“I was supporting them at the time,” he explains, “and I read that they were being accused of terrorist activity. Part of what was so offensive to me after September 11 was the use of that word and how people started using it to describe any kind of activity that was in opposition to what the United States military was trying to do. If you’re calling an environmental organization terrorist, you’re going to have to call this banjo player a terrorist. At least that way it becomes obvious that the word has lost its original meaning. We need to take the word back.”
Woodward found those rallies essential to his personal and political growth. “To feel that electricity in the air—hundreds of thousands of people who all agree and some who are even more radical than you are—it’s an inspiring thing. Even though I feel I’m in the minority across the country, even though it didn’t stop any wars this time, it was important for me to get my batteries charged up by that experience.”
Another reference to terrorism is made in “Terrorism Makes Good tv,” a tune that musically would make “Hee Haw” proud, but lyrically might make Minnie Pearl toss her tacos: “Sick to my spine, I remember / but I lost count watching those towers fall... / let’s cheer the home team and exile the underdog / let’s feel fantastic after kicking someone’s ass.”
“Television is the mass medium that is most subject to corporate influences,” says Woodward. “It’s also, sadly, where the majority of American citizens get their information. If you’re going to pin the blame for the misguided policies that people are supporting in this country, television is an easy target. They set up the news to make you feel as frightened as possible, then the commercials come on, making you believe that by buying all these products, you’ll have the security the previous five minutes of news just convinced you you don’t have. I bypass the whole thing and I don’t feel unsafe. And I don’t need to buy a huge amount of products to make myself feel better.”
The fun, driving “Amy Got Arrested” tells the story of Woodward’s friend who was arrested in New Hampshire with four other individuals and fined $1,200 for posing questions to us Senator Judd Gregg: “Everybody’s pissed off at the president / everybody’s pissed off / Amy formulates the argument / then gets carried off.”
“They were found guilty of trespassing,” says Woodward. “But the good thing is that it got a lot of publicity. It drew attention to the fact that there were important questions that weren’t being addressed with regard to the invasion of Iraq.”
Woodward touches on more political ground on Millionaire: quotes from the late Senator Paul Wellstone, the selling out of one’s ideals for highly crass commercial jobs, references to Waco and Enron, the “all American dialogue,” global warming, phone taps, and our addiction to fossil fuels. It’s the unexpected, quirky juxtaposition of these themes with thumping, old-time musical goodness that makes Woodward’s message bearable and enjoyable. (One warning: the first time I listened to this cd, I was pulled over and ticketed by a cop just as Amy was getting arrested.)
“I don’t know if my music will convince anyone of anything if they aren’t already sympathetic to where I’m coming from,” he says. “I’m not under the impression that I’m going to change any Republican into a Green Party member. The real role of my music is to energize people who already share those views, or maybe to instigate a little bit of discussion among people who disagree. That’s really what it’s all about.”
To take a listen or to read some of Woodward’s humorous rants, visit piercewoodward.com. He also plays banjo and fiddle with the happy-go-plucky Jolly Bankers (jollybankers.com); he’ll tour with them in April in support of their cd Death & Taxes, which was recorded at an Ohio funeral home with coffin lids as part of the rhythm section. So much for subtlety.
