16 November 2012

Dust Bowl Blues

With all the heated discussion these days of man-made global warming, it seems wise to take a closer look at  the worst man-made ecological disaster in American history. This Sunday and Monday evenings, on PBS (check your local listings), documentarian extraordinaire Ken Burns is doing just that. My expectation is that this program will meet or exceed Ken Burns' habitual high standards. Anyway, I for one will be watching.

Now, I can't help but take this opportunity to share one of Woody Guthrie's Dust Bowl Ballads (1940). So, without further ado, here's Dust Bowl Blues, a song that combines Woody's keen sense of social observation with his sense of humor, even in the most tragic circumstances.


2 comments:

Patti said...

Thanks for the heads-up about this documentary. I am fascinated by all aspects of the Great Depression, which, of course, includes the Dust Bowl. I will try to set my DVR for this.

Just for the record, I hate wind probably even more than I hate snow, and since I live in a place where it is usually windy, I am often whining. Shame on me...the people of the Dust Bowl had it a million times worse than I do.

Paco Malo said...

Patti,

You are a wise woman.

Your friend,

Jim