Woody Guthrie in March 1943 with his guitar labeled "This machine kills fascists"

"This machine kills fascists" is a message that American musician Woody Guthrie placed on his guitar in the mid 1940s, starting in 1943.[1]

Conception

Circa 1943, in the midst of World War II, Guthrie wrote the war song "Talking Hitler's Head Off Blues." This was printed in the Daily Worker, a newspaper published by the Communist Party USA. Then, according to biographer Anne E. Neimark, "In a fit of patriotism and faith in the impact of the song, he painted on his guitar THIS MACHINE KILLS FASCISTS."[2]

Guthrie's stance against fascism

In Guthrie's opposition to fascism, he conceptualized the ideology "as a form of economic exploitation similar to slavery," straightforwardly denouncing the fascists – particularly their leaders (dictators) – as a group of gangsters who set out to "rob the world."[3] This recalled a protest strategy he had used "during the Great Depression, when social, political, and economic inequality had been engendered by a small rich elite."[3] During that era, Guthrie had "romanticized the deeds of outlaws such as Jesse James, Pretty Boy Floyd, Calamity Jane or the Dalton Gang both as legitimate acts of social responsibility and as 'the ultimate expression of protest,' thus transforming the outlaw into an archetypal partisan in a fight against those who were held responsible for the worsening social and economic conditions."[3]

In this, Guthrie cast those opposing fascism not as mere outlaws in a fascist state, but as heroes rising "in times of economic turmoil and social disintegration" to fight "a highly illegitimate criminal endeavor intended to exploit the common people."[3] Guthrie portrayed these characters as something larger than merely "dumb gangsters," while his lyricism also "externalized the inhuman element of fascism by describing its representatives as animals that were usually held in very low esteem and were associated with a range of bad character traits."[3] For example, he talked about the "Nazi Snake" that has to be countered in his song "Talking Hitler's Head Off Blues".[3] Guthrie would declare "[a]nything human is anti Hitler" and in his song "You Better Get Ready" he has the figure of Satan declare that "Old Hell just ain't the same/Compared to Hitler, hell, I'm tame!"[3] Guthrie saw the battle against fascism as the ultimate battle of good versus evil. In a letter to "Railroad Pete" he stated "fascism and freedom are the only two sides battling ... [this was the war] the world has been waiting on for twenty five million years ... [which would] settle the score once and for all."[3]

Legacy

A middle-aged man plays a grand piano on a large path in a park. On the piano's side is the phrase "THIS MACHINE KILLS FASCISTS".
(Top) Colin Huggins's grand piano and (bottom) Hank Green's guitar have messages inspired by Guthrie.

The message has inspired subsequent artists.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Robert Weir, ed. (2007). Class in America [Three Volumes]: An Encyclopedia. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 337.
  2. ↑ Anne E. Neimark (2002). There Ain't Nobody That Can Sing Like Me: The Life of Woody Guthrie. Atheneurn Books. p. 66.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 John S. Partington (2011). The Life, Music and Thought of Woody Guthrie: A Critical Appraisal. Ashgate Publishing Ltd.
  4. ↑ Green, Hank [@hankgreen] (June 5, 2020). "Really never thought that John putting a 'This Machine Kills Fascists' sticker on the laptop he used in Crash Course videos would be seen by some as controversial" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  5. ↑ Littlefield, Richard (6 December 2021). "Rep. Richard Littlefield: Teachers should set aside personal feelings and just teach". The Laconia Daily Sun. Archived from the original on 25 December 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  6. ↑ Brown, Jennifer M. (2008-09-12). "Shelf Awareness for Friday, September 12, 2008". Shelf Awareness. Archived from the original on 2022-12-16. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  7. ↑ Rea, Steven (2015-07-26). "'Paper Towns': Romantic teens trying to catch on". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on 2022-12-16. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  8. ↑ https://dftbarecordsllc.bandcamp.com/album/this-machine-pwns-n00bs
  9. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf1xyI_iKWA
  10. ↑ Musician's Friend. "A Tour of Tom Morello's Guitars & Home Studio". YouTube. Archived from the original on 23 February 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  11. ↑ Dwyer, Mike (13 September 2017). "Tom Morello: Making America rage again". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 23 February 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  12. ↑ Newsdesk. "Tom Morello regretted Rage Against the Machine's naked Lollapalooza protest 'when the police arrived'". Music-News. Archived from the original on 23 February 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  13. ↑ Pereira, Sydney (September 13, 2019). "Local Legend: Colin 'The Piano Guy' Plays Washington Square Park". Patch. Archived from the original on November 7, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  14. ↑ Leitch, Donovan (2007). The Autobiography of Donovan: The Hurdy Gurdy Man. New York: St. Martin's Griffin. p. 69. ISBN 9780312364342. Archived from the original on 2023-03-05. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  15. ↑ Engelhart, Kris (2022-06-21). "Dropkick Murphys Announce New Album This Machine Still Kills Fascists Bringing "Original Punk" Woody Guthrie's Words To Life". Archived from the original on 2022-06-21. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
  16. ↑ "Underground Network". Fat Wreck Chords. Archived from the original on 2023-02-21. Retrieved 2023-02-21.
  17. ↑ "Julien Baker Announces A 'B-Sides' EP And Shares The Tender 'Guthrie'". Uproxx. 7 July 2022. Archived from the original on 2023-02-25. Retrieved 2023-02-25.
  18. ↑ The Tragically Hip - Bobcaygeon (Official HD Video), retrieved 2023-12-28
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