“For rising of the women
Means the rising of the race.
No more the drudge and idler,
Ten that toil where one reposes,
But the sharing of life's glories,
Bread and roses, bread and roses.”
Mimi Fariña spent most of her life living in someone else’s shadow. First, she was the kid sister of folk music’s Mother Mary, Joan Baez. Then, she was one half of a duo with her husband Richard Fariña; a mysterious and handsome writer cut down in his prime. Mimi refused to let these larger-than-life figures dictate her story. She found her own voice and her life’s work, establishing her nonprofit Bread & Roses to bring music to isolated communities in the San Fransisco Bay Area, and found her purpose in tragedy.
Plus, the Dolls Pod gives…hot takes on classic literature and film? Emma and Abby talk about the difficulties of adapting “Wuthering Heights,” and Emma loves a slow film but declares “Gone With The Wind” is an hour too long. Do you agree?
“Mimi Fariña: Beyond the Baez Name” is available wherever you stream your podcasts 🌹
(Episode begins at 5:40)
Bread & Roses official website: https://www.breadandroses.org (https://www.breadandroses.org/)
Sources used for this episode:
David Hajdu, “Positively 4th Street: The Lives and Times of Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Mimi Baez Farina and Richard Farina” (2001)
Joan Baez, “And A Voice To Sing With” (1986)
Elijah Wald, “Dylan Goes Electric! Newport, Seeger, Dylan, and the Night That Split the Sixties” (2015)
Suze Rotolo, “A Freewheelin’ Time: A Memoir of Greenwich Village in the Sixties” (2008)
Patrick Morrow, “Mimi Fariña Interview” Popular Music and Society vol. 2, no. 1, 1972. Reprinted by Mimiandrichardfarina.com
“Greenwich Village: Music That Defined a Generation” (dir. Laura Archibald, 2012)
“Joan Baez: I Am A Noise” (dir. Miri Navasky, Maeve O’Boyle, and Karen O’Connor, 2023)
“The Ballad of Mimi Fariña: A biography of the great guitarist, singer, songwriter & humanitarian” Mimiandrichardfarina.com
Songs used in this episode:
Kate Bush - “Wuthering Heights” (1978)
Pete Seeger - “Where Have All The Flowers Gone?” (1955)
Joan Baez and Mimi Fariña - “Catch The Wind” (1967)
Joan Baez - “Silver Dagger” (1960)
Richard Fariña and Eric Von Schmidt - “You Can Always Tell” (1963)
Bob Dylan and Joan Baez - “Mama, You’ve Been On My Mind” (Live at the Philharmonic Hall) [1964]
Joan Baez - “Birmingham Sunday” (1964)
Mimi and Richard Fariña - “Pack Up Your Sorrows” (1965)
Mimi and Richard Fariña - “House Un-American Blues Activity Dream” (Live at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival)
Mimi and Richard Fariña - “Miles” (1966)
Mimi and Richard Fariña - “Bold Marauder” (Live on Pete Seeger’s Rainbow Quest) [1966]
The Doors - “Been Down So Long” (1971)
Mimi Fariña - “Flowers In The Afternoon” (1967)
Blood, Sweat & Tears - “Meagan’s Gypsy Eyes” (1968)
Joan Baez - “Sweet Sir Galahad” (1969)
Joan Baez and Mimi Fariña - “Morning, Morning” (Live at the 1968 Newport Folk Festival)
Mimi Fariña and Tom Jans - “In the Quiet Morning” (1972)
Judy Collins - “Bread and Roses” (1976)
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