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"...a "warts and all" political portrait...The book also focuses heavily on his political transformation. It tells how Gutherie, born in Oklahoma in 1912 to the son of a crooked real estate agent, travelled to California as a sign-writer, before gaining his political education via those he met as a radio show host and columnist for the communist newspaper People's World." Zoe Corbyn The Guardian "A fresh, challenging look at Woody Guthrie's political life and musical contributions. Drawing on a rich, wide array of songs and other works that have so far been overlooked, Will Kaufman presents an unvarnished Guthrie, whose writings are incredibly stimulating." Ronald D. Cohen, author of Work and Sing: A History of Occupational and Labor Union Songs in the United States "A much needed and extremely valuable book on Woody Guthrie. Examining Guthrie in this broader historical and cultural framework yields new insights into both Guthrie and radicalism." Bucky Halker, musician-historian and author of For Democracy, Workers, and God: Labor Song-Poems and Labor Protest, 1865-95 "...strongly argued claim for the abiding topicality of Guthrie's political and musical credentials as the tropes of left-wing politics begin to reassert themselves in our own Depression-defined age...Drawing on preciously unseen archive materials from the Woody Guthrie Foundation, this is a timely and valuable book, and every bit as cheeringly pugnacious as its subject." Michael Quinn R2 "Guthrie committed himself to radical political struggle. Discover more in this handsome, innovatively compiled tome." NME "A fascinating look at Woody Guthrie's politics...Kaufman makes a valuable contribution to our education on this important artist." Merrell Noden writing for MOJO "...reveals an imperfect man whose strong convictions led him to create some of the most influential music in American history." Rick Mattingly, LeoWeekly.com
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Woody Guthrie, American Radical reclaims the politically radical profile of America's greatest balladeer. Although he achieved a host of national honours and adorns US postage stamps, and although his song "This Land Is Your Land" is often considered the nation's second national anthem, Woody Guthrie committed his life to the radical struggle. Will Kaufman traces Guthrie's political awakening and activism throughout the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, the Korean War, the Civil Rights struggle, and the poison of McCarthyism. He examines Guthrie's role in the development of a workers' culture in the context of radical activism spearheaded by the Communist Party of the USA, the Popular Front, and the Congress of Industrial Organizations. Utilizing a wealth of previously unseen archival materials such as letters, song lyrics, photos, and personal reflections, this book introduces Woody Guthrie as a canny political strategist, fitful thinker, and cultural front activist practically buried in the general public's romantic celebration of the "Dust Bowl Troubadour." Will Kaufman is a professor of American literature and culture at the University of Central Lancashire, England. Also a professional folksinger and multi-instrumentalist, he has performed hundreds of musical presentations on Woody Guthrie at universities, music festivals, and folk clubs throughout Europe and the United States.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Valuable Insight Into Woody
9 Sep 2011
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
As so often happens with creative and performing artists whose politics are glaringly opposed to the often narrow limits of what the mainstream opinion-makers will allow in America, Woody Guthrie and many of his more radical and tenaciously anti-capitalist songs have long been whitewashed and airbrushed for general consumption. Despite the relentless best efforts of his old buddy Pete Seeger, most of those in this country who are aware of Woody know him only as "the Dust Bowl Ballad Balladeer" and the composer of "This Land Is Your Land" (which itself has been whitewashed).
Will Kaufman has gone a long way toward rectifying these gaps with this meticulously researched volume. Full access to the Guthrie Archives has afforded Kaufman the opportunity to delve into hundreds of Woody's generally unknown lyrics, poems, essays and articles. What emerges is a passionate political activist who sought always to put his art at the service of anti-racism, anti-fascism, and social and economic justice. It is not always a pretty picture we get of this notoriously mercurial figure, but it is never less than a lively and fascinating one.
Will Kaufman has gone a long way toward rectifying these gaps with this meticulously researched volume. Full access to the Guthrie Archives has afforded Kaufman the opportunity to delve into hundreds of Woody's generally unknown lyrics, poems, essays and articles. What emerges is a passionate political activist who sought always to put his art at the service of anti-racism, anti-fascism, and social and economic justice. It is not always a pretty picture we get of this notoriously mercurial figure, but it is never less than a lively and fascinating one.
1 of 7 people found the following review helpful
The God That Failed
20 Oct 2011
Format:Hardcover
This book achieves its stated goal of restoring Guthrie's credentials as a political radical, specifically as an unwavering follower of the political line of the Communist Party, USA (CPUSA). For that scholarly achievement, I might give the book five stars. However, Kaufman not only documents Guthrie's political views, he often applauds them without submitting them to critical analysis.
While the author acknowledges that the political agenda of the CPUSA was under the control of the Soviet Union during the years of Guthrie's allegiance to the Party, he is unwilling or unable to explain how an apparently smart, compassionate person such as Guthrie could rationalize the many horrors committed by the totalitarian Soviet state. Although the CPUSA was often at the forefront of the civil rights, workers' rights and anti-fascist struggles of the thirties and forties, even when and where advocating for those causes was unpopular and dangerous, it was also quick to subordinate those struggles to the political interests of the Soviet Union when Soviet policy required it (e.g. during the period of the Stalin-Hitler Pact).Couldn't Guthrie have been a progressive without being an apologist for Stalinism?
In addition, although Kaufman documents Guthrie's resistance to collective decision-making as a sometime member of the Almanac Singers, he doesn't explore the hypocrisy of a "communist" such as Guthrie refusing to reconcile his priorities to those of the group. It's clear that Guthrie wasn't much of a capitalist, but with respect to his main passion in life, song writing, he was more individualist than collectivist.
The author's failure to dig beneath the surface of the major political conflicts of Guthrie's times and his failure to explore the inconsistencies between his personal behavior and his public positions constitute major flaws. That's why I can only give it three stars.
While the author acknowledges that the political agenda of the CPUSA was under the control of the Soviet Union during the years of Guthrie's allegiance to the Party, he is unwilling or unable to explain how an apparently smart, compassionate person such as Guthrie could rationalize the many horrors committed by the totalitarian Soviet state. Although the CPUSA was often at the forefront of the civil rights, workers' rights and anti-fascist struggles of the thirties and forties, even when and where advocating for those causes was unpopular and dangerous, it was also quick to subordinate those struggles to the political interests of the Soviet Union when Soviet policy required it (e.g. during the period of the Stalin-Hitler Pact).Couldn't Guthrie have been a progressive without being an apologist for Stalinism?
In addition, although Kaufman documents Guthrie's resistance to collective decision-making as a sometime member of the Almanac Singers, he doesn't explore the hypocrisy of a "communist" such as Guthrie refusing to reconcile his priorities to those of the group. It's clear that Guthrie wasn't much of a capitalist, but with respect to his main passion in life, song writing, he was more individualist than collectivist.
The author's failure to dig beneath the surface of the major political conflicts of Guthrie's times and his failure to explore the inconsistencies between his personal behavior and his public positions constitute major flaws. That's why I can only give it three stars.
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