ABSTRACT
Tracing the outlines of Woody Guthrie's life can be maddening. His outpouring of songs,
words, and images attests to the rare creative spirit which possessed him like a devil,
or angel, more often both. He was a figure which many of us hold dear as an emblematic
American symbol of outspoken and independence-minded social consciousness. Drawn from
Guthrie's collection of published and unpublished material in the Woody Guthrie Archives,
including song lyrics, poems, prose, artwork-in short, every imaginable form of manuscript-the
shadows that form and delineate Guthrie's life keep moving, much like dancing flames
reflecting off a wall, illuminating some details while obscuring others.
Guthrie, of course, had no choice about Huntington's disease (HD) or how it would
impact his life. Characteristically, he moved with it, sang with it, and even danced
with it. When HD finally silenced Guthrie in 1967, it nevertheless spurred his second
wife, Marjorie Mazia, to action-action which continues today with the commitment and
work of the Huntington's Disease Society of America (HDSA). Was it tragic? Or just
the natural course of the disease? The interplay between artistry, inspiration, and
devastation is what we explore here.
KEYWORD
Woody Guthrie - Huntington's disease - chorea - folk music - history of neurology
- huntingtin protein - intermediate alleles - anticipation - caspases
