Unitarians to host songwriter Roy Zimmerman April 13
“It’s a big, big country full of all kinds of people,” says satirical songwriter Roy Zimmerman, “but there’s one thing we can all agree on. And when I find out what that is, I’ll let you know.” He’s bringing his show, “Roy Zimmerman: Wake Up Call,” to Lewes at 8 p.m., Saturday, April 13, for a performance at the Unitarian Universalists of Southern Delaware, 33739 Marsh Road in Lewes.
Admission at the door is $18, cash, or pay what you can.
The world is full of funny songs, but Zimmerman’s hilarious, rhyme-intensive originals are also incisive calls to action, smart, savvy and undeniable. “Wake Up Call” is 90 minutes of these songs - funny songs like “Abstain With Me” and “I Want a Marriage Like They Had In the Bible”; heartfelt songs like “Hope, Struggle and Change” and “I Approve This Message;" and impassioned comic commentary.
In 13 albums over 20 years, Zimmerman has brought the sting of satire to the struggle for peace and social justice. His songs have been heard on HBO and Showtime. He has recorded for Warner/Reprise Records. He’s been profiled on NPR’s “All Things Considered.” Zimmerman’s YouTube videos have amassed more than 7 million views, and he’s a featured blogger for the Huffington Post.
In 2012, Roy and his wife and co-writer Melanie Harby traveled 47,000 miles to 161 shows in 49 states. “Even in the reddest of states,” Zimmerman reports, “we found bright blue dots - groups of people huddled together to do progressive work where it most needs to be done.”
In every state the Zimmermans visited, they wrote a new verse to their song, “Vote Republican,” which can be found at www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ege_RBhh37A, each one taking a different satirical slant on the GOP election-year agenda.
Zimmerman's songs take aim at politics; there’s a plaintive lament about how hard it is “To Be a Liberal,” a rollicking indictment of the “Socialist” policies of George W. Bush and Richard Nixon and a tender ode to “Citizens United.” There are social targets as well: a lesson in “Creation Science 101,” a lambasting of the “Defenders of Marriage” who oppose same-sex unions and a "Sing-Along Second Amendment."
UUSD is a welcoming congregation that provides a inclusive spiritual home for people of all faiths valuing diversity and social and environmental justice. Contact Lee at 301-646-1795 or lee@thebastows.com. For information about Unitarian Universalists of Southern Delaware visit uussd.org.
