Taking Woodstock: A True Story of a Riot, a Concert, and a Life - Hardcover

Elliot Tiber; Tom Monte

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0757002935 ISBN 13: 9780757002939

Publisher: Square One, 2007

Synopsis

Taking Woodstock is the funny, touching, and true story of Elliot Tiber, the man who was instrumental in arranging the site for the original Woodstock Concert. Elliot, whose parents owned an upstate New York motel, was working in Greenwich Village in the summer of 1969. He socialized with the likes of Truman Capote, Tennessee Williams, and photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, and yet somehow managed to keep his gay life a secret from his family. Then on Friday, June 28, Elliot walked into the Stonewall Inn―and witnessed the riot that would galvanize the American gay movement and enable him to take stock of his own lifestyle. And on July 15, when Elliot learned that the Woodstock Concert promoters were unable to stage the show in Wallkill, he offered to find them a new venue. Soon he was swept up in a vortex that would change his life forever.

About this title

About the Author:

Elliot Tiber (April 15, 1935–August 3, 2016) was a gay rights pioneer who wrote and produced numerous award-winning plays and musical comedies. As a professor of comedy writing and performance, he taught at the New School and Hunter College in Manhattan. His first novel, Rue Haute, was a bestseller in Europe, and was published in the United States as High Street. The novel was made into a 1976 French-language feature film adapted and directed by coauthor and partner André Ernotte. As a humorist, Mr. Tiber appeared on CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, BBC, and CNBC, as well as on television shows in Franch, England, Tokyo, Moscow, Berlin, Belgium, and elsewhere throughout the world.

Mr. Tiber's memoir Taking Woodstock, which he wrote with Tom Monte, was first published in 2007 and was soon after turned into a feature film by director Ang Lee. He is also the author of another memoir that explored his life before Woodstock called Palm Trees on the Hudson: A True Story of the Mob, Judy Garland, and Interior Decorating. In addition to his work as a writer, Tiber was a highly sought-after lecturer who appeared in many international venues. In his final years, Mr. Tiber lived in the Miami Beach section of Florida, where he continued his work as a writer; a painter; and a humorist.

Review:

"(Taking Woodstock) is absolutely amazing! This reviewer couldn't put it down - in fact, read it twice before writing this review. If you've ever dreamed of being at Woodstock or even if you were there, the author Elliot Tiber will take you back." 

(Midwest Book Review)

"Momentous . . . [a] thoroughly entertaining tale [and] very human story." 

(Publishers Weekly)

"Comic and creative . . . [from] the man who serendipitously brought the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival to Bethel, NY, in the summer of 1969 . . . recommended." 

(Library Journal)

"The true story of Elliot Tiber, hero of the original Woodstock Festival . . . [a] snapshot of America Yesterday." 

(The New York Post)

"Gleefully candid and often hilarious . . . the story of a middle-aged gay man challenging bigotry, intolerance and the rural peace of Upstate New York's residents for the legal rights to sing, dance, and make love not war." 

(Foreword Reviews)

"Tiber, who helped organize the iconic music festival, recounts the events that led up to Woodstock in this entertaining true story. He recreates the events in dramatic detail, offering readers a new take on a legendary event as well as sharing his own coming-of-age story, his grapples with his homosexuality and run-ins with some of the most celebrated musicians and visual artists of the day. [Narrator] Jim Frangione is the perfect choice for the material: his dramatic flair brings a subtle theatricality to the story. He is able to transcend time and space and transport both himself and his audience back to the 1960s."

(Publishers Weekly, "starred" audio book review)

About this edition

• Publisher: Square One
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0757002935
• ISBN 13: 9780757002939
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224