Circadian

I’m old enough to remember when VH-1 went on the air, alongside the then remarkably successful MTV, Music Television.

It was MTV, that is a place to watch videos, but for older people. At the time, I thought of it as the place for OLD people. They showed music that I had no real interest in, and so I never really watched it. At some point, however, I grew up, and VH-1 grew down. We met somewhere in the middle. And I was able to watch it, because by god it wast still showing videos, and ones that I recognized for a change.

And then, somewhere, we diverged. Different paths, different goals, different ideas.

And lately, I’m beginning to think that VH-1 may be going the way of MTV for good this time. Have you seen their slate of shows? From videos to documentaries – good change. From documentaries to reminiscence shows – I’m still with you. From reminiscences to reality TV? You’ve gone just a little too far into the dark side, there.

Oh, I know, reality TV is cheap and popular with the slobbering masses, but I’d not expected it from VH-1. Not really.

And it makes me more than a little sad.

Immersed myself in Woodstock today. Watched the two hour long documentary on looking back at Woodstock after 40 years (while tripping on Benadryl), and then listened to classic rock all afternoon.

The really wonderful things that happened there – the Hog Farm feeding everyone, Abbie Hoffman taking charge and making sure that the medical center was running well, the Bad Trip tent where people were taken care of while they were in a bad space and then put in charge of helping others in the same state – make me wish I could have been there. And yet, I’m not entirely sure I would have been, had I even been alive at the time. Had my parents not been 34 and 39 at the time, I could have been conceived there, but not really attended.

I do also wish that we could ever experience something similar today. And yet, it was so spontaneous that if you try (*cough*Woodstock 1999*cough*) today, you’d just get people taking advantage of everyone instead of being cool to one another.

As Wavy Gravy said – “This must be heaven” – and we’ll never see the like on earth again.