I post this to enhance the intensely moving tribute to the late great John Trudell, posted earlier this morning by evergreen 2. Read it, and read the comment thread, to see why some of us have an enormous feeling of loss today.
I want to call attention to what I consider his most remarkable song, “Baby Boom Che.” It is far from being his best known cut, nor is it on the First Nations themes which were the center of his writing, and his life’s work. It is still perhaps his finest and most insightful, capturing the life experience of many of us baby boomers in 5:25.
It is based on an analogy that some may find absurd and others heretical, but that Trudell obviously felt right down to his bones. (Me too.) Give it a play.
Man, like he woke us up
And now they’re trying to put us back to sleep.
So we’ll see how it goes,
Anyway, look at the record, man,
Rock ’n’ roll is based on revolutions
Going way past 33⅓
You gotta understand, man,
He was America’s Baby Boom Ché.
I oughta know, man,
I was in his army