Resurrecting the Red: Pete Seeger and the Purification of Difficult Reputations

Minna Bromberg; Gary Alan Fine

doi:10.4324/9780203135969-9

Resurrecting the Red: Pete Seeger and the Purification of Difficult Reputations

Minna Bromberg, Gary Alan Fine^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Sociology

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter

Abstract

In November 1994 Arlo Guthrie, son of the late folk singer Woody Guthrie, stood on the stage of the Kennedy Center in Washington and looked out at a house packed with politicians and other luminaries. Pete Seeger had been named a Kennedy Center Honoree. Guthrie, a presenter, recalled that when there was a move afoot to make his father’s song, “This Land Is Your Land, " the national anthem (McCarthy 1989), Seeger had vehemently opposed the idea. Guthrie remembered Seeger arguing that the worst thing you could do to a song was to make it official. Then Guthrie looked out into the audience and said, “I wonder what we’re going to do now that you’re official” (Pareles 1994:C11).

Original language	English (US)
Title of host publication	Sticky Reputations
Subtitle of host publication	The Politics of Collective Memory in Midcentury America
Publisher	Taylor and Francis
Pages	91-112
Number of pages	22
ISBN (Electronic)	9781136485657
ISBN (Print)	9780415894982
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203135969-9
State	Published - Jan 1 2012

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Social Sciences(all)

Access to Document

10.4324/9780203135969-9

Cite this

@inbook{19a6d8dee2454dfab75e5232fb06ccac,

title = "Resurrecting the Red: Pete Seeger and the Purification of Difficult Reputations",

abstract = "In November 1994 Arlo Guthrie, son of the late folk singer Woody Guthrie, stood on the stage of the Kennedy Center in Washington and looked out at a house packed with politicians and other luminaries. Pete Seeger had been named a Kennedy Center Honoree. Guthrie, a presenter, recalled that when there was a move afoot to make his father{\textquoteright}s song, “This Land Is Your Land, {"} the national anthem (McCarthy 1989), Seeger had vehemently opposed the idea. Guthrie remembered Seeger arguing that the worst thing you could do to a song was to make it official. Then Guthrie looked out into the audience and said, “I wonder what we{\textquoteright}re going to do now that you{\textquoteright}re official” (Pareles 1994:C11).",

author = "Minna Bromberg and Fine, {Gary Alan}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2012 Taylor & Francis.",

year = "2012",

month = jan,

day = "1",

doi = "10.4324/9780203135969-9",

language = "English (US)",

isbn = "9780415894982",

pages = "91--112",

booktitle = "Sticky Reputations",

publisher = "Taylor and Francis",

}

TY - CHAP

T1 - Resurrecting the Red

T2 - Pete Seeger and the Purification of Difficult Reputations

AU - Bromberg, Minna

AU - Fine, Gary Alan

PY - 2012/1/1

Y1 - 2012/1/1

N2 - In November 1994 Arlo Guthrie, son of the late folk singer Woody Guthrie, stood on the stage of the Kennedy Center in Washington and looked out at a house packed with politicians and other luminaries. Pete Seeger had been named a Kennedy Center Honoree. Guthrie, a presenter, recalled that when there was a move afoot to make his father’s song, “This Land Is Your Land, " the national anthem (McCarthy 1989), Seeger had vehemently opposed the idea. Guthrie remembered Seeger arguing that the worst thing you could do to a song was to make it official. Then Guthrie looked out into the audience and said, “I wonder what we’re going to do now that you’re official” (Pareles 1994:C11).

AB - In November 1994 Arlo Guthrie, son of the late folk singer Woody Guthrie, stood on the stage of the Kennedy Center in Washington and looked out at a house packed with politicians and other luminaries. Pete Seeger had been named a Kennedy Center Honoree. Guthrie, a presenter, recalled that when there was a move afoot to make his father’s song, “This Land Is Your Land, " the national anthem (McCarthy 1989), Seeger had vehemently opposed the idea. Guthrie remembered Seeger arguing that the worst thing you could do to a song was to make it official. Then Guthrie looked out into the audience and said, “I wonder what we’re going to do now that you’re official” (Pareles 1994:C11).

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85123145223&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85123145223&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.4324/9780203135969-9

DO - 10.4324/9780203135969-9

M3 - Chapter

AN - SCOPUS:85123145223

SN - 9780415894982

SP - 91

EP - 112

BT - Sticky Reputations

PB - Taylor and Francis

ER -

Resurrecting the Red: Pete Seeger and the Purification of Difficult Reputations

Abstract

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this