Well done Mazzy and your fellow music lovers. I think these kind of conversations need to occur more. We used to own property in the Mt. Baker area of Washington. I love the U.S. but I am a proud Canadian. I listened to Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man" the other day and almost wept hoping the ideals expressed in that music haven't died. Keep on rockin' in the free world Mazzy.
Thanks Mazzy Chris and Todd, this was really timely and inspiring. Going to check out many of these LPs and of course, their channels 👍🏻 I hope you can do this every month!
Give me back my broken night My mirrored room, my secret life It's lonely here There's no one left to torture Give me absolute control Over every living soul And lie beside me, baby That's an order! Give me crack and anal sex Take the only tree that's left And stuff it up the hole In your culture Give me back the Berlin wall Give me Stalin and St Paul I've seen the future, brother: It is murder Things are going to slide, slide in all directions Won't be nothing Nothing you can measure anymore The blizzard, the blizzard of the world Has crossed the threshold And it has overturned The order of the soul When they said REPENT REPENT I wonder what they meant When they said REPENT REPENT I wonder what they meant When they said REPENT REPENT I wonder what they meant You don't know me from the wind You never will, you never did I'm the little Jew Who wrote the Bible I've seen the nations rise and fall I've heard their stories, heard them all But love's the only engine of survival Your servant here, he has been told To say it clear, to say it cold: It's over, it ain't going Any further And now the wheels of heaven stop You feel the devil's riding crop Get ready for the future: It is murder Things are going to slide There'll be the breaking of the ancient Western code Your private life will suddenly explode There'll be phantoms There'll be fires on the road And the white man dancing You'll see your woman Hanging upside down Her features covered by her fallen gown And all the lousy little poets Coming round Tryin' to sound like Charlie Manson And the white man dancin' Give me back the Berlin wall Give me Stalin and St Paul Give me Christ Or give me Hiroshima Destroy another fetus now We don't like children anyhow I've seen the future, baby: It is murder Things are going to slide When they said repent repent
Yessssw, thank you for this. I’m gonna need SOME sort of sign of life from this country real quick, because what has been going down and everything that is about to happen is going to be unimaginably bleak. We need to organize. We need resistance in many forms, including cultural and social.
Totally agree.The fact that orange cult leader won the popular vote is what I find most alarming.It tells me that a majority (of the people who voted) prefer to have a dictator TELL them how it's going to be is fucking scary.
You can be your own sign of action. One way I'm active is donating to organizations that bring the lawsuits that can block and delay and disrupt the fascists. What is one way you're resisting?
Thanks Mazzy, I'm so grateful you're doing this. I've hardly ever talked politics with my audiophile friends because I'm worried most of them have very different views and that it would cause damaging friction. And you can get by just talking about the music and tech. But what you're doing is special, because this opens up a dimension of this hobby that is rarely discussed: the lyrics, the messages, and not just the sound quality, or the musical quality. Lyrics are tricky and politics is especially volatile right now. But as you said, it's been volatile before. I also missed the draft by a couple of years. I remember my mother was so worried, she said if my number came up, she would pack me up in a crate and mail me to Canada if she had too and I had no say in the matter! Boy, it feels like the ground suddenly became very unstable.
Let’s not forget the album Country Joe McDonald Sings Woody Guthrie, which is a double lp on Vanguard. Since the early 1970’s to the present Joe has done concert tours sing Joe when home in Berkeley and California of weekly open mic concerts and will play at benefits for labor rights, civil rights and.
Bravo gents! Congrats for the initiative. It takes some courage to express your opinions and be exposed to the haters that too often hide behind the anonimity provided by internet. We are all music lovers but above all we are citizens. Being apolitical, especially in times like these, is already a political choice. If anyone does not agree with the political opinions expressed in this channel, just don't watch these videos and, if you wish your opinions to be heard, find the right channel to express them. Looking forward to next episodes (hopefully with the deported Jon joining from wherever he might be😂)
@@frangarcia7774 thanks for the comment. Not sure it’s courage, but I always try to be true to my beliefs and be an honest broker. I hope more people engage ✌🏼
One of the things I think American leftish-popular history has failed to deal with is how we paint some people like Woody Guthrie or Dalton Trumbo with nicer revisionist brushes because they were victims of genuinely unjust treatment or censorship. Yet not all victims of unjust treatment are righteous heroes. Trumbo and Gutherie were Stalinists who refused to renounce him even after other communists revealed his horrors during de-stalinization. In the 1930s Guthrie even wrote a song praising Hitler and his alliance with the Soviet union in carving up Poland (this is when the USSR committed the Katyn massacre, murdering over 20,000 Polish soldiers and bureaucrats). Gutherie only became anti-Nazi after they betrayed the alliance and invaded the USSR. A similar thing happened to Paul Robeson whom I admired a lot when I was younger, but then learned more about his life, like when he visited the USSR after the purge under Stalin and found out all his Jewish friends had been sent to secret prisons awaiting execution. He even asked where one of his particular friends, Itzik Feffer was, and the soviet secret police had to drag him out of prison and present him to Robeson in a bugged hotel room. After Robeson left, Feffer was executed along with all the other prominent Jewish intellectuals (look up Night of the Murdered Poets). Robeson knew all of this, and yet still defended Stalin and refused to denounce him. The Red Scare was brutal, but that sometimes lets us overlook the brutality and cruelty of American Communists and their fellow travelers.
Even in the complete unknown, there were comments about communism. Alan Grossman getting scolded about selling Bob Dylan. Pete being a card carrying communist. And so on and so on. Grow up, Mazzy.
@@deanallen-5636 To his credit Seeger left the communist party in 1949, specifically because of the news of Stalin's atrocities. Although he is guilty of the same earlier anti-FDR, anti-US interventionism dogma as Guthrie. Songs for John Doe by the Almanac Singers has aged very, very poorly. I recommend going to look up the lyrics, they read like Charles Lindbergh meets modern Roger Waters. At least Seeger, unlike Robeson, admitted his mistakes and moved on.
Finally had time to watch this and loved it very much! Very well done. As a Canadian, Up here, north of the border, we are having our very own ‘leadership’ moment. Of course whether it’s Neil Young, Leonard Cohen or others, we certainly have many artists that have offered amazing soundtracks to troubled times. I’m going to play some Bruce Cockburn today for sure now. Mr. Trumps aggression toward his neighbours pretty much sums up his character for me; talk about stabbing your friends in the front (and the back)! Great video…do more of this!!!
The photograph on the Dust Bowl Ballads sleeve is by the great photographer Arthur Rothstein (btw father of Rob Stoner (Robert David Rothstein) who was bassplayer in Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue, Desire, and the Budokan Tour. He's played in lots of bands, and still does his solo act as well).
Thanks for the recommendations. If you’re looking at ambient you might want to also try something in the classical vein. I suggest Pēteris Vasks Viola Concerto and String Symphony ‘Voices’ on BIS (2020),
Listening to this, all your views, opinions etc. shows to me how important music is in life. I'm a UK resident that looks over at what happens in the USA & despairs sometimes. But, to watch you three talking gives me hope that there are plenty of decent folk out there. Music is the thing that keeps me going & gets me through each day, especially after my last few years of serious illness & family bereavements. Keep flying that musical flag guys.
Love this idea. As an Aussie I look at what is happening in the US and wonder how it came to this. I know the president doesn’t reflect the views of the majority so it’s time for the majority to stand firm. Power to the people!
This says everything about the time we're living in: When you said one of the scheduled participants in this video had been arrested and put in an ICE detention camp I had no way of knowing if you were serious. Because that's entirely plausible.
Great concept. Enjoyed everything. Thank you. Funny the 2008 housing meltdown and economic crash was mentioned in the intro. Soundtrack to the movie "The Big Short", ending credits "When The Levee Breaks" Led Zeppelin. Whether it's lost homes in wildfires or what happened in the great depression and 2008, the end result is tragically the same.
My favorit political song are Marley’s Redemtion Song. I first heard it forty years ago, and since then it has come back to me time after time. Great piece.
Thanks for doing these videos! I'm in a really mixed part of the country but consider myself lucky to live in an area represented by Jasmine Crockett. There's a local VC youtuber who just happened to pop up on my FB people you know and after seeing some of his posts I couldn't continue watching his videos. Keep up the great content mazzy!
The Clash White Riot was written by Joe Strummer following his witnessing the August 76 Notting Hill Carnival riots. The photo on the back cover of The Clash album is also of a scene of from the riot. I'm So Bored With The USA was originally titled I'm So Bored With You and written by Mick Jones before The Clash were formed. Strummer changed the lyrics and title.
I generally hold my political cards quite close to my chest and try hard not to base judgement of others for their outspoken views. I also try to be always be open to new perspectives that I haven’t yet considered yet and be guided by very intentional empathy. Inasmuch, I basically avoid talking politics at all costs. I hesitated to watch as I was expecting this conversation to be rather pointed but I was pleasantly surprised to find it level headed and full of insightful musical commentary. Nice jobs, gents. Also appreciated the Tokyo Record Style shoutout. Looking forward to tuning in again.
I just subbed your channel b/c of the good vibe / energy level. Cuiv (the lazy geek) shoots astrophotography from Tokyo - the light pollution factor is a major challenge.
I've listened to Red Headed Stranger a lot since November also. It takes me back to 72-75 in Austin seeing Willie develope that album in the bars, clubs, and the Armadillo World Headquarters. Those were better times.
Thanks to all of you for creating this thread. Keep it going. What's happening now does not represent the desires of most of us, so your words are important as we try to find a way out of where we find ourselves. Thanks again.
Good start. Looking forward to see next chapter of The Resistance. Think that we in Europe almost had given up hope for your great nation. That’s probably not the case if one listen to you guys.
@@chrisrundqvist8868 thank you. Most Americans don’t want to be isolationists, but the president and magas would like that. If they actually even know what it means. Just about all the comments from outside the USA here have been very positive and supported. Thank you ✌🏼
Thanks for this Mazzy, Chris and Todd. Great reflections through music about the political turbulence and disruption that is unfolding. I write from Adelaide, South Australia but the changes you all worry about are evident here too. Plenty to think about. Many things could be said but just one. I like Chris’ comment about ambient music. One album not quite in the ambient category but it has elements thereof is Michael Nesmith’s The Prison. Certainly one I enjoy and often turn to. Mazzy, I think your channel is wonderful and this resistance venture and connection greatly helps in tracking through the menace currently at play.
Nice video you guys. Just the other day I was bemoaning the lack of current protest music when chatting to John & Hedley in the VC Pub. When I was growing up at the end of the 70's and into the 80's there was so much. A very galvanising pushback against various forces creating division and social inequality in the UK at that time. I am not aware of those voices in music today - but it must be out there, right? I am totally with you in finding some solace in quiet contemplative or ambient music right now. I'll have a listen to Satoshi Ashikawa today. Thanks of the recommendation Chris. All the best, D
Great to listen to this. I have listened and watched some of you independently and nice to see you together and having some like minded views from afar. These are interesting times indeed. Thanks for sharing.
The Dust Bowl cover was taken by Arthur Rothstein. He is Rob Stoner’s dad. Rob Stoner was Dylan’s bass player on Desire and band leader for the Rolling Thunder tour. He’s a great guy to follow on Facebook where he features much of his father’s extraordinary photos and shares his rich musical contributions.
a Ry Cooder record... that doesn't get much mention in the VC... and would have fit in here would have been "My Name Is Buddy". Looking forward to Volume Two. Cheers!
I listened to Red by King Crimson nonstop for a month back in 2016. I haven’t picked a specific record this time, but I’ve listened to Somebody’s Watching by Rare Bird more than once.
Neil Young has been one of the best proponents of what's fair in society vs political and corporate greed. Politics is greed regardless of what someone writes about. We know it started with Neil being in Buffalo Springfield. Although Stephen Stills wrote For What It's Worth, Neil became associated with citizen rights, anti establishment and anti corporation. LA has become more and more un inhabitable, any way you look at. Buy an expensive home knowing the fires could get it one day, that will be a hard pass for investors in future.
Thanks Mazzy, I think this is a great idea and the content was great. We can't just retreat into escapism as these times are presenting an existential threat to democracy and in the ugliest way. Mango Mussolini and his sycophants are intentionally approaching all policy decisions with an emphasis on cruelty. Thanks for speaking up!
I finished listening tonight my time after listening to half of it during lunch at work. Thanks again the more I listened the more I liked. Your knowledge is fantastic and your interests are akin to mine. Ambient definitely is a part of my listening when at work and when I need a mood change. Ambient and Eno were big in Melbourne with bands around Nick Cave start time, probably linked through Bowie. When I tuned in I did have an image of Trump in a room with Amyl and the Sniffers on high rotation. Maybe an Australian thing. Thanks again to you three guys. Much love 🙏
"Saved" is the deepest dive into gospel music of Dylan's three Christian albums. It is a complete, all out gospel record, which makes it unique in Dylan's catalog. I love it.
Thank you for this Mazzy. I'm not an American, but I'm a human on this planet in general and Danish/Norwegian in particular, so, having a tough time of it, but you always bring the culture, directness, intelligence and the class. So thank you for being a mensch. Cheers from Morten
Hi Mazzy, This is up there in one of your best discussions you have done, so thank you, I am not a American but have a brother in-law living in Houston, we are coming over later in the year for a few weeks. I will be Vinyl hunting as I want to open a record shop back home in New Zealand later in the year, I hope to find someone that will send vinyl to me when I have a shop. All your video's give me great inspiration and priceless knowledge, did you ever cover Crowded House new LP, Gravity Stairs, would like to know your thought's, thanks again.
Wellll…, As fans of all three of you (especially Mazzy 😁) I was a little concerned when I saw this posted but knew I had to watch it. You guys pulled this off fantastically. To be honest I have been living an escapist life since November listening to music that helped me cope but this caused me to rethink my movement forward. I am not overtly political and keep my thoughts and feelings to myself. It’s the safest way to stay sane for me. Music and the lyrics of so many artists has and will always motivate me as well as comfort me. At my age (66) More and more I feel like I’m on an island in using music as my go to for mental health. So many people i know don’t care and/or think music and its artists should just entertain us with nice MOR musings. I hope you are right and we do see a revival of sorts in artists that can lift our spirits and artists that cause people to critically think about what’s going on universally and not just in their lives. Social media is used for the rallying cry of the weak minded thoughts of these folks. It’s where they find the echo chambers to live in to help them believe they are the majority. As Jason Isbell wrote in his song Hope The High Road. “ We'll ride the ship down Dumping buckets overboard There can't be more of them than us There can't be more”. Jason is one of the bright spots on the music landscape and his work has been a go to for me since I discovered his music. Hope for the future! Keep up the good work. Final quote from Tom Petty “I don’t believe that the good times are over. I don’t believe the thrill is all gone. Real love is a man’s salvation. The weak ones fall, the strong ones carry on”. Peace guys
It took me breaking it up into three viewing sessions but I got through it. Good job from all of you. So basically we can expect either great singer songwriters or mindless dance music for the next 4 years, maybe both? Take care, Todd, Chris and Mazzy.
Sadly we’re living in the era of social media. It’s of my opinion that bad thinking, irrationality and selfishness are hardwired in us, and social media platforms (including TH-cam) have exacerbated, exploited and monetized this fact. They’ve also made us highly reliant and highly addicted to their platforms. So much so that I don’t think any amount of art can come close to combating this. Music can help us cope for sure and there’s a lot that can be said for this, but that’s pretty much the extent. It won’t galvanize change. Not in this relatively new world we living in. In order for change (for the better) to happen we have to first cut the social media cord, and I can’t see that happening anytime soon because it’s just too ingrained.
Résistance! In the climate of our nation today, this was quite enjoyable and so needed Mazzy...For such a time as this! We do need to band together, it's bad enough I live in a state like Utah where the culture is completely upside down, but also the fact that my entire family back east love and voted for Trump. Sometimes I feel like I'm on a desert island as I watch this country I love burn down, but I'll keep my head up doing my part where I can, standing behind those that fight against his regime, and staying informed with The Meidas Touch Network and Legal AF on youtube.
The highlight of the 1980 Bob Dylan Warfield shows is To Ramona with JG on guitar. Alas, not available on an official release. I love this concept. Do not surrender in advance. Resist
Indeed, music (and all art) is political. And music is medicine...so more, more of this please! The powers that be tell we shouldn't talk politics, but that's EXACTLY what we should be going...sunshine is the best disinfectant.
Just want to add my thanks for the discussion. Music has always played a special roll in social justice movements. I just pulled out Tracy Chapman’s S/T album the other day for another spin. Her powerful voice hit the airwaves at the height of the Reagan revolution. Around & around we go.
I enjoy Drive-by Truckers American Band album, though I think The Dirty South is fairly political, still relevant and their best album. So perhaps check that out, Mazzy, et al.
Love that one as well. So many good albums, but the trilogy I mentioned was released between 2016 and 2020 and are like a play by play commentary of what’s going on. Southern Rock Opera, Decoration Day, and The Dirty South provide more historical context.
Thank u very much for bringing some positive realism into this "shithole", and I am worried. Watching this made me feel connected and that gave me a good feeling. However, being a staunch Beatles fan myself, whivh goes back to Christmas time 1983 and She Loves You & I'll Get You, Blackbird was composed in the spring of 1968 in the aftermath of Martin Luther King's assassination. Angela Davis? In 1968? Wasn't she a student at Brandeis at that time?
All Clash Albums are political, I would posit that the later ones, particularly Sandinista, are more so than the first, At least in terms of a global perspective rather than a local one
Good grief not the mud shark story again......🤦♂ Enjoyed the show, I hope you can get Kimbo on about Eddie Vedder (solo) & the Pearl Jam political songs they have.
Fun talk with good people that thankfully stayed on point and wasn't a bashing. Probably being a bit too sensitive about it but maybe on the next one leave out the jokes about ICE having taken Jon, when this is actually a reality for a lot of families right now.
@@soundofminder yeah the joke didn’t work. But the intentions were about the atrocious round ups. Of course of all the non documented immigrants, but my point that others are being included too. Sone who are legal. .
As a Canadian, I am very concerned about this Trump regime. Not only for your people , but for the world. Trump is going to be very aggressive about expanding his Kingdom. This will start wars.!!! The L.A. fires are horrible, and Trump has this " secret tap " to turn on the water. What a goof Growing up , from 1964 onward, I learned about our world through music. I hope artists start making noise now as artists did in those early days of " protest" art.
@@Boatzerama Not really. What war did Trump start. Bush had the US involved in two wars. Obama expanded that to six wars. Trump zero. Biden did his best to escalate to WWlll.
Some fine albums on show here. That Bill Fay album is a beauty. The Clash is irresistible. Nebraska not the best choice for Springsteen. Storytelling influenced by Flannery O'Connor, rather than it being overtly political. The Ghost of Tom Joad does the politics much better, and his solo shows on that tour were definitely political, but not in a party-political way. Raging against the machine in general, if you will. As for the politics of you three, you're not alone in expecting too much from political leaders. It's not good for one's peace of mind. I've come to expect leaders to be 70% a disappointment, 30% achievement. And I'm old enough to appreciate that the current generation of politicians is vastly inferior to those we've seen before. The current U.K. government (and recent governments of the other party) is/were hapless, with 'front benches' of both parties in Parliament mediocrities. It serves me best to try my very best to be even-handed, to avoid the extremes of excessive delight or disappointment when it comes to our elections. Kipling's line "If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same...." is what I aim for. By all means rail against the Trump Administration, and support those musicians who use their art to protest, but I can tell you all that from across the pond, the alternative to Trump choice offered to the American public looked waaaaay off the pace. The Democrats can't keep repeating the 'Hope and Change' theme, (used to great effect by Obama), but woefully tired and inadequate (the incumbent party, after all) in 2024, and expect to win. I don't agree that all music is political, but it can be powerful when it is. I enjoy these debates, but hope that future episodes offer someone who can push back, without shouting!
@@davidatkinson-Music-and-More actually Kamala had concrete proposals spelled out ( if you read her specific proposals . I saw how good she was in San Francisco, and at least she wasn’t filled with hate bigotry, degrading people or an anti world view spewing fake shit
If I had been the art director for the cover of Nebraska, I would have had Bruce wearing toy holsters with Marx six-shooters around his waist and a child's size cowboy hat on his head...and then renamed it Contrived. #teamresistance
Looking forward to the conversation continuing. You all suggest great music to explore for the first time or to revisit artists in my old collection. Thank you!
Rationalising the incompetence of the Californian government. How do you rationalise Biden pre emptively pardoning his crime family, the most corrupt act in US political history.
Oh, if only someone had warned the Los Angeles and California governments years ago that low reservoirs and a failure to regularly clean out the under brush before the Santa Ana winds came through could lead to such a tragedy.
Well done Mazzy and your fellow music lovers. I think these kind of conversations need to occur more. We used to own property in the Mt. Baker area of Washington. I love the U.S. but I am a proud Canadian. I listened to Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man" the other day and almost wept hoping the ideals expressed in that music haven't died. Keep on rockin' in the free world Mazzy.
Thanks Mazzy Chris and Todd, this was really timely and inspiring. Going to check out many of these LPs and of course, their channels 👍🏻
I hope you can do this every month!
Music has been a powerful component of resistance. It helps unite us and energize us to take action.
Leonard Cohen laid it all out in the amazing song the Future.
I’ve seen the future, brother, it is murder. 😟
@@MottTheHaganMusk is the white man dancing in the lyrics I imagine.
Give me back my broken night
My mirrored room, my secret life
It's lonely here
There's no one left to torture
Give me absolute control
Over every living soul
And lie beside me, baby
That's an order!
Give me crack and anal sex
Take the only tree that's left
And stuff it up the hole
In your culture
Give me back the Berlin wall
Give me Stalin and St Paul
I've seen the future, brother:
It is murder
Things are going to slide, slide in all directions
Won't be nothing
Nothing you can measure anymore
The blizzard, the blizzard of the world
Has crossed the threshold
And it has overturned
The order of the soul
When they said REPENT REPENT
I wonder what they meant
When they said REPENT REPENT
I wonder what they meant
When they said REPENT REPENT
I wonder what they meant
You don't know me from the wind
You never will, you never did
I'm the little Jew
Who wrote the Bible
I've seen the nations rise and fall
I've heard their stories, heard them all
But love's the only engine of survival
Your servant here, he has been told
To say it clear, to say it cold:
It's over, it ain't going
Any further
And now the wheels of heaven stop
You feel the devil's riding crop
Get ready for the future:
It is murder
Things are going to slide
There'll be the breaking of the ancient
Western code
Your private life will suddenly explode
There'll be phantoms
There'll be fires on the road
And the white man dancing
You'll see your woman
Hanging upside down
Her features covered by her fallen gown
And all the lousy little poets
Coming round
Tryin' to sound like Charlie Manson
And the white man dancin'
Give me back the Berlin wall
Give me Stalin and St Paul
Give me Christ
Or give me Hiroshima
Destroy another fetus now
We don't like children anyhow
I've seen the future, baby:
It is murder
Things are going to slide
When they said repent repent
This is a series that is sorely needed in these dark times. Thank you Mazzy.
Thanks, Mazzy. Keep it up.
Yessssw, thank you for this. I’m gonna need SOME sort of sign of life from this country real quick, because what has been going down and everything that is about to happen is going to be unimaginably bleak. We need to organize. We need resistance in many forms, including cultural and social.
Totally agree.The fact that orange cult leader won the popular vote is what I find most alarming.It tells me that a majority (of the people who voted) prefer to have a dictator TELL them how it's going to be is fucking scary.
You can be your own sign of action.
One way I'm active is donating to organizations that bring the lawsuits that can block and delay and disrupt the fascists. What is one way you're resisting?
Joan Baez recorded many protest songs but even more important, spoke out during the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement! Bless you Joan Baez!
Thanks for this video Mazzy. Looking forward to future episodes. I for one need music recommendations to "escape" the next 4 years...🙏
Being Danish I cherish each day, we haven't been invaded by USA 😲
Great Sunday coffee morning conversation. Three very fluent music/political minds sharing album context and personal influence. Thanks, guys.
Thanks Mazzy, I'm so grateful you're doing this. I've hardly ever talked politics with my audiophile friends because I'm worried most of them have very different views and that it would cause damaging friction. And you can get by just talking about the music and tech. But what you're doing is special, because this opens up a dimension of this hobby that is rarely discussed: the lyrics, the messages, and not just the sound quality, or the musical quality. Lyrics are tricky and politics is especially volatile right now. But as you said, it's been volatile before. I also missed the draft by a couple of years. I remember my mother was so worried, she said if my number came up, she would pack me up in a crate and mail me to Canada if she had too and I had no say in the matter! Boy, it feels like the ground suddenly became very unstable.
It’s something I feel compelled to you. Thank you 🌟
Let’s not forget the album Country Joe McDonald Sings Woody Guthrie, which is a double lp on Vanguard. Since the early 1970’s to the present Joe has done concert tours sing Joe when home in Berkeley and California of weekly open mic concerts and will play at benefits for labor rights, civil rights and.
This new series was/is needed. Thanks Mazzy
Thank you ✌🏼
Bravo gents! Congrats for the initiative. It takes some courage to express your opinions and be exposed to the haters that too often hide behind the anonimity provided by internet. We are all music lovers but above all we are citizens. Being apolitical, especially in times like these, is already a political choice. If anyone does not agree with the political opinions expressed in this channel, just don't watch these videos and, if you wish your opinions to be heard, find the right channel to express them.
Looking forward to next episodes (hopefully with the deported Jon joining from wherever he might be😂)
@@frangarcia7774 thanks for the comment. Not sure it’s courage, but I always try to be true to my beliefs and be an honest broker. I hope more people engage ✌🏼
One of the things I think American leftish-popular history has failed to deal with is how we paint some people like Woody Guthrie or Dalton Trumbo with nicer revisionist brushes because they were victims of genuinely unjust treatment or censorship. Yet not all victims of unjust treatment are righteous heroes. Trumbo and Gutherie were Stalinists who refused to renounce him even after other communists revealed his horrors during de-stalinization. In the 1930s Guthrie even wrote a song praising Hitler and his alliance with the Soviet union in carving up Poland (this is when the USSR committed the Katyn massacre, murdering over 20,000 Polish soldiers and bureaucrats). Gutherie only became anti-Nazi after they betrayed the alliance and invaded the USSR.
A similar thing happened to Paul Robeson whom I admired a lot when I was younger, but then learned more about his life, like when he visited the USSR after the purge under Stalin and found out all his Jewish friends had been sent to secret prisons awaiting execution. He even asked where one of his particular friends, Itzik Feffer was, and the soviet secret police had to drag him out of prison and present him to Robeson in a bugged hotel room. After Robeson left, Feffer was executed along with all the other prominent Jewish intellectuals (look up Night of the Murdered Poets). Robeson knew all of this, and yet still defended Stalin and refused to denounce him. The Red Scare was brutal, but that sometimes lets us overlook the brutality and cruelty of American Communists and their fellow travelers.
Correct how about a comment guys on this post?
Even in the complete unknown, there were comments about communism. Alan Grossman getting scolded about selling Bob Dylan. Pete being a card carrying communist. And so on and so on. Grow up, Mazzy.
@@deanallen-5636 To his credit Seeger left the communist party in 1949, specifically because of the news of Stalin's atrocities. Although he is guilty of the same earlier anti-FDR, anti-US interventionism dogma as Guthrie. Songs for John Doe by the Almanac Singers has aged very, very poorly. I recommend going to look up the lyrics, they read like Charles Lindbergh meets modern Roger Waters. At least Seeger, unlike Robeson, admitted his mistakes and moved on.
Agree. Enjoy.
Finally had time to watch this and loved it very much! Very well done.
As a Canadian, Up here, north of the border, we are having our very own ‘leadership’ moment. Of course whether it’s Neil Young, Leonard Cohen or others, we certainly have many artists that have offered amazing soundtracks to troubled times. I’m going to play some Bruce Cockburn today for sure now.
Mr. Trumps aggression toward his neighbours pretty much sums up his character for me; talk about stabbing your friends in the front (and the back)!
Great video…do more of this!!!
The photograph on the Dust Bowl Ballads sleeve is by the great photographer Arthur Rothstein (btw father of Rob Stoner (Robert David Rothstein) who was bassplayer in Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue, Desire, and the Budokan Tour. He's played in lots of bands, and still does his solo act as well).
Great music and a great conversation.
Thanks for the recommendations. If you’re looking at ambient you might want to also try something in the classical vein. I suggest Pēteris Vasks Viola Concerto and String Symphony ‘Voices’ on BIS (2020),
Video of the year already... Long live the Resistance!
Listening to this, all your views, opinions etc. shows to me how important music is in life. I'm a UK resident that looks over at what happens in the USA & despairs sometimes. But, to watch you three talking gives me hope that there are plenty of decent folk out there. Music is the thing that keeps me going & gets me through each day, especially after my last few years of serious illness & family bereavements. Keep flying that musical flag guys.
Thank you for your kind comments. Sharing music is essential ✌🏼
Love this idea. As an Aussie I look at what is happening in the US and wonder how it came to this.
I know the president doesn’t reflect the views of the majority so it’s time for the majority to stand firm.
Power to the people!
The problem is he has all the power and in this second term, he has a better idea of how he’s going to use that power now.
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Thanks Mazzy! Love this series, I need this series! Can’t wait for the next one!
Hi Mazzy, i seen most of your videos and this one i must say is probably one of the best. In times like this music is more important than ever.
Mazzy le resistance!!! I’m here for it!!!
F tRump. Right on guys! The Resistance
This says everything about the time we're living in: When you said one of the scheduled participants in this video had been arrested and put in an ICE detention camp I had no way of knowing if you were serious. Because that's entirely plausible.
You can’t tell when I’m having a laugh about it ?
In the city Mazzy lives in, Seattle, ICE agents have gone into restaurants looking to take people away...not really a good time to joke IMHO.
Also, I’ll give a shot out to Nina Simone Backlash Blues, and Freddie King Yonder Wall for interesting political music.
Mazzy, the discussion with your guests was informative, measured and, most importantly, entertaining! I look forward to the next installment!
Great concept. Enjoyed everything. Thank you. Funny the 2008 housing meltdown and economic crash was mentioned in the intro. Soundtrack to the movie "The Big Short", ending credits "When The Levee Breaks" Led Zeppelin. Whether it's lost homes in wildfires or what happened in the great depression and 2008, the end result is tragically the same.
My favorit political song are Marley’s Redemtion Song. I first heard it forty years ago, and since then it has come back to me time after time. Great piece.
Thanks for doing these videos! I'm in a really mixed part of the country but consider myself lucky to live in an area represented by Jasmine Crockett. There's a local VC youtuber who just happened to pop up on my FB people you know and after seeing some of his posts I couldn't continue watching his videos. Keep up the great content mazzy!
what a fantastic idea ! More power to you.
Great episode. Good idea this. Keep 'em coming!
Thanks! Will do! Probably once a month. I don’t want to piss off those few people too much. 😵💫🤠✌🏼
The Clash White Riot was written by Joe Strummer following his witnessing the August 76 Notting Hill Carnival riots. The photo on the back cover of The Clash album is also of a scene of from the riot. I'm So Bored With The USA was originally titled I'm So Bored With You and written by Mick Jones before The Clash were formed. Strummer changed the lyrics and title.
Thank you ✌🏼
I generally hold my political cards quite close to my chest and try hard not to base judgement of others for their outspoken views. I also try to be always be open to new perspectives that I haven’t yet considered yet and be guided by very intentional empathy. Inasmuch, I basically avoid talking politics at all costs. I hesitated to watch as I was expecting this conversation to be rather pointed but I was pleasantly surprised to find it level headed and full of insightful musical commentary. Nice jobs, gents. Also appreciated the Tokyo Record Style shoutout. Looking forward to tuning in again.
Thank you Brian ✌🏼
I just subbed your channel b/c of the good vibe / energy level. Cuiv (the lazy geek) shoots astrophotography from Tokyo - the light pollution factor is a major challenge.
Way to kick off 2025 with referencing both Ry Cooder and BOB and this is OUR country
I've listened to Red Headed Stranger a lot since November also. It takes me back to 72-75 in Austin seeing Willie develope that album in the bars, clubs, and the Armadillo World Headquarters. Those were better times.
Thanks to all of you for creating this thread. Keep it going. What's happening now does not represent the desires of most of us, so your words are important as we try to find a way out of where we find ourselves. Thanks again.
Good start. Looking forward to see next chapter of The Resistance. Think that we in Europe almost had given up hope for your great nation. That’s probably not the case if one listen to you guys.
@@chrisrundqvist8868 thank you. Most Americans don’t want to be isolationists, but the president and magas would like that. If they actually even know what it means. Just about all the comments from outside the USA here have been very positive and supported. Thank you ✌🏼
Thanks for this Mazzy, Chris and Todd. Great reflections through music about the political turbulence and disruption that is unfolding. I write from Adelaide, South Australia but the changes you all worry about are evident here too. Plenty to think about. Many things could be said but just one. I like Chris’ comment about ambient music. One album not quite in the ambient category but it has elements thereof is Michael Nesmith’s The Prison. Certainly one I enjoy and often turn to. Mazzy, I think your channel is wonderful and this resistance venture and connection greatly helps in tracking through the menace currently at play.
Nice video you guys. Just the other day I was bemoaning the lack of current protest music when chatting to John & Hedley in the VC Pub. When I was growing up at the end of the 70's and into the 80's there was so much. A very galvanising pushback against various forces creating division and social inequality in the UK at that time. I am not aware of those voices in music today - but it must be out there, right?
I am totally with you in finding some solace in quiet contemplative or ambient music right now. I'll have a listen to Satoshi Ashikawa today. Thanks of the recommendation Chris. All the best, D
Thank you David ✌🏼
Great to listen to this. I have listened and watched some of you independently and nice to see you together and having some like minded views from afar. These are interesting times indeed. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for listening✌🏼
More like this Mazzy it needs to be said and listened to….Peace & Love 🇬🇧
Ambient: check out the Michael Brook / Brian Eno album called Hybrid
Please keep making of these videos.
The Dust Bowl cover was taken by Arthur Rothstein. He is Rob Stoner’s dad. Rob Stoner was Dylan’s bass player on Desire and band leader for the Rolling Thunder tour. He’s a great guy to follow on Facebook where he features much of his father’s extraordinary photos and shares his rich musical contributions.
a Ry Cooder record... that doesn't get much mention in the VC... and would have fit in here would have been "My Name Is Buddy". Looking forward to Volume Two. Cheers!
I listened to Red by King Crimson nonstop for a month back in 2016. I haven’t picked a specific record this time, but I’ve listened to Somebody’s Watching by Rare Bird more than once.
Neil Young has been one of the best proponents of what's fair in society vs political and corporate greed. Politics is greed regardless of what someone writes about. We know it started with Neil being in Buffalo Springfield. Although Stephen Stills wrote For What It's Worth, Neil became associated with citizen rights, anti establishment and anti corporation. LA has become more and more un inhabitable, any way you look at. Buy an expensive home knowing the fires could get it one day, that will be a hard pass for investors in future.
Thanks Mazzy, I think this is a great idea and the content was great. We can't just retreat into escapism as these times are presenting an existential threat to democracy and in the ugliest way. Mango Mussolini and his sycophants are intentionally approaching all policy decisions with an emphasis on cruelty. Thanks for speaking up!
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I finished listening tonight my time after listening to half of it during lunch at work. Thanks again the more I listened the more I liked. Your knowledge is fantastic and your interests are akin to mine. Ambient definitely is a part of my listening when at work and when I need a mood change. Ambient and Eno were big in Melbourne with bands around Nick Cave start time, probably linked through Bowie. When I tuned in I did have an image of Trump in a room with Amyl and the Sniffers on high rotation. Maybe an Australian thing. Thanks again to you three guys. Much love 🙏
Thank you 🙏
"Saved" is the deepest dive into gospel music of Dylan's three Christian albums. It is a complete, all out gospel record, which makes it unique in Dylan's catalog. I love it.
Thank you for this Mazzy. I'm not an American, but I'm a human on this planet in general and Danish/Norwegian in particular, so, having a tough time of it, but you always bring the culture, directness, intelligence and the class. So thank you for being a mensch. Cheers from Morten
Hi Mazzy, This is up there in one of your best discussions you have done, so thank you, I am not a American but have a brother in-law living in Houston, we are coming over later in the year for a few weeks. I will be Vinyl hunting as I want to open a record shop back home in New Zealand later in the year, I hope to find someone that will send vinyl to me when I have a shop. All your video's give me great inspiration and priceless knowledge, did you ever cover Crowded House new LP, Gravity Stairs, would like to know your thought's, thanks again.
Wellll…, As fans of all three of you (especially Mazzy 😁) I was a little concerned when I saw this posted but knew I had to watch it. You guys pulled this off fantastically. To be honest I have been living an escapist life since November listening to music that helped me cope but this caused me to rethink my movement forward. I am not overtly political and keep my thoughts and feelings to myself. It’s the safest way to stay sane for me. Music and the lyrics of so many artists has and will always motivate me as well as comfort me. At my age (66) More and more I feel like I’m on an island in using music as my go to for mental health. So many people i know don’t care and/or think music and its artists should just entertain us with nice MOR musings. I hope you are right and we do see a revival of sorts in artists that can lift our spirits and artists that cause people to critically think about what’s going on universally and not just in their lives. Social media is used for the rallying cry of the weak minded thoughts of these folks. It’s where they find the echo chambers to live in to help them believe they are the majority. As Jason Isbell wrote in his song Hope The High Road. “ We'll ride the ship down
Dumping buckets overboard
There can't be more of them than us There can't be more”. Jason is one of the bright spots on the music landscape and his work has been a go to for me since I discovered his music. Hope for the future! Keep up the good work. Final quote from Tom Petty “I don’t believe that the good times are over. I don’t believe the thrill is all gone. Real love is a man’s salvation. The weak ones fall, the strong ones carry on”.
Peace guys
Thank you so much ✌🏼
It took me breaking it up into three viewing sessions but I got through it. Good job from all of you. So basically we can expect either great singer songwriters or mindless dance music for the next 4 years, maybe both? Take care, Todd, Chris and Mazzy.
Thank you Elliott✌🏼
Vive La Resistance! Great chat. Felt like I was hanging out with you guys, ready to pull my records out to join the conversation. Excellent!
Thanks to you as well Todd and Chris. Hope to see Jon soon.
Tom Russell, really touches on social, cultural, political concerns.
Sadly we’re living in the era of social media. It’s of my opinion that bad thinking, irrationality and selfishness are hardwired in us, and social media platforms (including TH-cam) have exacerbated, exploited and monetized this fact. They’ve also made us highly reliant and highly addicted to their platforms. So much so that I don’t think any amount of art can come close to combating this. Music can help us cope for sure and there’s a lot that can be said for this, but that’s pretty much the extent. It won’t galvanize change. Not in this relatively new world we living in.
In order for change (for the better) to happen we have to first cut the social media cord, and I can’t see that happening anytime soon because it’s just too ingrained.
Résistance! In the climate of our nation today, this was quite enjoyable and so needed Mazzy...For such a time as this! We do need to band together, it's bad enough I live in a state like Utah where the culture is completely upside down, but also the fact that my entire family back east love and voted for Trump. Sometimes I feel like I'm on a desert island as I watch this country I love burn down, but I'll keep my head up doing my part where I can, standing behind those that fight against his regime, and staying informed with The Meidas Touch Network and Legal AF on youtube.
"When the mode of the music changes, the walls of the city shake." - Plato
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All power to The Resistance.
It is heartbreaking - in so many ways - to see what is happening in the US after Trump came to power 😪😡
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I have been so blessed to refurbish a a few PortaPros... Nebraska is of its own as a sonic recording and where it came from..
The Pearl by Brian Eno and Harold Budd is an excellent ambient album similar to Music for Airports.
Nice idea, Mazzy
The highlight of the 1980 Bob Dylan Warfield shows is To Ramona with JG on guitar. Alas, not available on an official release. I love this concept. Do not surrender in advance. Resist
Yup✌🏼
Ry Cooder playlist: his first five albums, to start.
Dylan won the Nobel Prize for Literature, not Peace.
Indeed, music (and all art) is political. And music is medicine...so more, more of this please! The powers that be tell we shouldn't talk politics, but that's EXACTLY what we should be going...sunshine is the best disinfectant.
Just want to add my thanks for the discussion. Music has always played a special roll in social justice movements. I just pulled out Tracy Chapman’s S/T album the other day for another spin. Her powerful voice hit the airwaves at the height of the Reagan revolution. Around & around we go.
I enjoy Drive-by Truckers American Band album, though I think The Dirty South is fairly political, still relevant and their best album. So perhaps check that out, Mazzy, et al.
Love that one as well. So many good albums, but the trilogy I mentioned was released between 2016 and 2020 and are like a play by play commentary of what’s going on. Southern Rock Opera, Decoration Day, and The Dirty South provide more historical context.
Flo and Eddie have a couple of good solo albums too.
Thank u very much for bringing some positive realism into this "shithole", and I am worried. Watching this made me feel connected and that gave me a good feeling. However, being a staunch Beatles fan myself, whivh goes back to Christmas time 1983 and She Loves You & I'll Get You, Blackbird was composed in the spring of 1968 in the aftermath of Martin Luther King's assassination. Angela Davis? In 1968? Wasn't she a student at Brandeis at that time?
Paul has said it was inspired by Angela but I’m sure MLK was on his mind too
Great idea !
Glad you think so!✌🏼
Disappointing that Springsteen's "The Ghost of Tom Joad" was not mentioned.
Yeah. I think we briefly mentioned it. I thought my woody Guthrie intro mentioning. Tom Joad would lead into it. But not this time. ✌🏼
All Clash Albums are political, I would posit that the later ones, particularly Sandinista, are more so than the first, At least in terms of a global perspective rather than a local one
You can have an opinion without shouting, thanks Guys.
Our pleasure!✌🏼
Yoko Ono: "A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality."
Good grief not the mud shark story again......🤦♂
Enjoyed the show, I hope you can get Kimbo on about Eddie Vedder (solo) & the Pearl Jam political songs they have.
🤠 not Kimbo will make it in this one
Great episode Mazzy ❤
Solidarity from a distance.
Best chill record - John Luther Adams “In the White Silence”. Guaranteed.
Fun talk with good people that thankfully stayed on point and wasn't a bashing. Probably being a bit too sensitive about it but maybe on the next one leave out the jokes about ICE having taken Jon, when this is actually a reality for a lot of families right now.
@@soundofminder yeah the joke didn’t work. But the intentions were about the atrocious round ups. Of course of all the non documented immigrants, but my point that others are being included too. Sone who are legal. .
@@mazzysmusicYou don't know that. That's a toxic media talking point.
Thanks for the warning.
As a Canadian, I am very concerned about this Trump regime.
Not only for your people , but for the world. Trump is going to be very aggressive about expanding his Kingdom.
This will start wars.!!!
The L.A. fires are horrible, and Trump has this " secret tap " to turn on the water. What a goof
Growing up , from 1964 onward, I learned about our world through music. I hope artists start making noise now as artists did in those early days of " protest" art.
They are!
And stick with us Canada, gonna need you to cheer us on.
Trump is the only President in my lifetime that didn’t start or expand wars.
@@vinylrichie007you are badly informed.
@@Boatzerama Not really. What war did Trump start. Bush had the US involved in two wars. Obama expanded that to six wars. Trump zero. Biden did his best to escalate to WWlll.
@@vinylrichie007 we have to wait on this batch of games he is playing
Thanks for speaking the truth...
Check out “Boards of Canada” or “Stars of the Lid” for Ambient music. Thanks for this video!!!!
Some fine albums on show here. That Bill Fay album is a beauty. The Clash is irresistible. Nebraska not the best choice for Springsteen. Storytelling influenced by Flannery O'Connor, rather than it being overtly political. The Ghost of Tom Joad does the politics much better, and his solo shows on that tour were definitely political, but not in a party-political way. Raging against the machine in general, if you will. As for the politics of you three, you're not alone in expecting too much from political leaders. It's not good for one's peace of mind. I've come to expect leaders to be 70% a disappointment, 30% achievement. And I'm old enough to appreciate that the current generation of politicians is vastly inferior to those we've seen before. The current U.K. government (and recent governments of the other party) is/were hapless, with 'front benches' of both parties in Parliament mediocrities. It serves me best to try my very best to be even-handed, to avoid the extremes of excessive delight or disappointment when it comes to our elections. Kipling's line "If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same...." is what I aim for.
By all means rail against the Trump Administration, and support those musicians who use their art to protest, but I can tell you all that from across the pond, the alternative to Trump choice offered to the American public looked waaaaay off the pace. The Democrats can't keep repeating the 'Hope and Change' theme, (used to great effect by Obama), but woefully tired and inadequate (the incumbent party, after all) in 2024, and expect to win. I don't agree that all music is political, but it can be powerful when it is. I enjoy these debates, but hope that future episodes offer someone who can push back, without shouting!
@@davidatkinson-Music-and-More actually Kamala had concrete proposals spelled out ( if you read her specific proposals . I saw how good she was in San Francisco, and at least she wasn’t filled with hate bigotry, degrading people or an anti world view spewing fake shit
great chill ambient record; Stevie Wonder's Secret life of Plants. and Tmmie McCookjs Rocksteady meets dub lp
Rachel exits stage left and all hell breaks loose 😂. Still like your style Mazzy.
great show guys loved it!! being from the "radical Left"" lmao Canada hope its more than once a month lol. cheers
Politics, I’m moving on Racheal Ghost is proof of that…
Billy Bragg and Wilco Mermaid Ave. Thanks Guys
Relive. I am sad i missed it🎉❤🎉❤🎉
Another video to flex the record collection. Cool.
More to come!
If I had been the art director for the cover of Nebraska, I would have had Bruce wearing toy holsters with Marx six-shooters around his waist and a child's size cowboy hat on his head...and then renamed it Contrived. #teamresistance
Looking forward to the conversation continuing. You all suggest great music to explore for the first time or to revisit artists in my old collection. Thank you!
Who believes garden hoses can stop a fire driven by 100 mph winds?
What works great against fire. You seem to be implying that nothing could have been done to fight the fires.
Rationalising the incompetence of the Californian government. How do you rationalise Biden pre emptively pardoning his crime family, the most corrupt act in US political history.
Fire hoses connected to hydrants work very well. I mean, provided the reservoirs that feed the hydrants are filled with water.
Oh, if only someone had warned the Los Angeles and California governments years ago that low reservoirs and a failure to regularly clean out the under brush before the Santa Ana winds came through could lead to such a tragedy.
Or pardoning 1500 convicted criminals