Latest news with #JoanBaez
San Francisco Chronicle
a day ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Joan Baez: Activist reads original poems targeting President Trump in exclusive video
Lately, the more I read the daily news, the more I've felt compelled to write again. Lining up words into sentences that attempt to make sense of the chaos is my bulwark against a creeping feeling of despondency. I haven't sat down to deliberately write poems in many years. But when I unearthed my older poems to put together my recent collection ' When You See My Mother, Ask Her to Dance,' I found myself revising and rewriting for about a year. It felt like strengthening a muscle that I'd allowed to atrophy for too long. Two of the pieces published here are prose poems: 'Pony Up' and 'Reasons to Stop Using the Word Unprecedented.' They both arrived in such a rush that I couldn't be bothered to think about something like line-breaks. But they're poetic to me — furious but poetic, nonetheless. In the third poem, 'Falling Rocks,' I wanted to try to give a voice to children who are being silenced. The unhinged merrymakers who now oversee our government are delighted to be the first in this century to stun the population into a state of shock and awe. Delighted to make any disruptive move that worms into their unbalanced minds. Delighted to show off their unprecedented behavior as they move with chaotic speed to destroy everything that has thrived in this imperfect democracy. Kidnap and detain children? 'YAHOO!' Abduct citizens off the streets and ship them untried to prison camps? 'OOPSIE!' Kill the elderly and anyone not white enough to count? 'WHOOPTY DOO!' Of course it's all unprecedented. But they revel in such extraordinary cruelty. As we demand 'Stop!' they grow more cruel and hear 'Unprecedented!' as praise. Don't give the lunatics the satisfaction of hearing that word one more time. Pony Up spineless democrats: Pony up! When did starting a sentence with 'I don't see why' ever elicit a satisfactory answer or bring an opponent to heel? PONY UP! Instead of 'I don't see why,' try 'I DEMAND TO KNOW WHY!' Then override their double-talk and distractions and evasions, insist you need a real answer until you get one — or as close to one as some of the spokespeople can eke out. Don't settle for alphabet soup. Get an answer. If you can't, push back on anything you can. The Trumpists lie all day long. And they are winning the game. Falling Rocks Tengo miedo Tengo frío Tengo hambre Estoy sola I am afraid I am cold I am hungry I am lonely Where is my mother? Where is my sister? Where is my dog? Where is my new dress? I was on the school bus in my new dress with my lunch bag on my lap I had lemonade in a box with a little straw attached a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and an apple Like the other kids who are my friends but they stayed on the bus and I did not All around me was like a mountain falling and I was just one of the rocks you are supposed to watch for while driving But no one is watching out for this little rock I'm still falling falling Tengo miedo Tengo frio Tengo hambre Estoy sola An American icon, Joan Baez, 84, has released more than 30 albums during her storied career. In 2024, she released ' When You See My Mother, Ask Her to Dance,' a book of poetry.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Why This '80s Rock Icon Feared Joan Baez Would Fight Him
Why This '80s Rock Icon Feared Joan Baez Would Fight Him originally appeared on Parade. Rob Halford had no idea what to expect when he met folk legend Joan Baez at Live Aid in 1985 — except for a confrontation over "wrecking" her iconic song, 'Diamonds And Rust.' The musician spoke to APin an article shared on Thursday, July 10. He revealed that during the star-studded Live Aid concert, which was broadcast globally and featured performances from rock legends like Queen, The Who, and Led Zeppelin, the Judas Priest frontman found himself caught between excitement and nerves. Halford, 73, had long admired Baez, 84, but worried that she might take issue with the band's hard-hitting version of her classic tune. 🎬 SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬'I thought, 'Oh my God, she's gonna come and kick me in the a** for wrecking her beautiful song,'' Halford recalled, speaking with the outlet ahead of the 40th anniversary of Live Aid. But to his surprise, when Baez approached him, she wasn't upset. Instead, she offered a quick hug and shared a touching message from her son. 'The reason I'm here is because my son said to me, if you see Rob Halford from Judas Priest at the Live Aid Show in Philadelphia, will you tell him from me that I prefer Judas Priest's version to my mom's version?' Halford remembers her saying. '…It was a display of such kindness,' Halford noted. The event was held at Philadelphia's John F. Kennedy Stadium and featured multiple popular musical groups at the time. Reflecting on the concert, Halford also fondly recalled highlights like Mick Jagger and Tina Turner's performances, as well as Led Zeppelin's iconic reunion. The event raised over $125 million for famine relief in Ethiopia, and was broadcast to an audience of over 1.9 billion people in more than 150 countries, making it one of the largest global television events of its time. Why This '80s Rock Icon Feared Joan Baez Would Fight Him first appeared on Parade on Jul 11, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
See Bob Dylan Play ‘The Times They Are a-Changin' for First Time in 15 Years
Just two songs into his Outlaw Music Festival set Wednesday night at the FirstBank Amphitheater in Franklin, Tennessee, Bob Dylan broke out his 1964 protest anthem 'The Times They Are a-Changin'' for the first time since 2010. It was a slow, moving rendition where Dylan played piano and harmonica, and had minimal accompaniment by his band. His voice was remarkably clear and lucid, which has been the case all summer long. (We're waiting for video of the full song to appear on YouTube. In the meantime, we've embedded one brief clip above from X. You can see another here. There's also a fuller take on Bluesky you can see here, though you'll need an account.) Dylan last played 'The Times They Are a-Changin'' in the East Room of the White House on Feb. 9, 2010, when he appeared at an event honoring the Civil Rights Movement, sharing the billing with Joan Baez, John Mellencamp, Smokey Robinson, Natalie Cole, and Jennifer Hudson. Until the night came, nobody knew which song Dylan was going to play for an audience that included President Obama. 'He had mentioned the possibility of also doing 'Chimes of Freedom' or 'Blowin' in the Wind,'' Bob Santelli, one of the show's organizers, told Rolling Stone. 'Believe me, if Bob had opted to play another song, there wasn't a person in the house that would have minded.' That night, Dylan was joined onstage only by bassist Tony Garnier and pianist Patrick Warren. When the song ended, Dylan walked to the front row and shook Obama's hand. It was the first time they had a chance to meet. 'He was exactly as you'd expect he would be,' Obama told Rolling Stone later that year. 'He wouldn't come to the rehearsal. Usually, all these guys are practicing before the set in the evening. He didn't want to take a picture with me; usually all the talent is dying to take a picture with me and Michelle before the show, but he didn't show up to that.' He continued, 'He came in and played 'The Times They Are A-Changin'.' A beautiful rendition. The guy is so steeped in this stuff that he can just come up with some new arrangement, and the song sounds completely different. Finishes the song, steps off the stage – I'm sitting right in the front row – comes up, shakes my hand, sort of tips his head, gives me just a little grin, and then leaves. And that was it – then he left. That was our only interaction with him. And I thought: That's how you want Bob Dylan, right? You don't want him to be all cheesin' and grinnin' with you. You want him to be a little skeptical about the whole enterprise. So that was a real treat.' It's unclear why exactly he brought back the song Wednesday night after all these years. Maybe seeing Timothée Chalamet's take on it in A Complete Unknown brought it to mind. (We'll overlook the fact that the movie shows him singing the song at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival, which didn't actually happen.) Maybe he's a huge Zohran Mamdani fan and this is his way of telegraphing support for the Democratic candidate in the New York manorial race. (Bob's present-day political views are a mystery, and we'll place the odds extremely close to zero that the song was a commentary on the New York City election.) In all likelihood, he merely wanted to add another song into his set that the ocean of casual fans a show like this would recognize. At a Phoenix stop of the tour on May 13, he played 'Mr. Tambourine Man' for the first time since 2010. Just don't expect to hear 'The Times They Are a-Changin'' if you have tickets to another stop of the Outlaw Music Festival tour. That 'Mr. Tambourine Man' was a one-off, and it's very possible 'The Times They Are a-Changin'' will also vanish from the set after Wednesday night. Best of Rolling Stone Sly and the Family Stone: 20 Essential Songs The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked
Times
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
The Times Daily Quiz: Tuesday May 20, 2025
1 What is the three-digit code number of James Bond? 2 Bear Grylls was aged 23 when he climbed which Himalayan mountain in May 1998? 3 Cardinals of the Catholic Church have a tradition of wearing which primary colour? 4 Bibliothek is the German word for which building? 5 Founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen, what is the world's most valuable toy brand? 6 Since 1839, Maidenhead Railway Bridge has carried trains across which river? 7 Anthony van Dyck served which Stuart king as 'principal Paynter in order to their Majesties'? 8 Joan Baez saw a 'scruffy little pale-faced dirty human being' when she first met which musician in 1961? 9 Which New York City university was founded by royal charter in 1754 as
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Singer-activist Joan Baez leads May Day rally in Mountain View
(KRON) — Folk singer and political activist Joan Baez led the crowd at a May Day rally Thursday night. May Day: Hundreds rally for workers' rights, social justice in San Jose The Mountain View Civic Center Plaza was jam packed with people holding signs opposing U.S. President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. They also chanted about defending labor and immigration rights, as well as saving democracy. Among those speaking out against the Trump administration was retired superior court Judge Ledoris Cordell. Former Mountain View Mayor Lenny Siegel also took to the microphone. In the crowd, 95-year-old activist Joan MacDonald shared a hug with Baez after her performance. This is not her first time rallying at this square. MacDonald says now more than ever people need to stand up and she's impressed by Thursday's turnout. People got to voice their opinions during open mic then attendees took to the streets to march. Watch the full report in the video player above. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
