If Fox News didn’t think Occupy Wall Street protesters are just a bunch of hippies already, this sure won’t help. Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie were the latest celebrities to join the 99%, treating the crowd to a spontaneous folk performance Friday night near New York’s Columbus Circle.
F**k Fox News!
92-Year-Old Folk Legend Lends His Voice to ‘Occupy’
On Friday night, over a month since the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ protests began as a small gathering of people so small that there was a virtual media blackout, Pete Seeger emerged from a show he had been performing on New York City’s Upper West Side to join in the protests.
There have been many musicians and celebrities who have thrown their weight behind these protesters, but the 92-year-old folk legend gives these young Americans a new sense of hope and rejuvenation. In the 1960s, he established himself as a prominent protest singer, bringing awareness to causes such as civil rights, international disarmament and the environment.
Seeger, who was wearing a red cap and carrying two canes, was joined a crowd of 600 as they headed south towards Columbus Circle (some 30 blocks away) starting from Symphony Space on 95th and Broadway. On both sides, Seeger was flanked by people carrying placards reading “Lost my job, found an occupation,” and “Corporate greed is revolution’s seed.”
The crowd resembled that of an earlier decade, as they sang “Down by the Riverside,” and “We Shall Not Be Moved,” and [Woody]Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land.”
The audio and video aren’t that great, but it’s the revolutionary spirit that counts.
Comments
6 responses to “Late Night: Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie at Occupation Columbus Circle”
Thanks for posting this, BB. It’s inspiring to see Pete Seeger at OWS. What an American treasure he is! It makes me cry to see him looking so frail, using his canes, but his spirit is still strong. I’m not surprised he felt the need to be present to show his support for the OWS protest. My late father, who was also a folk singer, knew Pete for decades and admired him greatly for his unwavering commitment to social justice. Seeing him brings back lots of personal memories. 🙁
Woody’s “This Land is Your Land” should be our national anthem.
I agree with everything you wrote! It must have been wonderful to have a folksinger for a dad.
agree. 🙂
Those songs really bring back memories for me. Love the revolutionary spirit of them.
OT, but my mother used to work in Columbus Circle at the office of Pez-Haas, Inc. and I got some neat Pez candy dispensers there.
A Pete Seeger classic. My father loved to sing this one.