UW System spokesperson and Vietnam War veteran Doug Bradley and UW-Madison Professor Craig Werner discussed the role of music for Vietnam veterans during the Vietnam War Thursday at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum, 30 W. Mifflin St.
Speaking to a crowd that included several Vietnam veterans, Bradley and Werner described their upcoming book that will collect anecdotes from veterans and musicians from the Vietnam era.
The book, centering on 20 key songs, will examine the influence of Vietnam-era music on soldiers before and after the war, addressing the impact of cultural shifts, race relations and social unrest through the lens of music.
Bradley served as a military correspondent with the U.S. Army Command Headquarters in Vietnam from 1970-'71 and Werner teaches literature, music, and cultural history in the Afro-American Studies Department.
They began collaborating on their upcoming book in the spring of 2004 and have started the process of contacting veterans and musicians and collecting interviews.
\It's been fun. It's been a tremendous thing for me to work on,"" Werner said. ""I really find myself rejuvenated and energized by my contact with the veterans community.""
He lauded the ability of Vietnam veterans to shed light on the emotion and significance of the war from a personal perspective.
""I think they understand America better than anyone else out there right now. We have been in such denial about Vietnam for a long time and that denial plays out in not understanding what we are doing right now,"" Werner said.
The concept for the book was born over conversations and exchanging stories about music.
""We said, 'You know, this book hasn't been written yet and the stories connected to these songs haven't been written yet,' "" Bradley said.
Bradley has written and lectured extensively on the Vietnam War and is a contributor to ""Voices from Vietnam,"" published by the State Historical Society in 1996.
He also helped establish the Vets House, Inc. a community based-service center for Vietnam-era Veterans in Madison where he served as executive director from 1974-1977. Bradley and Werner anticipate releasing their book in about two years.
Although they have already spoken with Eric Burdon, the founding member of The Animals, and Cynthia Weil, who wrote the lyrics for their influential song ""We Gotta Get Out of This Place,"" Bradley and Werner said there is much work to be done.
They mentioned that among influential artists like the Doors, Bob Dylan, the Beatles, Aretha Franklin, and the Rolling Stones, several boundary-crossing musicians such as Credence Clearwater Revival and Jimi Hendrix stood out as almost universally accepted by soldiers with different tastes and backgrounds together in Vietnam.
""We've barely scratched the surface,"" said Bradley. ""We're really trying to get this thing moving.""
