Harry's Place

One version of Joan Baez’s political history is that she influenced the White House into sending rescue ships to the South China Sea to save many of the boat people after the fall of the Republic of Vietnam.

Some might consider this ironic and even grotesque given that she did what she could to undermine the morale of the Republic of Vietnam’s American supporters by spending time in Hanoi during Nixon’s Christmas bombing and recording “Where are you now, my son?” and shameless guff about “… people of the shelters, what a gift you’ve given me …” by way of offering aid and comfort to one of the world’s vilest and cruellest regimes.

Still, she wasn’t photographed sitting in the gunner’s seat of an flak gun. Unlike Jane Fonda.

Was she not rusticated in c. 1979 for addressing the brutality of North Vietnam?

Good on Joan.

I played Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come” earlier. Sounded better than ever.

Ah, I was listening to her ‘Come From The Shadows ‘album yesterday. It’s been one of my favourites since I was a teenager. The liner notes which conclude “if you don’t fight against an evil thing, you become a part of it” were very inspirational.

We took my mum and dad to see Joan Baez in concert last year. She is still an impressive performer.

This is quite significant. Baez is very much an icon for the older members of the peacenik left, and to have her clearly supporting the Iranian people against brutal repression further isolates those elements of “the toxic left”, who act as apologists for the men of violence.

We await Cat Stephens or Yusuf Ismail or whatever-he-is-now recording a hit single denouncing the Ayatollahs and their hideous regime.

Don’t hold yer collective breath.

We’re sure she’s not lending moral support to the regime as they bravely seek to “overcome” the perfidity of Amerikkkan imperialism and Zionist interference in their democracy?

You can never tell with “progressives” these days.

Traitor, what a lackey of Imperialism. She supported the wars in Afganistan and Iraq too.

Good for her. I saw her at the Cambridge Folk festival a couple of years ago and she ended with that awful song “Imagine” (”Imagine no possessions” – yuk) but her voice is still very fine.

Joan’s good. I read in her book written several years ago how she was annoyed when people thought she had sold out because she spoke against human rights violations in the former Soviet Union. She spoke out long before HP was dreamed of about just the sort of double standards that are complained about here. She is one of the lovely people of the 60s that didn’t either flip out or sell out.

thank goodness some of the old new left have not become the new old right.

Whether she’s on the right side or the wrong side, it’s still dreadful old folkie shit. Honestly, you lot should get a grip.

redstar
26 June 2009, 4:58 pm

Traitor, what a lackey of Imperialism. She supported the wars in Afganistan and Iraq too.

Really? Can you support that claim?

We await Cat Stephens or Yusuf Ismail or whatever-he-is-now recording a hit single denouncing the Ayatollahs and their hideous regime.
just ‘Yusef’ (aka cat stevens) according to the TV advertisments for his last record iirc… Perhaps there’s something about his convert surname that’d give buyers the jitters?

Nice little Jeff Buckley guitar touch on one of the early verses. But a single voice doesn’t do justice to the song. No point going into the Pete descant if nobody’s carrying the tune under it.

I suppose some Cold Warriors here will judge her insufficiently rehabilitated for using that descant. Maybe she should be sentenced to read Andrew Sullivan columns until she sees the error of her harmonies.

Her heart may be in the right place but her music is dire. However, Patti Smith did a great Iranian Revolution poem/song thing at the RFH last week.

Love her kitchen. Wish mine was like that. Noted the colour co-ordinated scarve, lovely touch. Doesn’t she look good for her age.

My favourite Joan Baez song from one of the best science fiction films ever made:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkF05D-NJMU

“This is quite significant. Baez is very much an icon for the older members of the peacenik left, and to have her clearly supporting the Iranian people against brutal repression further isolates those elements of “the toxic left”, who act as apologists for the men of violence.” – Suffolk Booy

Very good point. Seconded.

Sue -haha! I was just lusting after those ceramic tiles too!

Given the choice between owning a gun and owning a Joan Baez CD, I think most Iranian protesters would prefer to own guns.

‘Was she not rusticated in c. 1979 for addressing the brutality of North Vietnam?’

She was. Baez was one of the only prominent members of the anti-Vietnam war movement to condemn Hanoi’s repression of the South, and to speak out for the plight of the boat people. As Lauren says, Joan Baez never let ideology get in the way of principle, and she never sold out – unlike the pro-totalitarians and the apologists of butchers who have infested the Western left for far too long.

Hats off to her for being consistent, and ultimately on the right side.

Sackcloth, d’you have a reference? Joan Baez, Joe Sloboba, nowt changes.

Zkharya, I’ve been waiting for someone to rerelease the music to Silent Running for ages. Peter Scheckele’s orchestral score’s rather magnificent too.

Thank God! Now victory is assured…

Thank God! Now victory is assured…

Paul, you might want to read some of the words of appreciation from Iranians:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVCqPAzI-JY

Baez’s condemnation of Communist atrocities and human rights abuses in Indochina (not just Vietnam) was printed in the ‘New York Times’ on 30th May 1979. Jane Fonda stated in response that her ‘claims’ about Khmer Rouge atrocities could not be substantiated – can’t find a reference to that, I’m afraid, and the pub is calling.

Her best work was with Morricone on the soundtrack for ‘Sacco & Vanzetti’. Morricone’s live shows still encore with ‘Here’s to You’, though using different singers.

Shatterface, not sure about the soundtrack, but you can watch the whole film on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW2Xui6W02o

I love the effects by Trumbull, who made it for $3 or 4 000 000 after 2001.

I got the DVD for £3. No extras though.

In case Gene missed the Friday News Dump:

The Obama administration, fearing a battle with Congress that could stall plans to close the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, is drafting an executive order that would reassert presidential authority to incarcerate terrorism suspects indefinitely, according to three senior government officials with knowledge of White House deliberations.

-Washington Post

Jane Fonda stated in response that her ‘claims’ about Khmer Rouge atrocities could not be substantiated

Jane Fonda is exactly the disgusting shit that Joan Baez is not. Hat off to Joan.

Me

Jane Fonda is exactly the disgusting shit that Joan Baez is not. Hat off to Joan.

Seconded.

Quick report, videos and an appeal to support political prisoners on the HOPI Blog. Please re-post and and share widely. -

http://hopinewsfromiran.wordpress.com/2009/06/28/protests-continue-in-iran-free-all-political-prisoners

Diamonds and Rust.

Even after all these years, Joan Baez singing “We Shall Overcome” is still very inspiring. The verses in Persian make even more so.

Joan Baez is much like George Orwell in that she like Orwell is unafraid to oppose totalatarian movements whether they are of the Left or the Right.

Joan,
Will we truly ‘overcome someday’? What I have seen since I saw you and David ‘a million years ago’ in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is the world repeating the cycle/circle of oppression, violence, freedom, oppression, violence, ad infinitum…since the dawn of humanity, the ONLY things that HAVE changed are the weapons, not the mentality. We are very creative when it comes to killing…where is the Creator of Peace?
I call to action all who give lip service to Peace, Love, and Understanding as preached in EVERY religion to ‘get off the playground’, walk in your ADULT, greet ‘win-win’ as a far higher calling than ‘win’; we are very short upon this Earth…leave a legacy of the Creation of Peace to your children and grandchildren…SURPRISE THE WORLD!!!