Pophistory: music, movies, history, and life.
In 1940 after John Ford made John Steinbeck’s novel Grapes of Wrath into a popular film, Woody Guthrie was finding some fame while living with various friends in New York. In the biography Woody Guthrie: A Life, Joe Klein explained that as Victor Records worked to produce a set of Guthrie’s Dust Bowl ballads, the … Continue reading “Tom Joad’s Inspiration”
Folksinger and songwriter Woody Guthrie was born on July 14, 1912 in Okfuskee County, Oklahoma. In honor of his birthday, Chimesfreedom will consider some of the songs and life events of this man who looms large in both the American songbook and in our concepts of a period of American history. Guthrie is a part of our past, but … Continue reading “Woody Guthrie’s “So Long It’s Been Good to Know You””
Below are links to some of the latest pop culture stories you might have missed. . . Halloween The Chicago Tribune‘s listed the top 25 scariest movies for Halloween. Batty? Prince Charles claims he is related to Dracula. Salon is featuring a slide show of the top ten Halloween special moments from The Simpsons. Zombies … Continue reading “Pop Culture Roundup for Late October 2011”
As Chimesfreedom prepares for Hurricane Irene in New York, we wish others in the hurricane’s path to be safe in weathering the storm. Hopefully, we soon will be wishing Irene goodnight, as in the great song. Unlike the hurricane, “Goodnight Irene” is timeless, so that nobody knows where the song originated. Huddie Ledbetter, i.e., Lead … Continue reading “Goodnight Irene”
Tonight on Jeopardy, one of the three contestants will be an IBM computer taking on two former champions, Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter. It is a battle of human against machine. The classic human-versus-machine song is “John Henry.” Historians debate about who was the person who inspired the folk tale. But most seem to agree … Continue reading “I’ll Die With a Buzzer in My Hand!”