QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “I’m gettin’ it now, today. I don’t even know where I’m gonna be twenty years from now, so I’m just gonna keep on rockin’, ‘cause if I start saving up bits and pieces of me, man, there ain’t gonna be nothin’ left for Janis.” — Janis Joplin

SONG OF THE WEEK: “Mystery Train” — Elvis Presley

“Festival Express”
2004 New Line/Think Film
DVD

Rock history is rife with tales—some tall, some true—of famous artists running into each other (you know ‘em—Harry Nilsson and John Lennon getting stinking drunk and thrown out of bars, Janis Joplin blowing Leonard Cohen, a lubricated Jim Morrison pouring himself on stage with Jimi Hendrix and making a total fool of himself [that one’s true—I heard the record –ed.]) and committing acts of perversity, atrocity and decadence. But imagine taking two dozen of those Sixties counterculture icons, throwing them willy-nilly on a train and booking them a tour through Canada. Whatever would happen?

Everything you can imagine, and more, as it turns out. That is, after promoter/booker Ken Walker rounded up The Band, Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, Ian & Sylvia, The Buddy Guy Blues Band, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Delaney & Bonnie & Friends and Mashmakhan in 1970, hooked ‘em up with festivals across Canada and hired a train and a film crew. Interspersed with gorgeous footage of the open, green Canadian countryside, shots of the bands both in concert and in spontaneous, off-the-cuff, mobile jam sessions—along with interviews with Walker and a few of the surviving members of the journey—make for a thrilling, eye-opening experience.

Overshadowing the whole rolling rockfest, though, are the Vietnam War, the Nixon administration and the ongoing cultural/social revolution—all of which were felt nearly as keenly by our neighbors to the north as they were here in the U.S. At some of the festival stops, angry mobs of would-be hippie kids threaten to (and sometimes actually do) storm the gates, induce riots and take over the shows unless they’re given certain special favors by Walker and his crew. Though they acted under the banner of “positive resistance,” the truth was that they wanted to get into the gigs for nothing, expecting the artists to give them a free show, free food, free booze and free dope. At one stop, the list of demands even included a cash donation of twenty bucks by the promoter to every audience member. Eventually, the Grateful Dead agreed to put on a free concert a few miles from the original spot, and though a small number of police, rioters and legitimate festival attendees were injured in the melee, major damage was avoided.

Walker, in recent interviews, recalls that neither he nor his company ever recouped their losses from the Express trip, which is all the more reason fans of these artists and rock history in general should find and pick up this footage ASAP. If the drama, violence and stargazing doesn’t grab you, the musical performances damn sure will.

Featuring rare concert footage from The Dead, The Band, Janis, Sha Na Na (who were at one festival but not on the train) and Buddy Guy, this DVD captures some of these artists at their creative peaks, others near their untimely demises (Joplin died of a heroin overdose just a few months after this tour) and all of them at their raw, unrehearsed musical best. Or worst—as the case (of beer) may be. Either way, it’s fascinating to watch, listen to and soak up the vibes.

And what vibes they are. A train full of psychedelic-era heroes, ripped to the gills on high-powered LSD, rails upon rails of pure blow—the film kicks off with the Dead rippling through “Casey Jones”—and gallons and gallons of liquor. And I do mean GALLONS. Despite Bob Weir’s claims in a recent interview that most of the famous passengers didn’t have much experience with booze at that point; the dining/bar car is packed throughout the film, and at one point Walker has to order the engineer to stop at the very next town to replenish the train’s alcohol supply. They take up a collection of $800 and actually buy out the entire stock of a Saskatoon liquor store. There, Walker finagles a gigantic display bottle of Canadian Club for the bands, the bottom of which is soon littered with a healthy assortment of capsules, tabs and half-dissolved pills. Talk about your long, strange trips.

Man, you can have your Orange Blossom Special, your Kansas City Southern and your Orient and Marrakesh Expresses—the Fest is the Best!! “Gonna take a freight train, down at the station, Lord ...” wait, those guys weren’t there. Oh well, back to the electric Kool-Aid ... HIGHLY recommended. Check it out at FestivalExpress.com.

That wraps ‘er up for this installment, kiddies. Tune in again, same sweaty time, same sweaty page, for more ‘Dial. Until then—make yer own damn news.||

If you have local music news/gigs/events/CDs you’d like to see mentioned in this column, or you’d just like to shovel some coal into my furnace, send replies to: Tmygunn777@peoplepc.com.