Woody Guthrie, Artworks

Subject: Woody Guthrie, Artworks
From: peregrina
Date: 29 Dec 07 - 05:04 PM

I've just been looking through *Woody Guthrie: Art Works*, edited by Steven Brower and Nora Guthrie (with contributions from Billy Bragg and Jeff Tweedy) (NY: Rizzoli, 2005)...

Fascinating. I had remembered Woody's time as a sign painter from Bound for Glory, and had heard how many unrecorded songs were in the archive, but I had no idea how much Woody had drawn, sketched and painted; he filled notebooks and notebooks and more notebooks with writings and drawings; some of these notebooks were letters, even letters to his children before they were born. He had so much to say...

The book gives a vivid sense of the range and abundance of this material, but doesn't describe it systematically. It also doesn't reproduce whole notebooks in their entirety. The result is wonderful glimpses of this other side of Woody's creativity, glimpses of his insights and convictions, but not the chance to follow in detail the development of Woody's views or the relationships documented in the notebooks. Overrall impression: he had so much to express and such a passion for expression.
Browsing through this makes me admire the economy of his songs even more. (And judging by the sheer quantity of material here, he must have had notebooks and brushes and pens at hand just as much as his guitar?)

Anyone else had a look at this book? (Or even seen the materials in the archive?) Are there other recent examples of singers who are so prolific in other media?

Subject: RE: Woody Guthrie, Artworks
From: Leadfingers
Date: 29 Dec 07 - 06:42 PM

I HAVE heard some of the settings Billy Bragg did for Woodies songs - and was NOT impressed !"

Subject: RE: Woody Guthrie, Artworks
From: peregrina
Date: 29 Dec 07 - 06:47 PM

So, opinions on the Mermaid Avenue settings will differ, but all those songs unrecorded by Woody--I think the lyrics are as good as any of his others; he just wrote so much, apparently at least a song a day while he was being paid by that hydroelectric company, and then all those drawings and notebooks; was he singing and writing all the time??

Subject: RE: Woody Guthrie, Artworks
From: Charley Noble
Date: 29 Dec 07 - 08:49 PM

Here's a link to National Public Radio's review of this book: Click here for article

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Woody Guthrie, Artworks
From: chrisr18
Date: 29 Dec 07 - 09:33 PM

I have that book and it really is great. He was just such an expressive person and used every outlet he could, it's incredible. I was impressed with his style and how it changed over time from sort of "cartoony" to more impressionistic or something, but always very simple and appealing, at least to me.

If you are interested in learning a bit more about him and how his views evolved over time and things like that I suggest picking up some of the various "scrapbooks" that are out their of some of his writings. "Pastures of Plenty" and "Born To Win" are two really great ones. I think they are both out of print, but I'm sure there are some used copies you can find on amazon or a similar site.

Chris