Howard Smith was a man about town as the 1960sstumbled (dazed and confused?) into the ‘70s. And since his town was New York,he was a reporter with the world as his beat. As a columnist for the VillageVoice and talk show host on local radio, Smith had the opportunity to speakwith many of the era’s leading cultural figures. Some of those conversationscan be found in The Smith Tapes 1969-1972: Lost Interviews with Rock Stars andIcons, published by Princeton Architectural Press and edited by Ezra Bookstein.
Music led the era’s cultural upheavals and, asthe subtitle of The Smith Tapes suggests, interviews with recording artistssuch as Jim Morrison, Lou Reed and Frank Zappa are given prominence. However,Smith also spoke to people involved in filmmaking.
Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda, on his showjust after the release of Easy Rider (1969), were amazed at the movie’sacceptance in Hollywood but wary of old-line producers hoping to cash in on thecounterculture. Their stories on the making of Easy Rider are reminders of theviolent divide that cut across America as the ‘60s ended. A few years later, JackNicholson discussed his directorial debut, Drive, He Said (1971). Theestablishment was also given air time. Jack Valenti, the primary author of themovie ratings system as head of the Motion Picture Association of America,defended the ratings as a means to preclude government censorship.
Smith was sympathetic to the changing times,but capable of asking hard questions. Jerry Garcia, when confronted by Smith,comes off as a blubbering fool.
