The New York Times has an interesting article on the 2,400 lyrics Woody Guthrie left behind following his death from Huntington's disease in 1967. As you're probably aware, Billy Bragg and Wilco had the first stab at the Okie troubadour's unfinished works in 1998 and 2000 with their Mermaid Avenue project. But a host of other artists have either completed or are working on new Guthrie compositions. Tupac ain't got nothing on Woody! Currently writing with Guthrie are Lou Reed, the jazz bassist Rob Wasserman, the cabaret satirist Nellie McKay, the rapper Michael Franti and the alt-country artist Jay Farrar. The attraction is Guthrie’s gift for language, which makes him sound like the guy down at the bus stop even as the lines sparkle with metaphors and vivid imagery. There’s an idealism to his lyrics, but the sweetness is cut by a raw, irreverent humor.
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