Politics

Pete Seeger swinging an axe and Glenn Beck shooting himself in the foot

I am the only photographer in the world who has photographed Pete Seeger swinging an axe and Glenn Beck shooting himself in the foot. That pretty much sums up my career. Even though I lived it I can't explain it.

Someone had to quiet me down from singing too loudly at a Pete Seeger concert in 1965. Pete was my hero and we were in the Carnegie Music Hall in Pittsburgh singing the same songs. I was in the dark with a thousand people all singing along. Pete was leading us in the spotlight. I remember that night so clearly.

In 1997, I got an assignment from Rolling Stone to photograph Pete Seeger up at his home on the Hudson. I arrived on time and he came out carrying an ax and said he had to chop some wood so he could boil the sap for maple syrup. I took my pictures of Pete chopping away and the steam making clouds. When he was done he grabbed his banjo, sat down on the chopping stump and asked what I wanted to hear. I told him I loved so many of his songs, but one of my favorites was an obscure song called, “Letter To Eve.” He recorded it live on a temporary stage set up at a protest in DC. I had listened to that recording so many times. Then as I took more photos, he ignored me and sang “Letter to Eve” just for me.