European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 1, 1978, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 20 the stars and stripes Friday september 1, 1978 modern living Aez overcomes by Carrie a. Izard staff writer t started out absolute chaos just chaos said Joan Baez eating a banana after her performance at the summertime open air festival in him Germany where she eventually led thousands of predominantly hard Rock fans in verses of we shall they were ready to be crazy throw Frisbee and Beer cans and drink and dope i thought what in the hell am 1 going to even sing to keep this thing together Baez surprised some people at the festival which comes in the Middle of her current european tour be cause she talked very Little could t say anything Here because i Felt it would have been out of context that i could t push them any a crowd like this even if it is Only 30 percent who Are completely nuts for me to still try and talk Over that is impossible. You have to be in that position to know what you can say and what you can Baez has been in a position of controversy off and on since Vanguard records released her first album in 1960, Only one year after the Young newcomer received wild applause at the 1959 Newport Folk Festi Val. The Best Selling album put 20-year-old quiet Baez into the National refused to pay part of her Federal income taxes in the mid 60s As a protest to the Vietnam War she was one of the headliners in the 1963 Freedom March on Washington where she Sang we shall she was denounced in 1964 by the Berkeley calif., police for her activities and outside agitation during that City s Antiwar demonstrations. In 1968 she married the outspoken David Harris former Stanford student body president. Harris was jailed in 1969 on draft evasion charges and Baez dedicated Many of her songs to him with lyrics like i will wait by the Stoney Gates. In 1971 she publicly announced the breakup of that after her Ulm performance Why she thought a predominately German audience would want to hear we shall Baez said there is nothing right now that represents new change but they wanted to hang on to would t have Sung it if they had t requested it. And it has to mean something to them otherwise Why did t they throw Beer cans at me so they could hear More of the Rock and Roll Baez followed Avant Gard Rocker Frank Zappa on stage. After her tour in Germany she will go to Israel to perform two concerts and meet with an israeli organization called peace now. I chose Israel it would be the most interesting place we could go if we could make some Contact with these people we heard about there peace now i Don t like speaking with Heads of state. At certain times you can go to Heads of state pull a few strings get someone out of a torture chamber or something like that. It s irresistible to do things like that. But it does t make any real Baez goes she says she is taking with her the concept of Radical non violence particularly in areas where people Are willing to defend their state with their lives and kill anyone who would encroach on that territory now that s a Radical stand but in Israel some Are saying they will defend their state but also saying give Back the occupied territory and Don t expand. So if we go there and talk about defense in a ghanaian sense then that s Brand new. But then you need a Small group of people to even introduce that Baez said people would be mistaken if they thought she was trying to initiate a movement in Israel. We cannot initiate a movement somewhere else. But i can share my experiences for 20 years on the streets with Radical non violence which is what i be always protest on the streets is nothing new to Baez who emerged As one of the More outspoken performers in a group of them in the 60s who opposed the Vietnam War. But Baez does not necessarily look Back on the 60s with d like to be Able to make some wonderful Broad statement about consciousness that came out of the 60s but i Don t think i really can. One of the reasons i was kind of ticked off the Day we had the Hooray the War is Over Rall where i was really in a foul mood was be cause i Felt like after All that death it was really hard to i thought if somebody dug up a really righteous War in the next 24 hours everyone would be out going to it. No i did t feel As though there was any great Mas Sive change of consciousness from the 60s."she May not be overwhelmed by the accomplishments we Are living in an age of Temperance. You can t go to a gathering anymore without coming face to face with a group of reformed smokers sanctimonious joggers committed dieters or born again drink sit through entire evenings with people who have Given up watching to and want to Tell me Why who no longer Baste themselves in the Sun and give me their Rea sons for abstinence who have made a decision not to have children and insist on stating their listens. After All. People have their own per of the 60s, but she is not dissatisfied with the stage Amer Ica is going through in t All that dead on College campuses. And i think it s Okay if the people want to go inward. There were a lot of casualties from the 60s and i think it s too much to expect them to Spring Back. But there Are a lot of Sickles in that there s this big rage for picking some kind of guru now and these Blue eyed jerks from Iowa who Call themselves Gumera Hom booze or whatever any Indian name will do. Well people Are so desperate they re willing to listen to these Baez said people Are still out doing she cited the demonstrations held recently in the . Against nuclear Power plants As Well As her close Friend Andrew Young who recently became a Center of controversy himself for saying the . Had hundreds or perhaps thousands of political prisoners. There Are some Young people who Aren t refugees yet they re sort of wide eyed and ready to Andy. We adore him. I absolutely love it every time he opens his Mouth and everybody says he should t have said it. The reason they say that is be cause it was True and they can t stand Baez pulled her boots on preparing to leave Ulm. If tonight s concert was a beginning for somebody then that s Okay. Maybe they found something that they had t before at a Rock photo by Thea Abbott Joan Baez in concert a Ulm Germany they were ready to be crazy Sonal reasons for doing things. No one gets too uptight about a stand. Until the other night. The conversation around the dinner table was about 86 decibels when the hostess placed on my plate a meringue Shell filled with ice Cream topped with butterscotch sauce whipped Cream and a Maraschino Cherry on top. No thank you i whispered As she placed the dish in front of me i Don t eat the entire room fell into silence. The Host gasped. Forks poised in midair. Jaws stopped chewing. The Host Ess stopped breathing. Every Eye in the room was on me. What do you mean you Don t eat dessert asked my table you mean to Tell me you Are going to pass up Helen s dessert future Blimp which she has worked on All Day Long it s stubborn and it s suppose you re too big for desserts anymore Are you saying that just this once you could t Mak an exception asked a woman across from me. How can you resist just a bite of it would t i i be never seen anything so rude came a t muffled voice at the end of the table. Dinner continued but a pall had settled Over the enter group As i sipped at my Coffee. Yesterday i was shopping in the supermarket when met a couple who had been at the party. You re Memic her George. She s the one who refused Helen s it s funny. I could discover a cure for boredom run Tor governor or give birth while running the Boston Mara Thon but 1 will always be remembered for refusing to succumb to meringue and butterscotch. C Field enterprises inc
