Jan 282014
If anyone has a deeper connection, feel free to share your thoughts on Pete Seeger, who died today at 94. I’ve never been a folkie, but I thought he was cool—for a folkie and way beyond. Reading about him this morning I was reminded of a third song my dad loved: “If I Had a Hammer.” Carpentry was my dad’s passion. It was his force for good. He’d play me that song and prompt me to sing along. It was nice. There’s another nice member I can carry with me from that man. Thanks, Pete.
Even though I’ve never felt any real connection to Seeger’s music, I do believe he was indeed A Great Man. As a Dylan guy, I used to feel (and part of my still does) that Seeger represented a kind of stodgy folk purism that Dylan was sent to crush. But that’s not really fair and quite ungenerous. Clearly Dylan himself doesn’t feel that way–I remember the veneration with which he spoke about Seeger in No Direction Home. Seeger was a giant and my sense of his greatness has more to do with his idealism, his commitment to justice, and the value of tradition and continuity. I really respect the man, even if I have no patience for singalongs.
The transcript of Pete’s testimony before HUAC is amazing.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/01/28/pete_seeger_huac_transcript_full_text_of_anti_communist_hearing_courtesy.html