One thing I remember about Woody is that he didn't give a damn for the commercial music business or show business in general. He wrote songs because he had to, for working people, not because he wanted to be famous like Dylan. He thought the music and show business was a great big phony world. I think he was right. He couldn't care less about being on "the charts". Chances are, if he had a lot of money, he would have given it all away to someone he felt needed it. He was no capitalist.

Woody had lots of guitars, disposable items as Norah has said. He has been known to "borrow" some and take off. He found convenient silverware at times as well. He was no saint. Your wife, daughter or sister might not be safe around him but the same can be said for Duke Ellington, Bird, Bechet and many jazz musicians, Mozart, and all manner of wonderful artistic people.

That's not we we remember them for. What we crazy humans tend to do is romanticize those whose talents we admire. But his songs will live on because they were so damned real and well-constructed in only the way Woody could do it.

So burnt cigarette holes in your couch after a night of Woody staying there just makes him more real, maybe not nice all the time and as Pete has said "a pain in the ass", still you gotta' love the guy because he actually was lovable in spite of his shit.

And as Pete has said, when he was gone, you missed him. I miss him now because he could write a song that is simple, direct, and says something important about this nutty world we live in. He is a great model for songwriters today.

By the way, he was a socialist. That informed his artistry.