A Freewheelin' Time (32 page)

Authors: Suze Rotolo

BOOK: A Freewheelin' Time

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In retrospect,
what preoccupies me in this backward look at my life is the way things presented on these pages might differ from how they were at the time. The truth lies in the recalled emotion, the perception of events. My aim was to capture the emotional truth that defined the experience rather than to present “just the facts.”

So many places and faces flit by as my memory fiddled with the surrounding scenery. Like a dragonfly I settled on someplace or someone, pondered awhile, and then went on to another.

There were so many talents in those days who hung their work on gallery walls, who got onstage to sing, to perform, or to deliver stand-up commentary that was part, and way ahead, of the times. Nights started early and ended early in the morning. We were full of truths and enthusiasms, non sequiturs, stories, insights, pronouncements, resentments, and of course poetry, prose, and song. In addition to the stories I tell and the people I include in this book, there were many more who looked, listened, discussed, and made things happen away from the proscenium. History is accumulated one day at a time and there were many of us who moved it along. I’m proud to have been in the mix. I am glad I took the subway and got off at the right stop.

My intention overall was to respect our youth because at the distance I write from now I see no reason to take anyone to task for the foibles of the young. We were a pas sionate lot, dedicated to whatever it was we were doing. And cool and hip as we might have been, or thought ourselves to be, we truly believed it was worth the effort to shake things up.

It is interesting to note another reversal from then to now, in the words President John F. Kennedy spoke in his inaugural address of January 1961: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”

Today “What’s in it for me?” is the question most often asked. To acknowledge that we are in this together, to ask what would be better for the community, or to lend support to someone else’s request for improvement or change helps everyone in the long run.

The sixties were an era that spoke a language of inquiry and curiosity and rebelliousness against the stifling and repressive political and social culture of the decade that preceded it. The new generation causing all the fuss was not driven by the market: we had something to say, not something to sell.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Memory, being the thing you forget with, made writing a memoir a daunting proposition. When I was interviewed for the Martin Scorsese film
No Direction Home: Bob Dylan,
the door to the past was opened. That interview laid the groundwork for this book.

If I wore a hat I would doff it to Gerry Howard. He suggested I write a memoir and then trusted I could do it. His thoughtful, measured stance in the face of my worries was as valuable as his risk-taking support. And I was hardly aware of being in the maw of impersonal corporate publishing due to Gerry’s genuine manner—also true of Katie Halleron; Terry Karydes, the designer; and everyone else I had contact with at Doubleday Broadway.

I have nothing but admiration for Patricia Mulcahy and her editorial ability to see the forest and the trees simultaneously. Her humor and openness made working together a pleasure.

The knowing advice given at the outset by Sarah Lazin—don’t think about the enormous mountain in front of you, just write—worked its magic and led to a mutual confidence in each other’s ability to do what was required as agent and author. The natural progression to a friendship was the bonus.

Without the invaluable assistance of fellow travelers I couldn’t have managed the details. Special gratitude to Janet Kerr for her recollections, insights, memorabilia, and most of all the friendship we have shared over many years. This is equally true of Sylvia Tyson, a woman of many worlds and possessor of unique knowledge. From the start she lavished me with pearls of wisdom threaded with humor.

More light to shine into the dark of the past came from George Auerbach, Drew Bailey, John Cohen, Susan (Zuckerman) Green, Pete Karman, Al Kooper, Barry Kornfeld, Charlie Rothschild, Steve Wilson, and the incomparable Israel Young. Life for Izzy is just one long day and it has been an adventure to spend part of that long day with him.

I truly appreciate the generosity of the photographers whose pictures illuminate my memories: Don Hunstein, Jim Marshall, Dave Gahr, Ted Russell, Jerry Schatzberg, Irwin Gooen, Ed Grazda, Paul Klee, and Ann Charters. Thanks go to Terri Thal, who persevered and found a photo at the very last minute. Thanks to Mitch Blank, Don Fleming and the Alan Lomax Archives, and Robert Parks at the Morgan Library, for their generous assistance.

I am grateful to Jim Hoberman, a wise and trusted friend, who offered advice and information from the beginning. Likewise Naomi Fein for her generosity of spirit and ever-present optimism, and Veronica Windholz for her thoughtfulness.

Conversations with Ted Fenton, Lynn Barr, Hilda and Mickey Meltzer, and Paolo and Michele Mazzerioli helped smooth out some tangles.

Without the love, encouragement, and patience of those closest to me, writing this book would have seemed an insurmountable task. It is dedicated to them because above all and everything they made it possible.

ILLUSTRATION CREDITS

Unless otherwise noted, all artwork and photographs are from the author’s personal collection:

Front Matter
Don Huntstein © SONY BMG Music Entertainment

Front Matter
1 Map by T. J. Karydes

Part 1
Don Huntstein © SONY BMG Music Entertainment

Portrait
© SONY BMG Music Entertainment

Folk City
© Ed Grazda

Folk City
Hulton Archive/Getty Images (outside view of Gerde’s Folk City)

Folk City
Irwin Gooen (scene inside Gerde’s)

Beginnings
Paul Klee

Identity
Buttons and pledge card from the collection of George Auerbach

Identity
From the collection of Susan Green