Comments on: Roy Berkeley, R.I.P.

By: Luanne L. Ponce

Luanne L. Ponce — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 06:39:49 +0000

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By: joan Marie

joan Marie — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 05:37:31 +0000

Amazing obituary, of sorts. It saddened me, all he moreso since I lie in Vermont now an had no idea Roy Berkeley did too.
I had haphazardly googled Roy, a guy I dated when I was on a co-op job from Antioch, from whom I learned all those crazy lefty songs and more. I think I met you, Ron, back in 1956, and Dave I knew well, since at the time he was omni- present in the life of a dear friend of mine with whom I shared a place that folks nicknamed the Nunnery, on Cooper Square (building now demolished, like so much in NYC)
But to imagine Roy as a Republican is nearly impossible.

By: Henry

Henry — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 02:11:45 +0000

I learned a lot about music and folksong from Roy and a lot less about politics. Remember talking music at the New School over the course of several years and multiple classes Very good listener and along with Erik Darling he shaped my musical identity. But talking about the Communist Party USA, The Soviet Union and the Iron Curtain is the mark of someone who doesn’t have a much to think about that is happening today. Seems like all you want to say is “I told you so”. Time to get off the Good Old Days. The Days that made you successful and prominent. It’s the 21st century. The 20th century is dead and gone. All that’s left is some fine songs. Roy had lots more to say than the same repeated political rhetoric and that’s what I’ll remember. And I do miss him. He played a mean guitar too.

By the way in the book,”Wasn’t That A Time Firsthand accounts of the folk revival ” by Ronald D.Cohen
printed in 1995, there is a nice piece on the New York Scene written by Roy Berkeley and another by fierce anti-communist Izzy Young who despite his beliefs can share a stage with Irwin Silber whose past views I had trouble understanding but who I don’t have to rant and rave against every time his name is mentioned. You should read the book even if it is dedicated to Pete Seeger. Also with your bucks, you might think about getting the Bear Family $300 anthology of Songs for Political Action. Not a White wash but it really expanded borders.

By: In the Mexican suitcase « Poumista

In the Mexican suitcase « Poumista — Tue, 12 May 2009 08:20:30 +0000

[...] Ron Radosh on Roy Berkeley, ex-Trotskyist folk guitarist Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)PoumaramaStephen Suleyman Schwartz on POUM historiographyBad uses of the Spanish Civil War continued“This is war”, the legacy of Gerda Taro Published in: [...]

By: vb

vb — Sat, 09 May 2009 13:58:00 +0000

That is a beautiful tribute to one who sounds like a fine man.

By: David Thomson

David Thomson — Fri, 08 May 2009 11:52:56 +0000

May God Bless him. I’m sure he was a good man.