Tags for this video have been changed from 'dick, cavett, janis, joplin' to 'dick cavett, janis joplin, 70s, 1970' - edited by rasch187

I agree with you that songwriters play roles. But Newman chooses to sing about a very volatile subject: racism in America. And instead of denouncing it, he takes the perspective of a bigot which complicates things.

Wikipedia has a great write up about the song:

Like several of Newman's songs, "Rednecks" is sung from the perspective of an interesting, non-neutral narrator — in this case a stereotypical Southern "redneck". In it he expresses his dismay at the way that the North looks down upon The South. In particular the narrator describes his ire at watching a "smart-ass, New York Jew"[1] mock Lester Maddox on a television program (this is an allusion to Maddox's 1970 appearance on The Dick Cavett Show whose eponymous host is actually a gentile). In response to his frustration at the television show, the narrator goes on to list, sarcastically, a litany of negative qualities that Southerners are reputed to have. He focuses especially on their reputed institutionalized racism, or, as the narrator puts it: "keeping the niggers down."

However, as the song ends, the narrator turns the knife on judgmental Northerners, calling them out as hypocrites. He achieves this by singing that the "North has set the nigger free," but pointing out, again sarcastically, that African-Americans are only "free to be put in a cage" (i.e., segregated) in various bad neighborhoods of big Northern cities — victims of, one assumes, the exact same racism that the Southerners are reputed to have. The song's final verse lyric is: "They [the Northerners] gatherin' 'em up, from miles around/Keeping the niggers down."

Like many Newman songs, it is difficult to tell with certainty how much or little Newman himself identifies with the narrator. Clearly, Newman desires to poke fun at smug Yankees that tar all Southerners with the same brush as ignorant, racist fools. But at the same time, he also pokes fun at the narrator himself, demonstrating the narrator's own clear prejudice ("smart-ass New York Jew") and his slavish adherence to his own kind ("he may be a fool, but he's our fool.") In a sense, "Rednecks" shares a lot with another famous Newman tune "I Love L.A." in that Newman both identifies with and seeks to make fun of the narrator at the same time.

I love the reversal of roles that Orson manages to do. Dick Cavett is actually a great interviewer; never seen him before.

Fantastic stuff... really fascinating. I don't know Dick Cavett, me being Australian.. but in response to dag. "I wish Talk Shows were like this still. Compare this to something like Jay Leno." You're looking at the wrong shows, they're variety shows, you're after real interview shows.

Here in Australia, we have the brilliant 'Enough Rope' with Andrew Denton: http://youtube.com/results?search_query=denton+enough+rope&search=Search

Or in the UK there is Parkinson: http://youtube.com/results?search_query=Parkinson&search=Search

The shows are there, you just need to know where to look.

http://www.videosift.com/video/Orson-Welles-turns-the-tables-on-Dick-Cavett#comment-223866

Where oh where has the lisacat gone????

Dick Cavett is still alive, but I don't see much of him these days.

I agree, he's a pretty clever fellow, too.

"Somehow I don't think the caviar was the finest — I don't know much about caviar, but I do know you're not supposed to get pictures of ballplayers with it."

Hey I fixeded this, hope you don't mind it's the full episode.....and that it's green and what not....
http://www.videosift.com/video/Ali-and-Frazier-on-the-Dick-Cavett-Show#comment-214201

cheers!

Jim Henson & Kermit's appearance on "What's My Line?" hosted by Larry Blyden, aired on November 16, 1974.

Panelists here include Arlene Francis, Dr. Joyce Brothers, Jack Cassidy and Soupy Sales. The following mystery guest was Dick Cavett.

Oh! And . . . Kermit sings, "It's Not Easy Being Green."