Prisoner Of Woodstock
Have any of you ever read Dallas Taylor’s book ‘ Prisoner of Woodstock?’ Back in 1993 I was watching Nightline with Ted Koppel and Dallas was being interviewed on the release of his new book about his life as a professional musician in the late 60s / early 70s. During the interview with Ted Koppel, he told of his liver transplant and career as a drug addiction counselor. The book talks about the events that led up to that outcome.
Dallas was a boy wonder drummer from San Antonio, Texas. In the late sixties he was playing in a psychedelic band called Clear Light, I believe. This band was recording in a studio where John Sebastian was recording his own first solo album. Sebastian liked Dallas’ playing and invited him to play on the Sebastian solo album. Also recording with Sebastian were David Crosby and Graham Nash, who told Dallas that they were starting a new group with Stephen Stills and that the group needed a drummer. Dallas was recruited into C,S,N and Y in his late teens and had made a million dollars by age 21. Having earned this money at too young of an age he blew it all on drugs, women and expensive cars.
Dallas, in this book, tells tales of craving sex and drugs and of having unlimited access to both of these vices. He mentions encounters with Jimi Hendrix, Keith Richards, Grace Slick, Eric Clapton and of course C,S,N and Y. Some of these encounters are shocking. Did you know that needle drugs were being used backstage at Woodstock ? I had always pictured Woodstock as a pot and LSD sort of scene. Dallas tells a tale of visiting one tent with cocaine, another with downers, another with uppers, another with hashish. When the time came for C,S,N and Y to perform, Dallas had to be carried onstage and placed behind the drumset. He was literally too incapacitated to walk. I want to track down a copy of the Woodstock One album and relisten to his performance. He also talks of his rehab experience and recovery. So, if you’re in the mood for a racy look at the 1960s musician lifestyle, check this book out.
Which prison are you located in ?
I.C.