The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #136898 Message #3130988
Posted By: GUEST,Alan Whittle
07-Apr-11 - 09:16 PM
Thread Name: a song called 'My Name is Martin Gibson'
Subject: RE: a song called 'My Name is Martin Gibson'
Many thanks for the nice things you have said about my guitar playing - Cflat and Richard. I'm afraid that compared to people like Carthy, Jansch, Jones, Ken Nicol, Tony Rose, Paul Downes - I'm a bit nothing. Uninspired, shall we say. Hardworking, but uninspired.
As for the other thing Richard - you make me feel like I've turned into my Dad - I remember with affection him walking round an artists studio in St Ives when we were on holiday declaring - Childish daubs! A child could have done this!
I suppose the difference is that at least I've read books and articles about English traditional music, I've heard many of the best revival singers, shared the stage with most of them. In truth the way i feel about it is a bit of a joke even to me - I really don't get it. My father was wrong, I suspect I am. very sad, but there it is.
i regard myself as a bit of an Autolycus character - a snapper up of unconsidered trifles. The folk clubs fell to the charms and wiles of you lot. So I had to work on the interstices of the music scene - football songs, country and western in miners welfares and pubs, old peoples homes. I worked with integrity in these places as a jobbing musician. discovering all kinds of virtues and strengths in the music that most of the folkscene despised.
And I feel that way about my online relationship with martin Gibson - there was something there. It was a trifling, but some wouldn't have considered it possible, or desirable. I think deep inside, he was hurting. Perhaps there was someone who had been ignored and hurt behind his need to affront. But there was substance and knowledge, and occasionally wit behind some of his pronouncements. I didn't mind him calling my beautiful guitar a sushi board. I guess other things he might have said are harder to forgive - but by the time I happened on the scene - he wasn't getting away with too much. People were on his case every time he opened his mouth.
Anyway, thankyou for your kind words once again.