5. TAKE BATH

December 21, 2011 1:25 PM

-NEW YEAR'S RULIN'S-
1. WORK MORE AND BETTER
2. WORK BY A SCHEDULE
3. WASH TEETH IF ANY
...
33. WAKE UP AND FIGHT

Woody Guthrie's New Year's Resolutions, 1942
posted by obscurator (39 comments total)

I am also going to beat fascism, learn people better and take bath next year.
posted by Barry B. Palindromer at 1:30 PM on December 21, 2011 [3 favorites]

This is my favorite thing I've seen in a long time. Thanks for posting it, I stopped reading Boing Boing a long time ago and might not have seen it.
posted by padraigin at 1:37 PM on December 21, 2011 [2 favorites]

I think he really gets the hang of it at the end:


31. Love Everybody
32. Make up your mind
33. Wake up and fight
posted by Tomorrowful at 1:40 PM on December 21, 2011 [4 favorites]

Metafilter: have company but don't waste time.
posted by stinkycheese at 1:40 PM on December 21, 2011 [4 favorites]

According to the cartoon for #11, changing socks is apparently a two-man job.
posted by theodolite at 1:45 PM on December 21, 2011

Wake up and fight!
posted by jimmythefish at 1:45 PM on December 21, 2011 [1 favorite]

Not sure if these are in order of importance, but his kids from his first wife don't show up until #24 (send money to Mary and kids). He left his wife and kids in the Pacific Northwest when he went on tour, and they divorced in 1943. He remarried 2 years later.
posted by cell divide at 1:46 PM on December 21, 2011

This is probably the best "year-end" list I've seen.
posted by lekvar at 1:49 PM on December 21, 2011 [1 favorite]

I am also going to beat fascism, learn people better and take bath next year.

To be fair, that first one was probably a lot easier for him than it would be for me, since he could just use his fascist killing machine.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 1:49 PM on December 21, 2011 [5 favorites]

GUYS. Here's a fact about mid-century folk music that is important to remember if you read this list, okay:

Woody Guthrie IS NOT Willie Nelson.

Brought to you for no reason at all, no sir.
posted by Snarl Furillo at 1:58 PM on December 21, 2011 [3 favorites]

For whatever reason my favorite part is the

MIDDLE
OF
BOOK
posted by shakespeherian at 1:59 PM on December 21, 2011 [8 favorites]

I agree with Guthrie -- the most import thing to looking good is a cane and a jaunty walk.
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 2:01 PM on December 21, 2011

I just went poking around the Woodie Guthrie Foundation to see if they have more like this, but under Digitized Materials it just says "coming soon." Sadness.

The lists of song titles are pretty good, though.
posted by rewil at 2:02 PM on December 21, 2011

lists of song titles
OK, pretty sure he accomplished #8 (WRITE A SONG A DAY)
posted by obscurator at 2:14 PM on December 21, 2011

Woody Guthrie IS NOT Willie Nelson.

I swear to god I read the whole thing thinking "this isn't written by Willie Nelson but I am totally spacing on who Woody Guthrie is."
posted by griphus at 2:18 PM on December 21, 2011 [1 favorite]

My man.
posted by thsmchnekllsfascists at 2:26 PM on December 21, 2011 [2 favorites]

Metafilter: Love Everybody, Make Up Your Mind, Wake Up and Fight
posted by Malice at 2:30 PM on December 21, 2011 [2 favorites]

I was hoping BB would have more context about how/where this was found, but they do not. Oddly, Buzzfeed, who had this "about 10 months ago,", cited their source: woodyguthrie.org

Found in one of his journals dated January 31st, 1942.
Woody Guthrie Archives Notebook Series 1, Item 13, Pages 36-37.

Apparently, this was written to Marjorie Mazia, which seems weird. Why would someone write a list of resolutions to someone? Unless the "to" is in reference to #23 (Send Mary and kids money).
posted by filthy light thief at 2:36 PM on December 21, 2011

... but they were married in 1945, two years before this letter. So who are Mary and the kids, and how was this written to Marjorie? I'll leave this mystery to someone else.
posted by filthy light thief at 2:38 PM on December 21, 2011

What's a "hoping machine" and why was he having problems keeping it running? (#19).
Why don't we have hoping machines anymore?
Is this something that's now made in China?
Why was keeping the hoping machine in good repair higher on the list than playing and signing good?
posted by webhund at 2:39 PM on December 21, 2011

34. TRACE FPP FODDER TO ITS ORIGINAL SOURCE
35. OK, ONE MORE BATH WOULDN'T HURT
posted by obscurator at 2:40 PM on December 21, 2011

Goddamn, I love this. Beat fascism, read good books, love everybody.
posted by cmyk at 2:51 PM on December 21, 2011

... but they were married in 1945, two years before this letter. So who are Mary and the kids, and how was this written to Marjorie? I'll leave this mystery to someone else.

if you read the cursive at the top of the page, it looks like she sent him her New Year's Resolutions in a letter.

also yeah these are just good ideas.
posted by vogon_poet at 2:53 PM on December 21, 2011

Mary is Woody's first wife, Mary Jennings. They married when he was 19.
posted by entropicamericana at 3:04 PM on December 21, 2011 [1 favorite]

I just wanted to say I love this, especially the tiny illustrations. Thanks for posting.
posted by IvoShandor at 3:05 PM on December 21, 2011

Still workin' on changing my sock everyday, because my kids keep swipin' my "freshies". I'll get 'em all sock for Christmas...that'll learn 'em!
posted by snsranch at 3:12 PM on December 21, 2011

Woody Guthrie IS NOT Willie Nelson.


Who thought he was?
posted by sweetkid at 3:22 PM on December 21, 2011

I swear to god I read the whole thing thinking "this isn't written by Willie Nelson but I am totally spacing on who Woody Guthrie is."

Am I missing some context? What is the Willie Nelson / Woody Guthrie connection?
posted by ericost at 6:00 PM on December 21, 2011

Woody Guthrie IS NOT Michael Buble
posted by robcorr at 6:10 PM on December 21, 2011

That was charming! I'll try to work on #1 and #33 for 2012.
posted by dragonplayer at 6:38 PM on December 21, 2011

What's a "hoping machine"

You are. Hope that helps.
posted by mediareport at 6:42 PM on December 21, 2011 [3 favorites]

I like how he casually tosses in "HELP WIN WAR - BEAT FASCISM" between dancing better and loving his mom. I want to make a list like this now.
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 7:17 PM on December 21, 2011

I love how a list of 33 one-liners can totally encapsulate why I love Woodie Guthrie. It also gives some awesome context to when Arlo said, "If you wanna end wars and stuff, you gotta sing LOUD."

also my hoping machine could totally use some oil these days, and this list may have done the trick
posted by range at 7:50 PM on December 21, 2011 [5 favorites]

Thanks for posting this. Is the Pete in line 30 Pete Seger?
posted by drezdn at 9:41 PM on December 21, 2011

A really sweet list. Reminds me of something I read today by Hitchens...

A life that partakes even a little of friendship, love, irony, humor, parenthood, literature, and music, and the chance to take part in battles for the liberation of others cannot be called 'meaningless' except if the person living it is also an existentialist and elects to call it so.

I'm off to change my socks. baby steps...
posted by choppyes at 3:19 AM on December 22, 2011

That was great.

From now on, I will also wash my teeth since I still got 'em. Anyone know where I can find a good toothwashcloth?
posted by molecicco at 5:29 AM on December 22, 2011

I hope he learned his lesson about dumping garbage.
posted by Eideteker at 9:57 AM on December 22, 2011

That was his son.
posted by shakespeherian at 9:59 AM on December 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

Holy crap, he dumped his son in rural Massachusetts? Christ, what an...
posted by Eideteker at 1:09 PM on December 22, 2011 [1 favorite]