Folk Implosion

Ken Schles

Bragg (far left, standing) and Wilco keep Guthrie's memory alive with Mermaid Avenue Vol II.

Bragg on Guthrie: "People like to think of him as some simple guy; well dammit, he lived half his life in New York City."

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More About

• Billy Bragg
• Wilco (Musical Group)
• Woody Guthrie
• Jeff Tweedy
• Folk Music

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So how was Wilco able to wrest the song from him? "They didn't think I had enough respect for baseball," Bragg says dolefully. "They were really nice about it, but they were very emphatic about it. There was no opportunity of debate about this. I had obviously already learned in my discussions with them about American football and soccer that sport is very important to them.

"So I accepted it, and I think it sounds great."