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Bob Dylan Awarded Medal of Freedom

April 30th, 2012 | Posted by John Powles in Bob Dylan | North America - (0 Comments)

Bob Dylan has been awarded The Medal of Freedom, the USA’s highest civilian honour; he will receive the award from President Obama in a few weeks time. The White House statement announcing the awards says

Bob Dylan. One of the most influential American musicians of the 20th century, Dylan released his first album in 1962.  Known for his rich and poetic lyrics, his work had considerable influence on the civil rights movement of the 1960s and has had significant impact on American culture over the past five decades. He has won 11 Grammys, including a lifetime achievement award.  He was named a Commandeur dans l’Ordre des Art et des Lettres and has received a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation.  Dylan was awarded the 2009 National Medal of Arts.  He has written more than 600 songs, and his songs have been recorded more than 3,000 times by other artists.  He continues recording and touring around the world today.

Toni Morrison will also receive the Medal of Freedom at the same ceremony. So … from Chimes of Freedom in 1964 (with its bells “Tolling for the rebel, tolling for the rake / Tolling for the luckless, the abandoned an’ forsaked / Tolling for the outcast, burnin’ constantly at stake” and “for the aching whose wounds cannot be nursed / For the countless confused, accused, misused, strung-out ones an’ worse” to, from the American government’s Medal of Freedom in 1912 … there’s a thesis waiting to be written about that! Chimes of Feedom has been covered by many singers, including a powerful version from Bruce Springsteen.

Song Protest in Defiance of Breivik

April 29th, 2012 | Posted by John Powles in Europe - (0 Comments)

Crowds of many thousands flocked to Norwegian city centres on Thursday 26th April to protest against mass murderer and extreme right wing fanatic Anders Breivik and everything he adheres to. The main vehicle of their demonstration was song. In Oslo Norwegian artist Lillebjoern Nilsen led an estimated crowd of 40,000 in singing the 1970s peace song Children of the Revolution;

the song is based on Pete Seeger’s My Rainbow Race;

Janey Buchan Memorial Event Images

April 23rd, 2012 | Posted by John Powles in Janey Buchan Political Song Collection | UK News - (0 Comments)

Following a very successful and enjoyable event on the 13th April at Partick Burgh Hall to celebrate the life of Janey Buchan, Edwin Moore has put some images of the event on his Blog, including some of the display about the Janey Buchan Political Song Collection, curated by me at the School of Culture and Creative Arts, University of Glasgow. To check out Ian’s piece, go to his blog at
http://glasgowalbum.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/remembering-janey-buchan.html

Please note – There will more news about the Collection, and accessing lists of materials held, over the next few weeks.

Protest Song from Wakefield Cathedral

April 21st, 2012 | Posted by John Powles in England - (0 Comments)

VAT Ditty, written and performed by Pamela Greener has been created to protest at the U.K. Government’s measure to charge VAT on renovation work being carried out on listed buildings, in this case Wakefield Cathedral where renovations have been ongoing for four years, but now have been halted because of lack of funds to take account of the VAT imposition, announced in the recent Budget. As the song makes clear this move is anti-community, ironic given that it is being pursued by a government which has made so much of its “Big Society” propaganda – to which it pays such huge lip service, but in fact acts against in so many ways.

Anti-Capitalist Roadshow Gigs

April 19th, 2012 | Posted by John Powles in Anti Cuts & Financiers | England - (0 Comments)

The Anti-Capitalist Roadshow: Celebrating Subversion and Republicanism is touring various venues commencing 21st April. Each show features a host of top performers drawn from a pool of singer/songwriters renowned for their activism and campaigning – including Frankie Armstrong, Peggy Seeger, Leon Rosselson, Roy Bailey, Rob Johnson, Reem Kelani, Sandra Kerr, Ian Savile, Grace Petrie and Janet Russell.

By the way – Whilst checking out Reem Kelani’s website I came across what I think is one of the best summations of the power of song I have yet seen. Reem recalls a conversation she had with an Armenian man whose parents died in the Armenian Genocide. ‘He said: “You can burn a book, you can burn a piece of antique furniture, but our music, our songs, our poetry, you can’t burn; it travels, it goes everywhere”.’

Donald Trump Does Bohemian Rhapsody

April 3rd, 2012 | Posted by John Powles in Anti Donald Trump | Scotland - (0 Comments)

Following up an earlier news item on this blog, I have now been sent a link to the completed satirical music and song video about Donald Trump (whose actions to establish a golf course near Aberdeen have been described by Brian May as ‘a horrible example of bullying the defenceless by a rich man who apparently can buy anyone or anything he wants’).

Following permission from Brian, the song adapts Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody to great effect; as the introduction to the video puts it “This is a story of destruction and greed, a story of lies and treachery, of how one man has used power and money … in his [Trump] battle for The Great Dunes of Scotland”.

Donald Trump does Bohemian Rhapsody from Hazel Cameron on Vimeo.