The smell of tear gas was in the air 50 years ago this month, as student activists took to the streets to protest the Vietnam War, the draft, slum-like living conditions and more.
The war-zone like scene, adjacent to the Santa Barbara coast, inspired student Ted Levatter to write "Isla Vista Riot Torn Blues," while looking from his balcony at demonstrators gathering in a park.
KCSB's Lisa Osborn spoke with Levatter about his song, and his time in Isla Vista during the student uprising that came to be known as the "Year of Rebellion."
Isla Vista Riot Torn Blues is composed and performed by Ted Levatter.
(Photo courtesy of the UCSB Library Special Collections)
