The Woody Guthrie Tribute Concert at the Kennedy Center: Some Good Music, and some Dreadful Politics
When it came to the expected finale of the performers and audience singing “This Land is Your Land,” Morello interrupted the singing, walking in front of all the others and began a lecture, hectoring the audience to build a revolutionary populist movement. He of course used his now well-worn shtick he used at the anti-Scott Walker rally the night before the Wisconsin Governor’s victory. Repeating the same words — as if they were spontaneous and new and not what he has done at every OWS event — he ranted that you “motherf…ers have to get out there and become serious, and defeat the fascists.” He then said he has to be excused for the vulgarity, but the populist revolution can’t afford to be PG-13, because the goal is that serious. Doesn’t he know that epat le bourgeoise lost its shock value decades ago?At this point, as Morello said we should all sing the much heralded so-called censored version of This Land, which in fact were cut out by Guthrie himself and not by anyone else — my wife and our friends stood up and left in a huff, making clear to those around us that we were leaving in protest of Morello’s antics.
Poor Ramblin’ Jack, who once wrote that because he hung out and learned from Woody, most people thought that he had Woody’s politics. Actually, Elliott wrote, Woody would spout and he let it go in one ear and out the other. Jack looked sad and dispirited to be standing on stage having to listen to Tom Morello ruin a tribute to Woody Guthrie. Yes, Guthrie was a Communist. But the times were different, and he showed a love for his country that the likes of this new New Left simply does not have. And Guthrie wrote some good songs, unlike Morello.
It’s just as good Arlo wasn’t there. The reason for his absence is sad, and he was sorely missed. But he was fortunate to be able to avoid the last major tribute of the year-long series. As for the rest of us, PBS was there filming it for their next annual fund-raising telethon. You can DVR it, listen to the best performers, and cut out the rest. If PBS doesn’t eliminate the screeds, I think they will find those donating will be insulted and not respond to their pleas for funds. Or perhaps PBS by now is used to appealing only to the hard, sectarian Left, thinking that that is their natural audience.
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Ronnie: Shades of Edath Seagal. Inappropriate guilt is really an unattractive thing. I remember hearing a screed by John Updike at Coe College ( aliberal arts college)where Updike excoriated the audience–much of whom were respected academics, who diligently worked in their respective groves–about how terrible the liberal arts education was. To my horror, the audience laughed and applauded!
Thank you for attending our Kennedy Center concert. I read your blog and here are some corrections.
Married in 1969, Arlo & Jackie Guthrie celebrated their 43rd anniversary this month.
“Ease My Revolutionary Mind” is a Woody Guthrie lyric that Nora Guthrie invited Tom Morello to compose music for. The song was released in 2011 on “Note of Hope”, which kicked off our centennial celebrations. Here is a link to Woody’s original lyrics – http://www.woodyguthrie.org/Lyrics/Ease_My_Revolutionary_Mind.htm
The Kennedy Center concert was filmed by documentary film maker, Jim Brown, for archival purposes.
Thank you,
Anna Canoni
Woody Guthrie Publications, Inc.
I stand corrected. Woody’s song, however, has humor and fun. He uses petty bourgeoisie and lumpenproletariat mockingly. I still object to his equating Republicans and Democrats with the Klan. But it’s one thing to say he wants a liberal woman to Morello’s verse that he wants a Weather Underground woman. I doubt whether Woody, were he still with us, would have shared that sentiment.
How sad to hear about Arlo Guthrie’s wife and also about the crazy left taking over the tribute to his father. People like Morello and Cooder (too bad, because the latter can really play) have sick souls, and they can and do infect the soul of others while they are ruining events like this. The shame is that no one on that stage tried to step in and stop the nonsense. Why not?
Well, I wasn’t there, but I have been following Ry Cooder for a long time – he has always played Woody’s music (Vigilante Man, Do Re Mi). Is there any doubt that the Martin case involved a Vigilante? The police directly instructed him to stay away from Martin, and he decided to carry out the “justice” on his own. The very definition of Vigilante!
The tone of the comments of the author many others is amusing in context: Woody Guthrie said (I’m not a communist but I always been in the red) and he wrote a column for the Daily Worker (the communist paper, for those who don’t know) So God Forbid someone talks politics at at Woody Guthrie Memorial! Lets keep it safe (shut up and sing!).