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Gran Finale

The Raging Grannies prove you�re never too old for politics.

A A A Comments By Julie Dunn Thursday, Oct 24 2002

Clear your throats, take a deep breath, and belt out the words with the Raging Grannies:

Golden age: The Raging Grannies.

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1-5 p.m. Sunday, October 27
Mercury Cafe, 2199 California Street
$5 suggested donation
303-695-9181

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(To the tune of "Frère Jacques")

Georgie Bush,

Can you hear?

No more nukes or bombings,

Can you hear?

No, it's not the latest Ani DiFranco ballad. It's the work of a local group of mad mamas whose twelve-song repertoire includes such ditties as "This Land Was Your Land" and "Enron."

"Our signature song is called 'Raging Grannies Who Won't Shut Up,' which goes 'We're raging grannies who won't shut up/No war, no war,'" explains 76-year-old Mag Seaman, who organized the senior troubadours. "The songs are all political; we're against war, killing, corporations."

The group, which includes eleven grandmothers and one thirteen-year-old, sings to protest nuclear reactors, environmental destruction, corporate scandal and the current Bush administration. "I've been active for years," says Granny Judy Trompeter. "It isn't that we're anti-. We're just so concerned about our country, and we want to express ourselves."

The first Raging Grannies collective was formed in British Columbia in 1986. Denver's version has been around since last spring, playing gigs such as last month's John Hightower reading at the Tattered Cover and the Green Party nominating convention. (The group is accompanied by a cellist during live appearances.) "I like showing people that the government isn't everything," says Sarah McNaughton, the teen Granny-in-training. "What the lower people are saying is important, because it's the real stuff."

Although the Grannies have had requests for CDs, there are no recording plans in their immediate future. "We just want to speak our mind, to a melody and with a little humor," says Seaman, who really just wants you to listen to the words. "It's important to have some form of rage," she says. "If you're not angry, then you're not paying attention."

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