Pete Seeger was the great American radical hero, a man of remarkable bravery as well as commitment. He was a tall, thin, rather unworldly figure who suffered for his beliefs. But he never gave up, and spent his life using music to champion a vast array of causes.
He was a powerful singer who could enthuse audiences at folk clubs or concert halls, and he clearly loved performing. I remember meeting him near his log cabin in New York state, while he was involved in the campaign to clean up the Hudson river. He sat on the bank, with his banjo by his side, treating the interview as if it were some performance, telling stories, or emphasising a point with a song.
"Every establishment in the world needs a good opposition, in order to be healthy," he said. "Just as the moose population needs the wolves to harass them. It's an old ecological principle. I guess that like the wolf I'm just doing what comes naturally."