Canadian singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn learned his politics young

Canadian singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn, best known for infusing his music with political outrage, credits his activism to his third-grade teacher.

During a discussion about student demonstrators, she asked, “OK, what is a radical?” Cockburn recalled in a recent interview.

“Of course none of us third-grade kids knew what a radical was, so she proceeded to explain. ‘It's somebody that thinks the situation as it exists is not acceptable and is willing to get out there and do what is necessary to change that.'

“Then she said, ‘I hope you'll all grow up to be radicals.'”

If Cockburn (pronounced “Co-burn”) sees himself as a radical, it's only in the way his teacher taught — in the tradition of Jesus, Gandhi and Martin Luther King.

The gifted guitarist from Ottawa, who has won several Juno (the Canadian Grammy) awards, is a contemplative Christian who has traveled the world and shared his observations in his songs.

His career began in the late 1960s on the folk festival circuit. He headlined at the Mariposa Folk Festival in 1969 after another Canadian, Neil Young, took off to appear at Woodstock.

Cockburn's first major hit was “Wondering Where the Lions Are” in 1979, which led to an appearance on “Saturday Night Live.”

His next breakthrough was “If I Had a Rocket Launcher,” penned in 1983 after visiting Guatemalan refugee camps in southern Mexico. During that trip, Cockburn learned that Guatemalan military helicopters strafed peasants who'd already lost their homes, land and communities.

“Rocket Launcher” showcases Cockburn's myriad talents — his spare and visceral guitar work, his incisive lyrics, the urgency of his voice and his passionate commitment to human rights.

“Here comes the helicopter, second time today. Everybody scatters and hopes it goes away,” he sings. “How many kids they've murdered, only God can say. If I had a rocket launcher, I'd make somebody pay.”

Cockburn bristles when asked if his songs can be pedantic.

“I don't buy that criticism. I'm telling it like I see it,” he said in an interview with The Progressive Magazine, a national, monthly, left-wing magazine. “You don't have to like it. You don't have to listen to it at all. I'm not trying to convince people of things.

“Most of the time, our deeper, stronger feelings are things we all have in common. I take a certain liberty in saying I felt this way in this particular situation, and there's a good chance you would too,” he added. “Here's what I saw. Here's what I felt. That's as close as I get to preaching.”

Though some of Cockburn's quieter songs are subtly rooted in his Christian faith, he doesn't seek to proselytize. Instead, he views the craft of songwriting as cinematic.

“A lot of my songs are structured the way one would put together a film,” Cockburn said in an interview with E, an environmental magazine published by the nonprofit group Earth Action Network.

“I try to make (the scenes) as vivid as possible. The juxtaposition of those scenes is what creates the overall point or impression of the song.”

A later song, “This is Baghdad,” is a good example; it resulted from a visit there in 2004, he says.

Not all of Cockburn's compositions have heavy political overtones. Some are upbeat, and even when the topic is dark, such as the shooting in “Peggy's Kitchen Wall,” the music can be light and uplifting. And most of his songs, like “Waiting for a Miracle,” an ode to Nicaraguan field workers, glisten with hope.

Over the years, Cockburn keeps evolving and drawing from a deep well of musical influences.

On records produced by T-Bone Burnett, songwriter and acclaimed music producer, such as 1991's “Nothing But a Burning Light,” he draws on blues masters, such as slide guitarist Blind Willie Johnson, covering “Soul of a Man.”

Cockburn has made 30 albums and is preparing songs for his next release, slated for early 2011. His songs have been covered by Jerry Garcia, Jimmy Buffett and Judy Collins, among other singers.

His manager, Bernie Finkelstein, says Cockburn will play some new material, along with many of his chestnuts, at his Petaluma show.

Cockburn, who now lives in Kingston (near Lake Ontario, about halfway between Toronto and Montreal), says his faith and activism are aligned, citing Jesus as a role model for peaceful radicals.

“If the basic principle is to love your neighbor as yourself, you can't be loving that person and watch him starve, or be a victim of violence,” Cockburn said.

“Love ... has to be an act of principle. By its nature it can't be passive.”

Michael Shapiro writes about music and theater for The Press Democrat. For links to his stories, see www.michaelshapiro.net.