1992 Festival Debate

[deschwah]

On 1/25/2023 at 10:18 PM, Sawdusty surfer said:

@deschwah ahhh, there's poor quality footage of the Sugarlump sound system that was there in '92 on YouTube. 

 That'll teach me to refrain from using Urban Dictionary on Google!

Here it is boss x

https://youtu.be/bjofvf4t7Cs

[Breeze]

On 1/19/2023 at 3:59 PM, Avalon_Fields said:

The Pyramid certainly isn't as good as it used to be back in the glory days. Why can't we still have the bands way up in the sky? Why do we actually need to be able to see them if we're up front? 

Stage level should be 6 feet above the tallest flag!!

[Sawdusty surfer]

1992

Well, back to '92 again.

As I said in a previous post,' 92 was a huge turning point both for the festival and for me personally. 

Up to then I, in retrospect, had a huge feeling of entitlement when it came to festivals as did most of my friends and extended family that I travelled with. We collectively put on free festivals and interpreted that as granting us a god given right to attend any festivals that we wanted to free of charge..... and to behave in our 'normal' way (should anyone actually consider it to be normal) at those events. We were called 'New Age Travellers' at the time but that name was actually coined by some newspaper or other. It certainly had a ring to it and the name stuck. Looking back I think that Land Pirates may have been more appropriate. 

 As Castlemorton was happening many of use realised that the scene was now completely screwed. We had been getting regular bad press (often deserved but usually not) and questions asked in The House. It was bloody obvious that there was going to be a massive crackdown otherwise there would be a Castlemorton type event every couple of weeks for the rest of the summer, but probably growing in size as the year progressed.

 Our little convoy left Castlemorton Common and headed back to a safe park up in the hills near Meifod in Mid Wales.

 We didn't watch much TV at all although a few of us had 12 volt black and white TVs. Our evening entertainment generally consisted of sitting outside around a fire chatting, listening to music be it recorded or played live acoustic by the people present. Often the live music was fantastic but please spare me the too stoned hippy dribbling into his badly played penny whistle. We'd drink tea but usually beer but spliffs were a constant feature of life. 

Anyway, a few days after Castlemorton we were sitting by the fire and decided that 'Something Has To Be Done'. We came to the conclusion that we needed our own land. Not owned personally, but land that we buy collectively that can treated like and utilised in the the way that common land used to be. Yes, we had it, the perfect solution! Oh to be a young and naieve idealist again. 😄 This resulted in Her and I, Jo and Chris and Brian (see previous very cool bus and chop pic) deciding to set up The Free Land Fund. Over the next few days we had meetings.... actually no, we'd just keep talking about our amazing new idea. We actually managed to kind of write down some of the ideas, visions and plans on paper in a haphazard way. Brian had an old mechanical typewriter in his bus and decided that that would make it official. We took it in turns (I managed to avoid most of it) to put everything down in print using laborious 'Hunt And Peck' technique on Brian's ancient typewriter. When our manifesto, if that is the right word, was finally finished we were, incredibly, efficient enough to go to a local print shop and get a load of copies. I'm guessing as I can't remember, but maybe 50.

 We were all incredibly excited about our plan. We discussed at length how it could all end, we could create the new hippy utopia, the sky's the limit. Then almost immediately reality hit. We had this gurt big and heavy load of stuff that we had to take to Glastonbury and build a lovely stage out of it. To cut a long story short, the journey down there was a nightmare as was the build, but we managed it.

 Before arriving at the festival we had no idea at all who was playing, that was pretty standard for us in those days. Once there we heard that The Levellers were playing. It slowly dawned on us that this was our big opportunity to promote The Free Land Fund. We clearly needed to have a chat with the lads, but all of our crew were less than keen. Like refusing point blank. I was volunteered and take it as a badge of honour that that might prove that I was actually possibly less of a hippy than the rest of them.

 OK, the plan is to blag it backstage, collar a Leveller, thrust one of our PRINTED info sheets into their hand, and tell them to tell the crowd about it. Then we'll all hit the crowd shaking buckets for people to chuck their contributions into. 

PERFECT!!!

 Back in '92 it was, among certain sectors of the alternative community, de rigeur to use a bit of speed, amphetamine sulphate, to keep going a bit longer. It also increases energy, prevents keeling over from too much alcohol and crucially boosts confidence. So, an hour of so before The Levellers were due to perform off I went. I was also several beers in. I casually but confidently (or that's what I kept telling myself) strolled up to the backstage entrance. I was immediately challenged but just gave one of the printed sheets to everyone and said that I had to get the rest of the prints to Mark, the lead singer as he wants to get involved. I started to explain ( well, that's how I like to remember it but was probably babbling) about The Free Land Fund but our joint effort on the leaflet must have been unexpectedly coherent. It worked. I was led deeper into the back and then introduced to Mark the lead singer and Jon, the fiddle player. I gave them a leaflet each and explained (OK, again babbled) what we were trying to do as they read the leaflet. I also told them that travellers were banned this year and who knows what else? I was, if I'm honest, completely off my nut and winging like I'd never winged it before. I asked Mark if he'd explain to the crowd what we were up to and we'd go through the crowd shaking buckets for collections. I remember this bit very well. He stepped forward and said 'wait there' and pointed to a spot. I started to open my mouth to say something but immediately looked me in the eye and pointed and repeated it. Well, I did what I was told.

 Blimmin' ace, I could see half the stage from where I'd been told to wait. Couldn't believe it, what a result AND Mark was going to promote our very worthy cause. I was a very happy chap! 

 The gig started, this was arguably the era of peak Levellers. The crowd was going mental. It was the year when (I could be wrong, but it's how I remember it) the 'traveller look' went mainstream and army surplus clothes and dreadlocks were the fashion. The Levellers were the rallying point of all this. 

 The band played a few songs and Mark had said nothing. He then looked at me and put his hand up indicating that I should wait. OK, all good. I'd been on my feet for ages and was becoming more and more aware of an old floral patterned sofa that was in the wings a bit closer to the band than me. I finally gave in and want and sat on it. Even better view! Then some more songs and again Mark glanced and nodded at me. At some point during all this Mark got quite ranty... He, erm, mentioned that travellers were not allowed at the festival and also called ME a lady's front bottom. I can't remember the exact details but started to feel slightly uncomfortable and was wondering what he'd say when he actually got around to mentioning The Free Land Fund. 

 My thoughts were then interrupted by an obvious finale with masses of cheering. The band were bowing to the crowd and then turned to walk off stage. Damn, after all that it didn't happen , Mark didn't do it. But hey, what a view I've had! 

 

 Then things for me went really rather peculiar.

 

 The band walk offstage together and Mark splits off from them and heads straight towards me. I genuinely thought that he was coming over to tell me off for not standing where he'd told me to and taking the liberty of sitting on the sofa. He marched right up and looked down at me with a big smile on his face.

 "Well, go on then" he said. 

"Eh?" said I. 

"Go and tell them" he said, pointing at the  crowd the other side of the stage. It took a while for the penny to drop, and whan it did finally drop I immediately started making penny, sixpence, penny, sixpence on the floral fabric of the sofa cushion on which I was sitting. WTF, no way, shit, shit, shit. 

I was off my nut and with zero preparation was expected to chat to a bonkers crowd in front of the Pyramid Stage who were all chanting 'MORE'!!!!! 

Well, I couldn't not. Literally no option. 

 

I stood up and Mark kept pointing to a mic stand right at the front of the stage.. in the middle. I walked up to it, my brain turning somersaults while also getting turned inside out. The only words on that walk that my mind could generate were expletives, about ten or fifteen a second, but thankfully they were just flashes in my head. I got to the microphone, stood for a few seconds, and somehow the essence of what we were trying to do came to me in a short sentence. 

 

I started with "I believe in our right to hold free festivals'. 

The crowd went nuts. Instantly I felt it was all going to be OK. 

 

I'll remember that moment for the rest of my life. 

 

Edited February 5, 2023 by Sawdusty surfer

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

8 hours ago, Sawdusty surfer said:

1992

Well, back to '92 again.

As I said in a previous post,' 92 was a huge turning point both for the festival and for me personally. 

Up to then I, in retrospect, had a huge feeling of entitlement when it came to festivals as did most of my friends and extended family that I travelled with. We collectively put on free festivals and interpreted that as granting us a god given right to attend any festivals that we wanted to free of charge..... and to behave in our 'normal' way (should anyone actually consider it to be normal) at those events. We were called 'New Age Travellers' at the time but that name was actually coined by some newspaper or other. It certainly had a ring to it and the name stuck. Looking back I think that Land Pirates may have been more appropriate. 

 As Castlemorton was happening many of use realised that the scene was now completely screwed. We had been getting regular bad press (often deserved but usually not) and questions asked in The House. It was bloody obvious that there was going to be a massive crackdown otherwise there would be a Castlemorton type event every couple of weeks for the rest of the summer, but probably growing in size as the year progressed.

 Our little convoy left Castlemorton Common and headed back to a safe park up in the hills near Meifod in Mid Wales.

 We didn't watch much TV at all although a few of us had 12 volt black and white TVs. Our evening entertainment generally consisted of sitting outside around a fire chatting, listening to music be it recorded or played live acoustic by the people present. Often the live music was fantastic but please spare me the too stoned hippy dribbling into his badly played penny whistle. We'd drink tea but usually beer but spliffs were a constant feature of life. 

Anyway, a few days after Castlemorton we were sitting by the fire and decided that 'Something Has To Be Done'. We came to the conclusion that we needed our own land. Not owned personally, but land that we buy collectively that can treated like and utilised in the the way that common land used to be. Yes, we had it, the perfect solution! Oh to be a young and naieve idealist again. 😄 This resulted in Her and I, Jo and Chris and Brian (see previous very cool bus and chop pic) deciding to set up The Free Land Fund. Over the next few days we had meetings.... actually no, we'd just keep talking about our amazing new idea. We actually managed to kind of write down some of the ideas, visions and plans on paper in a haphazard way. Brian had an old mechanical typewriter in his bus and decided that that would make it official. We took it in turns (I managed to avoid most of it) to put everything down in print using laborious 'Hunt And Peck' technique on Brian's ancient typewriter. When our manifesto, if that is the right word, was finally finished we were, incredibly, efficient enough to go to a local print shop and get a load of copies. I'm guessing as I can't remember, but maybe 50.

 We were all incredibly excited about our plan. We discussed at length how it could all end, we could create the new hippy utopia, the sky's the limit. Then almost immediately reality hit. We had this gurt big and heavy load of stuff that we had to take to Glastonbury and build a lovely stage out of it. To cut a long story short, the journey down there was a nightmare as was the build, but we managed it.

 Before arriving at the festival we had no idea at all who was playing, that was pretty standard for us in those days. Once there we heard that The Levellers were playing. It slowly dawned on us that this was our big opportunity to promote The Free Land Fund. We clearly needed to have a chat with the lads, but all of our crew were less than keen. Like refusing point blank. I was volunteered and take it as a badge of honour that that might prove that I was actually possibly less of a hippy than the rest of them.

 OK, the plan is to blag it backstage, collar a Leveller, thrust one of our PRINTED info sheets into their hand, and tell them to tell the crowd about it. Then we'll all hit the crowd shaking buckets for people to chuck their contributions into. 

PERFECT!!!

 Back in '92 it was, among certain sectors of the alternative community, de rigeur to use a bit of speed, amphetamine sulphate, to keep going a bit longer. It also increases energy, prevents keeling over from too much alcohol and crucially boosts confidence. So, an hour of so before The Levellers were due to perform off I went. I was also several beers in. I casually but confidently (or that's what I kept telling myself) strolled up to the backstage entrance. I was immediately challenged but just gave one of the printed sheets to everyone and said that I had to get the rest of the prints to Mark, the lead singer as he wants to get involved. I started to explain ( well, that's how I like to remember it but was probably babbling) about The Free Land Fund but our joint effort on the leaflet have been unexpectedly coherent. It worked. I was led deeper into the back and then introduced to Mark the lead singer and Jon, the fiddle player. I gave them a leaflet each and explained (OK, again babbled) what we were trying to do as they read the leaflet. I also told them that travellers were banned this year and who knows what else? I was, if I'm honest, completely off my nut and winging like I'd never winged it before. I asked Mark if he'd explain to the crowd what we were up to and we'd go through the crowd shaking buckets for collections. I remember this bit very well. He stepped forward and said 'wait there' and pointed to a spot. I started to open my mouth to say something but immediately looked me in the eye and pointed and repeated it. Well, I did what I was told.

 Blimmin' ace, I could see half the stage from where I'd been told to wait. Couldn't believe it, what a result AND Mark was going to promote our very worthy cause. I was a very happy chap! 

 The gig started, this was arguably the era of peak Levellers. The crowd was going mental. It was the year when (I could be wrong, but it's how I remember it) the 'traveller look' went mainstream and army surplus clothes and dreadlocks were the fashion. The Levellers were the rallying point of all this. 

 The band played a few songs and Mark had said nothing. He then looked at me and put his hand up indicating that I should wait. OK, all good. I'd been on my feet for ages and was becoming more and more aware of an old floral patterned sofa that was in the wings a bit closer to the band than me. I finally gave in and want and sat on it. Even better view! Then some more songs and again Mark glanced and nodded at me. At some point during all this Mark got quite ranty... He, erm, mentioned that travellers were not allowed at the festival and also called ME a lady's front bottom. I can't remember the exact details but started to feel slightly uncomfortable and was wondering what he'd say when he actually got around to mentioning The Free Land Fund. 

 My thoughts were then interrupted by an obvious finale with masses of cheering. The band were bowing to the crowd and then turned to walk off stage. Damn, after all that it didn't happen , Mark didn't do it. But hey, what a view I've had! 

 

 Then things for me went really rather peculiar.

 

 The band walk offstage together and Mark splits off from them and heads straight towards me. I genuinely thought that he was coming over to tell me off for not standing where he'd told me to and taking the liberty of sitting on the sofa. He marched right up and looked down at me with a big smile on his face.

 "Well, go on then" he said. 

"Eh?" said I. 

"Go and tell them" he said, pointing at the crowd the other side of the stage. It took a while for the penny to drop, and whan it did finally drop I immediately started making penny, sixpence, penny, sixpence on the floral fabric of the sofa cushion on which I was sitting. WTF, no way, shit, shit, shit. 

I was off my nut and with zero preparation was expected to chat to a bonkers crowd in front of the Pyramid Stage who were all chanting 'MORE'!!!!! 

Well, I couldn't not. Literally no option. 

 

I stood up and Mark kept pointing to a mic stand right at the front of the stage.. in the middle. I walked up to it, my brain turning somersaults while also getting turned inside out. The only words on that walk that my mind could generate were expletives, about ten or fifteen a second, but thankfully they were just flashes in my head. I got to the microphone, stood for a few seconds, and somehow the essence of what we were trying to do came to me in a short sentence. 

 

I started with "I believe in our right to hold free festivals'. 

 

I'll remember that moment for the rest of my life. 

 

A fantastic, and well written story Sawdusty. Thanks for taking the time out to write that / share that.

[philipsteak]

11 hours ago, Sawdusty surfer said:

1992

Well, back to '92 again.

As I said in a previous post,' 92 was a huge turning point both for the festival and for me personally. 

Up to then I, in retrospect, had a huge feeling of entitlement when it came to festivals as did most of my friends and extended family that I travelled with. We collectively put on free festivals and interpreted that as granting us a god given right to attend any festivals that we wanted to free of charge..... and to behave in our 'normal' way (should anyone actually consider it to be normal) at those events. We were called 'New Age Travellers' at the time but that name was actually coined by some newspaper or other. It certainly had a ring to it and the name stuck. Looking back I think that Land Pirates may have been more appropriate. 

 As Castlemorton was happening many of use realised that the scene was now completely screwed. We had been getting regular bad press (often deserved but usually not) and questions asked in The House. It was bloody obvious that there was going to be a massive crackdown otherwise there would be a Castlemorton type event every couple of weeks for the rest of the summer, but probably growing in size as the year progressed.

 Our little convoy left Castlemorton Common and headed back to a safe park up in the hills near Meifod in Mid Wales.

 We didn't watch much TV at all although a few of us had 12 volt black and white TVs. Our evening entertainment generally consisted of sitting outside around a fire chatting, listening to music be it recorded or played live acoustic by the people present. Often the live music was fantastic but please spare me the too stoned hippy dribbling into his badly played penny whistle. We'd drink tea but usually beer but spliffs were a constant feature of life. 

Anyway, a few days after Castlemorton we were sitting by the fire and decided that 'Something Has To Be Done'. We came to the conclusion that we needed our own land. Not owned personally, but land that we buy collectively that can treated like and utilised in the the way that common land used to be. Yes, we had it, the perfect solution! Oh to be a young and naieve idealist again. 😄 This resulted in Her and I, Jo and Chris and Brian (see previous very cool bus and chop pic) deciding to set up The Free Land Fund. Over the next few days we had meetings.... actually no, we'd just keep talking about our amazing new idea. We actually managed to kind of write down some of the ideas, visions and plans on paper in a haphazard way. Brian had an old mechanical typewriter in his bus and decided that that would make it official. We took it in turns (I managed to avoid most of it) to put everything down in print using laborious 'Hunt And Peck' technique on Brian's ancient typewriter. When our manifesto, if that is the right word, was finally finished we were, incredibly, efficient enough to go to a local print shop and get a load of copies. I'm guessing as I can't remember, but maybe 50.

 We were all incredibly excited about our plan. We discussed at length how it could all end, we could create the new hippy utopia, the sky's the limit. Then almost immediately reality hit. We had this gurt big and heavy load of stuff that we had to take to Glastonbury and build a lovely stage out of it. To cut a long story short, the journey down there was a nightmare as was the build, but we managed it.

 Before arriving at the festival we had no idea at all who was playing, that was pretty standard for us in those days. Once there we heard that The Levellers were playing. It slowly dawned on us that this was our big opportunity to promote The Free Land Fund. We clearly needed to have a chat with the lads, but all of our crew were less than keen. Like refusing point blank. I was volunteered and take it as a badge of honour that that might prove that I was actually possibly less of a hippy than the rest of them.

 OK, the plan is to blag it backstage, collar a Leveller, thrust one of our PRINTED info sheets into their hand, and tell them to tell the crowd about it. Then we'll all hit the crowd shaking buckets for people to chuck their contributions into. 

PERFECT!!!

 Back in '92 it was, among certain sectors of the alternative community, de rigeur to use a bit of speed, amphetamine sulphate, to keep going a bit longer. It also increases energy, prevents keeling over from too much alcohol and crucially boosts confidence. So, an hour of so before The Levellers were due to perform off I went. I was also several beers in. I casually but confidently (or that's what I kept telling myself) strolled up to the backstage entrance. I was immediately challenged but just gave one of the printed sheets to everyone and said that I had to get the rest of the prints to Mark, the lead singer as he wants to get involved. I started to explain ( well, that's how I like to remember it but was probably babbling) about The Free Land Fund but our joint effort on the leaflet have been unexpectedly coherent. It worked. I was led deeper into the back and then introduced to Mark the lead singer and Jon, the fiddle player. I gave them a leaflet each and explained (OK, again babbled) what we were trying to do as they read the leaflet. I also told them that travellers were banned this year and who knows what else? I was, if I'm honest, completely off my nut and winging like I'd never winged it before. I asked Mark if he'd explain to the crowd what we were up to and we'd go through the crowd shaking buckets for collections. I remember this bit very well. He stepped forward and said 'wait there' and pointed to a spot. I started to open my mouth to say something but immediately looked me in the eye and pointed and repeated it. Well, I did what I was told.

 Blimmin' ace, I could see half the stage from where I'd been told to wait. Couldn't believe it, what a result AND Mark was going to promote our very worthy cause. I was a very happy chap! 

 The gig started, this was arguably the era of peak Levellers. The crowd was going mental. It was the year when (I could be wrong, but it's how I remember it) the 'traveller look' went mainstream and army surplus clothes and dreadlocks were the fashion. The Levellers were the rallying point of all this. 

 The band played a few songs and Mark had said nothing. He then looked at me and put his hand up indicating that I should wait. OK, all good. I'd been on my feet for ages and was becoming more and more aware of an old floral patterned sofa that was in the wings a bit closer to the band than me. I finally gave in and want and sat on it. Even better view! Then some more songs and again Mark glanced and nodded at me. At some point during all this Mark got quite ranty... He, erm, mentioned that travellers were not allowed at the festival and also called ME a lady's front bottom. I can't remember the exact details but started to feel slightly uncomfortable and was wondering what he'd say when he actually got around to mentioning The Free Land Fund. 

 My thoughts were then interrupted by an obvious finale with masses of cheering. The band were bowing to the crowd and then turned to walk off stage. Damn, after all that it didn't happen , Mark didn't do it. But hey, what a view I've had! 

 

 Then things for me went really rather peculiar.

 

 The band walk offstage together and Mark splits off from them and heads straight towards me. I genuinely thought that he was coming over to tell me off for not standing where he'd told me to and taking the liberty of sitting on the sofa. He marched right up and looked down at me with a big smile on his face.

 "Well, go on then" he said. 

"Eh?" said I. 

"Go and tell them" he said, pointing at the crowd the other side of the stage. It took a while for the penny to drop, and whan it did finally drop I immediately started making penny, sixpence, penny, sixpence on the floral fabric of the sofa cushion on which I was sitting. WTF, no way, shit, shit, shit. 

I was off my nut and with zero preparation was expected to chat to a bonkers crowd in front of the Pyramid Stage who were all chanting 'MORE'!!!!! 

Well, I couldn't not. Literally no option. 

 

I stood up and Mark kept pointing to a mic stand right at the front of the stage.. in the middle. I walked up to it, my brain turning somersaults while also getting turned inside out. The only words on that walk that my mind could generate were expletives, about ten or fifteen a second, but thankfully they were just flashes in my head. I got to the microphone, stood for a few seconds, and somehow the essence of what we were trying to do came to me in a short sentence. 

 

I started with "I believe in our right to hold free festivals'. 

 

I'll remember that moment for the rest of my life. 

 

 

Brilliant!

And brilliantly told.

Genuinely love you perspective on the festival, the way you seem to remember and love the 'good old days' but are very much here for what it is now too. And no rose tinted glasses for either then or now.

You really should get all this written down somewhere, and not just on here for us lot.

[gooner1990]

My mate, who out of our crowd is the oldest person still going (at 57) to the festival, (everyone else we know around his age who used to do have now given up attending)says it 'changed forever' in 1992 and then again in 2002 with the super fence, he cites those two points as the main two years the festival changed drastically.

 

[Sawdusty surfer]

I was at a quiz night about three weeks ago and the GF of a chainsaw friend of mine mentioned that she'd seen me in an old Glastonbury film online. She couldn't remember what it was though. 

She's just sent me this. Incidentally I owe the tall dark haired chap an awful lot.He's in the film a min or two before the start time I've posted below. Harry Thomas was the first UK chainsaw carver. He taught a guy called Chris who got me started. We lost Harry about a month ago. 

35min 45secs in. I've never seen it before. Talk about a coincidence of timing!

 

Edited February 5, 2023 by Sawdusty surfer

[Kizzie]

6 hours ago, Sawdusty surfer said:

I was at a quiz night about three weeks ago and the GF of a chainsaw friend of mine mentioned that she'd seen me in an old Glastonbury film online. She couldn't remember what it was though. 

She's just sent me this. Incidentally I owe the tall dark haired chap an awful lot.He's in the film a min or two before the start time I've posted below. Harry Thomas was the first UK chainsaw carver. He taught a guy called Chris who got me started. We lost Harry about a month ago. 

35min 45secs in. I've never seen it before. Talk about a coincidence of timing!

 

You handsome devil you 😉

[Neil]

On 1/19/2023 at 5:20 PM, Ayrshire Chris said:

Interestingly Guns n Roses were at their peak and in the middle of their biggest tour around that time. 😉

and still weren't booked.