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PopMusic.com> President of Pop> Voice of America Interview |
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George Washington by John Washington on Voice of America |
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October 7th 2008
Click Here to Hear John Washingon, ancestral nephew of George Washington, speak about his (6X) uncle, George Washington. Below is the transcript/script of the radio piece. It's probably much more interesting to listen to it, than to read the transcript. The transcript is here, more than anything, to help search engines find the page!
(Click Here to Listen in RealAudio, or Read Below...) _ INTRO: Practically every American learns about George Washington in grade school: as the "Father of His Country," the first president of the United States and commander of the Continental Army in the American Revolution. [OPT] Historic homes or towns might tout "Washington Slept Here." And every dollar bill and 25- cent piece bears his likeness. [END OPT] But for those who are direct descendants of George Washington, the "Father of His Country" is much more than a vague history lesson or an image on a coin. _________ tells us what it's like being John Washington, the Fifth. TAPE: CUT ONE - SFX [from Washington funeral recreation] IN FULL to :12, fade under TEXT: [tt -- :24] TEXT: Two hundred years after the funeral of George Washington, a recreation of the event with 250 re-creators was held [12-18-99] at his home in Mount Vernon, Virginia. Among the thousands watching the somber event was John Augustine [Au-GUS-tin] Washington the Fifth. He had just flown in from Los Angeles, California, and had mixed feelings about all the commotion made over his relative. TAPE: CUT TWO - WASHINGTON :25 "I'd say mild embarrassment, coupled with pride. What they said today was true: George Washington didn't like pomp and circumstance. When they liberated [colonial] Boston and New York, he didn't march in a big parade like a lot of people expected him to. He kind of just rode his horse in - and that's how he wanted to go out [at his death]. [OPT] At the same time, he said one of the great rewards he could have was the esteem of his countrymen and he certainly did have that." [END OPT] TEXT: At first meeting, John Washington might not seem like a descendant of George Washington. A music producer and writer from the fashionable West Coast community of Malibu, Mr. Washington's animated personality is, at times, reminiscent of actor Jim Carey. But he is clearly knowledgeable about how he fits in the George Washington family tree: TAPE: CUT THREE - WASHINGTON :13 "George Washington's favorite brother was John Augustine. A lot of what we know about George Washington is because of letters he wrote to John Augustine. That would be John Augustine the First; I am John Augustine the Fifth. So I'm a direct descendant of George's brother, his favorite brother actually." TEXT: And he says growing up as a "Washington family" member proved to be a mixed blessing: TAPE: CUT FOUR - WASHINGTON :28 "In my extended family, we still own George Washington's brother's house. When I was a kid, on weekends, at all my birthday parties, [we] were at George Washington's brother's house. So it never seemed like a big deal to me. I remember in the fourth grade, I went to a new school. And kids started calling each other by their last names. Suddenly people knew my last name. I wasn't John; I was, `Hey, Washington!' People heard it and said, `Are you related to George?' I'd say, `Yeah.' And they'd say, `No you're not!' It was kind of frustrating." TEXT: [OPT] And there would be those times, when John Washington would be in situations where he was constantly reminded of his unique family genealogy - such as visiting a certain community. TAPE: CUT FIVE - WASHINGTON :20 "...People who lived around Charles Town, West Virginia or people who are descendants who lived there until early [last] century. I know a lot of those cousins. Charles Town was named after George Washington's brother, Charles Washington. Every street is named after Mildred or one of the other Washingtons." [END OPT] EXT: Being a fifth generation descendant of America's first president has led John Washington to reflect on the image of George Washington. TAPE: CUT SIX - WASHINGTON :38 "Most people, when they think of George Washington, don't think of a human being. They think of [TV weathercaster] Willard Scott dressed like George Washington. They think of some man with strange teeth and strange hair. At least they think of an old man. "[But] People forget that by the time George Washington was 21, he was the `Michael Jordan' of his day. He was famous throughout the English-speaking world. His writing from what was then the frontier -now Ohio and Virginia- was published in England. He was a superstar and did some amazing things as a young man. That's why later on, he had the opportunities that he did: he was dragged into doing what he didn't necessarily want to do . lead the Revolution and be the first President." TEXT: [OPT] As activities surrounding the 200th anniversary of the death of George Washington came to a close in December, there was much discussion about the gruesome surroundings of his death - including the medical procedure known as "bleeding." John Washington says the detailed focus on efforts to save George Washington was overdone. Yet, the young descendant says he admires the first president's courage. TAPE: CUT SEVEN - WASHINGTON :29 "George Washington was so brave. I don't think bleeding is an easy thing to have done to you. He was so brave that he actually insisted that he be bled even before the first doctor got there. You couldn't blame the doctors; George Washington wanted to be bled. He thought it was the best thing. Obviously it wasn't; it could have weakened him and could have led to his death. "At the same time, he lived longer than any of his ancestors that he was aware of. He lived longer than any of his brothers, who were all younger than him. He lived much longer [67 years old] than the average person in Virginia at the time - by about 20 years." [END OPT] TEXT: So how should George Washington be remembered? John Washington suggests that he be known as a man of modest means and a fine leader. TAPE: CUT EIGHT - WASHINGTON :35 "He was born relatively poor. [OPT] He inherited Mount Vernon, but when he inherited it, it was a really small house. [END OPT] He worked and struggled the first half of his life: he was the prototypical American. He made it in the world. In the second half of his life, all he wanted to do was get back to Mount Vernon and enjoy himself. But he never had the opportunity to do that - or almost never did. He was being dragged off . to start America. [OPT] "He was exceptional because he was a good leader. But it doesn't take away -- and shouldn't take away -- from all the other people who struggled so hard for the things they believed in. I think it's almost unfair to focus too much on just one person and ignore everyone else." [END OPT] T EXT: John Washington the Fifth, of Malibu, California, reflecting on his very famous ancestor. [REST OPT] Mr. Washington is a music writer and producer and owner of the internet website <PopMusic.com>, featuring a wide array of popular music.
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