Near New York

(go to Music Travel)

Big Pink (2188 Stoll Road, West Saugerties NY)
This large pink house was owned by one of the members of Dylan’s backing group, The Band. Dylan himself lived nearby in the small town of Woodstock.

The Band wrote their classic album Music From Big Pink at the house, and recorded demo tapes with Bob Dylan that were widely bootlegged (eventually legitimately released as The Basement Tapes).

Big Pink was put on the market in 1997 for $US149, 000. According to a real estate ad: “It offers stunning views of Overlook Mountain; a large stone fireplace; a screened-in porch; an eat-in kitchen; and oak flooring. The basement has high ceilings, a separate entrance, and over 1,000 square feet of floor space, making it an ideal site for a home office”

Bob Dylan’s House (Camelot Road, Woodstock NY)
Dylan first moved to Woodstock in 1963 to escape the growing pressures of fame in New York City. He lived first with his manager Albert Grossman in nearby Bearsville then moved in with Peter, from Peter Paul and Mary (another act managed by Grossman).

Dylan bought this old ranch house (which was part of an artists colony early in the century) in 1965, and lived there until 1969. It is the last house on the right, just before the road peters out into a track.

On July 29, 1966, Dylan crashed his Triumph motorcycle while riding near his home on Striebel Road, near the intersection with route 212. He spent nine months in seclusion while recuperating from the accident.

Other rock stars to settle in Woodstock include Todd Rundgren, Donald Fagen, John Sebastian, Graham Parker, and members of the B-52’s.

Tinker St Cafe; formerly The Expresso and the French Cafe (59 Tinker St, Woodstock, NY)
Bob Dylan had been a regular customer at the French Café. One night, when he was too drunk to drive home, the owners put him up in the spare room. After that he struck up a friendship with the owners, who let him use the spare room (“the white room”) to work on his music. Dylan wrote all the songs for two records here: Another Side of Bob Dylan, and the seminal Bringing It All Back Home.

Max Yasgur’s Farm (Bethel, NY)
Max Yasgar’s 600-acre farm was nowhere near the town of Woodstock, but nevertheless, “Woodstock” was selected as a name for the Music and Art Fair in August 1969.

Nobody expected the overwhelming response to the festival: at one stage, the police estimated that around 1 million people were stuck in a traffic jam which backed up 8 miles on Highway 17B. Eventually around half of that crowd ended up getting to the festival. Unfortunately the organisers forgot to erect enough ticket booths, and the waiting crowds started climbing over the fences. Within hours they were forced to declare Woodstock as a free festival.

Although the promoters lost their money on the festival, Mike Wadleigh’s film of the event made a fortune. Among the film crew was a young Martin Scorsese.

The 38-acre site of the Woodstock Festival was located on the corner of West Shore and Hurd Road. A plaque marks the location of the main hillside auditorium area. In recent years, the farm’s barn has been converted into a Performing Arts Centre and in 1997 the farm was sold for a million dollars to New York media mogul, Alan Gerry who planned to build an entertainment complex on the land.

Bruce Springsteen’s Asbury Park (New Jersey)
Asbury Park is a beach resort 37 miles south of New York. The town was a seminal influence on the early recordings of Bruce Springsteen, who spent his teenage years living in nearby town of Freehold, first at 68 South Street and then 39 1/2 Institute St. The Institute St house is featured on the cover of Born in the USA.

He went to primary school at the nearby Rose of Lima (South St; but his school years were not happy. Springsteen’s family attended the St. Rose Catholic Church. He later attended the Freehold Boro High School, and graduated in 1969.

Shortly after he graduated from High School, Springsteen formed his own band (Steel Mill) and performed around the local Asbury bars, including the Stone Pony (Ocean Avenue and Kingsley Street), which is the best-known club in Asbury Park. It opened in 1974, and Springsteen has played there often in the 25 years since, and has been known to jump onstage unexpectedly to perform with local bands. Other bands that have performed at the club include UK’s Oasis, Australia's silverchair and Asbury’s own Southside Johnny.

Many of Asbury Park’s landmarks have found their way into Springsteen’s songs and video clips. Madam Marie's Temple of Knowledge (Fourth Avenue and Boardwalk) is mentioned in Fourth of July, Asbury Park. The Wonder Bar (1213 Ocean Ave), was used as the location of the 1988 video for One Step Up. The Palace Amusements (Lake Avenue and Kingsley Street), now derelict, was mentioned in Born to Run and was used as a location for the Tunnel of Love video. The Boardwalk, located on the sea front, is a recurring theme in many of Springsteen’s songs. The cover of Hungry Heart was photographed in the street behind the Emares Motel.

(go to Music Travel)