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21 Apr 14 - 08:07 AM (#3620790) Subject: New Pete Seeger Book From: GUEST,Monica Wister I want to let folks know about a wonderful new book documenting Pete Seeger's struggles during the blacklist days: PETE SEEGER VS. THE UN-AMERICANS. Mucho thanks! Pete Seeger vs. The Un-Americans PRESS RELEASE - Monica Wister, office[at]newstreetcommunications[dot]com |
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21 Apr 14 - 12:46 PM (#3620847) Subject: RE: New Book: Pete Seeger vs. the Un-Americans From: Thomas Stern Any independent reviews of this book? Anything in it which has not been covered in the standard Seeger bibliography?? 122 pages 6x9 seems unlikely to be an in-depth study of this aspect of Pete Seeger's life. Thomas. |
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21 Apr 14 - 06:47 PM (#3620963) Subject: RE: New Book: Pete Seeger vs. the Un-Americans From: Desert Dancer If the press release has only been issued today, you'll need to wait until anyone gets a chance to read it, Thomas. I don't think any previous biographies have dedicated that amount of space to that particular episode, even though it's certainly been highlighted. ~ Becky in Long Beach |
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21 Apr 14 - 06:48 PM (#3620966) Subject: RE: New Book: Pete Seeger vs. the Un-Americans From: Desert Dancer Here's the Kickstarter page, for what that offers. clicky |
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21 Apr 14 - 10:08 PM (#3621014) Subject: RE: New Book: Pete Seeger vs. the Un-Americans From: Thomas Stern Hi Desert Dancer, Thanks for the links. According to AMAZON, the book is available, so thought someone out there may have read it, or seen advance galleys. Has anyone read Jessica Mitford's IT'S A GRAND OLD CONFLICT - memoir of her years in CP-USA. A delightful read. I've hoped that Pete Seeger would someday give similar enlightenment. Life in the Party seems to me to be very much part of the story of Pete's stand against the UnAmerican Committee. I hope Renehan has not neglected the exposition of this aspect. Best wishes, Thomas. |
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22 Apr 14 - 02:36 AM (#3621044) Subject: RE: New Book: Pete Seeger vs. the Un-Americans From: Jim Carroll We still have a leaflet in our collection advertising a concert held in London in order to raise money for the campaign to keep Pete from being sent to prison by the H.U.A.C. The good ol' days eh? Jim Carroll |
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30 Apr 14 - 10:00 AM (#3623130) Subject: RE: New Book: Pete Seeger vs. the Un-Americans From: GUEST,Monica Wister So far as I know there is no standard biography of Seeger that dedicates 122 pages (a full 25,000 words) expressly to this one aspect of Seeger's long life. And yes, the book (with extensive footnotes) contains a number of documented revelations, among them that none other than Robert Kennedy, upon his appointment as attorney general, insisted upon the Justice Department's proceeding with Seeger's prosecution, despite the fact that the Justice Department under under the conservative Republican administration of Eisenhower had ignored the case since (per the requirements imposed by a 1956 contempt vote by Congress) charging Seeger and others in 1957, and had intended to eventually drop the case altogether. Other prosecutions stemming from the same Congressional vote of 1956 - among them the prosecution of playwright Arthur Miller - had gone forward almost immediately after charges were brought in 1957. The story behind Robert Kennedy's deep personal involvement in the Seeger prosecution is just one of the items of "news" in the book. |
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30 Apr 14 - 06:54 PM (#3623295) Subject: RE: New Book: Pete Seeger vs. the Un-Americans From: Stringsinger It has to be remembered that Robert Kennedy was with Nixon at the HUAC hearings. The hysteria was so great that you could get wrecked by colliding into the great wall of McCarthy by just looking the wrong way at someone. Do you think that Issa would be any different? plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose |
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17 Jul 14 - 05:19 PM (#3642950) Subject: Review: Pete Seeger Biography From: GUEST,Monica Wister, New Street Communications In Honor of "SeegerFest" - Discount on PETE SEEGER VS. THE UN-AMERICANS Offer ends July 22nd, 2014. All royalties go to the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater. |
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17 Jul 14 - 07:10 PM (#3642975) Subject: RE: Biography: Pete Seeger vs. the Un-Americans From: kendall I'm old enough to remember this. Does anyone know just what the hell is an UN American? Good old Pete, he didn't hide behind the 5th, he stood beside the 1st amendment. |
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18 Jul 14 - 04:08 AM (#3643052) Subject: RE: Biography: Pete Seeger vs. the Un-Americans From: MartinRyan Does anyone know just what the hell is an UN American - and why would Pete Seeger be versus them? ;>)> Regards p.s. Or then again, why not? |
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18 Jul 14 - 07:08 AM (#3643088) Subject: RE: Biography: Pete Seeger vs. the Un-Americans From: Jim Carroll In Contempt (Aaron Kramer / Betty Sanders / ad. Len Graham) Build high build wide your prison walls That there be room enough for all Who hold you in contempt build wide That all the bad be locked inside The birds who still insist on song The sunlit streams still running strong The flowers a-blazing every hue All are in contempt of you When you have seized the gallant few Whose glory casts a shade on you How can you now go home with ease Jangling your heavy dungeon keys The parents dreaming still of peace The playful children, the wild geese Who still must fly the mountains to All are in contempt of you When you have seized both moon and sun And jailed the poems one by one And trapped each trouble-making breeze Then you must throw away your keys So let us hope the day will come When man adores the rising sun Empty jails and free to do With no one in contempt of you |
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18 Jul 14 - 09:45 AM (#3643117) Subject: RE: Biography: Pete Seeger vs. the Un-Americans From: Bonnie Shaljean I've just bought the Kindle edition of this book for the astonishingly reasonable price of $1.32 (until 22nd July). Remember to access Amazon through the Mudcat portal - click the fiddle-playing catfish logo at the top of the home page, then scroll down to the links at the bottom, Amazon .com and .co.uk and a couple of others. Thomas, the Jessica Mitford book is in fact titled A Fine Old Conflict, which was her childhood mondegreen for the words "final conflict" in the anthem. The book was sub-headed something like The Making Of A Muckraker, and was one of my all-time faves. It's actually a collection of essays - exposés mostly - of which the memoir of her CP days is only one part; but all are stunning. This went out of print, but has now resurfaced - at least in some form - as Poison Penmanship: The Gentle Art Of Muckraking and I think it includes that article, but only feel about 90% certain. The new release certainly contains most - if not all - of Fine Old Conflict. As Thomas says, well worth a read. As the new Seeger book promises to be. I see it consistently earns 5- & 4-star reviews. Come all ye kindle-owning tightwads - you can afford a buck. Don't forget Max's cat flap. |
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18 Jul 14 - 09:52 AM (#3643118) Subject: RE: Biography: Pete Seeger vs. the Un-Americans From: Bonnie Shaljean PS: You don't have to own a Kindle - you can also buy their e-books for iPads (and no doubt Android tablets: haven't checked) and ordinary computers, via the free Kindle app. I know nothing about what's available for smartphones. (No, I do not work for Amazon...) |
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19 Jul 14 - 12:32 AM (#3643309) Subject: RE: Biography: Pete Seeger vs. the Un-Americans From: LadyJean My mother was working at Chatham College when the HUAC was hunting out communists. Faculty members were being asked to sign loyalty oaths, swear they weren't communists, and of course give the names of colleagues who were. Some of the faculty had come to this country from Europe, and seen that sort of thing before. It worried them. Mom would speak of, "That ass Joe McCarthy" By ass she meant donkey. Not quite fair to donkeys. |
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21 Jul 14 - 06:56 AM (#3643809) Subject: RE: Biography: Pete Seeger vs. the Un-Americans From: JJ Loyalty oaths... As a friend of mine used to say, "If I'm committed to overthrowing the government by force, do you think I'll shrink from perjury?!?" |
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21 Jul 14 - 09:24 AM (#3643840) Subject: RE: Biography: Pete Seeger vs. the Un-Americans From: Bonnie Shaljean On the loyalty oath, read Jessica Mitford's piece in the above-mentioned book Poison Penmanship (formerly A Fine Old Conflict) titled "My Short and Happy Life as a Distinguished Professor". The original 1974 article in The Atlantic is linked to below, but PP also includes her followup commentary about what happened afterwards. Well worth the price, sez I. http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1974/10/my-short-and-happy-life-as-a |
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02 Dec 14 - 01:10 PM (#3681846) Subject: Pete Seeger book From: GUEST,Monica Wister Ed Renehan's book PETE SEEGER VS. THE UN-AMERICANS: A TALE OF THE BLACKLIST has gotten great reviews from actor/director Steve Buscemi (BOARDWALK's Nucky Thompson), Billy Bragg and others. Check it out. |
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02 Dec 14 - 08:38 PM (#3681975) Subject: RE: book:Pete Seeger vs. the Un-Americans (Ed Renehan) From: BanjoRay Thanks for pointing this one out - I'm getting it! |
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02 Dec 14 - 09:32 PM (#3681984) Subject: RE: book:Pete Seeger vs. the Un-Americans (Ed Renehan) From: GUEST,gillymor Thanks for the heads up. |
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02 Dec 14 - 10:04 PM (#3681990) Subject: RE: book:Pete Seeger vs. the Un-Americans (Ed Renehan) From: Mark Ross Just got my copy. Great book! Mark Ross |
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02 Dec 14 - 10:06 PM (#3681991) Subject: RE: book:Pete Seeger vs. the Un-Americans (Ed Renehan) From: maeve Same book as announced in the thread Ms Wister initiated back in April, 2004, here: Pete Seeger ...New Book . I'm glad it has gotten some good reviews- there were several in the original thread who wanted to read reviews prior to ordering the book.. |
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02 Dec 14 - 10:07 PM (#3681992) Subject: RE: Biography: Pete Seeger vs. the Un-Americans From: maeve refresh.......... |
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03 Dec 14 - 06:42 AM (#3682069) Subject: RE: Biography: Pete Seeger vs. the Un-Americans From: maeve Thank you for combining threads, clever mod! |
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15 Apr 15 - 11:16 PM (#3702099) Subject: ADD: Let Me Sing You a Song (Joe Jencks) From: Joe Offer I came across a song from Joe Jencks that tells the story of Pete's appearance before the House Un-American Activities Committee, and I really like it. Here's a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElZr0pNu5Ow Let Me Sing You A SongOn the morning that our beloved Pete Seeger passed away, I was inspired to write a song about his testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee, back in 1955. The gentle, yet somehow joyful tone of defiance Pete had in that moment was amazing. To read the full text of his testimony is I think, a great example of how to stand up to bullies with elegance and conviction. (For Pete Seeger - Inspired by his HUAC Testimony in 1955) You’ve asked me here to tell you About my neighbors and my friends To talk about the who and what The where and how and when Well I won’t give you anything You don’t already know But if you’d like I’ll sing that list of songs before I go Chorus: Let me sing you a song About the people that I love The poets and philosophers The workers and the wanderers The ones who walk the picket lines Who dare to stand and fight And the ones who hold their babies close And rock them through the night V.2 Now you say it’s un-American To do the things I do Well I sing for justice, liberty And Civil Rights it’s true But I say it’s un-American To ask me how I vote How I pray or what I believe But here’s a song I wrote Chorus V.3 If you want to send me to prison I guess that’s the way it’ll be ‘Cause I won’t feed you fodder For your paranoid machine If the price of my silence is shackles Well then fellas, take me away For I will live to sing again And rise with a brand new day Chorus & Tag © 1/28/14 - Joe Jencks, Turtle Bear Music, ASCAP http://www.joejencks.com/index.php?page=songs |