Today is Labor Day, a day for us to salute the huge contributions that workers, and yes, labor unions, have made in the United States. We are at our best when we band together, with all hands on deck to create things great and small. Collaborative effort makes for peaceful relations. It channels energy to build a future that everyone can benefit from. I love Woody Guthrie’s take on it, “Talking union is the best kind of talking you can do, union in your house, union in your street, union in your town, and union around the world.” Of course, Woody had witnessed exploitation by bosses, and promoted workers organizing to get their fair share. It is unfortunate that the concept of ‘union’ has gotten so twisted. We are in it together to make a better world.
Jon Langford is a rather outspoken proponent of the working class, in that long tradition of musicians that have opined on such things. There is a cool slide show of political operative musicians here. Jon came out of the politically rife British punk era, and now resides in Chicago, where he is a multi-media sensation. Art, theater, radio, music. One of his on-going projects, of course is The Waco Brothers. BTW, they have a new album out with Paul Burch called Great Chicago Fire. From last year’s Spring Music Fog Marathon at Threadgill’s WHQ, here is the Music Fog recording of “Plenty Tough Union Made,” from the Waco Brothers, with one of the tunes found on the To The Last Dead Cowboy from 1995.
- Jessie Scott
