Thurs., 5/10/12: 3,000 Songs for the 99 Percent

3,000 Songs for the 99 Percent

This year marks the 100th birthday of Woody Guthrie. We pay tribute to his life and life's work by way of "Woody Sez", a musical production now onstage at the A.R.T. in Cambridge, Mass. It's an exploration of Woody Guthrie, and a celebration of his songs. Born in Okemah, Oklahoma he saw the devastation of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression firsthand. Raw, gritty, and full of poetry, His songs were for the folks who suffered no end of indignities during these hard times. The successes he achieved in his own lifetime were often undermined by his politics and 'tell it like it is' way of taking on the world. To see Woody Sez, and to hear Guthrie's songs, one is struck by how familiar they are today given our current economic situation.

Watch the trailer for A.R.T.'s "Woody Sez."

GUESTS:
  David Lutken, devisor/music director of "Woody Sez"
  Alicia Anstead, editor of Inside Arts magazine and the Harvard Arts Beat Blog, where you can find her recent interview with David Lutken