Legenday folk singer and activist Pete Seeger turned 90 last Sunday, and Democracy Now! had quite a show in celebration. I want to quote some excerpts of it, but I recommend you listen online-not just for the must, but also for the feeling in people's voices. I'm writing a lot about hegemony this weekend, and Pete's life and work strikes a very clear, very stark contrast with the workings of hegemonic discourse.
I'm just going to present clips of what different people had to say. I've chosen them to speak for me as well.
AMY GOODMAN: Bruce Springsteen, who sang Woody Guthrie's original version of "This Land Is Your Land" with Pete Seeger at President Obama's inauguration this year, headlined Sunday night's concert and began with a moving tribute to Seeger.
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: As Pete and I traveled to Washington for President Obama's inaugural celebration, he told me the-he told me the entire story of "We Shall Overcome," how it moved from a labor movement song and, with Pete's inspiration, had been adopted by the civil rights movement.
And that day, as we sang "This Land Is Your Land," I looked at Pete. The first black president of the United States was seated to his right. And I thought of-I thought of the incredible journey that Pete had taken. You know, my own growing up in the '60s, a town scarred by race rioting, made that moment nearly unbelievable. And Pete had thirty extra years of struggle and real activism on his belt. He was so happy that day. It was like, Pete, you outlasted the bastards, man. You just outlasted them. It was so nice. It was so nice.
At rehearsals the day before, it was freezing. It was like fifteen degrees. And Pete was there, he had his flannel shirt on. I said, "Man, you better wear something besides that flannel shirt!" He says, "Yeah, I've got my long johns on under this thing." I said-and I asked him, I said, "How do you want to approach 'This Land Is Your Land'?" as it'd be near the end of the show. And all he said was, "Well, I know I want to sing all the verses. You know, I want to sing all the ones that Woody wrote, especially the two that get left out, you know, about private property and the relief office." And I thought, of course, you know, that's what Pete's done his whole life: he sings all the verses all the time, especially the ones that we'd like to leave out of our history as a people, you know?
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