1969 - Everything is "Hip"

I was in my last year of high school in 1969 -

John Wayne won the academy award for True Grit - an 'honorary' prize for a little bit better than his usual performance of himself playing "The Duke"

Maggie Smith won the best actress award for "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" a class act, a great performance.

"Midnight Cowboy" was the best movie (it still is one of the greats) Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight were the quintessential anti-hero's. Who can forget Dustin Hoffman's "Rico Ratzo" just wanting to run down Miami beach without being crippled. He did - fine ending. Fine movie, if somewhat dark.

It's the first X rated movie to ever win an Oscar and I think it still hold that title.

Richard Nixon becomes President of the US -

The Beatles make "Abbey Road" their farewell album. We slow dance to the song "Oh Darling" the cover gives 'credibility' to the theory that "Paul is Dead" he is the only one without shoes.
(Logical huh? LOL)

Then Paul is almost dead when he marries Linda Eastman - they are furious. My take on it? She's not very fashionable and her hair is horrible. Later on she would sport a double sort of crew cut - (worse than a mullet) but at the time it was just - blah.

My favorite Beatle - the wonderful George - is arrested with the very fashionable Patti Boyd for possession of the illegal herb.

The worst thing besides the end of the 'fab-four' is John marrying Yoko in March. Instead of honeymooning they invite the world to their weird 'bed-in' (something about peace? say what?)

The legalization of pot is introduced in Congress - it fails, of course.

Jim Morrison is arrested in Miami - I am at the concert, but I don't see much of anything - most likely due to either my cheap seats or socializing too much with the people around me. Actually I think we all might have been standing and I'm short.

That terrific sexy, kind and compassion, intelligent slug, Ted Kennedy runs off a dock and kills his cute little mistress. He says himself, unfortunately -

The end of the summer culminates with 3 big events. 2 awful - 1 wonderful (if dirty and crowded)

1. Sharon Tate and friends along with some other innocent beings by the slime ball Charlie Manson.

2. Woodstock happens. I miss it.

3. The Stones get crazy with their bodyguards, The Outlaw bikers at Altamote.

Oh, yeah and the first man walks on the moon.

There are 4 deaths of friends who are trapped into going to Vietnam because they lose their exemption from the draft by flunking out of college.

Not all together or it's four separate body bags, 4 various funerals and lot of contemplation all year long.

1. Charles Geiger
2. Tommy Folsom
3. Cliff Hendrickson
4. Demoise Davis