Sam Green: a tour through "lot 63, grave c"
By Sam Green
For a lot of readers, the word "Altamont" probably doesn’t mean much. But for older folks, or people who know their rock trivia, or those who happened to have seen the great Maysles Brothers documentary "Gimme Shelter," the Rolling Stones’ 1969 concert at the Altamont Speedway outside of San Francisco represents one of the most infamous moments in Bay Area cultural history.
Altamont was supposed to have been the west coast version of Woodstock, the huge peaceful rock festival that had happened in New York a few months earlier. Instead, the concert turned into a Hieronymus Bosch-like orgy of bad trips, rock fan stupidity, poor planning, and tons of violence. It culminated with the Hells Angels, who had been hired to do security, brutally murdering an 18-year-old Berkeley kid named Meredith Hunter in front of the stage as the Rolling Stones played.
I did a lot of research on the 1960s in order to make my last documentary, "The Weather Underground." During this process, I came across dozens and dozens of references to Altamont and was struck by the fact that, at this point, the concert has taken on an enormous — and probably somewhat inaccurate — symbolic significance. It’s as if the entire decade, along with all of the hope and idealism it represented, was snuffed out that night. Altamont today is regularly written about as "the nail in the coffin of the ’60s" or "the death of the hippiedom."
In many ways, Meredith Hunter has become synonymous with Altamont — he is the central figure in this myth of the concert as the death of the ’60s. (His brutal stabbing, as captured on film by the Maysles Brothers and used in the climax of "Gimme Shelter," is one of the most gruesome film moments I’ve ever experienced). Yet in all of my research, I never came across any details about who Meredith Hunter was, or what he was doing at the concert, or how his family responded to the killing. Being a curious person and someone who loves research, I began trying to learn something about him.
Photo courtesy Sam Green
Going through old issues of the San Francisco Chronicle and other Bay Area publications on microfilm, I was able to piece together a few facts about Meredith Hunter, but nothing more. Had he been murdered today, in the front row of, say, a Coldplay concert, our personality-driven media would have gone into a feeding frenzy on the story, churning out countless articles about him — probably even a documentary film. At that time, however, there was almost nothing. No quote from his mother. I couldn’t even find a photo of Meredith Hunter. It probably didn’t help that he was poor and Black.
Photo courtesy Sam Green
At some point, it occurred to me that if I watched "Gimme Shelter" really closely before the scene where Meredith Hunter is killed, I might see him in the crowd. When I went through the film, surprisingly enough, there he was, right in front of the stage. He was not hard to find, standing head and shoulders above everyone around him and wearing a bright green tuxedo and black bowler hat perched at a rakish angle on top of his large afro. He looked fantastic.
The shot itself is brief — only a couple of seconds long. Meredith Hunter raises his head, looks up at the stage, and then darts his tongue in and out of his mouth (toxicology reports later showed high levels of amphetamine in his blood, so he’s obviously tweaking). I slowed down the footage and played it again and again. It’s haunting to see that kind of moment, frozen in time — it is minutes before he is going to be murdered and will become forever after a tiny footnote in the history of the 1960s, yet, in that instant, Meredith Hunter knows none of this.
In all of my research, the only other good lead I could dig up on Meredith Hunter was a mention in one of the Chronicle articles of his funeral. He was buried on December 10, 1969, at the Skyview Memorial Lawn in Vallejo. Last summer, I drove out to the cemetery with my friend, the filmmaker Christian Bruno, to take a look at the grave.
Photo courtesy Sam Green
We went into the office at Skyview Memorial Lawn and met Edward Wilkes, the funeral director. Mr. Wilkes had never heard of Meredith Hunter before, but he consulted an old filing cabinet and came up with the grave’s location: Garden of Terrace Lawn, lot 63, grave c. He offered to walk us out there — otherwise, he said, we’d never find it on our own.
As we walked through the cemetery, I asked Mr. Wilkes all sorts of questions about his job and about death, and was very taken with his manner — a kind of deeply soothing professionalism. If doctors have to have a good bedside manner, then funeral directors have to have just the right…graveside manner, I guess. Whatever it is, Mr. Wilkes has it. And you can see that with his dark suit and sunglasses, he also really looks the part. He’s a funeral director from central casting. I knew he would be a great character for a film.
When we finally got to Meredith Hunter’s grave, I was profoundly moved by what we found. I don’t want to spoil the movie by saying too much, but it did confirm my sense that although Meredith Hunter lives on as a symbol, as an individual, he’s been pretty much completely forgotten. In death, he’s never had the dignity of his own identity. This feeling got under my skin — it haunted me for some time after — and was the inspiration for my film "lot 63, grave c."
(— Sam Green)
"lot 63, grave c" plays the San Francisco International Film Festival in the "Live ‘n’ Learn" program, Sun/23 at 1 p.m., and Tues/2 at 1:30 p.m., at the Kabuki, SF.
04.12.2006
Finally saw Gimme Shelter last night after all of these years. The entire movie seemed to build up to Meredith’s untimely death, and like many have said before, the death of the 60’s. Why in the world did he have a gun in the first place? God rest your soul, Meredith. Sorry.
—JennyInMalibu · Jun 10, 07:27 PM · share
Hello ? He pulled a gun, to kill Mick Jagger, maybe others on the stage. He ended up getting what he intended for others. You must be one of the world’s crazies that we have to hear this victimization crap from so often. Like he was "murdered" without provocation or reason.
—Stephan · Jun 22, 04:04 AM · share
Does anyone know where i could rent/get a hold of this film? I’d really love to see it after reading the article, and its comments
—Sylvia · Jun 24, 03:44 PM · share
I loved your film. I saw it last year at Silverdocs. I went out and purchased a headstone for my Mom’s grave that afternoon.
Thank you
—reuben jackson · Jul 10, 11:42 AM · share
he didn’t plan to kill mick. he was high and enjoying life. he pulled a gun because as a black man surrounded by hells angels he had no choice. simple, and im not even black, its simple human psychology. i am familiar with drugs, and i doubt his whole goal was to go to this supposed free, and safe place to kill mick effing jagger. wrong place, wrong personalities, same result, death.
—ant · Aug 27, 10:55 PM · share
He did have a choice. No one forced him to be there with a gun and that close to the stage.
—tony · Sep 13, 04:51 PM · share
yes he shouldn’t have pulled out a gun but i have read accounts of the incident and its alleged that the hells angels had been harassing him up to the murder and it’s alleged that he might have already been stabbed by an angel before he pulled out the gun.
—scott · Sep 21, 03:27 AM · share
From the last 2 weeks, I became a fan of Sam Green’s films (The Weather underground is one of the best documentaries ever!).
So, I’m eager to see this short.
Where I can find it?
—Francisco · Oct 15, 12:29 PM · share
I’m sure him being with a white girl didn’t sit to well with those drunk and drugged up Hells Angels. He pulled out that gun because he was threatened.
—Chris · Oct 25, 05:40 PM · share
"he pulled a gun because as a black man surrounded by hells angels he had no choice. simple"
Or he could have left. Oh wait, that would make sense. That’s simple human psychology you fucking moron. Your name must be Ant because of the size of your brain.
Any proof he was threatened or are you just using the whole "he’s black and white people were there!"
1. What is he doing with a gun there?
2. If he was being harassed the smart thing to do is walk away. As long as you’re not physically harming someone it is NOT against the law to talk smack about someone to their face.
3. Even if he was threatened what kinda threat was it? Verbal doesn’t stand up in court.
They just recently went back and reviewed the footage again and Meredith was in the wrong. Also methaphetimines don’t make you nicest person in the world.
A black junkie waving a gun gets killed and the guy who defended himself gets blamed because he’s white.
Gotta love that kinda racism
—Mike · Oct 29, 08:45 PM · share
I havent seen the movie but ive read some articles on this. first off, mike, u sound like a jack***. second, merideth was stabbed five times. if your just defending yourself, once or twice should do just fine when its all against one. no, he should not have pulled a gun, but he didnt kill ne one so i dont see how this is punishable by death. if he was doing meth then we know that he wasnt in the right mind so hes probly not that bad of a guy and i cant blame him for carrying a gun for protection when your a black man in the 60s.
—L · Dec 4, 02:56 PM · share
If he was so violently attacked prior to pulling out the gun, then why wasn’t it caught on tape too? A high druggie holding a gun to the stage gets killed and I’m supposed to feel bad for him? This isn’t the 60’s maaan. We’d call him a terrorist today.
—Bev · Dec 4, 05:40 PM · share
The Hells Angels are a bunch of crazy, racist bastards. They killed that boy because he was Black, and he was with a White woman. Hunter pulled a gun after they had been harassing him, and they had surrounded him. Most importantly, they stabbed him FIVE TIMES. You don’t stab someone FIVE TIMES in self-defense. Hells Angels are a bunch of crazy, murderous bastards.
—Patrick · Feb 4, 03:38 PM · share
let’s think about this: bring a gun to a free concert in the 60’s. would any one of you who are defending him ever do such a thing? no. because that’s not logical. so to say that he’s probably not that bad of a guy is a farce. not to mention he was high on meth. i know what was happening in those times but doing "ice" and going to a concert with a gun? no person deserves to have his life taken, however, if you wish to test fate… take a gun to a concert and get high and point said gun at the stage. i have no pity since i know Meredith could have avoided his own demise. i will not discuss race since i am past all that and anyone with a gun pointed at the stage would’ve met the same consequence.
—joel · Feb 13, 12:24 PM · share
some real morons here….as well as the typical white "defensive for the whole race" regulars….
and hunter wasn’t high on meth….he was high on speed….an entirely different animal….and everyone at the concert was high…..you’ve got people here that weren’t even born at the time trying to give opinions as to what he should or should not have done…
he was a black man with a white woman in the sixties….at a concert where there might have been ten or twenty other blacks….i’d have taken a gun also….and what’s you peoples’ excuse for the other people the angels attacked….including Marty Balin of the "jefferson airplane"….
reading comments on an issue online brings home just how deep racism runs in this country…..
—jaye · Feb 25, 08:09 AM · share
Jaye, according to Wikipedia’s "Hippies" entry, he was on meth. Threat-wise, hippies were notoriously anti-violence and in favor of peaceful racial co-existence. On top of it, with 300,000 people present, I’d expect more than 10-20 blacks there.
My feeling is that the drugs magnified his fears so be brought the gun, then messed with his perceptions/thoughts at the show; it might have even caused a berserker type flip-out. Hippies did have many "trips" with magical thinking, hallucinations, and overpowering terror, euphoria, rage, or depression, with predictable sometimes-deadly (or close) reactions… Hunter wasn’t the only young person that didn’t reach full adulthood as a result.
—Koselara · Feb 28, 07:29 PM · share
You’ve heard of "suicide by cop," right? High on meth, Hunter clearly committed suicide by Hells Angel. What else can you call it when a tweaker pulls a gun and threatens amped up Hells Angels and the band they were there to (at least nominally) protect? That Hunter has subsequently been made into a victim of the Stones— an emblem of the supposed death of the hippie ideal— is simply ridiculous, and it’s largely a myth originating in early reports published in Jann Wenner’s Rolling Stone magazine.
—MCW · Apr 14, 01:37 AM · share
I believe meredith was injured (maybe stabbed) in the mele that preceded his murder..
There was a huge ruck just beforehand and he was chased away from the stage, in fact hundreds of people were made to flee. The Angels were out of control.
Why else would Meredith have reacted the way he did? Bless his memory and may he rest in peace. Forever young, forever young.
—skin brown · Sep 13, 12:53 PM · share
I just watched gimme shelter for the first time and I swear I never knew a thing about meridith hunter, I thought It was just a hippyfest and didnt realise it also included a homicide inquiry but I noticed meridith hunter before the scuffle in which his death insued and I somehow felt something wasnt right. I definitely believe he was treated with exception because of his colour, his blonde white girlfriend and his stature. In the video you can clearly see the Lead hells angels pointing in his general direction and issuing orders, also did you see how quickly the knife was produced, he had it out almost before the gun was drawn, lets face it a knife is no defence against a gun, I wouldnt be surprised if he got it from the waisteband of an Angel and thats why they were so quick to react. Why didnt the police ask his girlfriend about the gun? where are these reports? Im not a conspiracy theorist but this does seem swept under the rug. As for the guy who said he was on speed and "its a different animal" you dont know what your talkin about, he was reportedly on methamphetamine which is different from speed which is just regular amphetamine, CLOWN.
To me this kids death was a tragedy, he didnt point the gun anywhere,In the video he raised it- his girlfriend was in his way- he slipped and was stabbed all within about 3 seconds, far too fast for a boozed up angel to get a knife and pounce if it was unexpected.Im white and im proud of being white but I dont view anyone else as being lesser than me and I only wish harm to those who mean me harm, so many small minded and snake like people. When has a Hells Angel ever acted in self defence?
—william connolly · Dec 12, 10:15 PM · share
There is a little twist to this story that remains unsolved.
Altha May Anderson, Hunter’s mother, received a $10,000 settlement from the Rolling Stones.
In 1985, the guy who killed Hunter, Alan Passaro was found dead, floating in the Anderson Reservoir with $10,000 in his pocket.
There is more than one coincidence here…the name "Anderson" and $10,000
—Terry Roth · Jan 25, 05:40 PM · share
Theres been much debate about the facts in this case but Murdock was a drug dealer, a drug taker and obviously he carried a gun. He was also black with a white girlfriend, dressed like a pimp amongst a majority of white people and stood near the front in an already rowdy concert with angry drunken Angels running security. He had quite possibly been attacked as he moved violently back into the video footage flashing his gun in panic but he did appear to point the gun towards the stage?? At one point it looked like he dropped the gun and it looked like an Angel picked it up and ran in the direction of Murdock after Alan had stabbed him.
The guy Murdock went to the concert with that day was also gunned down several years later and Alan Pissarro was found dead in 1985!
Sad end to a great gig and a great decade!
—steve · Jan 28, 11:31 AM · share
I have seen the film Gimme Shelter many times. I just dont see how race played into what happened. The Hell’s Angels (Hell’s Angels non-patch wearing pledges for the most part) got into it with lots of people that day, almost 100% of whom were white. 1 person was disturbed enough to pull a gun, and he was killed because of that decision. When you look at the film, there is no question he has decided to draw with the intent of firing the weapon. Had he done so, there is no telling what violence might have ensued. HAMC member Passaro had a split second to react. He leapt out from 6 or more feet away, grabbed the gun with his left hand and simultaneously stabbed downwards into Hunter’s back and shoulders. All of this happened in a split second. Anyone who knows anything about armed combat knows that when a firearm is drawn you assume it will be used to kill, and when you decide to attack an armed man, you do not have the luxury of figuring out how to apply minimal force: you are in a death struggle and one of you will survive and the other will die. Five stab wounds in that case is not a case of overkill. In my opinion, Passaro potentially saved the lives of many people that night, at the risk of his own life. Remember, he had a knife and Hunter had a gun. Sorry, Hell’s Angels or no, that takes guts.
The template of racist, fascist white thugs killing a black man because of the color of his skin is a very tempting one, but the event is recorded clearly on film and there is no way this was a racially motivated killing. Hunter pulled a gun and was clearly drawing it upwards in an arc that pointed right to the stage. He deserves to be condemned for this foolish act, and there is no question that had he not done so, he would have survived the day none the worse for the experience. To take away his ability to be responsible for his own action is in itself a form of racism.
—Blipcrotch · Feb 28, 04:09 PM · share