Chopping Wood: Thoughts & Stories Of A Legendary American Folksinger

by Pete Seeger, David Bernz (Primary Contributor)

For years, Woody had a sign on his guitar, 'This Machine Kills Fascists,' and we’d say, 'Woody, Hitler’s dead—why don’t you take the sign off?' And he’d say, 'Oh, this fascism comes along whenever the rich people get the generals to do what they want.' It’s a good definition of fascism. But then Woody went into the hospital, and that’s when I decided to put something on my banjo, but I thought it should be a little 'This Machine Surrounds Hate And Forces It To Surrender.' Pete Seeger Chopping Wood is Pete Seeger up close and personal like never before. Derived from years of conversations between Seeger and his close friend and collaborator David Bernz, it takes readers on a uniquely personal journey through this legendary folksinger and songwriter remarkable life and career, in his own words. Listen in as Pete unabashedly shares historical and family stories; tells of learning the banjo, traveling with Woody Guthrie, and finding commercial success with The Weavers; explains how he wrote books and put together songs; delves into controversial subjects like communism and the Peekskill Riots; and highlights those he admired and respected, including Bruce Springsteen, who honoured Pete with his Seeger Sessions album in 2006. Pete and David share the heavy lifting as they tackle subjects such as the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, Pete’s relationship to Greenwich Village, and the need for copyright reform. Together, they describe how Pete put his worldview into practice in his local community, how he lived with local hero status in later life, and how they made recordings together that resulted in two Grammy Awards.  Minimally edited to preserve Seeger’s trademark cadence, the book is punctuated by historical images and additional commentary from David as well as other musicians and friends. Readers will come to know Pete more deeply as they hear this gentle, principled man’s voice resonate in their own heads, and along the way perhaps they might absorb some of his humility and willingness to respect those whose opinions differed greatly from his own—vital qualities in these troubled and divisive times.

Genres: Music, Biography

312 pages, Paperback

Published May 3, 2024

About the author

Peter Seeger, better known as Pete Seeger, was a folk singer, political activist, and a key figure in the mid-20th century American folk music revival. As a member of the Weavers, he had a string of hits, including a 1949 recording of Leadbelly's "Goodnight Irene" that topped the charts for 13 weeks in 1950. However, his career as a mainstream performer was seriously curtailed by the Second Red Scare: he came under severe attack as a former member of the Communist Party of the United States of America. Later, he re-emerged on the public scene as a pioneer of protest music in the late 1950s and the 1960s.

He was perhaps best known as the author or co-author of the songs "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?", "If I Had a Hammer (The Hammer Song)", and "Turn, Turn, Turn!", which have been recorded by many artists both in and outside the folk revival movement and are still sung throughout the world. "Flowers" was a hit recording for The Kingston Trio (1962), Marlene Dietrich, who recorded it in English, German and French (1962), and Johnny Rivers (1965). "If I Had a Hammer" was a hit for Peter, Paul & Mary (1962) and Trini Lopez (1963), while The Byrds popularized "Turn, Turn, Turn!" in the mid-1960s. Seeger was also widely credited with popularizing the traditional song "We Shall Overcome", which was recorded by Joan Baez and many other singer-activists, and became the publicly perceived anthem of the 1960s American Civil Rights Movement soon after musicologist Guy Carawan introduced it at the founding meeting of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in 1960.

Reviews

[Peter Corrigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pete Seeger--I hadn't thought about him much but his appearance in the new Dylan movie 'A Complete Unknown' (played wonderfully by Edward Norton) prodded me to pick this up at the library. Not a biography but a collection of stories and thoughts by and about the legendary folk singer. He had a far more 'interesting' past than I ever realized having been blacklisted after an appearance before the HUAC committee in the early 1950s. For fans of Pete and the folk music genre and history there is a lot to like in this book. Stories of his youth, early days with The Weavers, Woody Guthrie, Lee Hays, Lead Belly, Alan Lomax and many others. You also might learn what really happened at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. And along the way you could discover some 'new' old music and the stories behind some of the classics of the time. The words to 'Where Have All the Flowers Gone' came in part from a Cossack ballad featured in 'And Quiet Flows the Don' by Mikhail Sholokov, one of my all-time favorite novels. Pete was a committed 'lefty' his entire life and a member of the Communist party, though he never admitted it at the time and his refusal to take an oath against it resulted in the blacklist. After reading this little book I'd have to say he exemplified much of the best of what 'progressives' long stood for. It is ironic that he was censored for decades and yet it is today's progressive movement that has become the prime mover of censorship in this time. 'Turn, Turn, Turn' as the song goes.

[Brent]

For years, Woody had a sign on his guitar, 'This Machine Kills Fascists,' and we’d say, 'Woody, Hitler’s dead—why don’t you take the sign off?' And he’d say, 'Oh, this fascism comes along whenever the rich people get the generals to do what they want.' It’s a good definition of fascism. But then Woody went into the hospital, and that’s when I decided to put something on my banjo, but I thought it should be a little 'This Machine Surrounds Hate And Forces It To Surrender.'
Pete Seeger

[Michael Pepe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pete Seeger was from a different time in America, yet his work remained relevant throughout his 95 years. This collection of stories, recollections and Seeger's own words, demonstrates that Seeger was much more than a writer and singer of traditional folk songs. Black-listed as a communist in the early 1950's, Seeger's social activism transcended political affiliation and stayed true to his belief that small acts of human kindness rather than a big idea will ultimately save the world.

[Karen P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fascinating man. All the people he knew, all the things he had seen, and his commitment to what he believed and speaking out about it, singing about it.
His faith and belief in community, and in singing together. I’m a fan.

[Irvin Moscowitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

fabulous

This book was so well written. It taught me so much about Pete Seeger and the folk movement which I really thought I knew about. Pete was a wonderful person. I wish I could have known him but this book makes me feel like I did.

[Daniel Kirk-Davidoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific oral history by someone who spent a lot of time with Seeger. Subjects range from family history to stories of the founding of Clearwater, musical composition and songwriting process, lots of interesting content about Woody Guthrie and other important figures in folk music. A great read!

[Sherry Kenney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book - lots of history, and wonderful stories about Pete Seeger from an author who grew up knowing him as a family friend. I loved the pictures, too.