Comments

  2. says

    Just FYI, “I’m gonna be an engineer” was written by Peggy Seeger, Pete’s half-sister. I’ve always loved that song.

  4. markkernes says

    A friend of mine wrote a book on Seeger, titled (I think) I Can’t Keep From Singing (by David Dunaway), and one of the fascinating things I learned was the Seeger had proposed that states put “rumble strips” (like when cars approach toll booths) on highways in specific sizes and spacings such that, when cars went over them, they’d play a tune.

  8. miso says

    I used to be a big fan, but my opinion of him became decidedly less favorable when he put on a benefit concert to raise money for fighting the license revocation of a therapist who stalked and made sexual advances toward my friend. She had been seeing him for PTSD therapy after years of sexual abuse. The evidence was all caught on voicemails the therapist left her, and the state board reprimanded him and revoked his license for three years. Fortunately Seeger only raised enough money to cover the rent for the venue he played, so the concert accomplished little more than supporting a local business.

  9. stevem says

    I learned was the Seeger had proposed that states put “rumble strips” … on highways in specific sizes and spacings such that, when cars went over them, they’d play a tune.

    Pete Seeger proposed that? Did he get a patent? Top Gear showed us some place in SW America where a strip of road has such a set of “rumble strips”, that when driven over at a specified speed, play a song (“Jingle Bells”, if I heard correctly). I think his estate deserves royalties. XD

  10. Numenaster says

    I believe I’ve found my theme song!

    Numenaster, an engineer AND a lady (got the Award of Arms from the Kingdom of An Tir on my wall to prove it!))

  13. caravelle says

    The version sung by Peggy Seeger is pretty epic (with extra bridges and all)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCRRe72mwwY

    It is ahead of its time in a way, in that the song doesn’t end. Girl wants to grow up to do boy things, get discouraged every step of the way, finally succeeds – that story’s been told. But here it doesn’t end with her becoming an engineer – even as an engineer she continues getting screwed ! And so the fight goes on ! And you relate the issue of feminism to the issue of workers’ rights for bonus points.

    I also didn’t know that Peggy Seeger is who “The first time I ever saw your face” was written for.

  14. caravelle says

    Oooh, found an older version that’s really nice too:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IGVxBb5uYk

    I Wikipedia’d Peggy Seeger to find out if she’d ever been an engineer (no), and whoa but was Pete Seeger not the only guy in that family with issues with the US government. The reason she’s living in London in that video ? She lived a large part of her life in the UK because she got blacklisted by the US government for visiting Communist China o_O

    Also, the same Wikipedia page informs me that Kate McGarrigle is “late”. Well aren’t I having a wonderful day today.

  15. nancymartin says

    My dad was a mid level manager with a masters in chemical engineering and ABD in same. He was thrilled when I went in electrical engineering (80s). I remember this story he told me. He had a an engineer who used to dress very sharply (he also identified as Palestinian). Other managers’ made some comments about how he dressed. My dad’s response was something like “I don’t care how he dresses, is he a good engineer”. He did women engineer’s on his team and his criteria was “are they good engineers”. I had a discussion with him about performance awards. His response to the push to impose quotas on the awards was “None of my staff is less than satisfactory and most are above average”

  16. nancymartin says

    My dad was a mid level manager with a masters in chemical engineering and ABD in same. He was thrilled when I went in electrical engineering. I remember this story – Other managers made comments about one of his staff who happened to be a sharp dreser. My dad’s response was something like “I don’t care how he dresses, is he a good engineer”. He did women engineer’s on his team and his criteria was “are they good engineers”. I had a discussion with him about performance awards. His response to the push to impose quotas on the awards was “None of my staff is less than satisfactory and most are above average”

  18. randay says

    @Chrisv 11, What, “This land…”? That was written by Woody Guthrie.

    ________

    Pete Seegar was a great but I never did like “Turn, Turn, Turn”. It went from Ecclesiates 3, 1-8. It left out 9-22 which had a couple of lines of goddy stuff, but also some good lines which would perhaps have made another song. The end 18-22 is even pretty accurate.

    “18 I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.
    19 For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.
    20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.
    21 Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?
    22 Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?”

    I wonder what Sunday quarterbacks, er, I mean preachers, do with that?