“Social media… supplied a publicity machinery with a reach and power previously available only to truly famous people, and now the condition of the celebrity was everyone’s condition. Suddenly everyone was broadcasting their life to the world, and measuring their worth on the basis of the libidinal pulses that came back – as only celebrities had before. Suddenly, the celebrity’s grief over privacy was everyone’s, and everyone was afflicted by her insecurity: do people realise there’s nothing behind it all except my own frail and disappointing humanity?”
(From Rana Dasgupta’s Guardian Long Read piece “The First Social Media Suicide”, one of the most extraordinary pieces I’ve read about the era of techno-alienation we’re now in.)
barneyhoskyns.com 
Just finished reading small town talk and as tears streamed down my eyes at the ending I wasnted to thank you for writing such a beautiful and awe inspiring narrative of the spirit of what Woodstock was. I am 63 years young and Dylan has been such an influence in my life but now that I know of these other artists I my world has been expanded. I always loved Levon and his singing as well as the Band. I attended the college st new paltz and wrote a column called positively fourth street for the college newspaper. Many of my articles were music inspired and I traveled to Woodstock many times in the mid 70 s to bare witness to some of what you ve written. I was back just s few weeks ago and after a vegan lunch by the square gave in to my girlfriend SN bought some trinkets and a ty dye shirt. Forgive me thanks again for a wonderful read and trip down the yellow brick road of my youth
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Thank you for sharing that, Bruce. I’m so glad the book spoke to you, though it sounds like I should have spoken to you myself…
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