Three years ago I set out across the country by Greyhound. A downwardly mobile singer-songwriter opposed to the war, I had tried to figure what, if anything, I could do that would have any impact. Unable to come up with anything, I wrote a modern protest song, got an Ameripass that allowed me to get on or off any Greyhound in America and with my just repaired Gibson J-100, I started singing in rallies and volunteer meetings, bus stations and college campuses. Along the way, I began writing songs and stories inspired by the people I came across, folks struggling to get by at this historically difficult time for the working poor in America. The project, Greyhound Diaries, became a kind of everyday American epicin story, song, and image. That six-week tour in 2004 was indeed my first; last, I’ve come to learn, has two meanings. Doug Levitt is an up and coming star in the new culture.
