• A Parable from George Harrison

    General Stuff 31.07.2010 No Comments

    While remembering the thoughts of John Lennon, I thought of something George once said to me that impressed me enough to still be a good lesson.  George drew (interestingly, they both illustrated themselves in drawings as well as verbal) on a plain sheet of paper, a row boat seemingly floating on an ocean with a big sun in the background and a line at the bottom signifying the ocean floor.  He said, Ron, life, is like you on a boat floating on the ocean.  You can sit in the boat and the let your life gently float into the sunset or you can jump out of the boat (he drew stick figures) swim down to the bottom of the ocean and pick up a grain of sand.  Take that grain of sand, swim back to the surface  and put it in your boat, and so on and so on until your boat fills as it floats into the sunset.  You can just let life take you into the sunset or you can jump out of the boat and try new experiences and live life to the fullest.  I wish I kept that paper.  He did give me “The Autobiography of a Yogi” and signed it,  “To Ron, best wishes from George Harrison and then he wrote (chapter xxxiii).   To me, George was a very sweet person, as I remember other interactions.

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  • Refuting the Legend

    Gimme Shelter 30.07.2010 No Comments

    After watching GIMME SHELTER last night and noting Sam Cutler’s memories as to the Hell’s Angels security stories,  I wanted to document my memories which seem to be proved out  in the film footage.  First:  the Hell’s Angels were not hired to perform security for the concert! You only have to listen to Sonny Barger’s remarks to confirm this, unless you think we could force them to be police. Sam, now says that they were given beer to guard the generators, which was common for the west coast concerts.

    The story I was told, at the time, was that the Hell’s Angels had come to the festival in a bus filled with ice and beer  (in the film you see all of them on the top of the bus and Sonny commented on coming there to just enjoy the music and drink the beer).  During the course of the day, instead of passing the beer around, they began to throw it.  A girl next to me was hit in the head with a can and there was a lot of blood (typical of a head wound).  I was told that Sam went to the Angel’s and asked to buy the beer to give to the crew (didn’t want to tell them to stop throwing it–as if you could) and bought the beer for $500.  Further to all of this:  When I was watching some of the footage the Maysles were going through while editing, I noted footage of a group on the stage performing and someone from the crowd, charged the stage and went head first into the band’s drum kit.  The bands lead singer (I thought it was a girl) asked for someone to come help them and to secure the stage.  With that, the Angel’s came  on the stage and no one could get them off or would dare ask them after that.  I have told Albert Maysles about this and told him to always look for that footage.  It hasn’t been a priority and it might appear one day or else I was totally hallucinating, which would be weird as I might be the only one there who wasn’t on acid…

    PS… prior to going on one of the talk show’s in the ’70′s I informed the Maysles to correct the seemingly urban rumor about the Angel’s performing the security for Altamont.  They forgot and restated the rumor..

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  • Mods and Rockers

    Gimme Shelter 30.07.2010 2 Comments

    I was invited to a showing of GIMME SHELTER and STONES IN EXILE.  Chatted on stage with the director of Exile and then was interviewed on stage before SHELTER.  It was interesting and brought back more memories.  After the film, I stayed to talk with some friends and was surprised at how many people came over to me to rave about the film and to give their experiences at the time of the film.  Of course, some said..great film, I was 8 when it happened.   I can’t believe I still can sit thru the film and love it.  The Maysles did a fantastic job, if you can call loving what you do, a job…

    Thursday, July 29 – 7:30 PM

    Mods & Rockers Special Rolling Stones Double Feature: West Coast Theatrical Premiere of New Stones film! STONES IN EXILE, 2010, Passion Pictures, 61 min. Director Stephen Kijak created this fascinating doc about the 1971 “Exile On Main Street” album from extensive unseen footage of the debauched French Riviera sessions, as well as hindsight perspectives from the survivors and rare outtakes from the Stones’ masterpiece. Trailer

    GIMME SHELTER, 1970, Janus Films, 91 min. Dir. Albert & David Maysles. The celebrated film of the Rolling Stones’ 1969 US tour that culminated in the cataclysm at Altamont. Also features Jefferson Airplane and the Flying Burrito Brothers. Discussion between films with STONES IN EXILE director Stephen Kijak and GIMME SHELTER producer (and Stones business manager) Ron Schneider – moderated by Mods & Rockers Festival producer Martin Lewis.

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  • After Altamont

    Gimme Shelter 07.07.2010 No Comments

    I have read a lot of opinions, comments and thoughts from people that state that they think the Stones ran from the US after Altamont, out of fear.  Lucky for me, I don’t have to rely on my memory or other people’s memories as I have the facts that speak for themselves.  If you recall,  GIMME SHELTER came about because I hired the Maysles Bros. to shoot footage of the Madison Garden show, covering two songs.  This footage was to be used for promotion of the 1970 European Tour.  The Stones left after the US tour (last date? Altamont) to prepare in Europe for the European tour.

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