"Country Joe McDonald, a hippie rock star of the 1960s whose I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag was a four-lettered rebuke to the Vietnam War that became an anthem for protesters and a highlight of the Woodstock music festival, died Sunday. He was 84."
"In the deadpan style of McDonald's hero, Woody Guthrie, I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag was a mock celebration of war and early, senseless death, with a chorus concertgoers and others would learn by heart: And its 1, 2, 3 what are we fighting for? Don't ask me I don't give a damn, Next stop is Vietnam."
"McDonald was a longtime presence in the Bay Area music scene, where peers included the Grateful Dead, the Jefferson Airplane and his onetime girlfriend, Janis Joplin. He wrote or co-wrote hundreds of songs, from psychedelic jams to soul-influenced rockers, and released dozens of albums."
Country Joe McDonald, a prominent 1960s hippie rock musician, passed away at age 84 from Parkinson's disease complications in Berkeley, California. He gained fame as co-leader of Country Joe and the Fish and is best remembered for 'I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag,' a satirical anti-Vietnam War song completed in 1965. The song became an iconic protest anthem and a highlight of the 1969 Woodstock festival, featuring the memorable chorus questioning American involvement in Vietnam. McDonald wrote or co-wrote hundreds of songs across various genres and released numerous albums throughout his career. He was a significant figure in the Bay Area music scene alongside peers like the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and Janis Joplin.
#vietnam-war-protest-music #1960s-counterculture #woodstock-festival #bay-area-music-scene #anti-war-activism
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