G'Day All
Whoa what a new/old idea you have brought to mind Kirsten. Are you old enough to remember the incredibly prolific output of freedom/protest songs from the 60's and 70's song writers and performers? Some of the people I remember are
Bob Dylan
Phil Ochs
Joan Baez
Buffy St. Marie
Tom Paxton
Simon and Garfunkel
Tom Leher
Jimi Hendrix
and so many more I mis-remember right know. The point being all were highly politicised, yes many from the so-called left of the political spectrum. However this does not detract from their primary concern, which was FREEDOM for every boy and girl, FREEDOM for you and me!
Some songs that resonate with me still are from the inimetable Bob Dylan
Blowin' In The Wind
A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall
Masters of War
The Times They Are a Changin'
Subterranean Homesick Blues
Dylan was of course from the so-called poetic school where he created myth, and poetry from which created his songs. Many of us at the time believed Dylan should be the Poet Laurate of the US.
Another singer, song writer I remember is a guy by the name of Phil Ochs, a journalist who wrote songs about our, then immediate realities we faced during those times. I still remember his signature release titled "All The News That's Fit To Sing" with such great songs as
Is There Anybody There
I Ain't Marchin' Anymore
There But For Fortune
Draft Dodger Rag
Power and Glory
Damn, as I type this tunes and singer/songwriters are swirling through my mind so fast I can't grasp them fast enough to get them all down.
During those times songs and music were indeed percieved as subversive by the mainstream media and TPTB as well as a majority of parents and Grand-Parents. They all thought the world was going to hell in a hand basket
and all who loved the music were seriously deranged, in fact they believed we all should be medicated for our own good.
What they failed to understand at the beginning of all this "agitatin'" was the simple fact we were already medicated into an alternative reality, you see we believed we could "Change the World" and that concept scared the shit out of all the conservative/Liberal goons. Just to damn much FREEDOM going on!
Last song I will mention is from Jimi Hendrix, which I consider the ultimate freedom/protest song. I know many here will remember, those who were in Nam, sitting in a Hooch, smokeing a "dubbie" and a beer in hand would sing along to "All Along The Watchtower" and wonder what the fuck we were doing in that crazy place of death and destruction.
So let's do it, create a streaming audio/tape recorder or whatever to have freedon/protest songs on the boards as a freebie for all to listen too as we and our guests mull the ways to promote and achieve FREEDOM in our life times.
Regards,
Americus
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Topic: Subversion by Music (Read 50388 times)