,560 Speaker 1: present itself. Mick was not. He was anxious, all nervous energy. 319 00:19:23,880 --> 00:19:26,120 Speaker 1: It was now daylight and the morning sun was up. 320 00:19:26,400 --> 00:19:29,760 Speaker 1: The Northern California condors were circling and Mick could hear 321 00:19:29,800 --> 00:19:33,119 Speaker 1: the press and some fans gathered outside the trailer. He 322 00:19:33,200 --> 00:19:34,960 Speaker 1: peeked his head out of the door and stood in 323 00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:38,840 Speaker 1: the doorway, surveying the backstage scene, the small scrum of 324 00:19:38,920 --> 00:19:42,119 Speaker 1: journalists and hangers on. How is he feeling about the 325 00:19:42,119 --> 00:19:46,280 Speaker 1: Altamont show, someone shouted, Mick was feeling downright, chatty. I 326 00:19:46,320 --> 00:19:49,879 Speaker 1: think the concert's just an excuse. The scrum pulled in 327 00:19:49,960 --> 00:19:52,600 Speaker 1: tighter around Mick in the doorway of the trailer, boxing 328 00:19:52,640 --> 00:19:55,359 Speaker 1: him in, hanging on his every word. He had their 329 00:19:55,400 --> 00:19:58,719 Speaker 1: full attention, and went on, it's just an excuse for 330 00:19:58,760 --> 00:20:01,440 Speaker 1: everyone to come and have a time. It's just an 331 00:20:01,480 --> 00:20:03,800 Speaker 1: excuse to get together and talk to each other, and 332 00:20:03,880 --> 00:20:06,080 Speaker 1: sleep with each other, and ball each other and get 333 00:20:06,119 --> 00:20:08,399 Speaker 1: really stoned and have a nice night out and a 334 00:20:08,440 --> 00:20:11,080 Speaker 1: good day. It's not like just getting up there and 335 00:20:11,119 --> 00:20:15,080 Speaker 1: seeing the Grateful airplane and the Rolling Dead. Back at 336 00:20:15,119 --> 00:20:17,520 Speaker 1: the stage away from the trailer where Mick was preaching 337 00:20:17,560 --> 00:20:20,679 Speaker 1: to the press, day was breaking, The setup was just 338 00:20:20,720 --> 00:20:23,440 Speaker 1: about finished, and Joe Bergman and Sam Cutler were feeling 339 00:20:23,560 --> 00:20:27,520 Speaker 1: pretty pleased with themselves. But Rock Scully, the twenty four 340 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:30,320 Speaker 1: year old manager of the Grateful Dead, a hippie mover 341 00:20:30,440 --> 00:20:33,440 Speaker 1: and shaker who'd done so much LSD that his pupils 342 00:20:33,440 --> 00:20:36,880 Speaker 1: were permanently dilated. Took in the scene and thought to himself, 343 00:20:37,320 --> 00:20:40,879 Speaker 1: you know, this could be a real shit show. He 344 00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:43,400 Speaker 1: was looking forward to the arrival of the Hell's Angels. 345 00:20:43,800 --> 00:20:46,439 Speaker 1: At least then Scully thought there'd be some sense of 346 00:20:46,600 --> 00:20:51,160 Speaker 1: order to what was quickly turning out could be madness. 347 00:21:01,400 --> 00:21:03,679 Speaker 1: Graham Parsons hopped on the back of the chopper and 348 00:21:03,720 --> 00:21:06,200 Speaker 1: wrapped his arms around the torso of a burly Hell's 349 00:21:06,240 --> 00:21:10,440 Speaker 1: Angel named Tiny. Tiny quickly, too quickly yanked the throw, 350 00:21:10,960 --> 00:21:13,879 Speaker 1: and when he did, Harley Davidson shot forward with a 351 00:21:13,920 --> 00:21:17,080 Speaker 1: short blast, and Graham's head shot back and banged with 352 00:21:17,160 --> 00:21:20,160 Speaker 1: great force into the bike steel sissy bar behind him. 353 00:21:20,359 --> 00:21:24,480 Speaker 1: The skull hurt whoa oh man. For a second, Graham 354 00:21:24,520 --> 00:21:27,480 Speaker 1: saw stars. He told himself to stay cool as he 355 00:21:27,480 --> 00:21:30,520 Speaker 1: felt the egg start to swell. As Tiny peeled out 356 00:21:30,560 --> 00:21:33,520 Speaker 1: onto Interstate five eighty, Graham blinked his eyes open and 357 00:21:33,560 --> 00:21:36,080 Speaker 1: squinted through the dust being spit up by the chopper. 358 00:21:36,640 --> 00:21:39,520 Speaker 1: He held on for his life, gripping Tiny's chest, which 359 00:21:39,560 --> 00:21:42,040 Speaker 1: was clad in his leather biker vest, the one with 360 00:21:42,080 --> 00:21:45,200 Speaker 1: the red Hell's Angels top rocker emblazoned across the back 361 00:21:45,440 --> 00:21:48,600 Speaker 1: and the bottom rocker letters C A, L I, F 362 00:21:48,760 --> 00:21:53,240 Speaker 1: O R N I A, bending below the immediately recognizable 363 00:21:53,359 --> 00:21:58,159 Speaker 1: Deathhead logo and small square MC patch. He knew he 364 00:21:58,160 --> 00:22:00,359 Speaker 1: should have worn a helmet, but Tiny didn't have an 365 00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:03,240 Speaker 1: extra brain bucket. His old lady had split and pick 366 00:22:03,320 --> 00:22:05,919 Speaker 1: it with her, So Graham took his chances as he 367 00:22:05,960 --> 00:22:08,560 Speaker 1: hopped on the back of Tiny's chopper out on Interstate 368 00:22:08,640 --> 00:22:11,320 Speaker 1: five to eighty and spun off in the morning sunshine 369 00:22:11,320 --> 00:22:14,879 Speaker 1: for Aultamont Speedway. With his dome exposed and his shiny 370 00:22:14,960 --> 00:22:18,320 Speaker 1: shoulder length of caramel hair flowing in the northern California wind, 371 00:22:19,119 --> 00:22:21,760 Speaker 1: Graham looked good today. He knew it, and he had to. 372 00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:24,000 Speaker 1: It was a big day. It's not every day that 373 00:22:24,040 --> 00:22:26,280 Speaker 1: you and your band get to open for the Rolling Stones, 374 00:22:26,480 --> 00:22:28,800 Speaker 1: the biggest, baddest rock and roll band on the planet. 375 00:22:29,440 --> 00:22:33,000 Speaker 1: But despite his confidence in his attire embroidered haltered top, 376 00:22:33,080 --> 00:22:36,359 Speaker 1: the snakeskin vests, silk bell bottoms that fit perfect in 377 00:22:36,440 --> 00:22:40,480 Speaker 1: a tight puca shell necklace, Graham was rattled his head hurt. 378 00:22:41,440 --> 00:22:44,080 Speaker 1: Even with a short notice for the Stones free concert. 379 00:22:44,280 --> 00:22:47,960 Speaker 1: Radio stations across the country plugged it relentlessly, and they 380 00:22:47,960 --> 00:22:50,880 Speaker 1: called to the people, and the people came naturally. There 381 00:22:50,920 --> 00:22:53,800 Speaker 1: was a massive congestion on the freeway and there were 382 00:22:53,840 --> 00:22:56,440 Speaker 1: simply too many travelers, too many cars for the road 383 00:22:56,480 --> 00:22:59,400 Speaker 1: to hold, and so the highway became a parking lot. 384 00:22:59,440 --> 00:23:01,880 Speaker 1: Graham and his band were set to perform and support 385 00:23:01,880 --> 00:23:05,240 Speaker 1: of their excellent debut, The Gilded Palace of Sin, which 386 00:23:05,440 --> 00:23:09,000 Speaker 1: was by definition a country album but had effortlessly crossed 387 00:23:09,040 --> 00:23:12,159 Speaker 1: over to a mainstream rock and roll audience. They were 388 00:23:12,240 --> 00:23:13,960 Speaker 1: on their way up, and they could feel it in 389 00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:17,320 Speaker 1: their bones. But on that particular December morning in the 390 00:23:17,400 --> 00:23:20,760 Speaker 1: hills of Almeida County, they weren't going nowhere. They had 391 00:23:20,800 --> 00:23:23,200 Speaker 1: literally driven themselves off the road and into a ditch. 392 00:23:24,119 --> 00:23:26,800 Speaker 1: Graham was incensed. He wasn't going to miss this. He 393 00:23:26,920 --> 00:23:29,119 Speaker 1: might have had a bird Chris Hillman and his band, 394 00:23:29,440 --> 00:23:32,240 Speaker 1: but there was a bonafide rolling stone his man crushed 395 00:23:32,280 --> 00:23:35,640 Speaker 1: Keith Richards waiting for him backstage. He could only get 396 00:23:35,720 --> 00:23:38,399 Speaker 1: himself through the four mile sea of people, so he 397 00:23:38,440 --> 00:23:40,720 Speaker 1: flagged down the Hell's Angel as soon as he saw him, 398 00:23:40,800 --> 00:23:43,959 Speaker 1: deftly maneuvering through the traffic toward where Graham and company 399 00:23:43,960 --> 00:23:48,040 Speaker 1: were broke down. Graham had pleaded his case. He was 400 00:23:48,080 --> 00:23:50,920 Speaker 1: a musician, he was with the Rolling Stones. He needed 401 00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:54,600 Speaker 1: to get to the stage on time. Tiny agreed, But 402 00:23:55,160 --> 00:23:57,160 Speaker 1: how would the rest of the band get to the stage. 403 00:23:57,280 --> 00:24:00,200 Speaker 1: There were only minutes to spare. Oh, they'll figure it out, 404 00:24:00,240 --> 00:24:03,320 Speaker 1: Graham said, and just like that, he left his bandmates 405 00:24:03,320 --> 00:24:06,040 Speaker 1: on the roadside. He and Tiny were on a mission. 406 00:24:07,600 --> 00:24:10,080 Speaker 1: The Hell's Angels were doing security for the promise of 407 00:24:10,119 --> 00:24:12,560 Speaker 1: five hundred dollars in beer, so they could come and 408 00:24:12,600 --> 00:24:15,400 Speaker 1: go as they pleased, and their bikes made it possible 409 00:24:15,440 --> 00:24:17,680 Speaker 1: to work their way through the mass of hippy humanity 410 00:24:17,720 --> 00:24:21,000 Speaker 1: with little resistance. They arrived at the edge of the 411 00:24:21,040 --> 00:24:24,399 Speaker 1: concert grounds, and there were people everywhere. Something had to 412 00:24:24,440 --> 00:24:26,040 Speaker 1: give if Graham was going to make it to the 413 00:24:26,080 --> 00:24:29,840 Speaker 1: stage on time. Tiny moved his chopper from the highway 414 00:24:30,119 --> 00:24:33,040 Speaker 1: up the hill to the entrance to the speedway. Once 415 00:24:33,080 --> 00:24:36,959 Speaker 1: atop the rise, a vista unfolded before them, peppered with 416 00:24:37,040 --> 00:24:41,359 Speaker 1: sunstroked hippies setting up camp on mass. The Altamont Pass 417 00:24:41,480 --> 00:24:45,640 Speaker 1: was in full display, dusty haste, its grass burnt by 418 00:24:45,680 --> 00:24:48,840 Speaker 1: the sun and patrolled by rattlesnakes, And for a moment 419 00:24:48,880 --> 00:24:51,960 Speaker 1: it was beautiful, and that only in California kind of 420 00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:55,840 Speaker 1: way nestled next to the Diablo Mountain Rage. On this day, 421 00:24:56,119 --> 00:24:58,399 Speaker 1: Altamont looked as good a place as any for the 422 00:24:58,400 --> 00:25:02,280 Speaker 1: Devil to set up shot, so Tiny accelerated down the hill. 423 00:25:04,240 --> 00:25:07,359 Speaker 1: Graham held on tight. Tiny maneuvered the chopper around the 424 00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:10,320 Speaker 1: stone hippies frolicking. It was just beginning to feel the 425 00:25:10,320 --> 00:25:13,879 Speaker 1: effects of the powerful speed laced elsli purple LSD that 426 00:25:13,960 --> 00:25:17,879 Speaker 1: began circulating through the crowd earlier that day. Graham was 427 00:25:17,920 --> 00:25:21,360 Speaker 1: impressed with the way Tiny handled the powerful machine. Aside 428 00:25:21,359 --> 00:25:23,920 Speaker 1: from the bumpy start, which was really more Graham's fault. 429 00:25:24,200 --> 00:25:27,360 Speaker 1: The ride into the concert, though filled with fits and starts, 430 00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:33,000 Speaker 1: was wildly efficient and wildly exhilarating. Altamont Speedway was littered 431 00:25:33,040 --> 00:25:36,760 Speaker 1: with stone hippies lying on blankets, smoking weed, copping feels, 432 00:25:36,800 --> 00:25:40,840 Speaker 1: blitzing out on acid, playing frisbee, talking jive, talking revolution. 433 00:25:41,520 --> 00:25:45,040 Speaker 1: Tiny punched it. He drove over blankets, through picnic baskets 434 00:25:45,040 --> 00:25:48,159 Speaker 1: and styrofoam coolers all along the way, kicking dust up 435 00:25:48,200 --> 00:25:51,280 Speaker 1: into the faces of everyone they passed. As I got 436 00:25:51,280 --> 00:25:54,560 Speaker 1: closer to the stage, the massive people thickened. The roar 437 00:25:54,600 --> 00:25:57,119 Speaker 1: of the chopper part of the remaining audience members who 438 00:25:57,160 --> 00:25:59,680 Speaker 1: were crammed at the foot of the stage. Graham's heart 439 00:26:00,160 --> 00:26:03,000 Speaker 1: with excitement. Keith would be close, he could feel it. 440 00:26:03,520 --> 00:26:06,239 Speaker 1: Keith would see Graham's band to be blown away, and 441 00:26:06,280 --> 00:26:08,560 Speaker 1: then they go cop dope and party into the morning. 442 00:26:08,800 --> 00:26:11,840 Speaker 1: And after that, who knows what. Maybe Keith would produce 443 00:26:11,880 --> 00:26:14,879 Speaker 1: Graham's next record. Maybe Keith would even ask Graham to 444 00:26:15,000 --> 00:26:20,800 Speaker 1: join the Stones, wile Graham's thought wild. Finally, Tiny pulled 445 00:26:20,800 --> 00:26:23,480 Speaker 1: his massive motorcycle up to a stop and parked it 446 00:26:23,720 --> 00:26:27,040 Speaker 1: literally right in front of the stage. Graham hopped off, 447 00:26:27,080 --> 00:26:29,080 Speaker 1: and without so much as to thank you for Tiny, 448 00:26:29,240 --> 00:26:32,200 Speaker 1: he was off. Tiny shook his head and cracked a beer. 449 00:26:32,800 --> 00:26:37,679 Speaker 1: Fucking hippies, and just where was Keith? Graham's searched, but 450 00:26:37,800 --> 00:26:40,440 Speaker 1: he was nowhere to be found, which meant neither was 451 00:26:40,480 --> 00:26:43,679 Speaker 1: any heroin. Graham took some acid and pulled hard on 452 00:26:43,680 --> 00:26:49,080 Speaker 1: a bottle of Jack Daniels, and then showtime somehow fully assembled. 453 00:26:49,240 --> 00:26:52,560 Speaker 1: The Flying Burrito Brothers jumped on stage and under the 454 00:26:52,560 --> 00:26:56,639 Speaker 1: California sunshine, dove into a speed laced LSD inspired version 455 00:26:56,800 --> 00:26:59,399 Speaker 1: of the iconic truck drot in tune that Dave Dudley 456 00:26:59,400 --> 00:27:02,200 Speaker 1: had made fam this a few years before, Six Days 457 00:27:02,200 --> 00:27:05,040 Speaker 1: in the Road, and they sounded great, and the crowd 458 00:27:05,200 --> 00:27:07,480 Speaker 1: loved it, those of them who could hear and see 459 00:27:07,520 --> 00:27:10,040 Speaker 1: it anyways, And for a minute there y're in the 460 00:27:10,040 --> 00:27:13,800 Speaker 1: Burrito Brothers set. It seemed like Altimov was preceding as planned, 461 00:27:14,280 --> 00:27:19,200 Speaker 1: good music, good vibes. After the set, Graham, leveled by 462 00:27:19,200 --> 00:27:22,760 Speaker 1: the mix of bourbon, LSD, speed and post show adrenaline, 463 00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:26,720 Speaker 1: passed out backstage while digging on the hippie dippy festival vibes. 464 00:27:27,320 --> 00:27:30,560 Speaker 1: He would awaken a couple hours later to an entirely 465 00:27:30,600 --> 00:27:38,000 Speaker 1: different reality. We'll be right back after this word word word. People. 466 00:27:38,280 --> 00:27:43,600 Speaker 1: Who's fighting? And what for? Ugh? People? Why are we fighting? 467 00:27:44,440 --> 00:27:47,679 Speaker 1: Mick Jagger spat into the microphone to the crowd at Altamont. 468 00:27:48,200 --> 00:27:51,359 Speaker 1: He stared out into the blackness. It was a soulless, 469 00:27:51,480 --> 00:27:53,879 Speaker 1: evil void. On the other side of the chaotic stage. 470 00:27:53,960 --> 00:27:56,760 Speaker 1: Mick Jagger now stood on trying to wrangle three hundred 471 00:27:56,760 --> 00:28:00,800 Speaker 1: thousand people, a group that included Stone college kids trying 472 00:28:00,800 --> 00:28:05,000 Speaker 1: to maintain their cool on bad acid trips. Festival organizers 473 00:28:05,080 --> 00:28:07,960 Speaker 1: out of their depth, would Stock alums, most of whom 474 00:28:08,000 --> 00:28:10,040 Speaker 1: were in it for the moment, the best of them 475 00:28:10,119 --> 00:28:12,360 Speaker 1: in it for the movement, and all of them, when 476 00:28:12,359 --> 00:28:14,679 Speaker 1: you got right down to it, knew fuck all about 477 00:28:14,760 --> 00:28:19,040 Speaker 1: organizing anything, never mind three hundred thousand people in the 478 00:28:19,080 --> 00:28:22,080 Speaker 1: sea of blackness that Jagger looked out into. There was 479 00:28:22,119 --> 00:28:25,240 Speaker 1: also a critical lack of attendant medical personnel to handle 480 00:28:25,320 --> 00:28:28,200 Speaker 1: those freaking out on the bad acid being passed around, 481 00:28:28,680 --> 00:28:32,120 Speaker 1: and perhaps most disturbing the crowd was being policed by 482 00:28:32,240 --> 00:28:35,960 Speaker 1: drunk menacing pissed off Hell's Angels, many of whom were 483 00:28:36,000 --> 00:28:39,640 Speaker 1: also freaking out on bad acid and seemingly more concerned 484 00:28:39,640 --> 00:28:41,800 Speaker 1: with the safety of their bikes than they were the 485 00:28:41,840 --> 00:28:45,640 Speaker 1: safety of festival goers or the band. The Angels, for 486 00:28:45,680 --> 00:28:48,680 Speaker 1: all their blustering, did not have the situation under control. 487 00:28:49,320 --> 00:28:51,840 Speaker 1: They were blitzed, if not more blitz than the crowd. 488 00:28:52,440 --> 00:28:55,160 Speaker 1: Everybody was out of their element, and there was nothing 489 00:28:55,160 --> 00:28:57,160 Speaker 1: that the very few police on the site could do 490 00:28:57,240 --> 00:28:59,920 Speaker 1: about it. In the darkness, the cops were out numb. 491 00:29:01,040 --> 00:29:04,000 Speaker 1: There was a complete and total lack of authority at Altamont, 492 00:29:04,520 --> 00:29:06,720 Speaker 1: so much so that the man who made his living 493 00:29:06,840 --> 00:29:10,440 Speaker 1: railing against an avoiding authority at every turn, Jerry Garcia, 494 00:29:10,600 --> 00:29:14,040 Speaker 1: the Grateful Dead refused to even play when he and 495 00:29:14,080 --> 00:29:17,200 Speaker 1: his bandmates landed by Chopper at the festival site earlier 496 00:29:17,240 --> 00:29:20,040 Speaker 1: that day and heard of the chaos, heard that their 497 00:29:20,040 --> 00:29:23,520 Speaker 1: friend Marty Ballin from Jefferson Airplane was beaten on stage 498 00:29:23,560 --> 00:29:26,479 Speaker 1: by an angel, apparently because he had called an angel 499 00:29:26,520 --> 00:29:29,120 Speaker 1: of punk, which was akin to calling him a homosexual, 500 00:29:29,280 --> 00:29:32,280 Speaker 1: which was basically like signing his own death warrant. And 501 00:29:32,320 --> 00:29:36,160 Speaker 1: when Jerry heard this, he knew better. Fuck Altamont. The 502 00:29:36,200 --> 00:29:42,640 Speaker 1: Dead split one hundred Hells Angels three hundred thousand concert goers. 503 00:29:43,080 --> 00:29:46,040 Speaker 1: The Hell's Angels throughout the day try to maintain control 504 00:29:46,200 --> 00:29:49,360 Speaker 1: in their way with their pool cues and fists, drunk, 505 00:29:49,600 --> 00:29:52,680 Speaker 1: some of them tripping out and amped on speed laced acid. 506 00:29:52,960 --> 00:29:56,040 Speaker 1: The biker gang, lawless to its core, lashed out at 507 00:29:56,040 --> 00:29:59,200 Speaker 1: not only the quote unquote troublemakers in the crowd, but 508 00:29:59,280 --> 00:30:02,200 Speaker 1: also at the de fenceless members of the audience, going 509 00:30:02,240 --> 00:30:04,880 Speaker 1: so far as to severely beat a man who was 510 00:30:05,040 --> 00:30:08,120 Speaker 1: naked and out of his mind on LSD. The Angels 511 00:30:08,160 --> 00:30:10,880 Speaker 1: pummeled him with their pool cues, knocking out every single 512 00:30:10,920 --> 00:30:13,520 Speaker 1: one of his teeth in the process. It made for 513 00:30:13,600 --> 00:30:16,720 Speaker 1: an utter drag, to say the least by the time 514 00:30:16,760 --> 00:30:19,120 Speaker 1: the Stones hit the stage, it was only a matter 515 00:30:19,160 --> 00:30:25,640 Speaker 1: of time. Dune was just shot away. Night had fallen. 516 00:30:25,880 --> 00:30:29,120 Speaker 1: The Stones, per usual, were late in getting up on stage, 517 00:30:29,320 --> 00:30:32,600 Speaker 1: and the crowd was a mess, anxious, blitzed on drugs 518 00:30:32,600 --> 00:30:35,880 Speaker 1: and alcohol, scared out of their minds, and beyond excited 519 00:30:35,920 --> 00:30:38,560 Speaker 1: to see the biggest band on the planet. The crowd 520 00:30:38,640 --> 00:30:42,320 Speaker 1: moved in toward the stage, and doing so some rubbed 521 00:30:42,400 --> 00:30:45,280 Speaker 1: up against stand or knocked over the Hell's Angels bikes, 522 00:30:45,600 --> 00:30:49,160 Speaker 1: many of whom, like Grand Parsons Buddy Tiny, had parked 523 00:30:49,160 --> 00:30:51,640 Speaker 1: their bikes right in front of the stage. And why 524 00:30:51,640 --> 00:30:54,400 Speaker 1: shouldn't they have. It's not like anybody planned for them 525 00:30:54,400 --> 00:30:57,280 Speaker 1: to do otherwise. The stage was where they were needed. 526 00:30:57,440 --> 00:31:01,840 Speaker 1: The stage was where the action was to a serious biker. 527 00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:06,760 Speaker 1: To a Hell's Angel, their motorcycle is often everything he has. Literally, 528 00:31:07,040 --> 00:31:11,040 Speaker 1: we're talking about real outlaws here. Angels didn't have retirement accounts, 529 00:31:11,080 --> 00:31:14,520 Speaker 1: their shit, even regular bank accounts. Most lived hand to 530 00:31:14,600 --> 00:31:18,280 Speaker 1: mouth and invested everything they made into their bikes. To 531 00:31:18,400 --> 00:31:21,560 Speaker 1: an Angel, his bike's quite literally his life, or at 532 00:31:21,560 --> 00:31:24,880 Speaker 1: the very least mechanical extension of the man himself. So 533 00:31:25,080 --> 00:31:27,640 Speaker 1: it didn't matter what the reason was. If somebody was 534 00:31:27,680 --> 00:31:30,080 Speaker 1: going to fuck with the bikes by accident, on purpose, 535 00:31:30,160 --> 00:31:32,480 Speaker 1: whatever the reason, they were going to be made to stop. 536 00:31:32,720 --> 00:31:35,640 Speaker 1: And the instrument of resistance at Altamont for the Angels 537 00:31:35,960 --> 00:31:38,920 Speaker 1: was the pool cue. With every bike that got fucked with, 538 00:31:39,360 --> 00:31:43,480 Speaker 1: somebody get clubked. It was brutal and it was all 539 00:31:43,520 --> 00:31:45,680 Speaker 1: coming to a head as the Stones took the stage. 540 00:31:46,800 --> 00:31:48,760 Speaker 1: It took a couple songs, but by the time the 541 00:31:48,800 --> 00:31:51,160 Speaker 1: band rolled in the Sympathy for the Devil, they were 542 00:31:51,200 --> 00:31:54,720 Speaker 1: sounding great. It wasn't hard. The Stones have been bringing 543 00:31:54,760 --> 00:31:56,320 Speaker 1: it live for the better part of the year to 544 00:31:56,360 --> 00:31:59,880 Speaker 1: stages all across America. Their handle on their live set 545 00:32:00,200 --> 00:32:02,600 Speaker 1: wired tight, and this set was pretty much the same 546 00:32:02,600 --> 00:32:05,280 Speaker 1: thing they played just a week before in Boston. The 547 00:32:05,320 --> 00:32:08,360 Speaker 1: crowd was feeling it, perhaps a little too much, and 548 00:32:08,400 --> 00:32:10,640 Speaker 1: the Angels began mixing it up with the audience right 549 00:32:10,680 --> 00:32:13,280 Speaker 1: in front of the stage Before the song even got 550 00:32:13,280 --> 00:32:15,760 Speaker 1: to the chorus. The Stones were forced to stop to 551 00:32:15,760 --> 00:32:18,600 Speaker 1: cool out the crowd. Then they dove back into the 552 00:32:18,680 --> 00:32:22,280 Speaker 1: verse and the stage was utter chaos. The band played on. 553 00:32:22,640 --> 00:32:26,120 Speaker 1: The Stones's crew started pulling random unused amplifiers to build 554 00:32:26,120 --> 00:32:28,840 Speaker 1: a makeshift barrier at the front of the stage. Hell's 555 00:32:28,840 --> 00:32:32,720 Speaker 1: Angels patrolled the stage like SS officers, pointing out transgressors 556 00:32:32,720 --> 00:32:35,400 Speaker 1: and the crowd to grabbed, expel, beat on or worse. 557 00:32:36,040 --> 00:32:39,920 Speaker 1: One Angel blitzed on bad acid and satanic feels, filed 558 00:32:39,960 --> 00:32:42,640 Speaker 1: his face melt off his skull right there on stage 559 00:32:42,640 --> 00:32:45,520 Speaker 1: in front of three hundred thousand. Sunny Barger ahead of 560 00:32:45,560 --> 00:32:48,280 Speaker 1: the Hell's Angels Oakland Chapter, an apparent ring leader for 561 00:32:48,360 --> 00:32:51,320 Speaker 1: this demonic rock and roll circus, saw what was going on, 562 00:32:51,680 --> 00:32:54,240 Speaker 1: grabbed his brother and threw him off stage to avoid 563 00:32:54,240 --> 00:32:58,440 Speaker 1: any further embarrassment. Sonny, with his leather and denim, his 564 00:32:58,600 --> 00:33:01,280 Speaker 1: semi high and tight quald with its grease of da 565 00:33:01,440 --> 00:33:04,760 Speaker 1: rubbing up against his collar, and mean mustache, then looked 566 00:33:04,800 --> 00:33:08,320 Speaker 1: over at Mick Jagger. Sonny sized up the fay English 567 00:33:08,360 --> 00:33:12,600 Speaker 1: frontman with utter menace and pure disdain. Jagger in his 568 00:33:12,680 --> 00:33:15,280 Speaker 1: red and black jumpsuit. Sonny didn't see what all the 569 00:33:15,360 --> 00:33:18,160 Speaker 1: hype was about a fucking pajama boy. As far as 570 00:33:18,160 --> 00:33:23,320 Speaker 1: he was concerned, Mick was clueless. A German shepherd, apparently 571 00:33:23,360 --> 00:33:26,600 Speaker 1: one with serious music industry juice, waltzed across the stage 572 00:33:26,680 --> 00:33:28,560 Speaker 1: right in front of him. As Mick hit the chorus, 573 00:33:29,680 --> 00:33:32,240 Speaker 1: one chick got naked and started rubbing her body over 574 00:33:32,320 --> 00:33:35,320 Speaker 1: everyone she could encounter in the first few rows, bombing 575 00:33:35,360 --> 00:33:38,680 Speaker 1: out everyone in the process. Scuffles in the audience between 576 00:33:38,720 --> 00:33:42,560 Speaker 1: the angels and the attendees intensified. The whole crowd tussled 577 00:33:42,600 --> 00:33:46,240 Speaker 1: and shook in one giant satanic sway. Mick could tell 578 00:33:46,280 --> 00:33:49,920 Speaker 1: what was going on. He pushed himself into overdrive, channeling 579 00:33:49,960 --> 00:33:52,520 Speaker 1: Tina Turner's best dance moves in an effort to win 580 00:33:52,560 --> 00:33:56,120 Speaker 1: over the audience, used his sex appeal to overcome the violence. 581 00:33:56,760 --> 00:33:59,720 Speaker 1: It didn't work. The violence was too deeply rooted into 582 00:33:59,800 --> 00:34:03,240 Speaker 1: the dusty Altamont soil. By that point, Keith hit the 583 00:34:03,240 --> 00:34:06,720 Speaker 1: solo and Angel grabbed Mick whispered something in his ear. 584 00:34:06,920 --> 00:34:09,880 Speaker 1: Mick tried shaking it off, looked out into the darkness. 585 00:34:10,440 --> 00:34:13,360 Speaker 1: What the fuck had they done? This was not what 586 00:34:13,440 --> 00:34:18,000 Speaker 1: he signed up for. Keith's solo devolved into a weak jam. 587 00:34:18,280 --> 00:34:21,880 Speaker 1: The music stopped. Shit, there was a group of angels 588 00:34:21,960 --> 00:34:25,480 Speaker 1: huddled around someone on the ground in front of the stage, chaos. 589 00:34:25,760 --> 00:34:28,719 Speaker 1: Mick on the mic, who's fighting and for what? For? 590 00:34:29,360 --> 00:34:32,680 Speaker 1: Why are we fighting? Keith then lost it pointed to 591 00:34:32,680 --> 00:34:36,200 Speaker 1: the crowd, signaling out a burly angel about twice the size, 592 00:34:36,360 --> 00:34:39,640 Speaker 1: seizing the mic and yelling into it. Look that cat 593 00:34:39,760 --> 00:34:43,200 Speaker 1: there if he doesn't stop it. Man Mick then made 594 00:34:43,200 --> 00:34:45,560 Speaker 1: a final plea, and someone jumped on the mic to 595 00:34:45,640 --> 00:34:48,440 Speaker 1: call for medical assistance. Down by the front of the stage. 596 00:34:48,640 --> 00:34:52,319 Speaker 1: More stuffling in the audience, peace signs. See Kyle's a 597 00:34:52,400 --> 00:34:54,799 Speaker 1: sharp dressed young man in a lime green suit and 598 00:34:54,880 --> 00:34:58,120 Speaker 1: wide brimmed pat a black pack garret ambilly to kill 599 00:34:58,280 --> 00:35:02,160 Speaker 1: holding it down in the wild West Altamont madness. The 600 00:35:02,239 --> 00:35:05,440 Speaker 1: crowd swayed, some more bodies stacked up against each other 601 00:35:05,600 --> 00:35:08,640 Speaker 1: moved in a tense, violent slow dance. The band then 602 00:35:08,760 --> 00:35:12,000 Speaker 1: moved to control the one thing they still could, the music. 603 00:35:13,760 --> 00:35:16,840 Speaker 1: Charlie Watts kicked into under my thumb. Keith picked up 604 00:35:16,880 --> 00:35:19,840 Speaker 1: the beat with his ever present slack. Mick Taylor and 605 00:35:19,880 --> 00:35:22,520 Speaker 1: Bill Wyman caught on quick and a lot of them 606 00:35:22,560 --> 00:35:25,719 Speaker 1: fell into an easy groove aimed at mellowing out the audience. 607 00:35:27,000 --> 00:35:29,839 Speaker 1: For a minute there it seemed to be working. Even 608 00:35:29,880 --> 00:35:33,400 Speaker 1: Sunny Barger appeared to be enjoying himself, but the crowd 609 00:35:33,480 --> 00:35:37,080 Speaker 1: was still deplicit as calm. Before the storm, the bloodshot 610 00:35:37,160 --> 00:35:44,600 Speaker 1: I Altamont's Crossfire Hurricane, and then the crowd tore itself apart. 611 00:35:46,280 --> 00:35:48,680 Speaker 1: The band stopped playing. A void in front of the 612 00:35:48,680 --> 00:35:56,279 Speaker 1: stage opened up. A woman screamed. The black kid in 613 00:35:56,320 --> 00:35:59,160 Speaker 1: the lime green suit was pushed into the sudden openness 614 00:35:59,160 --> 00:36:02,400 Speaker 1: of the makeshift ants floored something metallic and shiny in 615 00:36:02,440 --> 00:36:05,680 Speaker 1: his left hand. Then an angel tore across the crowd, 616 00:36:05,920 --> 00:36:08,120 Speaker 1: leaped into the air and came down hard at the 617 00:36:08,160 --> 00:36:10,640 Speaker 1: blade of his six inch hunting knife, stabbing the kid 618 00:36:10,640 --> 00:36:12,560 Speaker 1: in the neck. The force of it all knocked the 619 00:36:12,640 --> 00:36:17,000 Speaker 1: kid into the darkness, from which he never returned, and 620 00:36:17,120 --> 00:36:22,239 Speaker 1: the darkness consumed him. He was eighteen years old and 621 00:36:22,320 --> 00:36:26,640 Speaker 1: dead from the dusty Ultimont ground, and that shiny thing 622 00:36:26,680 --> 00:36:29,600 Speaker 1: in his hand a long barreled twenty two Smith and 623 00:36:29,640 --> 00:36:34,640 Speaker 1: Wesson revolver unloaded. The kid married his hunter. He'd brought 624 00:36:34,680 --> 00:36:38,080 Speaker 1: it for protection, warned by his older sister that the 625 00:36:38,160 --> 00:36:40,879 Speaker 1: Hicks up in and around Altamont played by their own 626 00:36:40,960 --> 00:36:43,680 Speaker 1: racist rules, and that if he were to attend the show, 627 00:36:43,880 --> 00:36:47,600 Speaker 1: he'd best take precautions. Mered. His sister knew that the 628 00:36:47,640 --> 00:36:50,480 Speaker 1: peace and love and togetherness of the sixties was far 629 00:36:50,520 --> 00:36:54,960 Speaker 1: from universal and didn't necessarily extend itself to blacks. So 630 00:36:55,040 --> 00:36:57,440 Speaker 1: that's what the pistol in his hand was about. It 631 00:36:57,560 --> 00:36:59,640 Speaker 1: was supposed to be a warning should anyone try to 632 00:36:59,680 --> 00:37:03,319 Speaker 1: fuck with them. Apparently they had, and apparently they weren't 633 00:37:03,320 --> 00:37:08,040 Speaker 1: dissuaded by the peace, and now he was dead because 634 00:37:08,080 --> 00:37:11,160 Speaker 1: Peace and Love was a joke, and it was all bullshit. 635 00:37:11,280 --> 00:37:15,720 Speaker 1: Peace and love the sixties, Altamont and everyone involved, peace signs, 636 00:37:15,800 --> 00:37:19,680 Speaker 1: flower power, tie die, all the anti establishment, hippie, dippy 637 00:37:19,719 --> 00:37:23,759 Speaker 1: counterculture nonsense that flowed so casually from everyone who made 638 00:37:23,760 --> 00:37:27,440 Speaker 1: the scene at Altamont. Jagger had proclaimed that Altamont was 639 00:37:27,480 --> 00:37:31,000 Speaker 1: to be a microcosmic society which sets examples for the 640 00:37:31,040 --> 00:37:33,600 Speaker 1: rest of America as to how one can behave at 641 00:37:33,680 --> 00:37:37,000 Speaker 1: large gatherings. Give me a fucking break, when you got 642 00:37:37,080 --> 00:37:39,480 Speaker 1: right down to it, it was all a lie LSD 643 00:37:39,600 --> 00:37:43,600 Speaker 1: induced idealism hijacked by Madison Avenue at Execs and Mainline 644 00:37:43,640 --> 00:37:47,200 Speaker 1: into the psyche of the masses. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, 645 00:37:47,239 --> 00:37:49,600 Speaker 1: the rest of the Rolling Stones. They didn't believe in 646 00:37:49,640 --> 00:37:52,279 Speaker 1: this jive. It was all just the moment, and the 647 00:37:52,320 --> 00:37:54,399 Speaker 1: Stones weren't the only ones who were full of shit. 648 00:37:54,840 --> 00:37:57,840 Speaker 1: The Hell's Angels were just as guilty. Sonny Barger and 649 00:37:57,880 --> 00:38:00,880 Speaker 1: his crew had legitimate beasts when it came to Altamont, sure, 650 00:38:00,960 --> 00:38:03,200 Speaker 1: but to excuse them and their behavior out of some 651 00:38:03,320 --> 00:38:06,640 Speaker 1: misguided notion that they were wronged in some way, either 652 00:38:06,640 --> 00:38:09,080 Speaker 1: by fans fucking with their bikes or by the band 653 00:38:09,120 --> 00:38:12,040 Speaker 1: for not paying them is too simple, And to claim 654 00:38:12,080 --> 00:38:15,320 Speaker 1: that the Angels were just doing their job as disingenuous. 655 00:38:16,200 --> 00:38:18,600 Speaker 1: Just as the Stones didn't really care about their fans, 656 00:38:18,600 --> 00:38:21,360 Speaker 1: the Hell's Angels didn't really care about securing the festival. 657 00:38:21,880 --> 00:38:24,560 Speaker 1: Everyone it seemed involved with Altamont was full of shit 658 00:38:24,640 --> 00:38:27,040 Speaker 1: in one way or another. Even the fans who were 659 00:38:27,040 --> 00:38:29,160 Speaker 1: there under the false pretense of peace and love and 660 00:38:29,239 --> 00:38:32,960 Speaker 1: a better way to organize themselves socially utter bullshit. Peace 661 00:38:33,000 --> 00:38:35,240 Speaker 1: and love was code for getting fucked up and laid. 662 00:38:36,320 --> 00:38:39,680 Speaker 1: Altamont exposed the lie of the sixties because Altamont was 663 00:38:39,719 --> 00:38:42,600 Speaker 1: the time in place where the Sixties pushed the limits 664 00:38:42,600 --> 00:38:46,799 Speaker 1: of freedom. The furthest all, the mishandling, and disorganization was 665 00:38:46,840 --> 00:38:48,960 Speaker 1: swept aside by the belief that it would all just 666 00:38:49,040 --> 00:38:52,399 Speaker 1: kind of work out. Fine. Man, It didn't work that way, 667 00:38:52,640 --> 00:38:56,000 Speaker 1: because the world doesn't work that way. The world is dark, 668 00:38:56,160 --> 00:38:58,600 Speaker 1: cold and mean. Try as you may, but if you 669 00:38:58,680 --> 00:39:01,680 Speaker 1: fuck up, you'll get no spathy from the devil. Those 670 00:39:01,719 --> 00:39:04,640 Speaker 1: in the establishment know this, which is why they've established 671 00:39:04,680 --> 00:39:08,240 Speaker 1: themselves in the first place. It's why organized societies exist, 672 00:39:08,360 --> 00:39:11,080 Speaker 1: so we don't fucking kill each other. It's why anarchy 673 00:39:11,120 --> 00:39:15,320 Speaker 1: doesn't work, because it's fucking anarchy, which was exactly the vibe. 674 00:39:15,360 --> 00:39:17,920 Speaker 1: After Meredith Hunter went down and The Stones ended their 675 00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:23,920 Speaker 1: set Anarchy Chaos, The band hurried from the stage in 676 00:39:23,960 --> 00:39:27,240 Speaker 1: a mad fury for their helicopter. The empire was crumbling 677 00:39:27,400 --> 00:39:29,279 Speaker 1: and there was no telling how the night might end. 678 00:39:29,560 --> 00:39:32,840 Speaker 1: Fear was palpable. Keith used the head of his telecaster 679 00:39:32,960 --> 00:39:35,560 Speaker 1: to cut his way through the backstage crowd. The sound 680 00:39:35,560 --> 00:39:38,480 Speaker 1: of the helicopter's spinning blades guided him. A young kid, 681 00:39:38,640 --> 00:39:42,080 Speaker 1: his eyes black, all pupils Satan spawned himself, jumped in 682 00:39:42,080 --> 00:39:44,319 Speaker 1: front of Keith, his mouth motoring a mile a minute 683 00:39:44,320 --> 00:39:46,520 Speaker 1: about the super highway he and his friends were building. 684 00:39:46,760 --> 00:39:50,280 Speaker 1: Keith kept moving, his telly outstretched like a bayonet, forcing 685 00:39:50,280 --> 00:39:52,440 Speaker 1: the young hippie to walk backward while he yammered on 686 00:39:52,800 --> 00:39:55,760 Speaker 1: it's gonna be great, man. We're gonna do it. Really, 687 00:39:55,880 --> 00:39:58,479 Speaker 1: it's gonna be the first super highway. Man, we're gonna 688 00:39:58,520 --> 00:40:00,960 Speaker 1: build it. Never built one before. We're gonna build one 689 00:40:01,000 --> 00:40:02,720 Speaker 1: on our own to show what we can do without 690 00:40:02,719 --> 00:40:05,239 Speaker 1: grown ups. It's all happening, man. You should give us 691 00:40:05,239 --> 00:40:07,839 Speaker 1: some money to help out. Abby Hoffman said, you would. 692 00:40:08,640 --> 00:40:10,600 Speaker 1: Keith now, with the rest of the band and their 693 00:40:10,719 --> 00:40:14,120 Speaker 1: entourage barreling up fast behind him, pressed the telling into 694 00:40:14,160 --> 00:40:17,120 Speaker 1: the young boy's chest as he moved his eyes off 695 00:40:17,200 --> 00:40:20,399 Speaker 1: toward the chopper, but his snaggletooth snarl directed straight at 696 00:40:20,400 --> 00:40:22,840 Speaker 1: his mark. The kid got the picture and get the 697 00:40:22,880 --> 00:40:25,320 Speaker 1: hell out of the way, and they were now passing 698 00:40:25,400 --> 00:40:28,240 Speaker 1: their trailer, the one that Graham Parsons was still passed 699 00:40:28,239 --> 00:40:31,560 Speaker 1: out in his guitar player. The Burrito Brothers Bernie Laden 700 00:40:31,880 --> 00:40:34,680 Speaker 1: rousted him up and made the case and no uncertain terms, 701 00:40:34,719 --> 00:40:36,880 Speaker 1: that they didn't get out of there now with the 702 00:40:36,920 --> 00:40:40,200 Speaker 1: stones in their helicopter, then they possibly never get out 703 00:40:40,239 --> 00:40:42,360 Speaker 1: and who knows what the hell would happened. The Hell's 704 00:40:42,400 --> 00:40:45,240 Speaker 1: Angels were on a rampage, janked on cheap beer, speed 705 00:40:45,280 --> 00:40:48,439 Speaker 1: and acid. Bad vibes all around. Graham, you gotta move 706 00:40:49,360 --> 00:40:52,520 Speaker 1: Graham shook it off, stood with his head still pounding, 707 00:40:52,600 --> 00:40:55,400 Speaker 1: and got immediately swept up in the movement and energy 708 00:40:55,400 --> 00:40:58,360 Speaker 1: of the rest of the exiting entourage. People all around 709 00:40:58,440 --> 00:41:01,600 Speaker 1: him were yelling, screaming, road with angels, fans hangers on. 710 00:41:01,960 --> 00:41:04,560 Speaker 1: The mood was beyond dark. The look on the face 711 00:41:04,560 --> 00:41:07,600 Speaker 1: of Charlie Watts said it all shit was bad and 712 00:41:07,640 --> 00:41:09,000 Speaker 1: there was a dead kid in the middle of the 713 00:41:09,000 --> 00:41:12,520 Speaker 1: speedway Woodstock of the West. My ass Altamont was more 714 00:41:12,600 --> 00:41:15,319 Speaker 1: like the Haydes Holiday and the sixties were over. Man 715 00:41:15,400 --> 00:41:18,360 Speaker 1: Tonight's sealed it. Peace and Love died on the dance 716 00:41:18,360 --> 00:41:20,520 Speaker 1: floor that night, next to an eighteen year old named 717 00:41:20,520 --> 00:41:24,000 Speaker 1: Meredith Hunter. Before Graham knew it, he was jammed into 718 00:41:24,000 --> 00:41:26,720 Speaker 1: the Stones's helicopter nest to the beautiful Mamas and Papa 719 00:41:26,760 --> 00:41:30,719 Speaker 1: singer Michelle Phillips. She roused something and Graham quick the 720 00:41:30,760 --> 00:41:34,480 Speaker 1: same thing she roused in most men. Lust. Graham couldn't 721 00:41:34,520 --> 00:41:38,040 Speaker 1: control himself, and without warning her, conceit and perhaps trying 722 00:41:38,040 --> 00:41:40,160 Speaker 1: to spin the wheel one last time on the Free 723 00:41:40,160 --> 00:41:43,400 Speaker 1: Love Decade, Graham took his chances and tried jamming his 724 00:41:43,480 --> 00:41:47,759 Speaker 1: tongue down Michelle's throat. Remarkably, she played it cool. She 725 00:41:47,880 --> 00:41:50,000 Speaker 1: squirmed in her seat, smiled, and made light of the 726 00:41:50,000 --> 00:41:53,000 Speaker 1: situation every time Graham made another move, until he eventually 727 00:41:53,000 --> 00:41:56,960 Speaker 1: got the picture. Just as he'd arrived, Graham Parsons was 728 00:41:57,040 --> 00:42:00,600 Speaker 1: exiting Altamont by chopper, A very different kind chopper, but 729 00:42:00,640 --> 00:42:05,080 Speaker 1: a chopper nonetheless, this one filled with Rolling Stones, rockstar 730 00:42:05,160 --> 00:42:08,960 Speaker 1: hangers on and groupies. As the helicopter made its descent 731 00:42:09,040 --> 00:42:12,000 Speaker 1: into San Francisco and the decade came to a close, 732 00:42:12,400 --> 00:42:16,000 Speaker 1: Graham's head finally stopped aching, and the Rolling Stones, after 733 00:42:16,080 --> 00:42:18,640 Speaker 1: driving the final nail into the coffin of the sixties, 734 00:42:18,680 --> 00:42:21,880 Speaker 1: had returned to reality, not under the flag of peace 735 00:42:21,920 --> 00:42:24,840 Speaker 1: and love, but as the most dangerous band on the planet, 736 00:42:26,040 --> 00:42:29,320 Speaker 1: a more disgraceful, but a more befitting crown for the Stones, 737 00:42:29,360 --> 00:42:34,520 Speaker 1: if there ever was one. I'm Jake Brennan in this 738 00:42:34,520 --> 00:42:51,800 Speaker 1: This disgracelaand Disgraceland was created by Yours Truly and is 739 00:42:51,840 --> 00:42:55,440 Speaker 1: produced in partnership with Double Elvis. Credits for this episode 740 00:42:55,480 --> 00:42:58,280 Speaker 1: can be found on the show notes page at disgracelamppod 741 00:42:58,360 --> 00:43:02,160 Speaker 1: dot com. If you're listening is a Disgraceland All Access member. 742 00:43:02,360 --> 00:43:04,879 Speaker 1: Thank you for supporting the show. We really appreciate it, 743 00:43:05,160 --> 00:43:07,439 Speaker 1: and if not, you can become a member right now 744 00:43:07,480 --> 00:43:12,000 Speaker 1: by going to disgracelampod dot com slash Membership. Members can 745 00:43:12,040 --> 00:43:15,919 Speaker 1: listen to every episode of disgracelan ad free, Plus you'll 746 00:43:15,920 --> 00:43:20,239 Speaker 1: get one brand new exclusive episode every month, weekly unscripted 747 00:43:20,239 --> 00:43:24,239 Speaker 1: bonus episodes, special audio collections, and early access to merchandise 748 00:43:24,320 --> 00:43:29,239 Speaker 1: and events. Visit disgracelampod dot com slash membership for details, 749 00:43:29,600 --> 00:43:32,480 Speaker 1: rate and review the show, and follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, 750 00:43:32,520 --> 00:43:36,479 Speaker 1: and Facebook at disgracelampod and on YouTube at YouTube dot 751 00:43:36,480 --> 00:43:43,879 Speaker 1: com slash at disgracelampod. Rock a Roller, He's the man.