It Was Twenty Years Ago Today

[Robin Landseadel]

Realizing that my response to Bekah might seem OTT, here's some  
additional information of "It Was Twenty Years Ago Today." The Youtube  
bits are the first half of the show. PBS broadcast the show in the  
U.S. in 1987. There's more material from the interviews with Paul,  
George, Ginsberg, Derek Taylor, et. al. Malcolm McDowell is the  
narrator, here's more info from IMBd:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093285/fullcredits#cast

While it is true that '67 was different from '69, the documentary  
shows how many of the issues and figureheads we think of as "1969"  
emerged in 1967. There was an extended edit of IWTYAT broadcast on  
cable in the late 80's. Unfortunately, the program was never  
officially issued as a home video. I've taped it myself and watched it  
many times but that tape [and the betamax I recorded it on are long  
gone. There are bootleg copies floating around, if you're willing to  
track down that sort of thing.

I suppose one of the things that makes IWTYAT related to Vineland, is  
its retrospective look at the hippie/yippie era from the vantage point  
of "The New Age." In a way, this documentary is as much of a period  
piece as the era it's discussing.