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     Editor2 Moderator Username: Editor2 Post Number: 139 Registered: 10-2005 |
originally posted by MScott on 14 March 2005 at 20:59:50 All this discussion of interesting events at Windham has got me musing about some of the changes & events there during my years in Putney. If my recollections are hazy (possibly due to the effects of research for my Major in Recreational Chemistry), please feel free to correct & amend. In fall 1968 there were still fraternities & sororities on campus. The land behind Dorm 5 was second-generation growth with just a path going up the hill. The future Fine Arts Building was a hole in the ground, or perhaps excavation hadn’t yet begun. Some students were housed in the basement of Dorm 5. There were evening visiting hours with a ‘door ajar’ policy in the dorms, which were segregated by gender. By the following year, the Greeks were gone, and home rule had been established in the dorms. By the early 70’s the dorms were coed by floor, later by room. The Fine Arts Building stage was graced by some imaginative productions, from the minimalist “Woycek” to the whimsical ‘Pole-land’ set for “Ubu Roi” to the spectacular “My Poll & My Partner Joe.” A far cry from the old building down in the village where “Don’t Drink The Water” was staged. The path behind Dorm 5, now with offices in the basement, led past the new dorms to a rifle range & ski tow. And all of this within 5 years … Some memorable concerts in the fieldhouse – Taj Mahal with Jesse Winchester on guitar, the folk festival (with Dave Van Ronk), John McLaughlin & The Mahavishnu Orchestra, & Buddy Miles. During the Miles gig, the fieldhouse power blew, leaving the band without amplification. Miles left his kit, came out to the front of the stage & sang without a mic to muted accompaniment from the horns, his pipes strong enough to fill the whole structure until the juice was restored. What a blast. Some memorable boogies in the student center, too. Anyone remember The Holy Modal Rounders? And a great night with Roomful Of Blues, when Duke Robillard was still playing guitar with them. Does anyone remember the Percussion Jam of fall, 1968? A bunch of junk had been dumped on the slope between the ramps to the lower campus, & some people began banging out a rhythm on scrap wood & other objects. Soon there were perhaps 20 or 30 of us, pounding away in some primal, tribal ritual in the dark. I don’t remember how long it lasted, but it was pretty intense. By December ’68 the hill was coated with a layer of boiler plate thick & hard enough to support your weight. We sledded down the slope on cafeteria trays, or simply on our butts, holding the tails of our coats out to the sides. The Hong Kong Flu epidemic sent so many students home that finals were cancelled. Those of you who remember Dave Schneier, better known as Gun Dave or the Gunner, might find interesting an acknowledgement in one of Spider Robinson’s novels (either Hugo Award winner “Telempath” or “Night of Power”) to “the Gunner in Brattleboro” for information on a firearm used in the book. Does anyone know if Robinson ever attended Windham? | ||
| Editor2 Moderator Username: Editor2 Post Number: 140 Registered: 10-2005 |
holy modal rounders originally posted by emily blumenstein on 21 March 2005 at 18:05:10 I remember the holy modal rounders quite well. I had a terrific crush on steve weber. remember that song he used to sing 'do you like boobs a lot'? I recall reading a blurb about him, accidentally, years later, something about arrest, drugs, guns, and thinking hmmm, just as well not I suppose. emily.lopatin@verizon.net | ||
| Editor2 Moderator Username: Editor2 Post Number: 141 Registered: 10-2005 |
holy modal rounders originally posted by Lisa Grenadier on 21 March 2005 at 21:49:43 Playwright Sam Shepard was a member of the Holy Modal Rounders i believe. biged8142@aol.com | ||
| Editor2 Moderator Username: Editor2 Post Number: 142 Registered: 10-2005 |
Holy Modal Rounders, Batman! originally posted by MScott on 21 March 2005 at 22:33:35 'Boobs A Lot' was originally by the Fugs, who merged with the Holy Modal Rounders in 1963. Sam Shepard was probably the drummer at the Windham gig. I remember the unique kit the band brought - made of fibergalss, with the normally cylindrical drums narrowing near the bottom, bent out 90 degrees towards stage front, & ending in bells like trumpets & trombones. Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, who later played with Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers, joined the band in 1970 when they were based in Boston. I don't know if he played at Windham (can't remember exactly when the Rounders were there), but the guitar player was hot, so perhaps ... | ||
| Editor2 Moderator Username: Editor2 Post Number: 143 Registered: 10-2005 |
Holy Modal Rounders originally posted by Nick Brown on 22 March 2005 at 09:30:45 I remember them getting thrown out of the Gazebo after Steve Weber got drunk and performed the "rolling hoop snake" trick. They also played at Rick Kip's wedding party. I think it was '76 or '77. Sam Shepard was playing drums the first time they came around but he was later replaced, I can't remember the guy's name but he was a martial arts instructor living on Martha's Vineyard. "Boobs A Lot" was first recorded by the Fugs when the Rounders were playing with them, it was Steve singing, I also believe he wrote it. They re-recorded it on "Good Taste is Timeless" | ||
| Editor2 Moderator Username: Editor2 Post Number: 144 Registered: 10-2005 |
Holy Model Rounders originally posted by Bruce Bramson on 22 March 2005 at 20:03:11} Lately, explaining stuff hasn't worked. Frozen moments from ancient myths are the best I can offer. So it's 2:00am in the early 70s. Downtown Putney, me sleeping in my garrett 3rd floor (Ralph and Pat's condemned coffee house). And a horn lets loose - a bus horn that could dwarf Golden Gate fog horns. The Rounder bus was leaving. i had been booking gigs for them, getting them some money and THEY thought I should drop everything and go west with them. So butt naked I run downstairs to get them to stop honking. They see me, cheer, and assume I am literally leaving everything. As they rolled away, I sensed again a road not taken... love you all. Keep remembering brucebramson@yahoo.com |
