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The Archive
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THOSE DARING YOUNG MEN FROM THE ISLE OF WIGHT.
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Tired remnants of the audience leave the festival enclosure 1969 Isle of Wight festival . Photo courtesy Repfoto© 1969. You can view many great photos of the I969 festival here at Repfoto |
Experienced gamblers have been known
to break into a cold sweat and furtively finger the trigger of a gun at the
throw of a dice or spin of a roulette wheel. But these are men who regularly
play the long odds. Men who know the rewards and penalties to expect.
Outlay
How much more hazardous
it is to plan a music festival headed by such an immortal and - let it be
said -controversial figure as Bob Dylan involving a total outlay of £120,000
on the basis of one comparatively minor event held just 15 months beforehand?
For that was all the experience of festivals the brothers Ronald, Raymond
and Bill Foulk had before they went for the jackpot with Dylan. Ten thousand
people had attended their Isle of Wight Festival starring the Crazy World
of Arthur Brown and Jefferson Airplane. But far more experienced promoters
might have baulked at the massive problem of trying to stage the most famous
folk singer in the world.
But over a year's unremitting
hard work paid off. Like the ardent prospective bridegroom who refuses to
take no for an answer, the three brothers approached the Dylan menage again
and again. They even followed up their hard sell with a colour film of the
Isle of
Wight. This, and a personal trip to Dylan in New York, finally tipped the
scales. And the outcome was a Festival that has made the closing months of
1969 a landmark in the world of "popular" music.
Happily Now, the brothers Ronald, Raymond and Bill have balanced their books
and, happily for themselves and future Festival fans, come up with a nice
balance.
"Our profit is not all that big," says Ronald.
"But we have achieved what we set out to do. The biggest satisfaction
when we looked out on the vast crowds was knowing that all our efforts have
been worthwhile. We've given enjoyment to a lot of people."
But that enjoyment wasn't given without
cost. The financial outlay involved would be enough to make a Charles Clore
blink. To start with, there was £20,000 for Dylan, plus 50 per cent
of the profits and £5,000 first-class air fare for him and his party.
The Band swallowed another £8,000; Richie Havens took £3,000.
Tom Paxton cost £750, the Who £900, and Pentangle £500.
"The rest of the bill accounts for another £6,000," says Ronald.
The stage set back Fiery Creations
another £10,000. Then there were the additional attractions, plus catering,
camping, security and travelling arrangements to take care of. To say nothing
of publicity expenditure.
But, despite all the money and headaches
involved, the Festival was an unqualified success. So much so, that the brothers
are already planning a similar event for next year. Dylan has said he is prepared
to go again, although recent reports suggest that he will not visit Britain
again. But it's a safe bet that, with the prestige the brothers have gained
from thisFestival, they will aim for other big fry of equal calibre.
Hitches?
Inevitably there were
some in a venture of this proportion. "We've learned that we shall have
to make better arrangements for the Press," admits Ronald. "So many
people were gatecrashing into the Press enclosuresome important people couldn't
even get in.
Adds Peter Harrigan, who was in charge of the Press: "Two months ago,
I asked the G.P.O. to lay on 15 extra telephone lines. I was told this was
impossible. Eventually, I managed to get seven. Next year, we shall see we
have at least 15 field telephones, teleprinters and Telex facilities."
Ronald also says the fencing and security arrangements will have to be strengthened.
Though he adds that the Isle of Wight council and the police were "marvellous."
Hoodlums
Some hoodlums burned portions
of fencing and part of a marquee. And there was a tense incident backstage
when a gentleman wielded a bottle. But, as Peter Harrigan puts it: "There
was remarkably little trouble when you consider the crowd was over 150,000.
You can get far more trouble at a Cup Final with only 30,000 present."
There has been much ado in
some sections of the Press about Dylan allegedly giving short weight - one
hour's performance instead of three. "We wouldhave liked him to do more,"
says Ronald. "But he was under no obligation to do so."
In fact, Dylan and the Band put on a performance lasting about two hours.
And there were no outbursts from those present
Refuse
Litter was a problem. The
organisers did their utmost to clear up the previous night's refuse before
midday, but the task was impossible to accomplish in the limited time available.
If anyone was disappointed with the Dylan Festival, it was those sensation
seekers whose febrile imaginations conjure up lurid visions of orgies and
drugs at every gathering of pop, jazz or folk followers.
One can imagine them rubbing their hands and sharpening their pencils when
the first ferryboat of fans set foot on the Isle. They may have felt aflicker
of a voyeur's titillation when a young lady cast off her clothes and danced
in the nude.
But that flash was soon extinguished by the surging sea of musical enthusiasm.
And this, after all, was what the Dylan Festival was all about.
