Back in January of 2016, a song Woody wrote in 1950 about his landlord “old man” Fred Trump made the news. This weekend, the Beach Haven apartments where Woody lived were the subject of another New York Times investigation. It’s the story of yet another rent-raising, tax-dodging Trump family scam,…
A Perfect Holiday Pairing for the Bob Dylan Fan in Your Life
Here’s a holiday gift idea for the Bob Dylan fan in your life: a copy of Daniel Wolff’s Grown Up Anger, tracing the connections between Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, and the Italian Hall disaster, and a DVD of the…
A Little Song About A Man Gone Wrong
Joan Baez: https://youtu.be/AHQ7N9lEl_E&w=512&h=288
When Oscar Met Woody
Seeing Oscar Brand’s obituary in the New York Times earlier this week sent me back to the interview we did with Oscar for 1913 Massacre. Here’s a brief audio excerpt from that interview: the story of how Oscar and Woody Guthrie met in 1940, after Woody wrote a song about the gathering of the American…
Woody and the Seventh-Inning Stretch
As you read this short article from the Sports section of last Friday’s New York Times, bear in mind that Woody wrote “This Land Is Your Land” after he grew tired of hearing Kate Smith singing “God Bless America” every time he turned on the radio: In the middle of the…
Joe Hill’s music in Chicago this week
If you’re in Chicago, don’t miss Bucky Halker at the Filament Theatre this Wednesday, November 18th at 7:30PM, performing songs from his new CD Anywhere But Utah: Songs of Joe Hill. Bucky will share the stage with special guests the BS Brass Band and John Abbey. More information here, at Bucky’s site and…
It’s 1913 Again In Michigan
I’ve run across a few people drawing connections between the Italian Hall disaster and the school shooting yesterday in Newtown, Connecticut (e.g., here). Maybe listening to Woody’s song helps people register Newtown’s loss, or the horror of Newtown helps us understand a little better what it must have been like…
Tulsa Public Radio Features “1913 Massacre” on Woody’s Birthday Week
Saturday, July 14th will mark Woody Guthrie’s 100th birthday, so this is a special year for the annual Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in Woody’s birthplace, Okemah, Oklahoma. There will be three screenings of 1913 Massacre on Thursday, July 12th at the Crystal Theater in downtown Okemah. We’re thrilled to be…
The Banks Are Made of Marble
Over the weekend, a CBS News blogger covering the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations happened on someone singing “The Banks are Made of Marble,” a tune Pete Seeger and The Weavers covered. The banks are made of marble With a guard at every door And the vaults are stuffed with silver…