The International Brecht Society interviews writer Jonathan Pappas about Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie. Mr. Pappas offers many kind words for Will Kaufman’s new book Woody Guthrie, American Radical.
“If anything I am more of a fan now of Guthrie in both a musical and a pop sense, and I’m much more of an admirer in the political sense. Kaufman’s book will deepen your understanding of the guy. The cornpone-folkie-troubadour image is limiting, inaccurate. The most important thing to Guthrie was the politics, or, more accurately, human rights. Rights for workers. Union organization. And later, additional issues like race. People know that, but they may not know the extent to which it is true. They will, after reading American Radical.”