#ronnie gilbert

[newyorkthegoldenage]

The Weavers—from left to right, Ronnie Gilbert, Pete Seeger, Lee Hays, and Fred Hellerman—gave a concert on December 26, 1952, that was broadcast on WNYC. The clip above is the final number. Their message of peace and unity did not please HUAC, and they were blacklisted for the rest of the decade.

Photo: The Weavers perform at Cafe Society Downtown, July 17, 1951. Charles Peterson via Getty Images/WNYC

[slowtraincumming]

I love them so much and this picture ugh it's so beautiful

[thesesongskillfascists]

Wasn't That a Time - The Weavers

Written by Lee Hays and Walter Lowenfels, "Wasn't That a Time," while not one of The Weavers' hits and most played songs, was one of their most overtly political. Built around the analogy that those who fought at Valley Forge during the American Revolution and at Gettysburg during the Civil War as a battle for community, unity, and brotherhood against forces attempting to divide people against each other, the song related those troubles to those of the American worker and laborer being pitted against each other by capitalist owners and oligarchs. Three of the members of The Weavers--Lee Hays, Pete Seeger, and Fred Hellerman--were brought in for questioning by HUAC (the House Un-American Committee), which hit a peak during the 1950s, but began in the post-WWII period in earnest, suppressing and oppressing peoples' beliefs and ability for free association. During questioning by the committee, both Seeger and Hays were asked specifically about performing this song. The chorus repeats the title of the song, ending with "A time to try the soul of man/Wasn't that a terrible time," which can be read two ways: one: that the time during the war was a terrible time because people who are supposed to be united were fighting against each other, fighting against their own countrymen, and--especially in the case of the Civil War where the South was fighting for their rights to continue the practice of slavery and ownership of other people, instead of seeing people as equal in dignity and purpose--for what reason. Or two, a more sarcastic/satirical reading: where people banding together in common cause to maintain a union and ensure dignity for all people was such a terrible thing to be fighting for. Either interpretation conveys the same message: the only change being the tone of the messenger. The second verse encapsulates the righteousness of fighting for community and unity as a people:

Brave men who fought at Gettysburg Now lie in soldiers' graves But there they stemmed the rebel tide And there this land was saved

The song's lyrics were changed frequently over time, even by Hays and other members of The Weavers. Verse 3, for instance, begins with "The madmen came with chains of war" a line which had originally been written as "The fascists came with chains of war."

Verse 4 in all versions refers to the same oppressive forces as madmen, however, instead of fascists (but the implication that it's the same people is clear), by changing the chorus and the verse to the present time instead of the past:

[Verse 4] And now again those madmen come And shall our victory fail There is no victory in a land Where free men go to jail [Chorus] Isn't this a time? (Isn't this a time?) Isn't this a time? A time to try the soul of man Isn't this a terrible time? (Isn't this a terrible time?)

The fifth verse has changed lyrics a few times as well. The version posted above states: "Our faith cries out we have no fear/ We dare to reach our hand/ To other neighbors far and near/ To friends in every land." But in other versions, The Weavers showed solidarity with international antifascist movements, specifically the rebel side during the Spanish Civil War, by adopting their slogan No pasarán:

Our faith cries out, "This shall not pass" We cry, "No pasarán" We pledge our lives, our honor all To free this prison land

No pasarán was used by the International Brigades (brigadiers) during the Spanish Civil War as an antifascist rallying and unifying cry, and by one of the leaders of the Communist Party of Spain during a famous speech in their war against fascist dictator General Francisco Franco, who had backing from Hitler and Mussolini. The phrase has also been used as a rallying cry starting in 2022 for support for Ukraine. It is a phrase regularly used in antifascist solidarity, along with the song "Bella Ciao," which will be the subject of a future TSKF entry.

(Bella Ciao was originally written as a song in solidarity with laborers and evolved to become an antifascist and authoritarian anthem. Completely unlike "Wasn't That a Time" or any other song by The Weavers. Funny how labor rights and antifascism are on the same side, or how anti-labor/anti-worker and authoritarianism are frequently linked ideologies, and go hand in hand. So weird.)

During The Weavers' reunion in 1980, Lee Hays, by this point in a wheelchair due to his diabetes, added a couple of verses to the song:

How many times we've gone to kill In freedom's holy name And children died to save the pride Of rulers without shame Informers took their Judas pay To tell their sorry tale And gangs in Congress had their way And free souls went to jail

This was approximately thirty-five years after he had written the song, and the same damaged and destructive ideologies they had been fighting against then were still relevant; these battles and class wars were still being fought.

And now, forty-five years after that reunion, and 80 years after the song was written, it's still relevant. We're still fighting for solidarity, community, and against fascists in our own country.

[kckatie]

Bonus Folk Friday track is a song about migrant workers. Another Woodie Guthrie cover. Pastures of Plenty.

I saw Holly and Ronnie perform this live back in the 90s

[cursemewithyourkiss]

July, 1933, Modern Screen.

August, 1933, Modern Screen.

Imagine that... Ronald Colman and Greta Garbo together in a film together...

[metal-sludge]

YNGWIE MALMSTEEN reviews fellow guitarists' solos including NUNO BETTENCOURT, ZAKK WYLDE, CC DEVILLE, and RITCHIE BLACKMORE in HIT PARADER, August 1992.

[abs0luteb4stard]

W A T C H I N G

[riks-hot-stuff]

With Ronnie, Cleo’s dolphin friend 🐬

Lewis had to take this picture at EXACTLY the right time. We started transforming a few seconds after, and Ronnie went crazy. I think I accidentally smacked him with my tail, and so he swam away.

For “scientific research” Lewis made us pose one last time with our tails before he let us get out.

Random sidebar: my fin is slightly longer than Emma’s. So, tail-wise, I’m taller than she is.

[staffan]

O’Sullivan-effekten

Mer än någonsin tjatas det om ”O’Sullivan-effekten”: alla förståsigpåares övertygelse om att mötet med den största gör var och varannan spelare vindögd och paraplegisk. Var det rentav en tourspelare som dryftade att några av O’Sullivans titlar under året kommit sig av uteblivet motstånd?

Allt detta är givetvis trams, trams, trams. Ryan Day skulle inte spela bättre mot John Higgins, och han skulle definitivt inte ”slappna av och spela sitt eget spel” mot en medelmåttig kvalspelare. Misstag är en del av spelet, men de glöms bort snabbare när de inte straffas. Kyren Wilson vinner inte sina matcher för att motståndarna skakar av skräck; han vinner med bättre spel, bättre nerver, bättre uthållighet. Och färre misstag. Samma som Ronnie.

Nåväl, alla försöker vi tyda snookergudarnas tecken. Och ingen renlärig trodde väl att Luca Brecel skulle bryta ”The Crucible Curse”, förbannelsen som säger att ingen kan försvara sin första titel, och orimligt ofta åker ut redan i första omgången. Brecel mötte den tidigare semifinalisten David Gilbert, en personlig favorit som mer än en gång har visat på storartat spel i VM. För åtta år sedan höll Gilbert en träffsäkerhet på 93 procent mot O’Sullivans 95 när han föll 7–10 i första omgången (så mycket för O’Sullivan-effekten). Han hade varit min favorit mot Brecel även utan förbannelsens assistans. En bekväm seger mot Robert Milkins följde, men kvartsfinal mot Maguire blir tuffare. Att dessa herrar är rankade 31 och 28 i världen är häpnadsväckande, men visar också på VM är ett säreget vidunder som vissa är bättre lämpade att tampas med.

Så en drömfinal för mig och kanske bara mig: Gilbert – O’Sullivan. Naturally.

[thecraggus]

Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) Review

Beverly Hills Cop II is a worthy sequel to the illustrious original that overcomes a familiar plot with an injection of Tony Scott's signature style. #Review

[gameofthunder66]

'Beverly Hills Cop II' (1987) film

-watched 7/20/2024- 4 stars- on Paramount+

49% Rotten Tomatoes

Thought I had seen this before but don't remember seeing any of the scenes in this one. To me, this BHC movie was even funnier than the first.

[slowtraincumming]

Arlo, Pete and Ronnie 💜💜💜🫶🫶🫶

[complexdistractions]

Paul Gilbert : The Dio Albm

Paul Gilbert is an 80s guitar vituoso survivor. He was one of THE 80s guitar shredders, coming out of the Guitar Institute of Technology in the mid-80s in Los Angeles and formed the speed metal band Racer X, recording on Mike Varney’s Shrapnel Records. But his biggest gig was the pop metal band Mr. Big, alongside bassist Billy Sheehan, where they competed with Extreme as the most technically…

[kurumeki]

Paul Gilbert - Heaven And Hell (The Dio Album)

This is so brilliant! Just ordered myself the album, can’t wait until April when it’s released!

[cursemewithyourkiss]

Rope, Patrick Hamilton