Re: Kristallnacht as a musical motif and political symbol

[Robert Cohen <rlcm17...>]

I promised to sign off--but I just caught up with this post about a certain 
singer-songwriter's inappropriately using Kristallnacht as a political 
metaphor--in, I think, a monstrously inappropriate fashion (he likened it to 
the effect of restrictive immigration laws in this country, or the demand in 
some quarters for such)--and I do want to comment.

The fact is, I know the songwriter Lee is referring to--and I'm not sure why 
we should be protecting his identity, which I *don't* think is irrelevant; 
I'm not posting it only because I want to be 100% sure I remember the 
correct person--and I know the song he's referring to.

I know it because I heard it in concert--and it pushed a lot of buttons for 
me, as it did for Lee.  I thought it was outrageously false--a song can be 
true or false, you know.  It can enlighten people, raise their 
consciousness, deepen their understanding--or the reverse.

I *did* write the songwriter, at considerable length, detailing my forceful 
objections to the song and my reasons for it.  We had a respectful exchange 
but not a happy one.  I find it hard to think that lack of understanding--as 
opposed to lack of clear thinking and good values--was the problem; but I 
certainly enabled him to acquire more understanding, if he wanted to.  (I 
still have the correspondence.)

I can't find the song on his website (I don't know if that's intentional--or 
if I just didn't find it); I'm glad to hear that Lee didn't hear it in 
concert but have no way of knowing if he's really excised it from his 
concert repertory.  If so, it's conceivable that my letter had some small 
thing to do with that--or very possible that it had nothing to do with it at 
all.  It certainly let him know that a dyed-in-the-wool folkie found his 
song vile.  (He advised, btw, that--naturally--he's played the song for 
Jewish friends--naturally--in fact, I think he said they have him regularly 
at seders [where they undoubtedly reduce the meaning of the Exodus and the 
Seder to the plight of--pick your favorite oppressed group--maybe 
Palestinians this year?]--that was an aside, sort of.)

He is indeed a fine songwriter and, I think, a good-hearted person--and I 
addressed him as such.  But he's also prone to not very well thought-out, I 
think, and shallow political opinings.

I'm glad Lee posted this.  And if the songwriter has really very 
deliberately retired this song for some of the reasons that Lee mentioned 
and that I adduced in my letter (whether or not it had a thing to do with my 
letter), I'm prepared to give him credit for that.  But his singing of his 
song left a bad taste in my mouth and poisoned my feelings about him--to the 
point that I won't (unless I learn more, along the lines of the above) go to 
hear him again.

--Robert Cohen




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