Pete might have seemed "difficult and stubborn" to any promoter who wanted to put him on stage back in the 50s-60s, in any situation where he would first have been asked to sign that dreaded loyalty oath. A lot of people would consider doing so to be easy, and obviously the sensible thing to do; not nearly so many folks would sympathize with Pete's adamant and consistant refusal as a matter of principle. They wouldn't understand why anyone would refuse to comply with a "mere formality" when doing so would provide paydays not only for himself, but also for everyone who would be involved in putting on the show..

The only times I ever saw Pete Seeger in person were at a couple of Newport Folk Festivals. On at least one of those occasions, the festival was a big enough deal (and close enough to home, too, I suppose) for Toshi and the kids to come along instead of being left back at the homestead. While I never met or talked with Pete himself, one summer I had the opportunity to exchange a pleasantry or two with Mrs. Seeger and to spend a pleasant half-hour or so tossing a frisbee with two or three of their young children. (This was either '65 or '66, if I'm not mistaken. Frisbees were a very new thing at the time, incidentally.) I have no doubt that those kids grew up to become the adult children featured in the documentary.