Published by: World Tibet Network News, Thursday, July 11,1996

AP PHOTOS NY346-347 OF JULY 10

By The Associated Press

Thousands of people recently gathered in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park for two days of music from bands as diverse as the Beastie Boys to the Smashing Pumpkins to musicians Bjork, Yoko Ono and her son, Sean Lennon. And they were there to support a cause, too: freedom in Tibet. Whether or not the message got through is anybody's guess. Here are some thoughts on the Tibetan Freedom Concert, organized by the Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch, from the participants.

1. To Yoko Ono: What makes this event important?

Ono: Freedom and peace are important for not just Tibet but for our homeland, our planet and that's what we're working on. This is the starting point, and when we do this and feel the togetherness and the energy and the power of togetherness, then probably there is a chain reaction to that.

2. To Sean Lennon: Why did you choose this cause?

Lennon: Well Adam Yauch actually asked me if I would ask my mom if she wanted to play and when I heard he was putting it together, I just thought it was a really great idea. ... But I didn't really choose this, it's not as if there were other concerts and I chose this one. It was happening, so I did it.

3. To Yuka of the Japanese band Cibo Matto: What did you like most about this concert?

Yuka: To witness people standing up for an Asian country is particularly exciting to me.

4. To Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth: How did you get involved?

Gordon: We've just been to Southeast Asia and we went to a lot of Buddhist temples, even though it's a different kind of Buddhism. I've always read a lot about Buddhism and I'm interested in it as a religion and a philosophy, and when Yauch asked us, it's really hard to say no because he's a very peaceful and spiritual person.

5. To Dave Grohl, formerly of Nirvana and now with Foo Fighters: What do you hope people will take away from this concert?

Grohl: To realize the importance of freedom. Americans take that for granted. I mean we're the fat cats on the block and to see a country like Tibet, the oppression is amazing, something that most of these people will never understand.