"Fired up? Ready to go?"

This morning I watched Barrack Obama on television. He was speaking about the need for health insurance for all Americans at a rally in Minneapolis.

At the end of his speech Obama told a story of being on the campaign trail in South Carolina. He woke up in a Greenville hotel room for an early morning drive to Greenwood. He was exhausted, missing his family. and angry about a New York Times article about him. It was raining, his umbrella blew out and he got soaked while running to the car.

Obama got soaked again running from the car to the Greenwood rally and when he entered the building he saw about 20 people. He was disappointed, thinking about the 1 1/2 hour drive back to Greenville, when he heard a voice behind him ask: "Fired up?" He turned to see a small woman in her 50s, a Greenwood city council member. "Ready to go?" she asked. The woman repeated, "Fired up?" and the small group responded, "Fired up". "Ready to go?" she asked. "Ready to go". Obama started to feel better and joined in. The woman continued to lead the chant until he was fired up and ready to go.

Obama told the crowd he and his staff repeated the chant many times that day and on many days during the campaign. One person can make a difference, he said. One person had made the difference that day in Greenwood.

Then he asked: "So Minneapolis, are you fired up and ready to go?" "Yes", the crowd responded. "Fired up?" he shouted. "Fired up!", they replied. "Ready to go?" he shouted. "Ready to go!"

"Fired up?" "Fired up!" "Ready to go?" "Ready to go!"

I was laughing and tears were streaming down my face.

PWP "Spreetz" anyone?

The Venetian Spritz

4 ounces Prosecco (or any sparkling wine)

Sparkling water

1.5 to 2 ounces Aperol

Orange

Lemon

1 green olive

In a rocks glass over three ice cubes pour 1) Prosecco 2) a dash of sparkling water and 3) Aperol in that order. Garnish with a slice of orange and/or a twist of lemon and one pwp green olive.

(Photo courtesy of Frances Janisch)

It ain't over till it's over: Pretty well perfect

From Michael Arthur's Sketchbook: A Summer in the City

Jimi Hendrix: "A Band of Gypsies" PWP

Bad weather and logistical problems caused long delays. Jimi Hendrix did not appear on the Woodstock Festival stage until Monday morning. The audience which had peaked at over 500,000 people, counted at most, 180,000, many of whom merely waited to catch a glimpse of Hendrix before leaving.

Festival MC Chip Monck introduced the band as "The Jimi Hendrix Experience", but Hendrix quickly corrected this to "Gypsy Sun and Rainbows, for short it's nothin’ but A Band Of Gypsies" and launched into a two hour set, the longest of his career.

As well as the two percussionists, the performance notably featured Larry Lee performing two songs and Lee sometimes soloing while Hendrix played rhythm in places. Most of this has been edited out of the officially released recordings, including Lee's two songs, reducing the sound to basically a three piece.

The concert was relatively free of the technical difficulties that frequently plagued Hendrix's performances, although one of his guitar strings snapped while performing "Red House". Jimi kept on playing.

The band, unfamiliar with playing large audiences and exhausted after being up all night, could not always keep up with Hendrix's pace. Regardless, the guitarist managed to deliver a memorable performance, climaxing with his highly-regarded rendition of the The Star-Spangled Banner, a solo improvisation which is now regarded as a special symbol of the 1960s era.


(Photo credit: Larry C Morris)

"Before the rains came" - Woodstock August '69

"Fest goers settling in for the music. Before the rains came."

Jim Thoms

"I have to be there" - PWP

"In May of 1969, my friends and I, from Youngstown, Ohio, learned that Jimi Hendrix was to perform in a festival in NY. I asked my father if we could stay at my Aunt's house in Buffalo before driving to Woodstock. He agreed. However, watching the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite on Aug 14th, there was a NY State Trooper telling the audience that the rains had created a huge mud hole and that many roads were closed. That was all my father needed to hear. He said I could not go and I was watching the TV thinking "I have to be there". So we left anyway...."

Lewis Nuzzle

A Moment of Muddy Grace

Joe Cocker was the first officially scheduled act at the Woodstock Festival's final day, Sunday, August 17, 1969 . He went on stage at about 2.00 pm. Though Cocker was in the music business for quite a while he was hardly known. But after his triumphal success at Woodstock the man with the soulful voice became famous everywhere. Especially well received was the Beatles' cover song "With a Little Help from My Friends" which was already the second performance after Richie Havens' version on the first day. Cocker's backup band at that time was the superb Grease Band - a formation that lasted only two years. Shortly after Cocker's 1-hr gig a heavy thunderstorm washed over the festival and everything was brought to a stop for several hours.

(Photo courtesy: Don Hogan Charles)