Post by the Scribe on May 3, 2021 9:56:04 GMT
Moon Landing, Manson Family, Bitter End Gig and Woodstock
I find some irony that Linda Ronstadt was performing at a venue named the Bitter End in NYC when her next door neighbor (back home in California) Gary Hinman sadly met his bitter end at the hands of the Manson Family.
Interview:
There’s been a lot of looking back this year at the summer of 1969, with these big anniversaries of the moon landing and Woodstock and the Manson murders. What do you remember about that summer?
Linda Ronstadt: "When Woodstock happened, I was in New York. I remember getting all the reports from people like Henry Diltz and Crosby, Stills & Nash. They’d come back with stories of everybody being in the mud. It sounded like a good thing to have survived, but I’m glad I didn’t go up there. Overflowing toilets and no food is not my idea of a fun time. I was playing some club—probably the Bitter End.
When the Manson family came through, they managed to murder my next-door neighbor, Gary Hinman. I was lucky I wasn’t home that night—they may have come for me. We knew those girls, Linda Kasabian and maybe Leslie Van Houten, too. I lived in Topanga Canyon at the time, and they would hitchhike, and they would talk about this guy Charlie at the Spahn Ranch. But I didn’t know him personally. We knew it was kind of a bad scene. But, when we found out how bad of a scene it was, we were horrified."
the Scribe: "Living on Long Island, NY at the time I recall the heavy rains we were having all week before Woodstock weekend. I had the opportunity to go but I was only 16, had a weekend job and saw the news reports of the big mess." That was quite a bizarre month in history:
July 15, 1969 Linda Ronstadt's 23rd birthday.
July 16, 1969 The Moon Landing Was the Television Event of the Decade
July 30, 1969 to August 11, 1969 Bitter End, New York City, New York - Linda Ronstadt two week engagement, opening act Tony Kosinec
Linda at the Bitter End (this performance the previous year I believe)
Meanwhile, Gary Hinman was found dead in his LA home on July 31, 1969, after he was stabbed by Manson Family member Bobby Beausoleil for reasons that remain murky. According to reports he had been dead one week before being found which would put the murder around July 24th or so. Linda might have still been home during that time period before leaving for her Bitter End gig although she said she wasn't home the night of the murder. Not sure how she would know what day the murder actually occurred as it wasn't revealed. My guess is she was out of town already.
News Item : AP Gary Hinman House
conservatism.freeforums.net/board/135/ronstadt-manson-connections
Woodstock: The festival started on Friday, August 15th, 1969 afternoon and finally ended Monday, August 18th midday. Originally it should have ended on Sunday night but rain, immense traffic jam and financial shortcuts delayed the performances.
Song Woodstock by Joni Mitchell, Music by CSN&Y, footage from 1969 event.
The Woodstock Music & Art Fair 1969 - Rare footage without music
Woodstock 1969 - Full Festival (Friday)
I find some irony that Linda Ronstadt was performing at a venue named the Bitter End in NYC when her next door neighbor (back home in California) Gary Hinman sadly met his bitter end at the hands of the Manson Family.
Interview:
There’s been a lot of looking back this year at the summer of 1969, with these big anniversaries of the moon landing and Woodstock and the Manson murders. What do you remember about that summer?
Linda Ronstadt: "When Woodstock happened, I was in New York. I remember getting all the reports from people like Henry Diltz and Crosby, Stills & Nash. They’d come back with stories of everybody being in the mud. It sounded like a good thing to have survived, but I’m glad I didn’t go up there. Overflowing toilets and no food is not my idea of a fun time. I was playing some club—probably the Bitter End.
When the Manson family came through, they managed to murder my next-door neighbor, Gary Hinman. I was lucky I wasn’t home that night—they may have come for me. We knew those girls, Linda Kasabian and maybe Leslie Van Houten, too. I lived in Topanga Canyon at the time, and they would hitchhike, and they would talk about this guy Charlie at the Spahn Ranch. But I didn’t know him personally. We knew it was kind of a bad scene. But, when we found out how bad of a scene it was, we were horrified."
the Scribe: "Living on Long Island, NY at the time I recall the heavy rains we were having all week before Woodstock weekend. I had the opportunity to go but I was only 16, had a weekend job and saw the news reports of the big mess." That was quite a bizarre month in history:
July 15, 1969 Linda Ronstadt's 23rd birthday.
July 16, 1969 The Moon Landing Was the Television Event of the Decade
July 30, 1969 to August 11, 1969 Bitter End, New York City, New York - Linda Ronstadt two week engagement, opening act Tony Kosinec
Linda at the Bitter End (this performance the previous year I believe)
1969 Concerts and Appearances
- 1969-07-12 The Limit Long Beach California
- "performance gap"
- 1969-07-30 Bitter End, New York City, New York - Linda Ronstadt, opening act Tony Kosinec
- 1969-07-12 The Limit Long Beach California
- "performance gap"
- 1969-07-30 Bitter End, New York City, New York - Linda Ronstadt, opening act Tony Kosinec
Meanwhile, Gary Hinman was found dead in his LA home on July 31, 1969, after he was stabbed by Manson Family member Bobby Beausoleil for reasons that remain murky. According to reports he had been dead one week before being found which would put the murder around July 24th or so. Linda might have still been home during that time period before leaving for her Bitter End gig although she said she wasn't home the night of the murder. Not sure how she would know what day the murder actually occurred as it wasn't revealed. My guess is she was out of town already.
News Item : AP Gary Hinman House
conservatism.freeforums.net/board/135/ronstadt-manson-connections
Woodstock: The festival started on Friday, August 15th, 1969 afternoon and finally ended Monday, August 18th midday. Originally it should have ended on Sunday night but rain, immense traffic jam and financial shortcuts delayed the performances.
Song Woodstock by Joni Mitchell, Music by CSN&Y, footage from 1969 event.
The Woodstock Music & Art Fair 1969 - Rare footage without music
Woodstock 1969 - Full Festival (Friday)
