Neil Young: Cortez the Killer, Live from Rio, 2001

Neil Young did this on Earth.

He came dancing across the water
With his galleons and guns
Looking for the new world
In that palace in the sun.

On the shore lay Montezuma
With his coca leaves and pearls
In his halls he often wondered
With the secrets of the worlds.
...
And the women all were beautiful
And the men stood straight and strong
They offered life in sacrifice
So that others could go on.

Hate was just a legend

Van the Man for the Weekend

Impossible to contemplate the dead and vile when Van is on the air.

Van for the ages.

Check out Van's new stuff.

From our poet
(Wavelength (℗ 1978 Exile Productions, Ltd.))

Enjoy:

Happy Birthday, Phil Ochs

Phil Ochs

Today is Phil Ochs' 75th birthday (1940–1976).

Ochs' aching commitment to using art and music to protect human rights, and change an ailing country is a legacy embraced today.

Neil and Neil, Dylan, Bruce, John Mellencamp, Willie Nelson, U2, Zac Brown, Legend, Common, Linda Perry, Roger Waters and so many others.

Note Doug Bradley and Craig Werner in their new book on music and Vietnam: "For the Marines at Khe Sanh and the more than three million other men and women who served in Vietnam, music provided release from the uncertainty, isolation, and sometimes stark terror that reached the front lines to the relatively secure rear areas known as the air-conditioned jungle. For the fortunate ones who did get back home, music echoed through the secret places where they stored memories and stories they didn't share with their wives, husbands, or children for decades. Music was the key to survival and a path to healing, the center of a human story that's too often been lost in the haze of politics and myth that surrounds Vietnam" (Introduction pp. 1, 2)."

Music remains a key to survival across the globe—bridging divides, destroying artifice, bringing joy.

Difficult to kill a Palestinian or shoot down a black American in the street when listening to Ochs' Changes or Roger's Us and Them.

Changes, Phil Ochs (1964)



Changes, Phil Ochs (1964)

Sit by my side, come as close as the air,
Share in a memory of gray;
Wander in my words, dream about the pictures
That I play of changes.

Green leaves of summer turn red in the fall
To brown and to yellow they fade.
And then they have to die, trapped within
the circle time parade of changes.

Scenes of my young years were warm in my mind,
Visions of shadows that shine.
Til one day I returned and found they were the
Victims of the vines of changes.

The world's spinning madly, it drifts in the dark
Swings through a hollow of haze,
A race around the stars, a journey through
The universe ablaze with changes.

Moments of magic will glow in the night
All fears of the forest are gone
But when the morning breaks they're swept away by
golden drops of dawn, of changes.

Passions will part to a strange melody.
As fires will sometimes burn cold.
Like petals in the wind, we're puppets to the silver
strings of souls, of changes.

Your tears will be trembling, now we're somewhere else,
One last cup of wine we will pour
And I'll kiss you one more time, and leave you on
the rolling river shores of changes.

So, sit by my side, come as close as the air,
Share in a memory of gray;
Wander in my words, dream about the pictures
That I play of changes.

Happy Independence Day for Phil Ochs

Rehearsals for Retirement - Music and Lyrics by Phil Ochs (1969, A&M Records)

The days grow longer for smaller prizes
I feel a stranger to all surprises
You can have them I don't want them
I wear a different kind of garment
In my rehearsals for retirement

The lights are cold again they dance below me
I turn to old friends they do not know me
All but the beggar he remembers
I put a penny down for payment
In my rehearsals for retirement

Had I known the end would end in laughter
I tell my daughter it doesn't matter

The stage is tainted with empty voices
The ladies painted they have no choices
I take my colors from the stable
They lie in tatters by the tournament
In my rehearsals for retirement

Where are the armies who killed a country
And turned a strong man into a baby
No comes the rabble they are welcome
I wait in anger and amusement
In my rehearsals for retirement

Had I known the end would end in laughter
Still I tell my daughter that it doesn't matter

Farewell my own true love, farewell my fancy
Are you still owing me love, though you failed me
But one last gesture for her pleasure
I'll paint your memory on the monument
In my rehearsals for retirement

Marvin Gaye: What's Going On

Marvin Gaye - Stop war ... forever

"If you cannot find peace in yourself, you will never find it anywhere else."

- Marvin Gaye, 1939-1984

Afghanistan: Out now

Peace: Now.

Thank you, Marvin and Obie.

What's Going On
By Marvin Gaye and Renaldo "Obie" Benson (May 21, 1971)

Mother, mother
There's too many of you crying
Brother, brother, brother
There's far too many of you dying
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some lovin' here today - Ya

Father, father
We don't need to escalate
You see, war is not the answer
For only love can conquer hate
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some lovin' here today

Picket lines and picket signs
Don't punish me with brutality
Talk to me, so you can see
Oh, what's going on
What's going on
Ya, what's going on
Ah, what's going on

In the mean time
Right on, baby
Right on
Right on

Father, father, everybody thinks we're wrong
Oh, but who are they to judge us
Simply because our hair is long
Oh, you know we've got to find a way
To bring some understanding here today
Oh

Picket lines and picket signs
Don't punish me with brutality
Talk to me
So you can see
What's going on
Ya, what's going on
Tell me what's going on
I'll tell you what's going on - Uh
Right on baby
Right on baby

Live from Madison: The Music of Vietnam

- “We Gotta Get Out of This Place” -

… Next Stop Is Vietnam : The War on Record, 1961–2008

3–Day Symposium —
November 18–20, 2010
Madison, Wisconsin

In summer 2010, Bear Family Records released “… Next Stop Is Vietnam: The War on Record, 1961–2008,” a 13 disc, 300+ song collection of music about the Vietnam War. Including songs from all genres and political viewpoints, this set is the definitive audio document of the Vietnam War. A review by ccmusic.com calls it, “An entire college course masquerading as a boxed set…that look[s] at the Vietnam conflict’s impact on American society.”

In honor of this landmark achievement, the Wisconsin Veterans Museum and other community partners will host a 3–day symposium November 18–20 to focus on the critical role that music played during the Vietnam era. All of the events are FREE and open to the public.

Presented in partnership by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum, the University of Wisconsin–Madison Integrated Liberal Studies Program, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Wisconsin Public Television, and the Monona Terrace and Convention Center. This event is part of the 40th Anniversary Celebration of the Department of Afro-American Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Interested in purchasing “…Next Stop Vietnam : The War on Record, 1961–2008"? The Bear Family Records boxed set, “…Next Stop Vietnam: The War on Record, 1961–2008,” is available for pre-order from the Wisconsin Veterans Museum gift store at a discounted price of $250 (retail: $289). If you are interested in purchasing a copy of this limited-edition set, please contact store manager Greg Lawson at (608) 261-0535 or gregory.lawson@dva.state.wi.us.

Distant Drums, Sky Pilots, and Green Berets: The Music of the Vietnam Era

Thursday, November 18, 2010 – 7:00 p.m.

Hugo Keesing, Adjunct Associate Professor (Retired), University of Maryland ; Curator, “…Next Stop Is Vietnam : The War on Record”

For six decades, popular music has provided a unique perspective on the Vietnam War, its aftermath and its lasting legacies. With examples drawn from pop, folk, R&B, rock, soul, spoken word, comedy, reggae, rap, metal and more, Dr. Keesing will show that Vietnam has been the topic of every musical style of the past 50 years. In addition to several dozen well-known commercial hits by artists such as Bob Dylan, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Marvin Gaye and Bruce Springsteen, there are more than 3,000 recordings by lesser known singers that provide a new but essential understanding of the war. Many of those songs were recorded by "in-country" soldiers or Vietnam vets. Join musicologist Hugo Keesing for this special presentation featuring images and sound samples from Bear Family Records’ "...Next Stop Is Vietnam: The War on Record: 1961–2008.”

“I Believe I'm Gonna Make It”: A Conversation About Southern Music and the Vietnam War

Friday, November 19, 2010 – Noon

Charles Hughes, PhD Candidate in History, University of Wisconsin–Madison ; 2010–2011 Smithsonian Institution Pre-Doctoral Research Fellow

Bill C. Malone, Professor Emeritus of History, Tulane University ; Host, “Back to the Country,” WORT-FM; Internationally Recognized “Dean” of Country Music Historians

Jeff Kollath, Curator of Programs and Exhibitions, Wisconsin Veterans Museum ; Moderator

The Vietnam War coincided with a particularly fertile time in Southern music, as recordings from country to soul to rock changed the national culture in significant ways. At the same time, Southern society grappled with significant changes in racial and class politics, changes that were often expressed through the music. The Vietnam War played a crucial part in, and contributed to, both the musical and societal changes. At this event, Charles Hughes and Bill C. Malone, along with moderator Jeff Kollath, will discuss these issues, and play selections from a variety of genres to illustrate the connections and complexities of the music, the people and the times.

“Does Anybody Know I’m Here?”: Black Music and the Black Experience in Vietnam

Friday, November 19, 2010 – 3:00 p.m.
Monona Terrace and Convention Center, Theater – 1 John Nolen Drive



William Bell, Stax Records Artist and Songwriter; Veteran, 25th Infantry Division (1962–63); released three songs about the Vietnam War in the late 1960s

Art Flowers, Clerk, 1st Logistical Command (Long Binh); Novelist, Poet, and Associate Professor of English and Textual Studies, Syracuse University

Clyde Stubblefield, World Renowned Drummer; accompanied James Brown during his band’s famous 1968 tour of Vietnam

Lauren Onkey, PhD, Vice President of Education and Public Programs, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; Moderator



The culture of the Civil Rights and Black Power era played a critical role in shaping the black experience in Vietnam , increasing cultural awareness and arousing suspicion of America ’s motives in Vietnam . Music was a constant source of inspiration and escape for black soldiers during the war, from the soothing sounds of Motown to the hard driving funk of James Brown and Sly and the Family Stone, and all points in between. Join us for this special panel discussion, featuring musicians and grunts alike, all of whom have been shaped in some way by the Vietnam War, and how, after four decades, how their Vietnam experience continues to influence their lives and careers.

Soldier, Singer, and Guitar Slinger: Acoustic and Folk Music During the Vietnam Era

Saturday, November 20, 2010 – Noon

Lem Genovese, Clerk, HQ Co., 214th Combat Aviation Battalion; ‘In Country’ and Postwar Musician

Marty Heuer, Aviation Officer, 174th AHC, 14th CAB, 341st AD, 165th CAG; Founding Member of High-Priced Help and Three Majors and Minor



Jim Walktendonk, Dog Handler, 89th Military Police Brigade; Singer-Songwriter of “The Claymore Polka”

Hugo Keesing, Curator, “…Next Stop Is Vietnam : The War on Record”; Moderator

As much as popular music broadcasted over Armed Forces Radio, 45s played on the PX jukebox, and LPs and cassettes played in the field meant to those serving in Vietnam , the company’s resident guitar player was equally important. Acoustic renditions of popular songs, or their war-appropriate send-ups, provided welcome respite from the tragedy and banality of war. Join our panel as they discuss the popularity of acoustic music during the war, the performance of formal songs on base, and writing songs about the Vietnam experience.

“We Gotta Get Out of This Place”: Music and the Vietnam Experience

Saturday, November 20, 2010 – 2:00 p.m.

Doug Bradley, Reporter, USARV; Author

Craig Werner, Professor of Afro-American Studies, University of Wisconsin–Madison

“We Gotta Get Out of This Place,” the forthcoming book by Bradley and Werner, tells the story of the Vietnam War through the music-based memories of those who served. Authors Doug Bradley, who was in the U.S. Army in Vietnam in 1970 and 1971, and Craig Werner, a prize-winning music writer and member of the Nominating Committee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, weave a tapestry of voices set against the cacophony of the popular music of the 1960s and 1970s. From "Chain of Fools and "Fortunate Son" to "Purple Haze" and "We Gotta Get Out of This Place," their work shows how soldiers used music to form bonds, express their feelings, and hold on to the humanity the world was trying to take away. Join us for this informal discussion of the music of the war, relive the weekend, and share your favorite songs and memories from the Vietnam Era.