Izzy Young Folklore Center

Subject: Izzy Young Folklore Center
From: Tigger the Tiger
Date: 22 Oct 11 - 07:16 AM

Izzy Young was a major help to the entire folk music set in New York. They keep writing books and movies about the Village in those days;Izzy was a major influence and also a very kind person. I heard hat he helped Bob Dylan when Dylan came to New York to get started. I saw a brief interview with Izzy in a documentary,but I have not seen any major work about the Village that gives him his due. Anyone know about this?

Subject: RE: Izzy Young Folklore Center
From: NY Pinewoods
Date: 22 Oct 11 - 08:32 AM

I guarantee that you can find out more if you come over to Greenwich Village this afternoon and evening. The Folk Music Society of NY is putting on "North American Urban Folk Music of the 1960's" at Elizabeth Irwin High School, 40 Charlton St., NYC, between Varick St.and Sixth Ave. (This is the high school of the Little Red Schoolhouse.) The program consists of a panel discussion, two Hoots, and an evening concert all featuring people who were active musicians in the 1960's, mostly in Greenwich Village.

Subject: RE: Izzy Young Folklore Center
From: Tigger the Tiger
Date: 22 Oct 11 - 10:28 AM

I am very pleased to find that people are trying to learn about that period in the Village,and I sincerely hope someone gives Izzy some credit for his support of folk music. I am far away now,but I was there for that period in the Village and knew some of the artists. You might ask someone what happened to all the sheet music Izzy had at the Folklore Center;some of it was quite early.

Subject: RE: Izzy Young Folklore Center
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Oct 11 - 10:34 AM

My friend in NYC who goes by the Mudcat moniker "GVTom" (reads, but doesn't post here much) has been developing a walking tour of Greenwich Village that focuses on a lot of the material surrounding Izzy Young's time there. I've sent him a note about this thread and about that meeting.

SRS

Subject: RE: Izzy Young Folklore Center
From: Tigger the Tiger
Date: 22 Oct 11 - 11:03 AM

I am glad that someone who knew Izzy is going to give him some recognition. Izzy is still alive in some Scandinavian country,I believe,the last I checked. I think the Folklore center was at two different locations at least,the first larger. He was there for everything and helped lots of people.

Subject: RE: Izzy Young Folklore Center
From: pdq
Date: 22 Oct 11 - 11:08 AM

Israel Young died a few years back.

There is a Mudcat thread on the subject.

Subject: RE: Izzy Young Folklore Center
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Oct 11 - 11:18 AM

I thought I saw a facebook page for him but I can't find it now. He's not dead and there isn't a Mudcat thread about that. He is very old, and living in Sweden. Wikipedia entry (yes, not the best source, but convenient, and people update these things like lightening when someone dies.)

SRS

Subject: RE: Izzy Young Folklore Center
From: GUEST,999
Date: 22 Oct 11 - 11:20 AM

Sweden. Folklore Centrum.

Subject: RE: Izzy Young Folklore Center
From: pdq
Date: 22 Oct 11 - 11:43 AM

Sorry about that!

I have no problem admitting a mistake (this is the third one I have made in my time on Mudcat).

There have been so many obituaries recently that I confused him with another folkie.

Izzy Young was born in 1928 and LIVES in Swedan.

Subject: RE: Izzy Young Folklore Center
From: Stringsinger
Date: 22 Oct 11 - 12:59 PM

I used to hang out at the Folklore Center on MacDougal and was around when Caravan and Broadside were coming in.

Izzy was an important catalyst, not just because of Dylan, but because he is a highly moral person and decried violence and authoritarian aspects of both the Political Right and Left.
He ordered people out of his store is they supported the Vietnam War and for some this would not be considered tolerant or inclusive but I support his position because he was doing this at a time when everyone else in the country was gung ho. He had strong opinions and I support them although I think that he and Irwin Silber would have seen eye to eye on many issues despite their disagreements in "Sing Out!" Irwin was not that didactic that he couldn't be flexible when the world changed. Izzy is a principled person and did a lot to promote folk music in the New York area at time.

Irwin and Izzy, two of a kind, moral, principled men who both had different visions for the world, equally valuable.

Subject: RE: Izzy Young Folklore Center
From: GUEST,999
Date: 22 Oct 11 - 01:06 PM

"I have no problem admitting a mistake (this is the third one I have made in my time on Mudcat)."

Uh, lemme see:

lost the bet on the senate race
lost the bet on Obama
this one

YEP, that's three :-)

Subject: RE: Izzy Young Folklore Center
From: pdq
Date: 22 Oct 11 - 01:23 PM

Er, not exactly. Predictions can't be mistakes since the event(s) ain't happened yet.

I got Bill Monroe's birthdate wrong 'cause I pulled it from memory.

There was one other mistake in a post but I cain't remember it now.

I do have an LP on Broadside Records that is nothing but inteviews of Phil Ochs by Israel Young. A historical treasure for some, I suppose. Certainly not destined to be a million-seller. Cash offers will be considered.

Subject: RE: Izzy Young Folklore Center
From: GUEST,999
Date: 22 Oct 11 - 01:26 PM

LOL

Just send the CD.

Subject: RE: Izzy Young Folklore Center
From: Mark Ross
Date: 22 Oct 11 - 02:18 PM

I worked at the Folklore Center after Izzy left. I remember going in there when I was 15, and Izzy throwing me out of the store (I guess it was a bad day).

Mark Ross

Subject: RE: Izzy Young Folklore Center
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Oct 11 - 04:11 PM

GVTom would probably love that album, or at least, a CD of it.

SRS

Subject: RE: Izzy Young Folklore Center
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Oct 11 - 04:26 PM

https://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1656423771 Israel Goodman Young facebook page in Sweden.

SRS

Subject: RE: Izzy Young Folklore Center
From: Joe Offer
Date: 22 Oct 11 - 05:34 PM

I think the album is Broadside Ballads, Vol. 11: Interviews With Phil Ochs. I'm listening to the second track now, titled "Woody Guthrie memorial concert, Vietnam, the movies," in which Ochs mostly whines about not being invited to perform in the concert. The link will lead you to a page where you can download the liner notes, which include a full transcript of Izzy Young's 27-minute interview with Ochs - I haven't listened to that track yet, but it looks very interesting.

It's nice to have services like Spotify which provide access to recordings like this that you're likely to listen to only once.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Izzy Young Folklore Center
From: Tigger the Tiger
Date: 22 Oct 11 - 06:13 PM

Well thank you very much;I will certainly check out this link. I did not mean to imply earlier that Izzy was important due to a connection with Dylan;I simply meant that this was one of the many people Izzy helped. I was very young when I knew him but I certainly already recognized that he was a very intelligent,interesting person.I think Izzy knew just about everyone. I merely meant to say that he would give a true insider's view of the Village,and I am surprised more people making documentaries did not know to contact him.

Subject: RE: Izzy Young Folklore Center
From: GUEST,from Tokyo
Date: 22 Oct 11 - 08:06 PM

Thanks,Stringsinger.

Kiyohide Kunizaki

Subject: RE: Izzy Young Folklore Center
From: Tigger the Tiger
Date: 23 Oct 11 - 11:22 AM

It is interesting to me that with movies and books having been done about the Village in the 1960's,Israel Goodman Young who was intensely qualified to talk about all his knowledge of these performers did NOT do a movie or book. His collection of sheet music and general knowledge was fantastic,and he was great fun. He probably just got sick of telling all the stories;he was part of the heart of the Village those days.He is the expert.

Subject: RE: Izzy Young Folklore Center
From: GUEST,999
Date: 23 Oct 11 - 01:07 PM

I just received a return e-mail from the ol' boy and he's sounding great. He was a character and he always loved music, lotsa kinds of music. He certainly was an expert, but there were and are some others. He had the banjo wizard, Charlie Chin, in his shop frequently. Charlie played often at The Four Winds basket house, one of the best of the kind in the Village.

Anyway, Izzy sound fine, fyi.

Subject: RE: Izzy Young Folklore Center
From: Tigger the Tiger
Date: 23 Oct 11 - 05:10 PM

Izzy also gave my friend Big Joe Williams a place to stay upstairs from the Folklore Center;he was very kind to Joe. I am not on Facebook,but I am glad you contacted Izzy and he is doing well. He deserves it.

Subject: RE: Izzy Young Folklore Center
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Feb 19 - 11:18 PM

There is an obituary thread for Izzy (https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=165633&messages=5#3974980)

FreddyHeady earlier posted a link to a documentary here, but it seemed a good thing to share in the obit thread, so it was forwarded there. That link is Talking Folklore Center 1989