Watery tarts distributing hammers and sickles

Skip to content

Elizabeth Sandifer

Elizabeth Sandifer created Eruditorum Press. She’s not really sure why she did that, and she apologizes for the inconvenience. She currently writes Last War in Albion, a history of the magical war between Alan Moore and Grant Morrison. She used to write TARDIS Eruditorum, a history of Britain told through the lens of a ropey sci-fi series. She also wrote Neoreaction a Basilisk, writes comics these days, and has ADHD so will probably just randomly write some other shit sooner or later. Support Elizabeth on Patreon.

10 Comments

  1. Larry
    October 24, 2023 @ 3:53 pm

    Wonderful retrospective of Joan Baez.

    My mother (1944-2021) was a huge fan of her (and the NY Folk Singer phenomena in general). Which was a bit unpopular given she was living on military bases for a good chunk of the late 60’s. She was a bit more open about it when my dad eventually went into civilian employment. Baez was a familiar voice in my household.

    She would have loved the living crap out of this essay. This was a tough read in a very good way.

    It wasn’t until I saw her appearance on the Muppet Show as a kid that put the voice to a person. The finale of “May the Circle be Unbroken” is one of the all time best for the show.

    I always considered her version of The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down to be a celebration of the end of “Dixie”. Being from US Northeast, and her activist reputation the lamenting narrative of the original didn’t register.

    Just want to thank you for this.

    Reply

  2. Peter
    December 22, 2023 @ 5:45 pm

    T h a t is one of the most incredible pieces I have read about Baez. As a long time, and well read, Baez follower I can say that I have not read anything as good as this essay, not when it comes to her recordings. Impressed, delighted. Thank you very very much.

    Reply

  3. Lee
    January 22, 2024 @ 3:45 pm

    I agree, best songwriter and artist of the 70s. But I also think Morrissey was the best of 80s. It’s like this piece was aimed at me!

    Reply

  4. Danilo
    June 4, 2024 @ 6:23 pm

    Agreed, a thorough and thought-provoking essay about one of my all-time heroines. Ms Baez will always rank high on my list of favorite artists – singer, song-writer, interpreter of others, and damn funny broad that wryly peeks during her interviews.

    Reply

  5. Stuart J Davis
    June 22, 2024 @ 2:48 am

    Very nice . Love your no pulled punches style. Diamonds and rust!!! Just wow! Loved it for years being a bit of a BOB fan. That washington square line !!!!! My god!

    Reply

  6. Rua
    September 26, 2024 @ 10:23 am

    I can’t believe Joan Baez was rapping in 1977… I am glad you get the history right, that Hip-Hop had already started four years before (by 1977, there’s even one verified clip of Grandmaster Flash and Cowboy rocking a jam). However, to have Joan doing it with that true rap cadence, two years before King Tim III, let alone Rapper’s Delight later that year, is a hoot. A super hoot.

    You certainly make a great case for your Artist of the 70s, too.

    Reply

  7. James
    December 30, 2024 @ 1:46 pm

    Thanks for this. I stumbled upon it while looking for more info after seeing new Dylan flick and wanted a different perspective. If you’ve seen it, I’d be interested in your thoughts on the movie. My quick review: he’s a cad.

    Reply

    • John
      January 4, 2025 @ 2:00 pm

      More than that. I went away from the movie thinking, “Oh, my God, did he just use Joan Baez to vault himself to fame?” He quickly turned from her when he became famous, which she, of course, felt and it hurt her deeply. And that scene where he just shows up at her place expecting what? A quick lay? He seemed like a boy who was running to whatever female was available to hide away with until he nursed his wounds and then back out the door to whatever new adventure awaited him. “Thanks for the lay! Thanks for being there when I needed you! But don’t expect anything like a real commitment in return!” What a jerk. And I kind of wondered if he just used the folk music scene the same way as he used Joan—“I’ll write this kind of music and play these kinds of songs because that’s what’s popular now.” This is not to discount his obvious talents, but it did seem as though as soon as he got secure enough in his career he dumped the folk music and started with the electric stuff, which he apparently started his career with: “This is what I really wanted to do! I’m famous now so you’ll have to go along with me.” To be fair to him, though, I did admire him sticking to his guns with all the pressure around him to tow the folk music party line about the sanctity and purity of acoustic music. A complex character.

      Reply

  8. Claudia G
    January 18, 2025 @ 4:52 pm

    Thank you for this wonderful piece. I’ve long enjoyed and admired Baez’s work. “Love Song to a Stranger” is one of the most honest and memorable songs I’ve ever heard, and I never forgot it after hearing it as a teenager some 50+ years ago. I really enjoyed the YouTube songs accompanying this – “Silver Blade” was a revelation, and I now want to learn it! Great job and worthy of this badass icon.

    Reply

    • Elizabeth Sandifer
      January 18, 2025 @ 5:03 pm

      Thank you! It was a lot of fun to write.

      I actually worked out Silver Blade on the guitar recently. Capo first fret, Em, D, C, Am, with the C being held over two lines and resolving to the Am on the final word. (I’m seeing a video tabs suggest Esus4 for that instead; both work to my ear, as does a hammer-on/pull-off on the B string to move between them.)

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.