Pete Seeger, an Appreciation

[ccrazy]

I woke up yesterday morning, flipped on WBUR (one of the local NPR news stations) as I normally do, and the first story was that Pete Seeger had died. His music has been with me for as long as I can remember. This evening I got lost on YouTube for a while roaming through clips of his performances

Comments

[thnidu]

Thank you for this.

[ilai]

Seconded.

[madfilkentist]

I was bowled over too when you told me about Seeger's song for Conterpoint. But there's been a distinct lack of balance in the discussion about him.

He was a fine musician and did many good things, but he was also an admirer of Stalin for most of his life, repudiating him (and not in terms as strong as they should have been) only after virtually everyone else had. He was doing anti-war songs on World War II right up to the moment Russia entered the war, then did an abrupt about face. That disqualifies him from being a hero, as far as I'm concerned, and circumscribes the ways he can be considered a role model. Thinking something is right is not enough, when it's seriously wrong.

People are complicated things. I know a number of people who have relatives whom they love, but who they admit have horrible views on some things.

[ccrazy]

I completely agree with you on Seeger's view of Stalin.

I don't think role models or heroes need to be perfect. I don't think there is anyone has lived the perfect life that should be copied in all things.