Joan Baez - Too Bad You're a Communist

A repairman took apart my guitar and found a scroll inside which said 'too bad you're a communist'

"My personal collection is very small, I must have five guitars in total. The two Martins I use are replicas of the Martin 1929 0-45 I bought for $200 in 1962. I hadn't played that guitar for years. Although, I packed it up, bought it a seat on the plane and took it to the recording session for this album and that's the first time I've played it for decades.

"An amusing story about that guitar is that when it went in to be fixed in 1996, the repairman took it apart and found a scroll inside which said, 'Too bad you're a communist'. It must have been done by a repairman years ago who disputed my politics. When the 0-45 was replicated for a 1997 edition, a backwards label bearing the same slogan was adhered to the inside of the soundboard so that it could be read with an inspection mirror.

The most proud communists are the ones that are the worst at doing it. Which is how it seems to works.

quote:

Originally posted by cas:
The most proud communists are the ones that are the worst at doing it.

A lot of claimed pride is based on guilt: “I really can’t stand walking the walk, but I can compensate by talking the talk all the more religiously.”

Or maybe "Too bad you're a pseudo Communist".

If she was a TRUE Communist she would not have a estimated net worth today of eleven million dollars.

quote:

Originally posted by shovelhead:
Or maybe "Too bad you're a pseudo Communist".

If she was a TRUE Communist she would not have a estimated net worth today of eleven million dollars.

I don't think there are many TRUE communists compared to those who "rob Peter to pay Paul", the whole purpose is to pay themselves first.

quote:

Originally posted by shovelhead:
Or maybe "Too bad you're a pseudo Communist".

A true communist stands in a particular spot while a socialist leans to the flavor of the moment.

Reminds me of the scene in Lawrence Of Arabia:

Mr. Dryden, diplomat, political leader, head of the Arab Bureau:
A man who tells lies, like me, merely hides the truth. But a man who tells half-lies, has forgotten where he's put it.

No one sang "Plaisir d'Amour" like she did, though. She accompanied herself on the guitar, and it was exquisite.

flashguy

quote:

Originally posted by shovelhead:
Or maybe "Too bad you're a pseudo Communist"...

I think she is a real communist, but like all leaders of such a movement, and their closest elite allies, none of them expect to live under the same laws or lifestyle constraints that the proletariat must endure. Baez has never envisioned herself standing in lines for food, healthcare, etc.


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quote:

Originally posted by shovelhead:
If she was a TRUE Communist she would not have a estimated net worth today of eleven million dollars.

I don't know about that. I just finished a bio on Tito, and he had no issues accumulating assets far in excess of those of Ms. Baez.

I believe that pseudo Communist is a redundancy because there are no true Communists in the sense of what their theory teaches. There are of course plenty of people who are eager to take what others have based on the “from each according to his ability; to each according to his need” mantra, but just to the point that it only affects other people. As soon as the individual starts to realize how the system may affect him personally, hardwired human nature kicks in and he starts looking for ways that benefit him without much, if any, regard for the “masses.”

That is the most fundamental flaw of communist ideology, but it is also the least recognized by its true believers. The Bolsheviks taught that human nature itself would be changed by communist practice and would result in the rise of the “New Soviet Man” who would be immune to the lure of self-interest, but that was of course a fantasy—as has been demonstrated by 102+ years of history thus far.

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:
... that was of course a fantasy—as has been demonstrated by 102+ years of history thus far.

That's because we haven't done communism/socialism the right way, yet. Once we implement a democratic form of enslavement it will all work out.



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quote:

Originally posted by TigerDore:
That's because we haven't done communism/socialism the right way, yet. Once we implement a democratic form of enslavement it will all work out.

That's a load of Bolshev, right there.

I know you were being sarcastic, I just couldn't resist.

Not all phonies are communists, but all communists are phonies.

quote:

Originally posted by joel9507:

That's a load of Bolshev, right there...

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A rich and famous communist. How absurd.

I remember Joan Baez 'Rejoice in the Sun', the movie 'Silent Running'.

An environmental-themed post-apocalyptic science fiction film. Fantasy for some perhaps.

An 0-45. What a story ...

quote:

Originally posted by TigerDore:
That's because we haven't done communism/socialism the right way, yet.

He is quoting exactly what the apologists for communism and socialism claim today. Even they (some/most, anyway) can no longer ignore the stark fact that their utopian fantasies have never been realized in any of the countries where their theories have been implemented to a significant degree. Their explanation for those economic and social disasters is therefore that they weren’t “done right.” As soon as one is, it will all work out.

I'd never heard of her, but after reading about her, she seems like a real piece of shit.

quote:

Originally posted by shovelhead:
Or maybe "Too bad you're a pseudo Communist".

If she was a TRUE Communist she would not have a estimated net worth today of eleven million dollars.

That was my first thought, too.

I've heard of her - her music was played a lot in Canada - never did like her