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Working Stiffs
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Subject: Working Stiffs From: Jerry Rasmussen Date: 09 Apr 02 - 11:25 AM Someone started a thread about John Agar, which got me to thinking about working stiffs. People who never become stars and usually pass unnoticed. I mentioned Steve Brodie who seemed to be in every movie that needed a small-time hood. There are many others who come to mind. In folk music, we're mostly working stiffs... with a few exceptions... underpaid, overworked (if you're lucky enough to even get the work.) But, in folk music the most unsung working stiffs are the sound men/women, the people who make and serve the refreshments and those who greet you at the door. The same could be said for the people who run the series... they at least get their moment on stage, introducing the performer. But, the great bulk of the work they do no one notices, and many people don't appreciate. They usually spend their own money to keep the series going. If they didn't, most folk series would die out.
John Lennon wrote a song about Working Class Heroes. They are everywhere... people who rarely get any recognition for what they do, who drag themselves into work when they're sick, stay late when something needs to be done and are often taken advantage of.
My Father was a working stiff, and proud of it... worked on an assembly line in the cut-throa early days of General Motors and refused the offer to become a foreman because he saw what foreman had to do to the men on the line.
I could write at least a dozen entries on working stiffs I respect. And might, if this thread touches a nerve. But, who are the working stiffs you admire? Jerry |
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Subject: RE: Working Stiffs From: Amos Date: 09 Apr 02 - 11:30 AM Well, in a moment of untrammeled honesty, Jerry, I'm gonna stick my own name on my list. There are many reasons for this which I don't need to go into, but even though I am half-manager, it is the working stiff side of my job that qualifies me. I'm proud of myself for sticking through it all, and there's a lot to stick through. A
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Subject: RE: Working Stiffs From: mooman Date: 09 Apr 02 - 11:36 AM Quite happy to be a "working class hero" as John put it. Never saw the need for fame. Vastly overrated! mooman |
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Subject: RE: Working Stiffs From: Jerry Rasmussen Date: 09 Apr 02 - 11:42 AM I'd place every Mudcatter into this category. Certainly, everyone who sings for the love of singing, everyone who helps keep a folk series alive by volunteering, and lest we forget, the quiet folks who buy a ticket, sidle in to the room, sit unobtrusively in the back and leave unnoticed. None of us would have lasted as performers, without them.
When I get back to this thread, I'm going to flip through my favorite obscure, mostly untalented movie actors and actresses to give them the recognition they never got. I'll start with Steve Brody, Patricia Medina and Eve Arden, off the top of my head. (Eve was enormously talented, but usually played the wisecracking secretary... a great role as the desparate school teacher in Picnic.. Jerry |
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Subject: RE: Working Stiffs From: Bobert Date: 09 Apr 02 - 03:33 PM Well, Jerry, I know what you meant when you started this thread and I would hope that most Catfolk would NOT into John's mental picture of the "working class hero". I think John was talking about a consciousness that we each hopefully TRY to find, where spirituality surpasses religion, where loving relationships are of greater importance than sexual ones, where information comes from sources other than the "media" and where we just say no to those who tell us "there's room at the top... if you can smile when you kill". The song was very much about the manipulation of the assembly liner who dies making the last widgit, like the horses who dropped to their deaths while plowing the fields in "Animal Farm". "Keep you doped with religion, sex and TV.... And you think you're so clever, classless and free...But you're all f**king peasants as far as I can see...". Yes, this song was about manipulation of the masses by the few. John said, "if you want to be heros, well just follow me." That's a tall order when the system is so designed to not allow escape. Eric Hoffer descibed the "working class heros" as the "true belivers", those folks who bought into the game. So, yes, Jerry, I know what you meant and I know you as a caring person but I'd hate to think of any Catter as what John meant in "working class hero", though we would all like to be considered heros of the working class. Sorry to split hairs. It's just that since I used to do this song, it means something different to me. Bobert |
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Subject: RE: Working Stiffs From: Ebbie Date: 09 Apr 02 - 04:47 PM Buddy Tabor, Juneau, Alaska, sings a song he wrote about his father. His dad raised his family in Virginia in a house he rented for 40 years. He never was able to get the money together to buy his own place, even though he always worked and never drank or gambled. The song goes on to say that when their father died, the kids pitched in and paid for the funeral. Their mom's sister donated a burial plot for him, and finally, he "has a place of his own". If you ever get a chance to hear Buddy, take it. He has 5 or 6 CDs out, and writes wonderful songs. We tend to believe that after he dies, he's going to be famous. Ebbie |
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Subject: RE: Working Stiffs From: Jerry Rasmussen Date: 09 Apr 02 - 05:43 PM Hi, Bobert: Can I un-mention the Lennon song? In truth, I don't have that album and only know it for its title. What I mean by working stiffs are people who are generous-spirited without seeking recognition or appreciation. People who see a job that has to be done and do it, because it's the right thing to do. I'm not talking about the Proletariat or any doctrine. Let me give you an example of a Working Stiff..
When I've gone into nursing homes to sing, men are conspicuous by their absence. I try to go around and talk to people as much as I can and now that I have my wife Ruth to visit with me, between us we can talk to just about everyone. One man particularly stuck in my head. He'd worked for the railroad and was very proud of the work he'd done. He was very frail, and heavily medicated, and when he shook my hand you could feel how sickness and age had sucked the strength out of him. That night, I dreamt about the people I'd met at the nursing home and a verse came out about him..
"He worked for the railroad, ten hours a day
There are two familiar sayings in that verse that seem to have gone out of style: "They said he was good with his hands." Men (and women) took pride in things that they made with their hands. Saying that you were "good with your hands" was a real compliment. What does that mean, now? "An honest day's work for an honest day's pay" seems hopelessly old-fashioned, now. But I still see people who believe that. It doesn't make any difference how unpretentious and unglamorous their job is... they still try to give an honest day's work.
I mention the people who run sound systems at folk clubs. I think of Brent Hall, who runs the sound for two folk clubs, and just shuffles his feet in embarassment when you tell him how important he is, and how much you aprpeciate what he's done.
Working stiffs say "Aw, shucks, it wasn't nothin.." Forget glamorizing the working class, or making them into idols. The New York City firefighters and police are working stiffs who found themselves in a situation that called for heroism. They just did what needed to be done.
Yes, Bobert, I think that you do know what I mean... thanks for clarifying the Lennon song... I'm talking about something different.. Jerry |
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Subject: RE: Working Stiffs From: InOBU Date: 09 Apr 02 - 07:53 PM Lynn Stuart, working class hero, arrested today in New York for the courage of doing a lawyers job in a totalitarian state. Cheers Larry |
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Subject: RE: Working Stiffs From: Bobert Date: 09 Apr 02 - 08:05 PM Jerry: I know you and I know your heart. And I knew when I read your post exactly what you were saying. God Bless the working man for he is indeed a hero in my book, too. My grandmother spent the last 6 years of her life in a nursing home and I visited the home frequently and got to meet a lot of heros. Thanks for the thread. Bobert |
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Subject: RE: Working Stiffs From: Lynn Date: 09 Apr 02 - 10:30 PM Bobert said, "I think John was talking about a consciousness that we each hopefully TRY to find, where spirituality surpasses religion, where loving relationships are of greater importance than sexual ones, where information comes from sources other than the "media" and where we just say no to those who tell us "there's room at the top... if you can smile when you kill"." My own father was a 'working stiff' as it were...an educator, a principal in a small town for 24 years, surviving all those who said he was 'too old fashioned', recognizing the importance of the head secretary and the head custodian ("I can deal with teachers when they're absent, but when my secretary or my custodian are absent, nothing works right") He was unassuming; he did the job he needed to do; put in countless extra hours at board of ed meetings and writing grants for educational ventures. He finally got some recognition for his work - the whole school put on a skit - "A Day in the life of Mr. Koch", complete with teachers calling in sick... He was spiritual well beyond his sense of religion; he loved his family and was faithful to it; and he spent his working life in the service of the education of our community's youngsters. He told me once, "I knew it was time to retire when I was registering the GRANDchildren of students I had taught." He was a fine man. A working stiff. And I miss him. Yours, Lynn |
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Subject: RE: Working Stiffs From: Nancy King Date: 09 Apr 02 - 10:53 PM Jerry, is it just the one verse, or are there more? Perhaps a whole song, maybe? I hope so, because it's a great verse! Cheers, Nancy
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Subject: RE: Working Stiffs From: Big Mick Date: 09 Apr 02 - 11:42 PM I have said many times, and in many threads, that I see heroes almost every day, and certainly every week. That is because, in my day job, I am a Union Organizer. I see folks just trying to keep their family between the ditches, usually don't have enough to quite make it, and still they take a stand for what they believe is the right thing to do. They risk their very ability to put beans in the pot. I asked one young woman, at the end of the campaign, why she did it. She tells me that if she didn't, then imagine what her babies would face. When I am in the presence of these folks, and when it hits me what they risk,.........well, at times when I get to my car it just overcomes me. I think of the "Union Maid" whose tale I told here once. I think of the kids at the Christmas parties, that I wrote about a few years back, in these threads. These were not aberrations, rather I see it all them time. More than a few times I have driven home with tears running down my face. When I see what they are willing to do, it makes me painfully aware that I have no choice but to keep the covenant that I embraced over a quarter century ago. God willing, and if I am fortunate, then I will spend all my days in the presence of "working stiffs". I hope one day that I can sing their songs. Mick |
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Subject: RE: Working Stiffs From: Jerry Rasmussen Date: 10 Apr 02 - 06:37 AM Big Mick and Lynn: This thread got off to a wobbly(no pun intended) start because I don't think that I defined it clearly enough. The two of you have defined it perfectly by your postings. Thanks! Jerry |
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Subject: RE: Working Stiffs From: Jerry Rasmussen Date: 10 Apr 02 - 06:52 AM Hi, Nancy:
The rest of the song... It's not what you'd expect. It's called Tortoise Shell comb, and I think I mentioned it in another thread. The morning after I visited the nursing home, I awoke in the morning with two very strong images in my head. One was of the man, but the first one was of a woman. She had had a stroke and could no longer sit up. She was strapped into a wheel chair and was sitting directly in front of me. Because she was paralyzed, her face showed no emotion. She couldn't talk or move her arms. But, as I sang, she would tap one finger on the arm rest of her wheelchair in rhythm to the song. I looked deep into her eyes and I knew that there was a loving woman in there who was being transported by the music. And the first line of the song was in my head when I awoke:
"And somewhere inside her there's still that young girl
I don't think that line would ever have come to me when I was awake.
And then the whole first verse came to me:
"She remembers the sweet smell of freshly baked apples
The second verse is about the man, posted in this thread.
And the third verse....
"She moves to the music, although she can't dance
It's funny... that song still moves me, just typing it out. Jerry |
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Subject: RE: Working Stiffs From: Lynn Date: 10 Apr 02 - 08:20 AM Jerry - I'd LOVE to add that song to my repertoire, being an ofttimes performer for the older set. (I do the extremes...) Where can I find it???? Lynn |
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Subject: RE: Working Stiffs From: Deckman Date: 10 Apr 02 - 08:40 AM There is a fellow I see almost every day when I visit my parents at the nursing home where they live. He is a fairly small person, and moves quite fast. It is his task to mop the floors, clean up the restrooms, clean the messes that occasionally happen. Everytime I pass him in the halls, he ALWAYS greets me with a very cheerful, "Hi Bob. How are you today." He just qietly, and quickly, goes about his job of cleaning. He's doing a daily job that would give me pause. To me, he one of the "working class heros" I think you're talking about Jerry. Good thread, thanks for starting it. CHEERS, Bob(deckman)Nelson |
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Subject: RE: Working Stiffs From: Jerry Rasmussen Date: 10 Apr 02 - 08:43 AM E-mail me your address, and I'll send you a tape of it. I haven't recorded it. My wife and I will be at a nursing home tomorrow. We're going with our friend, Pastor Skip... he gives a brief sermon, I'll play a few songs, and then all three of us will spend some time talking with the people. I also go out to nursing homes with my fospel quartet and we have a great time... sometimes get the residents to lead a hymn, even if they aren't able to come up to the mike.. Jerry |
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Subject: RE: Working Stiffs From: sian, west wales Date: 10 Apr 02 - 08:45 AM I'd add a lot of housewives and mothers I could think of. Talk about (mostly) unsung heroes! sian |
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Subject: RE: Working Stiffs From: Jerry Rasmussen Date: 10 Apr 02 - 09:01 AM Top of the list in my book, Sian!
And Lynn: my e-mail address is gospelmessengers@msn.com Jerry
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Subject: RE: Working Stiffs From: GUEST,Slickerbill Date: 10 Apr 02 - 11:57 AM What about teachers? I know they don't often get thought of as working stiffs, but in Canada and the US anyway, the pay doesn't come close to the hours these folks put in. A good teacher can turn a kid onto music for life and give them the motivation and opportunity to explore and develop their interests and talents. SB |
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Subject: RE: Working Stiffs From: Jerry Rasmussen Date: 10 Apr 02 - 12:45 PM Good addition, Slicker! I still remember learning Lone Star Trail when I was probably in third or fourth grade. What a surprise when I heard the Anthology of American Folk Music as an adult, and heard the song on the collection done by Ken Maynard. (Maynard sounded like they dug him up from under a rock, but I found out later that he was a very successful singing cowboy in the movies.. predated Roy Rogers and Jean Autry.) Jerry |
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Subject: RE: Working Stiffs From: Jeri Date: 10 Apr 02 - 06:05 PM I think I've told this story here before, but... When my mother was going through her final days in the hospital, she was too weak to walk or even move much. She was on oxygen. I never was around when any of this happened, but my mother made sure I knew. One day the cleaning woman had finished in my mother's room, and left. My mom told me that the woman would switch her oxygen from the mask to the canula (nose tube thingies) when her meal arrived. She'd also bring the tray over to the bed and unwrap things. Mom had almost no appetite at that time. If the food cooled off, she wouldn't even try to eat it - and they'd usually just dump the tray somewhere in her room. She'd bring water and other things, help move her, and generally did anything she could do that my mom needed done. My mom died one night. I went in the next morning to pick up her things, and asked where the cleaning woman was. I found her and told her how much the things she'd done had meant to my mom. She replied as you can guess "Oh, I didn't do much - it was no big deal." It was a big deal to my mother. |
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Subject: RE: Working Stiffs From: Deckman Date: 10 Apr 02 - 06:38 PM Jeri ... that's a wonderful story. And I also see living examples of it every day. One of the things I notice when I'm over at the home with my folks, is the 'little people.' By 'little people', I mean the floor cleaners, the toilet scrubbers, the folks who help dress and bathe people. And the food servers. One thing I always see, where my parents live, is a testimoney to the quality of care. I often see these 'little people' hustling down the halls, going about their chores. But I watch their hands. And you know what ... they never pass a person in a wheelchair without TOUCHING them, on the shoulder, the arm, or whatever. And they always give a smile and quiet hug. You want to talk about "WORKING STIFFS"? There they are. I have another term for them ... QUIET ANGELS. Bob |
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Subject: RE: Working Stiffs From: Jerry Rasmussen Date: 10 Apr 02 - 06:52 PM You're right about the Quiet Angels. And also right about people wanting to be touched. Human contact is very, very important. When you walk down the hall in a nursing home, people reach their arms out and try to get you to stop and touch them. My sister was a Nurses Aide in a health care center for many years, so I know how important loving attention is. It is a VERY big deal. Jerry |
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