Der Tod im Dienste der Mächtigen

Who’s responsible for war?“ Buffy Sainte-Marie believes that this question requires our individual answer, our own responsibility. In 1964, the 9th year of the Vietnam War had already begun, and in the early 1960s, the „Gaslight Café“ in Greenwich Village, New York City, had become a folk and jazz club. In the basement of the house at 116 MacDougal Street, people sang folk songs and their own songs that sounded like folk songs. This was the spirit of the time and inspiration, Bob Dylan had already gained attention there, and everyone was there, performing at the Gaslight and listening to each other: Eric Andersen, Joan Baez, José Feliciano, Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, and many others. Of course, Pete Seeger and Buffy Sainte-Marie were also there, with her long black hair, an indigenous activist for equal rights, from Canada. John F. Kennedy was the US president, and the anti-communists of the 1950s had lost a lot of influence. In 1964, Buffy released her song „Universal Soldier“ on her debut album when she was 23 years old. From the Gaslight Café to the Newport Folk Festival, people sang „Blowing In The Wind“ and „Where Have All The Flowers Gone,“ and then Buffy’s very similar but very direct message: If the soldiers didn’t participate, more specifically, if the universal soldier, who is deployed for each power, didn’t participate, the wars would end. Later, during the Easter marches in Germany, it was also said: Imagine there’s a war and nobody goes. Buffy Sainte-Marie said about the „little songs“: She takes snapshots like a photographer. And this song is a snapshot of arguments that a peace-minded student presents to a lecturer – he wishes that the professor would change his opinion on the necessity of wars by following the clear arguments. „And he’s fighting for Canada He’s fighting for France He’s fighting for the U.S.A And he’s fighting for the Russians And he’s fighting for Japan And he thinks we

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Das Sterben für die Mächtigen

„Who’s responsible for war?“ Buffy Sainte-Marie meinte, dass diese Frage unsere individuelle Antwort erfordert, unsere eigene Verantwortung. 1964 hatte bereits das 9. Jahr des Vietnamkriegs begonnen, seit Anfang der 1960er hatte sich in New York City in Greenwich Village das „Gaslight Café“ zum Folk- und Jazz-Club entwickelt. Im Kellergeschoss des Hauses 116 MacDougal Street. Man sang Folk-Songs und eigene Lieder, die wie Folksongs klangen. Das war Zeitgeist und Inspiration, Bob Dylan hatte da erste Aufmerksamkeit erregt und alle waren da, gaben im Gaslight Konzerte, hörten auch einander zu: Eric Andersen, Joan Baez, José Feliciano, Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton und viele andere. Pete Seeger natürlich und auch Buffy Sainte-Marie, schwarzhaarig mit langer Mähne, indigene Aktivistin für gleiche Rechte, aus Kanada. John F. Kennedy

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