[AGL] Pete, Mike and Peggy

Tue May 2 13:42:37 EDT 2006

Gerry,

May I submit a friendly response to your letter?

> Thumbed his nose at the HUAC and became an indicted "criminal".

Unlike Elia Kazan who named names to keep from being blacklisted in his 
profession, Seeger who was self-employed was in a position to do the right 
thing. I applaud it but it doesnt make him a genuine hero except in a quite 
devalued sense of the word.

> Dedicated himself to uplifting the working class, not just the CPUSA.

"uplifting the working class", how did he do that? Or rather what did you do 
that uplifted them? You are mouthing an empty slogan

> A tireless campaigner for peace all his life (even today at age 86.)
Meaning what precisely?

> Eschewed a life of comfort to work with his hands and do his own thing
> against the grain.

He bought property at the perfect time in the depression. Wise move,  hardly 
heroic.

> Born into the upper class but never joined it.

Au contraire. One cannot unjoin the class one was born into. On this point, 
Stalin was right. Seeger has lived the alternative lifesyle of a gentleman. 
A good choice but one only open to the well bred.

> Both father and son "...stood amid peril for his beliefs. He had typified
> the principles of all the brave people he had sung about."

Empty phrases. You are just mouthing cliches.

Best,

Mike

-- Original Message -----
> From: "Michael Eisenstadt" <michaele at hotpop.com>
> To: "survivors' reminiscences about Austin Ghetto Daze in the 60s"
> <austin-ghetto-list at pairlist.net>
> Sent: Tuesday, May 02, 2006 8:52 AM
> Subject: Re: [AGL] Pete, Mike and Peggy
>
>
>> Gerry,
>>
>> How is a hero? Or, better, a genuine American hero?
>> Because he moved to the country? He was not a criminal,
>> a good guy, and he built his own place in the country.
>> And sang hard to advance the program of the CPUSA
>> but didn't join. Does that make him a hero?
>>
>> Mike Seegar whether or not he is mentioned in the New
>> Yorker piece, remains Pete Seeger's half-brother. Peggy
>> Seegar is Mike's sister. They spell their last name differently
>> than Pete Seeger does.
>>
>> Mike
>>
>> "Born in the UUUUesAY, born in the UUUUesAY" - Bruce
>> Springsteen
>>
>>  ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Gerry" <mesmo at gilanet.com>
>> To: "survivors' reminiscences about Austin Ghetto Daze in the 60s"
>> <austin-ghetto-list at pairlist.net>
>> Sent: Tuesday, May 02, 2006 9:29 AM
>> Subject: Re: [AGL] technicolor fallout
>>
>>
>> > The wife, Toshi, is an American who is half Japanese. (Toshi is short
> for
>> > Toshiko, a popular Japanese name.) They (Seegers) lived most of their
>> > lives
>> > in a house they built on the cheap in the country in 1949, still live
>> > there.
>> > He is 86.
>> >
>> > His style developed by singing to large groups, mostly outdoors with no
>> > P/A
>> > with groups like the Almanac Singers (with Woodie Guthrie) and the
>> > Weavers.
>> > The idea was to get the audience to sing along, lift their spirits, to
>> > have
>> > fun. He liked to sing for children. The studio was an alien environment
> to
>> > him.
>> >
>> > The father was an eccentric communist who quit lucrative teaching jobs
> (he
>> > founded the music department at Berkeley) to travel in a homebuilt
> camper
>> > (with family in tow) bringing music to the hinterlands. He was
> apparently
>> > a
>> > gifted composer and hung out with the likes of Aaron Copeland, worked
> for
>> > the WPA, etc.
>> >
>> > Pete went to Harvard on scholarship, was quite poor and didn't fit in,
>> > waited on tables.
>> >
>> > The NY'er article makes no mention of Mike.
>> >
>> > In the '50's Pete was indicted for contempt of congress for refusing to
>> > answer questions before the HUAC. Found guilty but avoided jail time on
> a
>> > technicality.
>> >
>> > Too bad he couldn't sing well, might have been a star...Instead he
> was/is
>> > only a genuine American hero.
>> > G
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > ----- Original Message -----
>> > From: "Michael Eisenstadt" <michaele at hotpop.com>
>> > To: "survivors' reminiscences about Austin Ghetto Daze in the 60s"
>> > <austin-ghetto-list at pairlist.net>
>> > Sent: Tuesday, May 02, 2006 7:32 AM
>> > Subject: Re: [AGL] technicolor fallout
>> >
>> >
>> >> susi,
>> >>
>> >> I think the thing I disliked most about Pete Seeger's way of singing
>> >> was the relentless upbeat rollicky delivery. Also, after I ceased 
>> >> being
>> >> pro communist, i began to recognize and resent the relentless leftwing
>> >> activism that propelled him (and others). Recently i read an interview
>> >> with him in the Sunday NYTimes magazine which filled in on what I
>> >> thought I knew about the man. I knew he lived in Beacon and had a
>> >> Japanese wife and in person was very tall and knobly. And that Mike
>> >> Seegar, who is short and dark, was his half-brother and that his 
>> >> family
>> >> had a maid in Washington DC who wrote Freight train, freight train go
>> >> so slow who grew up in Asheville, NC
>> >>
>> >> For me, the big insight in the interview was that Pete Seeger's father
>> >> convinced him that the singing of a song was an existential act that
>> >> trumped the song considered in itself. This may be good social
>> >> psycholology, but it is conducive to bad performance.
>> >>
>> >> so it was quite a shock to hear Bruce Springsteen take one of the
>> >> songs Pete used to sing, and not being a tall, red-cheeked rollicking
>> >> folk singer, instead scream the lyrics into the mike in his usual 
>> >> style
>> >> of alienated Jersey shore bluecollar youth in full whine mode.
>> >>
>> >> mike
>> >>
>> >> ----- Original Message -----
>> >> From: "susan gilbert" <ssg at efn.org>
>> >> To: "survivors' reminiscences about Austin Ghetto Daze in the 60s"
>> >> <austin-ghetto-list at pairlist.net>
>> >> Sent: Monday, May 01, 2006 4:01 PM
>> >> Subject: Re: [AGL] technicolor fallout
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> > michael, i agree with you about pete seeger, he did introduce us to
>> >> > music from other aspects of our society, where would we be without
>> >> > elizabeth cotton's (the seeger family maid) "freight train" , so
>> >> > hopefully bruce will do the same for today's uneducated youth, but i
>> >> > doubt they will be interested; anyway, as a measure of who got the
>> >> > money right now, i bet mr.springsteen  appeals to those folks and
>> >> > maybe it will help the future of  new orleans
>> >> > susi
>> >> >
>> >> > On May 1, 2006, at 11:38 AM, Michael Eisenstadt wrote:
>> >> >
>> >> >> Connie,
>> >> >>
>> >> >> I wish I had been on your birding adventure. Just to see the
> American
>> >> >> Redstarts a favorite warbler. Of course the painted buntings are so
>> >> >> cool.
>> >> >> And Black & white warblers are totally neat.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> I would like to have heard the concerts. One of our subscribers
>> >> >> went to
>> >> >> San Antonio for the Dylan tour. I heard a cut from Springsteen's
> Pete
>> >> >> Seager covers album on KUT. It sounded absolute the lamest: just
>> >> >> screaming out the lyrics. Nothing like the original in sound or
>> >> >> soul. Not
>> >> >> that Seager in the original sang much more than a white bread
>> >> >> version of
>> >> >> folk songs from real folk. But at least he was rollicking in
>> >> >> spirit. Not so
>> >> >> Bruce. At least on the one cut I heard from the album.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Mike
>> >> >>
>> >> >> ----- Original Message -----
>> >> >> From: "Connie Clark" <connie_3c at yahoo.com>
>> >> >> To: "BJ's List Ghetto 2" <ghetto2 at listserv.whathelps.com>; "Ghetto
>> >> >> List"
>> >> >> <austin-ghetto-list at pairlist.net>
>> >> >> Sent: Monday, May 01, 2006 12:36 PM
>> >> >> Subject: [AGL] technicolor fallout
>> >> >>
>> >> >>
>> >> >>> It was quite convenient for us to get a storm through the area
>> >> >>> Saturday
>> >> >>> morning, at the end of Spring Migration.  Birders call it a
>> >> >>> 'fallout' when
>> >> >>> the migrating birds take refuge in the first sight of land and
>> >> >>> food source
>> >> >>> on Texas beaches.  Around noon Saturday I drove the one hour from
>> >> >>> Houston
>> >> >>> to the Quintana bird sanctuary to see what was there.  The
>> >> >>> sanctuary is
>> >> >>> about a square block or more, has trees, thick undergrowth and
>> >> >>> water.  A
>> >> >>> trail runs through it.
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>>  About 20 or so other birders where already there, and as soon as
>> >> >>> I walked
>> >> >>> into the woods it was clear, this was going to be a good day for
>> >> >>> birding.
>> >> >>> There were so many birds, I didn't have time to check my guidebook
>> >> >>> for
>> >> >>> identification- I wanted to just keep looking.  So, as my usual
>> >> >>> practice,
>> >> >>> I sidled up to a group of likely experts, and pointed my
>> >> >>> binoculars in
>> >> >>> unison with them, overhearing what we were all looking out. Quick
>> >> >>> identification that way. Birdwatchers are always nice about such
>> >> >>> things.
>> >> >>> They love to share a look-see.
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>>  These birds were in their most brilliant color, feathered finery
>> >> >>> and were
>> >> >>> quite perky considering they had just flown over the Gulf of
> Mexico.
>> >> >>> Hungry there were too.  I saw the yellow, common yellow throat,
> blue
>> >> >>> winged, black and white, black-throated green, chestnut sided,
>> >> >>> Blackburnian and Magnolia warblers; American Redstarts,
> Philadelphia
>> >> >>> Vireos and big orange and black Baltimore Orioles, just to name a
>> >> >>> few.  It
>> >> >>> is always a treat to see one, but I saw three, Three painted
>> >> >>> buntings (1
>> >> >>> F, 2 M).  I, with three very helpful birdwatchers left the scene
>> >> >>> right
>> >> >>> about dusk, all of us exclaiming how good the day had been. When 
>> >> >>> we
>> >> >>> stepped out of the woods, we saw a huge coastal sunset of pink,
>> >> >>> blue and
>> >> >>> gold.
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>>  -----------------------
>> >> >>>  The storm blew across New Orleans late Saturday and left the
>> >> >>> festival
>> >> >>> grounds a bit muddy. Not a big problem, as The Boss did an
>> >> >>> outstanding
>> >> >>> performance with his Seeger Session band.  Protest songs,
> anti-Bush,
>> >> >>> anti-war had the very large crowd responding approvingly.  He was
> all
>> >> >>> acoustic except for a pedal steel.  That must be a hip new
>> >> >>> instrument for
>> >> >>> bands these days.  Bobby Dylan had a pedal steel on Friday night
>> >> >>> Randy
>> >> >>> reported, that gave his set a bit of a Bob Wills sound - and
>> >> >>> Dylans' white
>> >> >>> suit and cowboy hat made quite a swing band impression. I guess 
>> >> >>> for
>> >> >>> contrast, his band wore grey suits with black Bolers.
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>>  Saturday night Dr. John must have felt like he was home at last.
>> >> >>> His
>> >> >>> final song of his set was from Sly and the Family Stone, "Thank
>> >> >>> you for
>> >> >>> letting me be myself, again."
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>>  Attendance at this year's JazzFest are big, big, big, with long
>> >> >>> lines for
>> >> >>> tickets, cabs, restaurant tables.  The Crescent City must really
>> >> >>> be happy
>> >> >>> about all those folks coming back for the best party New Orleans
>> >> >>> puts on.
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>>  Connie
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>>
>> >> >>> ---------------------------------
>> >> >>> How low will we go? Check out Yahoo! Messenger's low  PC-to-Phone
>> >> >>> call
>> >> >>> rates.
>> >> >>
>> >> >>
>> >>
>>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>> >> >> ----------
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