Thanks to Ron Miller for the link to the performance by Pete Seeger and Bruce Springsteen of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land,” from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, yesterday.
The video clip is so evocative I had to stop work on another project to reflect.
We are at a genuinely interesting point of transition in the United States, and therefore in the world. My genuine hope, and I use that word advisedly these days, is that Obama-imbued optimism will prove a tonic for our pandemic hypertension. We need a “collective yoga class” in this country. Perhaps the debut of our 44th President will have us all breathing deep into the far recesses of our lungs, stretching further and making more supple our cable-taught hamstrings.
Perhaps thus relaxed, even temporarily, we can once again envision a future characterized by economic growth, by the belief that we can coexist with earth, air and water while generating less fire, by a vibrant, tolerant, and free culture we can be proud to pass on to our children, and theirs.
If you haven’t heard this piece — I encourage you to do so. Commentary continues below.
I am no Pete Seeger expert, but I have enjoyed his music since my childhood, thanks to my Mom. I have seen great biographical programs, particularly the PBS show, “Pete Seeger: The Power of Song.” He was among a group of artists and intellectuals who were grotesquely treated at another point of transition in this country — the debut of the Cold War. He survived and ultimately thrived, on his own terms.
I could not help thinking I was seeing Pete Seeger perform live for the last time. He is aging. Gracefully, but aging. His voice and timing are not what they once were. But there he stood, before the Reflecting Pool, part of a political event which must have had him full to bursting with pride. My throat tightened and the tears did in fact well up.
Toward the end of the clip, the producers “pot up” Springsteen’s mic, and his distinctive, almost twangy, harmony strengthens in the piece. As you may know, Springsteen produced a CD / album and a fairly extensive tour behind his recordings of Pete Seeger greats: “We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions.” His admiration for Seeger is well documented.
Think about that metaphoric transition: from Seeger the American Communist Party member, the political protestant, who lived a modest material existence but dedicated his life to human rights causes and a world of man living in harmony with nature and the earth; to Springsteen, sprung from working class roots near the cosmetically uninspring Jersey Shore, seering advocate of labor in industrial America, critic of immigration and domestic issues like privacy protection in an environment of wire-tapping and other surveillance, multi-millionaire leader of the E Street Band which regularly tops the music industry in concert tour receipts.
I find the difference in “cultural authenticity index” between the two poignant. Today we think of U2’s Bono and Springsteen as media beacons with enlightened political consciousness. Their presence at certain types of political events has become predictable. Whatever your view of Seeger, Springsteen, Obama — there can be no doubt that among them (at least judging to the date of this writing), Seeger is the only among them who truly lived “an examined life.” He is a man whose vision for humanity can be seen in all aspects of his life. His political and social views; his choices about lifestyle and consumption; his application of his God-given artistic talent to his dream for mankind.
I am a huge fan of “The Boss,” and while I found U2’s concert a let-down, I would not deny them a spot in the pantheon of modern rock bands. But neither is up to the standard for authenticity set by Seeger. Not even close. And believe me, my judgment is not based on the merits of their political views, as many who know me can attest. It is based on the depth and breadth of their conviction; of the completeness with which they pursue life in all its aspects.
The question becomes, who among us is?
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