News & Views for Anarchists & Activists: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smygo
Latest anti-war movement finds Baez in fighting form By Daniel Gewertz Sunday, October 23, 2005
Joan Baez once changed America's cultural landscape. Martin Scorcese's recent Bob Dylan documentary film was a stirring reminder of how this young queen of the folk revival was among the most influential performers of the early 1960s.
Today, at a youthful 64, Baez says it is the current cultural landscape that is changing her.
"The whole context in which I do my concerts has been changed this year by Cindy Sheehan and the (Iraq) war," said Baez, who is singing more political and traditional folk songs in concert than at any point since the '60s.
Baez, who performs Tuesday and Wednesday at the Somerville Theatre, spent time visiting the protestors at "Camp Casey" near President Bush's Crawford, Texas, ranch, during the August vigil of Sheehan and her fellow anti-war activists.
"I had intended to go to Camp Casey for a night, and I stayed for a week," Baez said. "In the evenings, I'd do this combination of singing and telling stories of the (political work) I've done. I met with groups of vets and Gold Star mothers. It was very, very compelling to be there. The talks would go on every night. One woman spoke of the great relief it was to speak out. She felt it was like breathing again to be in a place where people understood her, and didn't criticize her.
"How," Baez asked, "do you scrape up the courage to say what those women say. 'My kid died, and for what?' I can't think of anything more difficult to say."
On Sept. 25, she sang four songs at an anti-war rally in Washington, D.C.
"For this new tour, I've scaled down the band, and I've felt the freedom to go back to my roots," she said.
Baez has managed, in the last decade, to remain hip and contemporary without losing her musical identity. She calls her new, live CD, "Bowery Songs," recorded in 2004, "a transitional work."
"I already had it in my head to do more traditional folk ballads, and have less of a band," she said. "I never thought I'd sing (Dylan's) 'With God On Our Side' again. It was a period piece."
In fact, she never stopped singing Dylan songs. In 1965 Baez included four of them on her "Farewell, Angelina" album, even though Dylan had just ended their famous love affair, and even refused to allow Baez onstage with him on his British tour.
"I just had to separate the issues," she said. "The songs stand on their own, unlike anything other people have written. And now they are so appropriate to the times again, it's extraordinary."
Baez had not spoken much about Dylan in the past 20 years, but when asked to appear in Scorcese's film, her manager convinced her that this was the perfect chance to make a definitive statement about that storied period when Baez, already a star, introduced Dylan to her audience.
"I've loosened up considerably after doing the film," she said. "It's a wonderful documentary, a beautiful portrait of the times. I learned a ton. I didn't know a third of that stuff!"
Baez admits that the Dylan caught on film was surprisingly vulnerable, honest and fond-hearted. The moment he apologized for his bad behavior while in love with Baez "floored" her.
"And," she noted with a giggle, "when he said my voice was staggering, I thought that was wonderful."
That voice still is.
Joan Baez, Tuesday and Wednesday at 8 p.m. at the Somerville Theatre. Tickets are $41. Call 617-625-4088.
-- Dan Clore
Now available: _The Unspeakable and Others_ http://www.wildsidepress.com/index2.htm http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1587154838/thedanclorenecro Lord Weÿrdgliffe & Necronomicon Page: http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/9879/ News & Views for Anarchists & Activists: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smygo
As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity, of Mussulmen; and, as the said States never entered into any war, or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties, that no pretext arising from religious opinions, shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries. -- The Treaty of Tripoli, entered into by the USA under George Washington
Duly Appointed Bitchslapper
2005-10-23 03:25:40 EST
"Dan Clore" <clore@columbia-center.org> wrote in message news:435B32CA.8000804@columbia-center.org... > News & Views for Anarchists & Activists: > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smygo > > Latest anti-war movement finds Baez in fighting form > By Daniel Gewertz
The 1960s' are over.
Brique
2005-10-23 03:46:43 EST
Duly Appointed Bitchslapper <dab68@aol.com> wrote in message news:2f3a$435b39d2$45035f0b$30091@msgid.meganewsservers.com... > > "Dan Clore" <clore@columbia-center.org> wrote in message > news:435B32CA.8000804@columbia-center.org... > > News & Views for Anarchists & Activists: > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smygo > > > > Latest anti-war movement finds Baez in fighting form > > By Daniel Gewertz > > The 1960s' are over. >
But Droning Asshole Buttkissers carry on and on and on and on and on and on..................
Dan Clore
2005-10-23 04:39:08 EST
Duly Appointed Bitchslapper wrote: > "Dan Clore" <clore@columbia-center.org> wrote in message > news:435B32CA.8000804@columbia-center.org...
>>News & Views for Anarchists & Activists: >>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smygo >> >>Latest anti-war movement finds Baez in fighting form >>By Daniel Gewertz > > The 1960s' are over.
But not the 1950s?
-- Dan Clore
My collected fiction, _The Unspeakable and Others_: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1587154838/thedanclorenecro/ Lord Weÿrdgliffe & Necronomicon Page: http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/9879/ News & Views for Anarchists & Activists: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smygo
Strange pleasures are known to him who flaunts the immarcescible purple of poetry before the color-blind. -- Clark Ashton Smith, "Epigrams and Apothegms"
Josh Dougherty
2005-10-23 22:01:50 EST
"Dan Clore" <clore@columbia-center.org> wrote in message news:3s10heFlqnksU1@individual.net... > Duly Appointed Bitchslapper wrote: > > "Dan Clore" <clore@columbia-center.org> wrote in message > > news:435B32CA.8000804@columbia-center.org... > > >>News & Views for Anarchists & Activists: > >>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smygo > >> > >>Latest anti-war movement finds Baez in fighting form > >>By Daniel Gewertz > > > > The 1960s' are over. > > But not the 1950s?
Don't you mean 1850s?
G*rd*n
2005-10-23 22:14:18 EST
"Duly Appointed Bitchslapper" <dab68@aol.com>: > > "Dan Clore" <clore@columbia-center.org> wrote in message > news:435B32CA.8000804@columbia-center.org... > > News & Views for Anarchists & Activists: > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smygo > > > > Latest anti-war movement finds Baez in fighting form > > By Daniel Gewertz > > The 1960s' are over.
Not until you all rescind the work of the Civil Rights movement.
Michael Gray
2005-10-24 01:58:42 EST
On Sun, 23 Oct 2005 00:25:40 -0700, "Duly Appointed Bitchslapper" <*8@aol.com> wrote:
> >"Dan Clore" <clore@columbia-center.org> wrote in message >news:435B32CA.8000804@columbia-center.org... >> News & Views for Anarchists & Activists: >> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/smygo >> >> Latest anti-war movement finds Baez in fighting form >> By Daniel Gewertz > >The 1960s' are over. >