Woody Guthrie said “It’s a folk singer’s job to comfort disturbed people and to disturb comfortable people”. Having lived through the worst of the Dustbowl in the 1930s in Oklahoma, Woody set off for California as part of the great migration of displaced farmers looking for a better life. Many of his songs are based on that experience.
Known for his opposition to fascism, Woody painted the now-famous phrase “This Machine Kills Fascists” on his guitar, inspiring many artists who came after him. The Digital Hobo’s guitar is painted with the words “This Machine Hacks Big Tech ” – a refresh of Woody’s famous phrase for the 21st Century. The guitar reflects many of the album’s themes – individuals hanging on to individual integrity in an age where social media dominates and dictates our public discourse.
Woody was a master of the “Talking Blues” – a spoken word based musical form that predates Rap music. The song “Talkin Social Media Blues” addresses the ill effects social media in this traditional genre.
To learn more about Woody’s life, visit the Woody Guthrie Center
To hear some of Woody’s songs interptreted by 21st Century musicians, listen to an incredible new album – Home In This World: Woody Guthrie’s Dust Bowl Ballads
