That is the Hallmark of all good songs. Especially those regardless of what Pete may say, with a moral. It's the same reason Aesop's Fables live on 3000 years later. The truth tends to remain the truth and until mankind learns to take a lesson from its mistakes they will continue to be true. As well as The Big Three morals. Treat others as you would like to be treated, do not let greed overwhelm your concern for your fellow man be overcome by greed. And do not kill. There is a price to pay for all of these things. Sometimes it's the next day. Sometimes it's 20 years later but you will pay. And those left to make decisions for the money and corporate backing they have the opportunity to pass on the destruction caused by their mistakes, greed and hubris on to all mankind.
I watched this live on TV in early 1968. (I was a high school senior at the time.) Every viewer understood that "the Big Fool" meant our tall Texan president, Lyndon Johnson. A few weeks after this show was broadcast, Sen. Eugene McCarthy, running as an antiwar candidate, gave Johnson a drubbing in the New Hampshire primary and forced LBJ to withdraw from seeking reelection. This was a very courageous performance, but Pete was also expressing what millions of Americans felt at that moment.
Wow. It's Dec 2022. I don't think we have a crop of anti war singers. America and NATO are fighting w the Russians via Ukraine. The Russian boys left their country when the draft was announced. The Ukrainian civilians have been getting slaughtered. The Ukrainian president and his wife did a spread in Vogue mag this year l. The war has been going on for nearly a year, rumor has it the Ukrainians are winning w all the money and weapons provided them from the western countries. Putin is reportedly losing face 😲. And, yet AGAIN ppl are worried about a possible nuclear war. Merry Christmas Everybody.🎄🎁🎅
@@jamesprince9041 LOL. His testimony in front of the [ironically named] House on Un-American Activities...." more than illustrated this truth telloing.
I wasn't even born yet but when I watch this I get chills....this guy had balls to go on national tv and say this. Freedom of speech is a precious thing. ...respect Pete .....rip
Wonderful man, intellectual, music theorist, folk ballad preserver, social activist. Blessings to you Pete. 94 years was your earthly reward, now you enjoy your eternal reward.
I remember seeing this on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in 1968. My friends and I howled with laughter knowing this was sticking a big middle finger to The Big Fool in the White House.
It is a testament to Pete how well this holds up today. It gives me chills to hear it - you can feel the hot crackling anger in his performance. He's really angry. It's mind blowing how all he did was figuratively call LBJ a big fool, and they had to fight to let the network show it.
"I have sung in hobo jungles, and I have sung for the Rockefellers, and I am proud that I have never refused to sing for anybody." - Pete Seeger Rest in Paradise
Pete Seeger is being considered for a Nobel Peace Prize....sign the petition. This man is such a great story teller and his worlds ring true today. Remember he took the FIRST ammendment, not the fifth, when questioned by the McCarthy committee. Let's give him the respect he deserves.
I Grew up listening to Pete. it took me until my 20s to really understand what he actually meant, and boy, i wish he was here today to keep singing away.❤love you, Pete.
Charles Oliva, Watch series 4 of the British tv show Blackadder. Set in WWI, it was all about the asinine orders of the brass. Likely some folks have been b____ing about this since the first ppl, God, and Satan.
one of god's best children, complete integrity, courage, honesty, gentleness, boldness, humor, love, equality, and creativity. Millions were helped by him. Don't miss one of his last songs, "And I am still searching" a parting song reminding us how to share the wealth of the world in equality with no one in poverty, exploited, oppressed, or discriminated against. A practical goal.
As a college student, I was electrified when Pete did this song on the Smothers Brothers Hour. It was through their courage and tenacity that Pete got this gig.
Boy, i just wish i was in any home in america when this aired. When the family still gathered together to watch tv and the like. The silence mustve been palpable. The generation gap was never wider than it was by 68....people were dyin in droves and it seemed like no end was in sight. And our parents and the powers that be just couldnt see......RIP pete bless yer heart for reminding us of the powers of music
I saw that on the Smothers Brothers show when it was broadcast. I remember thinking, "I have just witnessed the effective end of the Viet Nam war." RIP, amigo. RIP.
The first time the Smothers brother chose to have Pete on their show, CBS refused to allow him to sing this song. It was years later when he did come back and actually sang it. LBJ just assumed it was all bout him.
He sang his song loud for a generation that sorely needed his perspective ... we still do! Bless you Pete and may you soar with the angels and know how much you are respected and loved.
What a fine entertainer, what a gifted songwriter and singer, and, above all else, what a great man, who cared nothing for himself, whose only goal in life was to speak truth to power. Who shall fill his humble shoes? Rest In Peace, Poet of Peace, Pete Seeger.
Seeger's song is a classic cautionary tale that could really be applied to many people and situations. It's interesting that the reaction to Seeger was "We know you're really singing about the Vietnam War." Isn't that an admission of guilt? It's like the old Soviet joke where the protester is holding a blank sign and he's arrested because "We know what you want to say."
Seeger, Dylan, Guthrie, Young, and many other. These are artists who knew how to sing entertaining music to protest what was then and may still be current events
I was fortunate enough to see Pete play in my high school gym....this would have been about 1966-1967. I think he was playing at a school hoping to teach us about the way of the world.
I remember when this was on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. My friends and I howled with delight knowing that Pete was singing this to the big fool, LBJ. We like to think that this contributed to the big fool deciding not to run for re-election. Pete, I love you.
I Love this song, every time I hear it: When I went to the Jungle Operations School in Panama, and later, when I served as Advisory Team Leader north of Kontum, and finally, when I served as Advisory Team Leader in Trung Lap, at the edge of the "Iron Triangle", my team I had a few good moments in appreciating Pete Seeger's wisdom.
I remember that show too. I was 18 and just really getting into folk music and writing my own songs and this show really hit me. Such passion and force of spirit. And Seeger has never let up. The man's what a saint should be. He never compromised, he never gave up. Thanks for the posting Populist. There's great clips on youtube of the show he used to do in the 50's. You should see some of those - amazing guests.
My absolute favorite song of his probably because I saw this very cut when I was in high school. This was considered super controversial and I remember people talking about it for DAYS. Smooth sailing, Pete. Bon voyage. You were a great one and part of my (still) hippie life. RIP
I do believe that the gods broke the mold after they made Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie and all those wonderful singers and storytellers who believed and stood for life, liberty and dignity 'for ALL the people'. If there is anyone that measures up these days, please let me know who it is. I mourn.
For a 15 year old(well, for a 55 year old or a 95 year old, for that matter)you are off to a great start. Thanks for posting and it's great that you get this.
I just drove thru the area in Louisiana where he speaks of. it's still a very rural area w/ very little anything and the absolute last place I'd like to play soldier. There are lots of Big Muddy's too!
Initially, CBS wouldn't allow Seeger to sing this on "THE SMOTHERS BROTHERS COMEDY HOUR" in September 1967 [he was still officially "blacklisted" from performing on commercial TV at the time]. Tom Smothers eventually put enough pressure on the network to finally allow him to sing it in January 1968; this was the first time in 17 years that Pete performed on network television with the freedom to "speak his mind in song"...
Originally Pete did this on the Smothers Brothers in September of '67. CBS censored it but the clamors of support grew so loud for both Pete and the Brothers that CBS relented and rescheduled Seeger. This is from Sunday, February 25th, 1968.
Robert Gillespie Hi Robert, the LBJ Administration may well have had an influence in cancelling the airing of Pete's first appearance in '67. But the fact remains that network did relent and extended the invitation for Seeger to repeat his performance, as documented here in '68. As far as LBJ getting the show cancelled, that's factually incorrect. The Smothers Brothers last show was on June 8th, 1969. LBJ was also out of office by then.
I remember watching this on the Smother Brothers! I was only thirteen. I remember my Mom getting mad at the lyrics. Wow, that was an incredible, exciting era and I'm glad I remember it.
This comments section has something exceedingly rare: MULTIPLE polite conservatives! Usually the asshole Trump minority has a disproportionate amount of posts compared to the good people who just happen to be Republicans. I don't think I've seen a single Trumpet here! This is marvelous!
I was against the war in Vietnam, starting in late 1960 or early 1961, I am a big-time music lover (all kinds), I really like Pete, I saw him, in person, around 1965, and I had NEVER heard this song before! Fantastic song, great voice, he obviously believes passionately in what the song says, and he plays that 12-string like he invented it.
one would never be allowed to perform such a tune on national television today. just the military, media, industrial complex exerting there stangle hold on freedom of expression. my heart weeps for all the lives wasted in iraq and afghanistan for nothing.
God Bkess this wonderful man and a true patriot. Pete tried to warn us through his music. Two months after he sang this song on the Smothers Brothers, MLK was murdered and RFK was slained two months later. The bad guys had won and the nation got Nixon and 40 years of bullshit and greed. I am haooy that Pete is alive and well and still going strong and is able to see maybe the one ray of hope we have again with Barack Obama. I hope, but alas, I doubt it.
I should add -- for those who haven't figured it out -- that in singing about the "Big Fool" leading the troops deeper into the Big Muddy, Pete was referring to President Lyndon Baines Johnson. I think everyone watching this on TV that Sunday evening in 1968 knew that. (I was 17 at the time and remember watching this performance in amazement.) This was one of many courageous things the Smothers Brothers did on their prime-time show -- the gutsiest thing on TV back then.
This performance was from Pete Seger's 2nd appearance on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. CBS wouldn't let him do it the first time thinking the line about the president was a jab against president Johnson. After this received big attention in the press, CBS allowed him to do it the 2nd time around. Check out the DVD "Smothered:The Censorship Struggles Of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour".
Seeger was brought back to network TV after a 17-year absence by the Smothers Brothers. He had been blacklisted because some said he was a communist. On the first show his Big Muddy performance was cut by CBS, and he only sang a couple of other songs. Towards the end of that 2nd season, he came back and sang Big Muddy, with no objections from CBS; the mood in the country had changed. Two days after this broadcast on the Smothers' show, Cronkite gave his "the war cannot be won" broadcast.
it amazes me how things can get so political and ugly in the comment threads of videos on youtube.... why can't we just simply appreciate pete seeger?? happy 90th!
It's scary how, year in, year out, this song remains chillingly relevant.
Dr. Fauci commented that we a "knee deep" in first wave of the pandemic and I immediately thought of this song.
That is the Hallmark of all good songs. Especially those regardless of what Pete may say, with a moral. It's the same reason Aesop's Fables live on 3000 years later. The truth tends to remain the truth and until mankind learns to take a lesson from its mistakes they will continue to be true. As well as The Big Three morals. Treat others as you would like to be treated, do not let greed overwhelm your concern for your fellow man be overcome by greed. And do not kill. There is a price to pay for all of these things. Sometimes it's the next day. Sometimes it's 20 years later but you will pay. And those left to make decisions for the money and corporate backing they have the opportunity to pass on the destruction caused by their mistakes, greed and hubris on to all mankind.
Used this song to explain Afghanistan to my 11 year old Grandson.
I watched this live on TV in early 1968. (I was a high school senior at the time.) Every viewer understood that "the Big Fool" meant our tall Texan president, Lyndon Johnson. A few weeks after this show was broadcast, Sen. Eugene McCarthy, running as an antiwar candidate, gave Johnson a drubbing in the New Hampshire primary and forced LBJ to withdraw from seeking reelection.
This was a very courageous performance, but Pete was also expressing what millions of Americans felt at that moment.
That was from an era where liberals were anti-war and not timid pantywaists afraid of offending “The Party.”
All war is total war, if you're not prepared to do that, don't start.
I am an Army veteran, and I LOVE this song!
You know what's lacking in our current crop of anti-war musicians? Talent. This man had it.
Wow. It's Dec 2022. I don't think we have a crop of anti war singers. America and NATO are fighting w the Russians via Ukraine.
The Russian boys left their country when the draft was announced. The Ukrainian civilians have been getting slaughtered. The Ukrainian president and his wife did a spread in Vogue mag this year l. The war has been going on for nearly a year, rumor has it the Ukrainians are winning w all the money and weapons provided them from the western countries. Putin is reportedly losing face 😲. And, yet AGAIN ppl are worried about a possible nuclear war.
Merry Christmas Everybody.🎄🎁🎅
Harvey Danger: War Buddies
Thank you for your service.
Pete was always a fearless truth teller. RIP dear Pete.
Pete never had to confront the truth.
How true, friend - Pete told the raw, unvarnished truth that can be backed up in court, and he didn't sugarcoat it.
@@jamesprince9041 LOL. His testimony in front of the [ironically named] House on Un-American Activities...." more than illustrated this truth telloing.
I wasn't even born yet but when I watch this I get chills....this guy had balls to go on national tv and say this. Freedom of speech is a precious thing. ...respect Pete .....rip
but it was the Smothers brothers who paid the price
Wonderful man, intellectual, music theorist, folk ballad preserver, social activist. Blessings to you Pete. 94 years was your earthly reward, now you enjoy your eternal reward.
I remember seeing this on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in 1968. My friends and I howled with laughter knowing this was sticking a big middle finger to The Big Fool in the White House.
It is a testament to Pete how well this holds up today. It gives me chills to hear it - you can feel the hot crackling anger in his performance. He's really angry. It's mind blowing how all he did was figuratively call LBJ a big fool, and they had to fight to let the network show it.
"I have sung in hobo jungles, and I have sung for the Rockefellers, and I am proud that I have never refused to sing for anybody." - Pete Seeger
Rest in Paradise
Rip
Pete Seeger is being considered for a Nobel Peace Prize....sign the petition. This man is such a great story teller and his worlds ring true today. Remember he took the FIRST ammendment, not the fifth, when questioned by the McCarthy committee. Let's give him the respect he deserves.
I Grew up listening to Pete. it took me until my 20s to really understand what he actually meant, and boy, i wish he was here today to keep singing away.❤love you, Pete.
Pete Seeger had as much courage as any soldier on a battlefield.
Charles Oliva, Watch series 4 of the British tv show Blackadder. Set in WWI, it was all about the asinine orders of the brass. Likely some folks have been b____ing about this since the first ppl, God, and Satan.
Your statement makes it clear that you have no idea what you are talking about.
@@footslave4asian And you do? Please explain.
@charlesoliva8174 People in war tend to put themselves in a slightly more dangerous situation than a singer-songwriter.
@@tomtom3889 Seeger served in WWII and put himself in danger many times while touring in the South and Midwest. Please read his bio.
Pete Seeger, great American hero. Thank God that he is still with us and productive as ever.
Big Muddy 1961-1975
Big Dusty 2001 - 2013/present
RIP, genius.
@Thomas Paine The entire war on terror has been a pretty big muddy
war never changes
Coming to you soon ... the Big Muddy of Ukraine, if we're not there already. Some stuff never changes.
RIP Pete. A true American Icon. It was an honor to sit and play music with you in Cleveland so many years ago!
one of god's best children, complete integrity, courage, honesty, gentleness, boldness, humor, love, equality, and creativity. Millions were helped by him. Don't miss one of his last songs, "And I am still searching" a parting song reminding us how to share the wealth of the world in equality with no one in poverty, exploited, oppressed, or discriminated against. A practical goal.
I remember when he was on the Ed Sullivan show. He started to sing this very song, and got cut off around verse 2. My sister was furious!
As a college student, I was electrified when Pete did this song on the Smothers Brothers Hour. It was through their courage and tenacity that Pete got this gig.
RIP Pete. We need to listen to 'Big Muddy' now more than ever.
ChuckMartinGeniusBoy what about now?
And now?
RIP Pete - you made people think!
He's still making people think---Like me.
The inimitable Pete Seeger. He's been gone these many years but his music still rings of truth and moves the soul.
Rest in Power Pete. ☮️☮️☮️
This is the first place I went to this afternoon. The only place I WOULD go. R.I.P. Pete.
A Great One passes -- Rest in peace, Pete. You told truth to power. Your voice will be missed.
I'm here mourning the death of Tommy Smothers (26 December 2023) and honoring the memory of Pete Seeger- two ground-breaking men.
Boy, i just wish i was in any home in america when this aired. When the family still gathered together to watch tv and the like. The silence mustve been palpable.
The generation gap was never wider than it was by 68....people were dyin in droves and it seemed like no end was in sight. And our parents and the powers that be just couldnt see......RIP pete bless yer heart for reminding us of the powers of music
The silence and the dropped jaws .... I was nine years old.
I saw that on the Smothers Brothers show when it was broadcast. I remember thinking, "I have just witnessed the effective end of the Viet Nam war."
RIP, amigo. RIP.
and seven years later it ended
nailed it
The first time the Smothers brother chose to have Pete on their show, CBS refused to allow him to sing this song. It was years later when he did come back and actually sang it. LBJ just assumed it was all bout him.
@@thomaskent887 LBJ was right, wasn't he?
@@thomaskent887 It was definitely about LBJ... it was written while he was president.
Yeah, except for the next 4 years and 25k deaths.
He sang his song loud for a generation that sorely needed his perspective ... we still do! Bless you Pete and may you soar with the angels and know how much you are respected and loved.
What a fine entertainer, what a gifted songwriter and singer, and, above all else, what a great man, who cared nothing for himself, whose only goal in life was to speak truth to power.
Who shall fill his humble shoes?
Rest In Peace, Poet of Peace, Pete Seeger.
Seeger's song is a classic cautionary tale that could really be applied to many people and situations. It's interesting that the reaction to Seeger was "We know you're really singing about the Vietnam War." Isn't that an admission of guilt? It's like the old Soviet joke where the protester is holding a blank sign and he's arrested because "We know what you want to say."
Seeger, Dylan, Guthrie, Young, and many other. These are artists who knew how to sing entertaining music to protest what was then and may still be current events
Phil Ochs is another and my personal favorite, alongside Seeger that is.
Well done good and faithful servant.
I was fortunate enough to see Pete play in my high school gym....this would have been about 1966-1967.
I think he was playing at a school hoping to teach us about the way of the world.
By far the most epic protest song I've ever heard...deep, dark, clever...and goddman is it ever true
In my head.
Thank's for your amazing music, man. You'll live on forever through it.
Rest in peace.
RIP dear man! Thank heavens you left us with your words, your song...your heart. You will never be forgotten.
Красавчик⚡️Талантливый человек всегда актуален. Светлая память прекрасному музыканту🫶
Wow, that was great & he was about 50 at the time!
Thank you, Pete, and thank you, Smothers Brothers.
I remember when this was on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. My friends and I howled with delight knowing that Pete was singing this to the big fool, LBJ. We like to think that this contributed to the big fool deciding not to run for re-election. Pete, I love you.
RIP Pete. Thanks so much. Words fail.
Our national treasure. RIP Pete.
I Love this song, every time I hear it: When I went to the Jungle Operations School in Panama, and later, when I served as Advisory Team Leader north of Kontum, and finally, when I served as Advisory Team Leader in Trung Lap, at the edge of the "Iron Triangle", my team I had a few good moments in appreciating Pete Seeger's wisdom.
I remember that show too. I was 18 and just really getting into folk music and writing my own songs and this show really hit me. Such passion and force of spirit. And Seeger has never let up. The man's what a saint should be. He never compromised, he never gave up. Thanks for the posting Populist.
There's great clips on youtube of the show he used to do in the 50's. You should see some of those - amazing guests.
thanks so much for being here, sweet man. we will always love you and what you gave us. rip Pete.
Why does this make me feel better this morning?
You will be missed, Pete....But, your memory lives...Thanks for everything you brought to the game.
My absolute favorite song of his probably because I saw this very cut when I was in high school. This was considered super controversial and I remember people talking about it for DAYS. Smooth sailing, Pete. Bon voyage. You were a great one and part of my (still) hippie life. RIP
Peter Seeger was one of the greatest country music singer. His song Which Side are you On, is one I like more.
A song for our times 😊
I was a 60s kid but I don't rem him or that song at all. Totally enjoyed it. Thanks for posting. (Reminded me of series 4 of Blackadder. )
Thanks Pete Seeger!
Thanks for your song "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy".
I do believe that the gods broke the mold after they made Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie and all those wonderful singers and storytellers who believed and stood for life, liberty and dignity 'for ALL the people'. If there is anyone that measures up these days, please let me know who it is. I mourn.
This song is so right for today. RIP dear man.
"... the big fool says to push on ...."
This song is more relevant than ever. Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan... history keeps repeating itself.
now Russia in Ukraine
Brilliant, determined, revolutionary.
Today we need a man like Pete Seeger to lead the highest offices of the State humanly.
Highly effective antidote to the usual Empire-poison.
R.I.P. Comrade Pete Seeger
Wonderful song, both the words and the performance. Why aren't there people like this on the music scene now?
I instantly downloaded this on iTunes so I could listen to it over again. So simple yet very powerful.
For a 15 year old(well, for a 55 year old or a 95 year old, for that matter)you are off to a great start. Thanks for posting and it's great that you get this.
Great song/ great man. We already miss ya, Pete.
I just drove thru the area in Louisiana where he speaks of. it's still a very rural area w/ very little anything and the absolute last place I'd like to play soldier. There are lots of Big Muddy's too!
great... you are a genius. you are my idol. unbelievable song
Love your music Pete !
Initially, CBS wouldn't allow Seeger to sing this on "THE SMOTHERS BROTHERS COMEDY HOUR" in September 1967 [he was still officially "blacklisted" from performing on commercial TV at the time]. Tom Smothers eventually put enough pressure on the network to finally allow him to sing it in January 1968; this was the first time in 17 years that Pete performed on network television with the freedom to "speak his mind in song"...
Oh yes!!! A song for any time when....,
Historic TV broadcast!
solidarity forever, comrades
Originally Pete did this on the Smothers Brothers in September of '67. CBS censored it but the clamors of support grew so loud for both Pete and the Brothers that CBS relented and rescheduled Seeger. This is from Sunday, February 25th, 1968.
Gene Mynahan It was censored by LBJ. The song was about him and Vietnam.Smothers Bros. got cancelled.
Robert Gillespie Hi Robert, the LBJ Administration may well have had an influence in cancelling the airing of Pete's first appearance in '67. But the fact remains that network did relent and extended the invitation for Seeger to repeat his performance, as documented here in '68. As far as LBJ getting the show cancelled, that's factually incorrect. The Smothers Brothers last show was on June 8th, 1969. LBJ was also out of office by then.
+Gene Mynahan You are right,I guess.Long time ago.I hated LBJ. He had Kennedy murdered.And LBJ was "The Big Fool" in this song.
Our love of war...
Thanks for the music. Rest in peace.
Thank you, Pete.
I remember watching this on the Smother Brothers! I was only thirteen. I remember my Mom getting mad at the lyrics. Wow, that was an incredible, exciting era and I'm glad I remember it.
I am a Vietnam Vet and I have always loved Pete Seeger. That being said, I now dedicate Waist Deep In the Big Muddy to our Comander n Chief.
Why? he's not getting us killed, he's helping get the Russians and Ukrainians killed.😁
Always loved this song - one of his very best!
We sure will miss you, Pete. At least we still have your music.
This is an awesome song. RIP Pete.
This comments section has something exceedingly rare: MULTIPLE polite conservatives! Usually the asshole Trump minority has a disproportionate amount of posts compared to the good people who just happen to be Republicans. I don't think I've seen a single Trumpet here! This is marvelous!
I wish he was alive to help us still, but thank you Pete for being one of the greatest American's to ever live
I love this song!!!
Happy birthday Pete!!!!
I was against the war in Vietnam, starting in late 1960 or early 1961, I am a big-time music lover (all kinds), I really like Pete, I saw him, in person, around 1965, and I had NEVER heard this song before! Fantastic song, great voice, he obviously believes passionately in what the song says, and he plays that 12-string like he invented it.
He was not allowed to play it much.
one would never be allowed to perform such a tune on national television today. just the military, media, industrial complex exerting there stangle hold on freedom of expression.
my heart weeps for all the lives wasted in iraq and afghanistan for nothing.
God Bkess this wonderful man and a true patriot. Pete tried to warn us through his music. Two months after he sang this song on the Smothers Brothers, MLK was murdered and RFK was slained two months later. The bad guys had won and the nation got Nixon and 40 years of bullshit and greed. I am haooy that Pete is alive and well and still going strong and is able to see maybe the one ray of hope we have again with Barack Obama. I hope, but alas, I doubt it.
this guy is simply amazing, What a fucking great singer and songwriter!!!
greetings from Spain
One of the greatest of all time.
Pete Seeger was the BEST
I should add -- for those who haven't figured it out -- that in singing about the "Big Fool" leading the troops deeper into the Big Muddy, Pete was referring to President Lyndon Baines Johnson. I think everyone watching this on TV that Sunday evening in 1968 knew that. (I was 17 at the time and remember watching this performance in amazement.)
This was one of many courageous things the Smothers Brothers did on their prime-time show -- the gutsiest thing on TV back then.
This performance was from Pete Seger's 2nd appearance on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. CBS wouldn't let him do it the first time thinking the line about the president was a jab against president Johnson. After this received big attention in the press, CBS allowed him to do it the 2nd time around. Check out the DVD "Smothered:The Censorship Struggles Of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour".
We have just lost sweet Mary. RIP and thank you!
You always told it like it was (and is), Father Pete.
...Cheers Pete!!!
Rest In Peace ~
Seeger was brought back to network TV after a 17-year absence by the Smothers Brothers. He had been blacklisted because some said he was a communist. On the first show his Big Muddy performance was cut by CBS, and he only sang a couple of other songs. Towards the end of that 2nd season, he came back and sang Big Muddy, with no objections from CBS; the mood in the country had changed. Two days after this broadcast on the Smothers' show, Cronkite gave his "the war cannot be won" broadcast.
it amazes me how things can get so political and ugly in the comment threads of videos on youtube.... why can't we just simply appreciate pete seeger??
happy 90th!
All these years later and we are still stuck in the big muddy.
Rest in Peace, Pete! This is one of my favorites of his, appropriate today as it was in the years of the Great Unpleasantness in Southeast Asia!
Play the great guitar in the sky.
Pete.S the best American ever
An icon of patriotism and morals