Any 'Variety Show' like Smothers Bros. were anti-war stuff could air ?

[EVDebs]

Songs like 'Waist Deep in the Big Muddy'
http://www.tvacres.com/music_songs_muddy.htm

and others the brothers did might shed some light on what's going on right now. BTW, what do they think about this Iraq war quagmire ? I hear Tom lives in Sonoma County somewhere near Santa Rosa. It would be great to hear from these guys one more time.

[chieftain]

1. Wasn't it Pete Seeger who sang it on the show?

[Zen Democrat]

2. Yes, It was Seeger. I remember watching that show.

Anyone remember "A Little Tea With Goldie"? Or Officer Judy? I also remember watching Mason Williams do "Classical Gas" for the first time on the Smother Brothers accompanied by fast flashing stills of war and protest photos.

[ProudDad]

9. Pete Seeger

was censored on the Brother's show. They booked Seeger to play after he had been blacklisted for 20 years by the McCarthyite witch hunters...

He sang "Waist deep in the Big Muddy" which had an anti-Lyndon Johnson's dirty little war punchline and the song cut from the airing because the network was afraid of pissing of the power.

The Brothers threatened to quit if they didn't air that segement so that soon after that, they finally did air it.

I doubt that we'll see that kind of guts and integrity on the air nowdays...

Lyrics here:

http://www.dickalba.demon.co.uk/songs/texts/bigmuddy.html

Small blurb about the Smothers involvement (without their threats)

http://www.tvacres.com/music_songs_muddy.htm

The Smothers are still performing and Tommy's making and selling wine.

http://www.associatedentertainment.com/aec/National-Acts/Music-Category-2/Smothers-Brothers

http://www.smothersbrothers.com/

[texanwitch]

15. Small world, I am now recording from VHS to DVD the

Smothers Brothers shows that I recorded several years ago from cable.

[Lefty48197]

3. I loved that show

I was a little too young to pick up on the politics, but the Smothers brothers are heroes of mine today for what they did on that show. People today are such pussies. Almost nobody with any amount of celebrity has the balls to stand up and say what is right. It's ridiculous. I remember when FM DJ's were all anti-establishment leftists. Now they're all a bunch of ass kissing corpro-whores. What a disgrace this country has become. We need big changes.

[Poiuyt]

4. Of course, that song led to them being forced off the air.

[chieftain]

5. I think another key factor was continued lack of requisite

reverence toward religion. I seem to remember monologues by David Steinberg irritating the conservative Christian community and the ensuing uproar did the Brothers in.

[ProudDad]

6. The Simpsons

That's the only one left.

[EVDebs]

17. "President Coo-coo-bananas" ? LOL

[tnlefty]

7. During the past few years I've watched reruns of Laugh-In, All In

The Family and I've commented that there is no way that sort of irreverent dissent nor social commentary would be tolerated! I saw a documentary of the Smothers Brothers and they were frequently fighting with CBS's censoring committee and I got the impression that it took a toll on them.

[welshTerrier2]

8. my old man's a refrigerator repairman, whaddya think about that?

i love the Smos. Bros ...

the politics on their show was a truly revolutionary act ... pun intended ...

"The Big Muddy", Pat Paulsen, the whole show ... just fantastic ... it took guts to take on the big boys and put their livelihoods on the line ... not many media heroes left ...

the Smos. Bros. spoke truth to power ... especially Tom ...

[chieftain]

10. I loved the show. Didn't they have the cast of Hair on?

It was a great window into what was happening on the West Coast during the early stage of the counter culture. The show had the most appealing mix of nuttiness- Tom's naivete and Officer Judy; hip references to the drug culture - Take a Little Tea with Goldie; silly political satire- Pat Paulsen for President; and some really clever and courageous commentary on the state of the nation. This was all packaged into the tried and true variety show format. But it worked. It was wonderful. And of course corporate, religious and patriotic interests killed it.

[Blue_In_AK]

13. Remember when Pat Paulsen ran for president?

We saw him in Denver "campaigning" at a big rally. That was so great.

[Zen Democrat]

11. Lyrics to "Waist Deep in the Bid Muddy"

Waist Deep in the Big Muddy

It was back in nineteen forty-two,
I was a member of a good platoon.
We were on maneuvers in-a Loozianna,
One night by the light of the moon.
The captain told us to ford a river,
That's how it all begun.
We were -- knee deep in the Big Muddy,
But the big fool said to push on.

The Sergeant said, "Sir, are you sure,
This is the best way back to the base?"
"Sergeant, go on! I forded this river
'Bout a mile above this place.
It'll be a little soggy but just keep slogging.
We'll soon be on dry ground."
We were -- waist deep in the Big Muddy
And the big fool said to push on.

The Sergeant said, "Sir, with all this equipment
No man will be able to swim."
"Sergeant, don't be a Nervous Nellie,"
The Captain said to him.
"All we need is a little determination;
Men, follow me, I'll lead on."
We were -- neck deep in the Big Muddy
And the big fool said to push on.

All at once, the moon clouded over,
We heard a gurgling cry.
A few seconds later, the captain's helmet
Was all that floated by.
The Sergeant said, "Turn around men!
I'm in charge from now on."
And we just made it out of the Big Muddy
With the captain dead and gone.

We stripped and dived and found his body
Stuck in the old quicksand.
I guess he didn't know that the water was deeper
Than the place he'd once before been.
Another stream had joined the Big Muddy
'Bout a half mile from where we'd gone.
We were lucky to escape from the Big Muddy
When the big fool said to push on.

Well, I'm not going to point any moral;
I'll leave that for yourself
Maybe you're still walking, you're still talking
You'd like to keep your health.
But every time I read the papers
That old feeling comes on;
We're -- waist deep in the Big Muddy
And the big fool says to push on.

Waist deep in the Big Muddy
And the big fool says to push on.
Waist deep in the Big Muddy
And the big fool says to push on.
Waist deep! Neck deep! Soon even a
Tall man'll be over his head, we're
Waist deep in the Big Muddy!
And the big fool says to push on!

Words and music by Pete Seeger (1967)

[EVDebs]

18. "And the big fool says to push on !" stay the course...

We're stuck with this M/I complex that has fantasies ... and when "Occupation" that required 500K troops in the early estimates are ignored ... they still say PUSH ON with an army they are destroying before our very eyes. Just like in Vietnam, the home front will sicken of the situation. Liberal Dems will be vilified and WE will get the blame for failure.

[Blue_In_AK]

12. I loved the Smothers Brothers so much...

I remember looking forward to their show every week...the best political satire and absolutely the best musical guests. Too bad CBS got scared and cancelled their show.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

14. definitely not snl

tina fey, as head wrier, has turned it into juvenile sex jokes and parodies of reality tv. the political content is dead-theminimal effort from update is just a pale imitation of the daily show

how i miss al franken on the show

[ISUGRADIA]

16. TV 30 years ago seemed a hell of a lot "edgier" than

the reality crap we get today.

Maude getting an abortion. Archie Bunker showing some feeling when a transvestite he gets to know is gay bashed and killed.

But today you can become a Hilton!