As I’ve mentioned before, I was born in 1969.
◆ 1969 was the year that Led Zeppelin released their debut album…
Led Zeppelin I
This album is forty years old now. The members of Led Zeppelin who are still alive, have become old…but this album is still excellent.
If you don’t own a copy, you should buy one.
◆ Also, on 1969 July 20, the first astronaut landed on the moon (I wrote a post about it…click here).
I wasn’t born until November 1969, but I’m sure that this was a momentous event for those that witnessed it.
◆ August 9th was the 64th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan…
but it was also the 40th anniversary of the 1969 August 9 grisly murders of Sharon Tate and others by the notorious “Charles Manson Family” in California.
Charles Manson in custody.
The late sixties changed America in many ways and took away it’s “innocence”.
The Vietnam War, hippies, drugs, Woodstock…and the Charles Manson trial.
I heard that many Americans only began locking their house at night after the murders by the Manson Family. Even the judge in the trial began carrying a gun under his robe after Manson tried to stab him with a pencil in court. (The court officers intercepted him before he reached the judge and they escorted him out of the court room…as they did, Manson yelled to the judge: “In the name of Christian justice, someone should chop off your head!”)
Once Charles Manson showed up in court with an “X” carved into his forehead, and the next day his “Family” had matching “X”‘s in their foreheads. (Years later, Manson carved more into the “X” and turned it into a swastika).
Also, tomorrow, a member of the “Manson Family” who went to prison in 1975 for an assassination attempt on then-US President Richard Nixon will be released from prison.
Her name is Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, and she is the only member of the Manson Family who is still loyal to Charles Manson. And she’s getting out of prison tomorrow (2009 August 16) after serving 34 years of a life-sentence.
◆ Today is the 64th anniversary of VJ Day…
but today’s also the 40th anniversary of the first day of “Woodstock“, the three-day rock / folk music festival in New York that went from 1969 August 15th to 17th.
3-day ticket for Woodstock Festival, 1969 August 15-17
A three-day outdoor concert in the mud and rain with little food and water…I don’t think it sounds enjoyable. Maybe I’m just not the right generation to understand the appeal of Woodstock.
Forty years ago this summer America went through alot of changes.
Tokyo Five 
In Japan, there is a popular singer named “Superfly“.
She was inspired by the American artist, Janis Joplin from the late 1960’s.
Janis Joplin performed at Woodstock in 1969. But she died in 1970.
Last month, on 2009 August 15, was the “Woodstock 2009” concert in America.
And Superfly went there from Japan and performed with Janis Joplin‘s band.
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That’s what my wife says too. That I am too moody.
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Well, maybe there’s something to that astrology stuff then. 😉
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I had a girlfriend many many years ago who also did not think highly of Scorpio’s. They think that Scorpio’s have some personality issues or something I guess.
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Actually, I’m a Sagittarius, which means I’m the kind of person who doesn’t believe in astrology.
Perhaps the problem with being a Scorpio is that they tend to be very hentai 😉
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I don’t believe in astrology either.
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>Scorpio’s have some personality issues or something I guess.
Maybe it’s because scorpions are so moody! 😉
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Yes, I am a scorpio. My wife says that is my problem.
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“Problem”?
A scorpion. It’s the coolest zodiac sign. 😉
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I was born in November as well only one year later in 1970. Wow, next year will be forty years fer me also. Scary.
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Don’t remind me! Forty this November! (*.*)
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I was born in November as well…in 67’… So I’ve already passed the Forty mark. It’s not as bad as you might think, just don’t spend to much time looking in the mirror looking for aging signs, you will find them if you look long enough.
Better just to wait until your wife points them out to you when you least expect it.
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HAHA! 🙂
Good advice.
So, me, you and “Tornadoes28” are all Scorpio.
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Hello there, Tokyo Five,
I’m stopping by because of Gigi’s recommendation. You’ve really got an interesting blog. Charles Manson was really an insane scary person.
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Thank you for visiting and commenting.
I checked your blog too…you live in Hawaii but you’ve traveled all over the world–including Japan.
When did you visit Japan? What part?
And, yes, Charles Manson and his family are scary. As I wrote above, “Squeaky” Fromme, one of the Manson Family members (who still respects Charles Manson!) got paroled yesterday.
Charles Manson himself always gets denied at his parole hearings because he does things like threaten the parole hearing officers!
I think he does it on purpose to get denied because he’ll probably get killed by someone if they let him out of his cell.
Anyways, please visit my blog often (and comment)!
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I guess as hardcore KISS fans, we’ve become accustomed to a band just slapping another musician into place and making as much money as possible…
However…Plant could’ve done both. Think of what he could’ve done with that money for his family, professionally, bluegrass music and philanthropically.
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>I guess as hardcore KISS fans, we’ve become accustomed to a band just slapping another musician into place and making as much money as possible…
😀 Yes, unfortunately that’s true. (Then again, I’m glad KISS didn’t break up the band when Peter Criss quit…like Led Zeppelin did when their drummer died).
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Yes I am. And as much as I want to see a Zeppelin concert, I don’t need them to do anything they don’t want to do.
And it’s already old news that the Jimmy Page/John Paul Jones/Jason Bonham project has fallen apart. It was stated back in January by Jimmy’s manager. There will be no Led Zeppelin tour without Robert Plant.
And now JPJ is debuting his new band with Dave Grohl and Josh Homme, I think this could be more interesting for you than the RP/AK collaboration, which I personally think is brilliant though.
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I like Dave Grohl’s bands Foo Fighters and Probot. I never liked Nirvana though.
I guess it makes sense that he’d work with John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin…he has the late John Bonham’s Zeppelin symbol tattooed on his arm.
He must be a big fan.
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True enough, Dave is a big fan. He also wanted to play with Zeppelin, but then congratted Jason getting that gig. I hope something great would come out the new project. And it’s better if Dave sticks to his drumkits, much better than his guitar playing.
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If it was a Led Zeppelin reunion, then having the late John Bonham’s son on drums makes more sense than someone else…even if he is a fan.
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It’s not like the Zeppelin members need the money.
And keep in mind, the Raising Sand album of Plant/Krauss was made BEFORE the O2 reunion, and the RPAK tour has also been planned.
These two sang together several years ago at a Lead Belly tribute, and since then Robert has wanted to work with Alison. And finally in late 2006 both of them worked their schedule out, and their effort are well-paid, but not in a commercial way. Of course a Led Zeppelin reunion would have made more money, but what does money matter to you when you are over 60 years old and with more than 70 million pound wealth?
And as you all know, Bonzo is not there. Led Zeppelin has been gone since 1980, because they could not carry on without “their drummer and dear friend” . One-off concerts with Jason are ok, but he is not his father. Pass on the huge amount of money is crazy? I’d say piss on their legacy and hurt their loyality to Bonzo is even crazier.
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I guess you must be a big Led Zeppelin fan!
I have about five of their albums, but none of Robert Plant’s solo album…and the only solo album I have by Jimmy Page is the “Coverdale / Page” album.
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Keeping in mind that this is all unconfirmed news, but the rumor was after they did that one-off concert in the UK last year, each surviving band member was offered $100,000,000.00 to do a 1-year tour + DVD + live album. Jason Bonham (son of John) was to be the drummer.
Apparently the offer was only good if it were the original remaining three. Jones and Page were up for it but Plant turned it down to do the bluegrass album/tour with Alison Krauss.
Alison Krauss = moderately famous country/bluegrass singer. I’ve known about her for about 15+ years. How these two ended up working together I have no idea.
Still, to pass on $100,000,000.00!!
Crazy. You could ensure the financial well-being of your great, great grandkids!!
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>to pass on $100,000,000.00!!
>Crazy.
Yeah. I wonder how much he got from that album.
And it’s kinda selfish to turn it down if the other guys will get nothing because of it.
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1968 — assassination of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King.
Also the year I graduated with a BA in Sociology from the University of Hawaii.
Also the year I began my 7-year trip around the world.
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Two Kennedy assassinations, M.L. King assassination…and wasn’t Malcolm X assassinated in the ’60s too?
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I know you’re more of a rock/metal-head…but Robert Plant recently teamed up with Alison Kraus and put out a duet bluegrass album and it is excellent. (As a note, I had been a longtime fan of both artists.)
Keep in mind that as good as I think that album is, I can’t get over the fact that Plant turned down a reported $100,000,000.00 for a Zep reunion tour to do this album instead.
You have your whole lifetime to record a bluegrass album. You pretty much only get ONE chance to make $100,000,000.00 for working less than a year.
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I know Robert Plant was the singer for Led Zeppelin…but I have no idea who Alison Kraus is.
Since Robert Plant refused the $100-million, who did Led Zeppelin get to sing on the tour?
And how about the drummer? Was it the late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham‘s son Jason Bonham?
And I mention Zeppelin and Woodstock in this post…
I heard that Led Zeppelin (which was a new band with only one album in 1969) was offered a spot to perform at Woodstock but they refused because they thought it was just an insignificant small town outdoor festival.
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