Joan Baez just threw down a challenge to every stadium-filling pop star on the planet—and she's not mincing words about it.
The folk legend appeared on Julia Louis-Dreyfus' podcast Wiser Than Me to discuss her legendary career and decades-long activism. When Louis-Dreyfus asked Baez about younger artists staying silent on democracy under attack, Baez didn't hold back. "There's a whole generation of really talented artists who are quite silent about the current assault on democracy," Louis-Dreyfus noted, asking if it frustrated her.
Baez's response was understanding, but pointed. "I think I understand where they're coming from," she said. But then: "I sort of cock my head at these stadiums filled with brilliant young women songwriters, and why can't they just take that little step?"
Baez doesn't buy the excuses. "Because they're already richer than God, you know, most of them," she said bluntly. "So, that little step."
Baez did give credit to the few who are speaking up. She highlighted Brandi Carlile and Maggie Rogers—her "pal"—for using their platforms at rallies and on stage to make their stances clear. She also referenced "The Times They Are a-Changin'," Bob Dylan's protest anthem that keeps appearing at modern demonstrations. "The level of that writing from back then hasn't been approached," Baez reflected.
The music industry's silence is deafening. And Baez, who has spent her entire career putting her money where her mouth is on social causes, isn't going to pretend she doesn't notice.
