Today in Labor History April 1, 1649: Diggers occupied St. George's Hill, in Surrey, England, seizing land to hold in common and to grow food. Other Digger communities followed in Little Heath, Wellingborough, Buckinghamshire and other regions. The Diggers are sometimes seen as forerunners of modern anarchism. In 1966, members of the San Francisco Mime Troupe formed a Diggers group, handing out free food to hippies in Golden Gate Park. The original Diggers influenced the anti-roads and squatting movements in England and elsewhere. They inspired the Leon Rosselsen song, “The World Turned Upside Down,” seen in the Youtube video, above, performed by Billy Bragg. https://youtu.be/LK2ldle1kAk
Billy Bragg with the legend of Scottish folk music and political activism, Dick Gaughan. Pictured at a Celtic Connections concert in memory of Scottish socialist John MacLean.
"I saw two shooting stars last night, I wished on them but they were only satellites, it's wrong to wish on space hardware". This lyric seems pertinent today!
I posted the Billy Bragg song answer to Oliver Anthony recently, but this quote is too good not to pass along.
"Since I saw that clip of Oliver Anthony singing "Rich Men North of Richmond" the ghost of Woody Guthrie has been whispering in my ear.
"Help that guy out" Woody keeps telling me.
"Let him know there's a way to deal with those problems he's singing about."
Today I sat down & wrote this response to Mr Anthony's song, for people like him & people like you."
8-31-23 Nicole Sandler Show – Thursdays with Howie Klein
Howie writes constantly at DownWithTyranny.com. Most of his posts are politically-oriented though, like me, he often veers off course into the music world. For good reason! When I first met Howie Klein some 30 years ago, he was President of Reprise Records, so it's in his blood.
I never know what I'll see when I log on to DTW, and https://nicolesandler.com/8-31-23/ #NicolesBlog#BillyBragg#HowieKlein#pension#ProudBoySentence
themes:
low wages: "bullshit pay"
food poverty: "nothing to eat"
high inflation: "dollar ain't shit"
high taxes: "taxed to no end"
child trafficking: "minors on an island"
welfare abuse: "obese milkin' welfare"
centralization of power: "wanna have total control"
To Fight the “Rich Men North of Richmond,” Organize a Union
Reactions to Oliver Anthony’s viral hit, “Rich Men North of Richmond,” have played out along drearily predictable culture-war lines
But Billy Bragg’s response, “Rich Men Earning North of a Million,” instructing Anthony to “join a union, brother,” perfectly cuts through the noise https://jacobin.com/2023/09/oliver-anthony-billy-bragg-rich-men-north-of-richmond-union
Since I saw that clip of Oliver Anthony singing "Rich Men North of Richmond" the ghost of Woody Guthrie has been whispering in my ear.
"Help that guy out" Woody keeps telling me.
"Let him know there's a way to deal with those problems he's singing about."
Today I sat down & wrote this response to Mr Anthony's song, for people like him & people like you.
#BillyBragg does a "gentle correction" of the gross punching down new alt-right anthem:
(short version: instead of bitching about the needy, do something about the rich. "If you're selling your soul and you're working all day, overtime hours for bullshit pay, join a union.")
It’s Friday, time to kick back and enjoy the weekend with some new tunes! That’s right, it’s another Bandcamp United Friday! Here are some personalized picks from our members!
Today in Labor History April 1, 1649: Diggers occupied St. George's Hill, in Surrey, England, seizing land to hold in common and to grow food. Other Digger communities followed in Little Heath, Wellingborough, Buckinghamshire and other regions. The Diggers are sometimes seen as forerunners of modern anarchism. In 1966, members of the San Francisco Mime Troupe formed a Diggers group, handing out free food to hippies in Golden Gate Park. The original Diggers influenced the anti-roads and squatting movements in England and elsewhere. They inspired the Leon Rosselsen song, “The World Turned Upside Down,” seen in the Youtube video, above, performed by Billy Bragg.