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Emperor1956 -> RE: Americon folk icons. (8/10/2006 10:32:11 PM)
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Fan-fucking-tastic, my friend.
Arpig: Ok Emperor.....let's see what I can come up with.....
My comments in blue. E.
First off, I am sure a lot have been identified already, nope. You got to 'em first. but since I was singled out I will reply before reading the rest of the thread [:D]
Peter Yarrow...name is familiar, maybe it will come to me by the time I have done the rest
Phill Ochs, Socialist folk/protest singer a la Billy Braggs Pretty damn good. The seminal folkie of the late 50s, major influence on above (Yarrow, who you get later).
Pete Seeger: Another famous folk singer (and when trying to remember one of his songs it came to me: Yarrow is from Peter, Paul & Mary). I recommend Springsteen's newest Album, its all Seeger material. Seeger's most famous song might be "Wim Ah Wey" or "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", cribbed heavily from African folkies. I love him for "The Ballad of Sherman Wu"
And yes, Peter Yarrow...the answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind...
Janis Ian: Whiney singer who had a hit back in the 70s, I can't remember the name right now, but the line that stuck in my mind was "At 17 I learned the truth....." which makes me seem really dense, since the name of the song is in fact At Seventeen. This one gets a bit complex. Yes, a singer, and at times whiney...but why did I list her in the 60s folk icons? because "at 17" Janice Ian had a fairly major hit in 1967 called "Society's Child" about a white Jewish girl dating a (GASP) black boy. She has had an incredible career, won like 7 grammys and yes, in the 70s had a second major hit with "At 17". She's still around, still singing.
Charles Whitman: Isn't he the guy who shot a bunch of random people at some college in the states? The Texas Tower Killer. "Charles Joseph Whitman (June 24, 1941 – August 1, 1966) is known for ascending The University of Texas at Austin's 27-story tower on August 1, 1966, and shooting passersby in the city and on the campus below. Whitman killed 15 people and wounded 31 others before he was shot dead by Austin police. Often cited as the most influential gun murderer between Lee Harvey Oswald and John Hinkley. Also the subject of a song by ANOTHER folk Icon....Kinky Friedman.
Karl Armstrong: No idea what he did, but it seems to me he was arrested in Canada. Pretty good, Arpig. The leader of the SDS/Weatherman group at U of Wisconsin who was charged with blowing up the Army Math Center and killing one person (a research assistant who was working late on a weekend and not supposed to be there).
William Calley: The Lt. in charge at My Lai. All those reading the thread who don't know what My Lai was....?
R. Milhouse Nixon: Ex-president of the US who was pardoned for any crimes he may have commited while in office, not that he did comit any, I mean he made it very clear...."I am not a crook."[;)][;)][;)] The first jingle of my nacent radicalism: "Why change dicks in the middle of a screw? Vote for Nixon in '72!"
Kukla, Fran and Ollie: No friggin idea. Oh, Arpig, Arpig *SIGH* Someone tell this man who KFO are/were? Holly? baby?
Baba Ram Dass: Pop-culture Yogi, I believe he's the one the Beatles went to visit and that Pete Townshend is a follower of his. Be Here Now. Born Richard Alpert, friend and mentor of Tim Leary. Harvard Prof (PhD Psychology) who in 1963 started giving mescaline to undergraduates to heighten their minds. His teaching career ended shortly thereafter (along with Leary's) and his dive into Indian Mysticism began. Acknowledged bisexual
Noam Chomsky: Very eriudite professor/activist left winger who's musings are often very VERY hard to comprehend (very ivory tower stuff).
Fred Hampton: 60s radical? one of the Black panther or the Chicago 7, not sure which. Leader of the Chicago Black Panther party, shot at age 21 (along with Mark Clark) in a raid by the Cook County State's Attorney's "Subversive Squad" that still is cited as a very controversial police action. His murder helped burn down about 400 blocks of the Chicago ghetto.
David Dellinger: drawing a complete blank here One of the Chicago 7, professor and peacenik, died last year.
Shari lewis: Annoying ventrioquist, the one with the sock puppet "Lambchop" Annoying, but incredibly influential. basically invented (along with Bozo and Romper Room) kids TV. Often cited by Jim Henson as a major influence
Fabulous Furry Phreak Brothers: Comic characters....name them, hmmmmm, Phineas, Fat Freddy, and Freewheelin something-starting-with-an-F-sound Frank. and you rule, dude. Remember the FabFurryFreakBros slogan?
"Dope will get you thru times of no money better than money will get you thru times of no dope"
Newton N. Minow: No idea Influential Chicago lawyer, Kennedy's Chairperson of the FTC...BUT...the reason he's on the list? In the early 60s gave a speech in which he called TV "a vast wasteland"...tell Me you never heard that one?
Julius J. Hoffman: Ummmmm, Abbie's uncle???? obviously no clue on this one either. Oh no, so so so close. The judge -- cranky, senile and prone to tempertantrums on the bench -- in the Chicago 7 Trial. "I never knew a man/who could inspire more love or hate/if you were in Grant Park/and it was 1968"
Honor Blackman: Now this name rings a bell for some reason.....actress?
Actress? *ACTRESS*? that is Pussy Galore! need I say more?
Bonus: SLA (Symbionese Liberation Army)
and her lover....didn't he go by the same name as the stephen king dog....Cujo!!!! (I had to think of Curtis Joseph to remember it) You got the SLA, but you blew up on Patty's Mandingo....Donald DeFreeze, California radicalized ex-con, who went by the name "Field Marshall Cinque". By the way, a lot of people don't know that the SLA wasn't just a fun and games kidnapper of wealthy heiresses -- they were a complete terrorist cell that commited several murders of public officials, bank robberies, and coincidentally murdered a number of innocent bystanders, too. The last set of convictions of SLA members were handed down in 2004 when a few stragglers were finally arrested.
Well done.
E
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