The Bookworm Club Review
Created | Updated Nov 10, 2005
All reviews are written by members of The H2G2 Bookworm's Club. We hope this review is helpful, and that we'll see you airing your views at the Club soon.
Glastonbury; An oral history of music, mud and magic by Crispin Aubrey and John Shearlaw
I have never been to the Glastonbury festival. I saw it on TV last year and thought it looked brilliant but rather scarily big. What did come across, rather overwhelmingly, was how proud people were to be there and the feeling of community. Crispin Aubrey and John Shearlaw echo this. The book provides an excellent education on the roots and organisation of Glastonbury for both festival virgins and commited fans.
'Glastonbury' is not the exclusive account of the authors experiences. Instead, they have compiled anecdotes from various people on the festival's organisational team through the years, to the people who perform there and, of course, those mad folks who come back year after year.
The festival began in 1970 when a young Michael Eavis couldn't pay off the mortgage on Worthy Farm. Enter Marc Bolan and a select few other bands for a modest 'hippy' good time. Fast forward 35 years and Worthy farm plays host to hundreds of live bands, actors, dancers, alternative medicine practitioners and artists. 'Glastonbury' tracks each year from 1970 to 2004, recording both the lows and occasionally drug induced highs. It should be noted that media coverage of the bad points is often portrayed as being a bit unfair.
At the beginning of each section both the ticket price and the eventual amount of money raised are highlighted. Michael Eavis wanted a free festival, now tickets are over a hundred pounds. But where in the early years only a few hundred was raised towards good causes, now Glastonbury raises hundreds of thousands for charities such as Greenpeace and Oxfam. The growth of Glastonbury has been phenomenal.
I thoroughly enjoyed 'Glastonbury'. The festival's having a rest in 2006, but in 2007, expect to find me glued to the telly, trying to soak up as much of the experience as I can.
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