NOB HILL--Tonight Channel 5 featured a long show about Peter, Paul, and Mary. Since their inception they have been at the forefront of social consciousness. I remember listening to their songs in the early 60's (500 Miles, The Great Mandala, If I Had a Hammer, etc.) and tonight a lot of those feelings came back. It is hard to imagine "peace and freedom" at the center of political discussion in those years without folk music setting the stage. It was quieter music...thoughtful music. Music with humor and pathos. Music for a young man (such as myself in the 60's) to reflect on his seeming alienation from much of his milieu.
Tonight Peter and Paul looked more or less the same...just a little older. Mary is a lot heavier. Their website says Mary is undergoing chemotherapy for a form of leukemia. Her email and regular address are posted on the site. They do expect her to recover. We have to remember that they are all about 70 years old. They sound great, but nothing like they sounded to me then: listening to 500 Miles over a cup of coffee and dreaming about the open road.
1 comment:
Thought I'd return the favor and comment...anyway, my sister worked at WNET NY (and I interned there for all of 6 months) up until recently, and she and my mom worked a pledge drive featuring Peter Paul and Mary. She met two of the three, and we taped the special so she'd always have the memory of (I believe it was Peter) hugging her like mad. She is a huge fan of the trio, as are my sister and I, and we grew up on their amazing tunes. My college roomate and I would play "Lemon Tree" and "500 Miles" at least once a week.
Thanks!
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