Mike Millius (b. 1942)
Mike Millius is a New York City-based songwriter who published a number of songs in Broadside. He was also the accompanist on many Broadside recordings and a frequent performer at Broadside concerts. Fearing scrutiny from authorities, in his early years Millius published under the pseudonym Poor Boy Michael Strange, eventually retiring his alter ego in an announcement in Broadside.
The Best of Broadside: 41. "The Ballad of Martin Luther King"
"The Ballad of Martin Luther King" was performed by a number of Civil Rights Movement singers including Frederick D. Kirkpatrick. "When I first played 'The Ballad of Martin Luther King' for Gordon (Friesen), he told me right away that it was a great song and might someday be an important song. When I wrote it, I based it on one of my favorite folk songs of all time: Woody Guthrie's 'Pretty Boy Floyd.' This was in April '68, a few days after Martin Luther King was assassinated. A few weeks later this song was on the cover of the new issue. It was the first song I ever had published in Broadside (or anywhere for that matter)."
Mike Millius. Photo by Diana Davies.
The Best of Broadside: 64. "Not Enough to Live on But a Little Too Much to Die"
Debates about welfare and the social services "safety net" have been raging for more than 70 years in the United States. This song describes life on welfare from a participant's perspective — the Friesens had to rely on welfare support for some years after they were blacklisted in the 1950s, and, as Mike Millius recalled, "Gordon would sit and talk to us for hours and we'd drink his Schaefer Beer with him while Sis bustled around the apartment keeping the place going. The idea for the welfare song came from Gordon. We were talking about government (he was still a dyed-in-the-wool communist) and Gordon said, 'You can't fight city hall. All you can do is burn it down.' He then told me that the Rev. F.D. Kirkpatrick was organizing a rally to protest Governor Rockefeller's cutback on welfare budgets. Gordon said, 'You know what they say about welfare, don't you? That it's not enough to live on but a little too much to die' And that was the title of the song. The track of this song that you hear on the Broadside album was the only recording I ever did of it. I think it's one of the best records I ever made and am sorry I didn't include it on my solo album."
Text extracted from the notes by Jeff Place accompanying The Best of Broadside. Mike Millius quotes from personal communication, 2000.
Smithsonian Folkways recordings featuring Mike Millius:
Broadside Ballads, Volume 5 (FW5305)
Broadside Ballads Volume 6 (FW05315)
Broadside Ballads Volume 9 (FW05319)