Immortal Words of Woody Guthrie

Subject: RE: Immortal Words of Woody Guthrie
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 26 Jan 01 - 11:55 AM

On my last jaunt to New England, I got a chance to meet and talk with Eli Jaffe, who was a labour organizer in Oklahoma in the thirties and forties. He told me about getting a guitar lesson from Woody. I count myself lucky to have heard his wonderful stories of that time.

One of my favourite "Woody stories" is from the time he was asked to play for the Martha Graham Dance troupe. His wife Marjorie was exasperated at his habit of playing extra bars in a song, and sometimes just changing the beat and tempo at will. She angrily explained that the choreography wouldn't work if he didn't play the songs the same way each time.

Woody pondered this a bit and then said "Well, sometimes I play 'em slower, sometimes I play 'em faster, and sometimes I leave some pauses, and sometimes I don't.....and sometimes I just get up and walk out the door". Which he did.

Rick

Subject: RE: Immortal Words of Woody Guthrie
From: Matt_R
Date: 26 Jan 01 - 12:10 AM

Ouch...harsh words.

Subject: RE: Immortal Words of Woody Guthrie
From: GUEST,tradsteve
Date: 26 Jan 01 - 12:09 AM

that was from me, apparently my thingie has worn off.

Subject: RE: Immortal Words of Woody Guthrie
From: GUEST
Date: 26 Jan 01 - 12:08 AM

I have that on a poster a good friend gave me for my birthday one year. I see it all the time and it never wears off. I was lucky enough to see the Guthrie traveling exhibit at the steinbeck center in Salinas, and met Woody's daughter. It's fabulous and I suggest everyone find out when it comes through town.

Subject: RE: Immortal Words of Woody Guthrie
From: Deckman
Date: 25 Jan 01 - 12:29 AM

Gypsy ... No longer Northern Ca, now in Everett, Wa. Drop a note ... [e-mail] (Bob Nelson)

Subject: RE: Immortal Words of Woody Guthrie
From: MarkS
Date: 24 Jan 01 - 11:57 PM

As through this world I've rambled
I've seen lots of funny men
Some will rob you with a six gun
And some with a fountain pen

Seems even more appropriate these days
MarkS

Subject: RE: Immortal Words of Woody Guthrie
From: Gypsy
Date: 24 Jan 01 - 10:59 PM

What a fabulous reminder! Bob, are you in North CA? Sure sound familiar

Subject: RE: Immortal Words of Woody Guthrie
From: Deckman
Date: 24 Jan 01 - 07:48 PM

I'm sure that most of us remember the FAMOUS photograph of Woody's guitar, with the inscription ... "this machine fights facists." All my life as a working man I've been a carpenter. Years ago, I carved the following slogan on the top of my tool box ... "THIS MACHINE FIGHTS POVERTY" CHEERS, Bob Nelson

Subject: RE: Immortal Words of Woody Guthrie
From: Jim the Bart
Date: 24 Jan 01 - 06:26 PM

Thanks a lot, picker, it's good to be reminded what's what everynow and again.

I 'preciate it
Bart

Subject: RE: Immortal Words of Woody Guthrie
From: Bert
Date: 24 Jan 01 - 05:53 PM

Here's a story in today's paper.

Subject: RE: Immortal Words of Woody Guthrie
From: GUEST
Date: 24 Jan 01 - 05:33 PM

(refresh)

Subject: RE: Immortal Words of Woody Guthrie
From: Doctor John
Date: 24 Jan 01 - 01:05 PM

Yes Mick, those are the words that always remain in my mind; I've met too many of the second sort over the years but as yet (fortunately) not the former. The second sort are called banks, insurance companies, some employers, business in general but the latter crooks; the dividing line is very fuzzy to me. Dr John

Subject: RE: Immortal Words of Woody Guthrie
From: Poo-Twa
Date: 24 Jan 01 - 12:37 AM

Justa Picker- Very inspiring, many thanks, BlueJay

Subject: RE: Immortal Words of Woody Guthrie
From: Big Mick
Date: 23 Jan 01 - 11:01 PM

To a guy who does what I do (union organizing), among the many favorite lyrics of Woody's, my personal favorite is still "As through this world I travel, I've met lots of funny men, Some will rob you with a pistol, others with a fountain pen". I have met many of the latter, and have always done my level best to see if I couldn't liberate them of a few of their bucks..........LOL.

All the best,

Mick

Subject: RE: Immortal Words of Woody Guthrie
From: Deckman
Date: 23 Jan 01 - 10:09 PM

A very good friend, the late WALT ROBERTSON told a story of the time he ended up on stage with Woody. During a quiet moment, he looked at Woody's guitar and read the cheat sheet. Rather than the list of songs he expected to find, he found the following ... "Move like a rabbit, jump like a frog!" Walt asked him about this, and Woody explained that someone had criticized him for NOT moving around on stage when he performed, and this was his reminder. Sandy Paton, I'll bet YOU heard that story from Walt many times in the early hoot days of Seattle. Did I remember it correctly? As you've just had another birthday, I MUST add that if my telling is NOT accurate, I ALWAYS stand to be corrected by my elders (hee hee)

CHEERS, Bob Nelson

Subject: RE: Immortal Words of Woody Guthrie
From: Sorcha
Date: 23 Jan 01 - 10:04 PM

Profound indeed. And there are still a lot of those "knock you down songs" around, aren't there? They seem to be especially popular with the teen set, unfortunately.

Subject: Immortal Words of Woody Guthrie
From: Justa Picker
Date: 23 Jan 01 - 09:53 PM

"I hate a song that makes you think that you are not any good. I hate a song that makes you think that you are just born to lose. Bound to lose. No good to nobody. No good for nothing. Because you are too old or too young or too fat or too slim or too ugly or too this or too that. Songs that run you down or poke fun at you on account of your bad luck or hard traveling. I am out to fight those songs to my very last breath of air and my last drop of blood. I am out to sing songs that will prove to you that this is your world and that if it has hit you pretty hard and knocked you for a dozen loops, no matter what color, what size you are, how you are built, I am out to sing the songs that make you take pride in yourself and your work.

And the songs that I sing are made up for the most part by all sorts of folks just about like you. I could hire out to the other side, the big money side, and get several dollars every week just to quit singing my own kind of songs and to sing the kind that knock you down still farther and the ones that poke fun at you even more and the ones that make you think you've not any sense at all. But I decided a long time ago that I'd starve to death before I'd sing any such songs as that. The radio waves and your movies and your jukeboxes and your songbooks are already loaded down and running over with such no good songs as that anyhow.
- Woody Guthrie, 1912-1967


(Wise words still.)