Terry Pratchett - Folkie

Subject: Terry Pratchett - Folkie
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 30 Sep 13 - 12:42 PM

Just heard the latest from Steeleye Span:
Dark Morris
Written by Terry Pratchett

Played on Radio 2 at approx. 5.30 today.

Another string to his bow.

Subject: RE: Terry Pratchett - Folkie
From: Sir Roger de Beverley
Date: 30 Sep 13 - 01:50 PM

A lot of his books have bits of folk referencing in them and there is some morris dancing in one of them too.

R

Subject: RE: Terry Pratchett - Folkie
From: GUEST,surreysinger sans cookie
Date: 30 Sep 13 - 02:05 PM

A lot of his books do indeed have folk contents or morris dancing ... this Wiki entry makes
interesting and amusing reading

I've always been rather taken by the Ninja Morris men of Ankh Morporkh.

Subject: RE: Terry Pratchett - Folkie
From: Reinhard
Date: 30 Sep 13 - 02:18 PM

Dark Morris is actually just the first track of Steeleye Span's forthcoming album Wintersmith (with special guests Terry Pratchett, Kathryn Tickell and John Spiers).

Subject: RE: Terry Pratchett - Folkie
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 30 Sep 13 - 06:17 PM

I was dancing (and squiring) at the wedding of friends in Saffron Walden in October 1992 (the anniversary of which became the Saffron Walden folk festival for a few years) and I remember having a brief word with Mr Pratchett about Morris dancing when he paid a brief visit to join the celebrations (the bride had met him on a creative writing course). Can't remember any details of the conversation after 20 years (am doubtful, as the celebration was at the Eight Bells, which purveyed some very fine ales, whether I remembered the conversation the following day) but Lords and Ladies was published shortly afterwards....

Kitty

Subject: RE: Terry Pratchett - Folkie
From: GUEST,Mr Fox
Date: 30 Sep 13 - 08:36 PM

Lords and Ladies is full of references to 70s folk rock, especially Steeleye Span and Fairport Convention.

Subject: RE: Terry Pratchett - Folkie
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Oct 13 - 03:45 AM

He did present a bbc folk award to steeleye in 2005 and his book Monstrous Regiment makes references to folk spngs such as johnny has gone for a soldier, polly oliver and jacky munroe. I would like to see his cd collection though. Writing fits in with the electric folk tradition.

Subject: RE: Terry Pratchett - Folkie
From: Rob Naylor
Date: 01 Oct 13 - 05:38 AM

And in "I shall Wear Midnight" the Chalk Folk have a song (the old Baron's favourite) called "The Larks They Sang Melodious"....at his funeral, when told that was his favourite song , Nanny Ogg says "Ah,that's the one WE call "Pleasant and Delightful".

It's nice to keep coming across bits and pieces like that in his books.

Subject: RE: Terry Pratchett - Folkie
From: GUEST,Don Wise
Date: 01 Oct 13 - 01:53 PM

Enter "Terry Pratchett-dark morris" on Youtube and there's not only a vid of a mixed group of aussie(!) morris dancers dancing the 'Dark Morris' but also another vid of another aussie group dancing 'Terry Pratchett's notorious "Stick and Bucket" dance'!

I seem to recall hearing an interview with TP where he mentioned being at a Discworld shindig somewhere and witnessing a group of morris dancers doing the dark morris. He was knocked out.

Subject: RE: Terry Pratchett - Folkie
From: Sir Roger de Beverley
Date: 02 Oct 13 - 04:23 AM

Someone has gone to a lot of trouble to pick out all of the morris references in TP's books:

http://morrisdancing.wikia.com/wiki/Terry_Pratchett_and_the_morris

R

Subject: RE: Terry Pratchett - Folkie
From: GUEST,CrazyEddie
Date: 02 Oct 13 - 07:40 AM

...another aussie group dancing 'Terry Pratchett's notorious "Stick and Bucket" dance'!..
I hope there were no women present!
Otherwise that is regarded as sexual morrisment!

Subject: RE: Terry Pratchett - Folkie
From: Claire M
Date: 02 Oct 13 - 09:28 AM

Hiya,

Steeleye have never led me wrong. I don't think they will.

I was knocked out by 'The Dark Morris'. I wasn't only listening; I was deep in the forest dancing through it w/ the band, it was brilliant. It's as if I was inside the song. I've always loved forests, there were toadstools in this one etc. & when I ate one it was all sugary. Those coconut mushrooms I had earlier must've had an effect on me.

Just as Maddy sang "is someone behind me?" someone came in to ask to borrow something & I jumped out of my skin.

I too would love to see his cd collection. I appreciate him more now & even have turtle earrings, though I still prefer high fantasy. I love the Wyrd Sisters cartoon, & am told I sound like one of them!

Subject: RE: Terry Pratchett - Folkie
From: Mr Red
Date: 02 Oct 13 - 09:49 AM

I was told by someone that TP had been a Morrisman at some stage but looking above it may have been they assumed his knowledge of Morris was so good it had to be from first-hand experience. his wiki entry makes no reference to him dancing Morris.

The wikia link (previous post) references "the Morpork Folk-Dance and Song Club"

FWIW a Morpork is an owl resident in NZ that instead of going toowit towoo (yes I know it is call and response Female to Male). The Morpork gets its name from its call - "morepork". The Bird is in the last verse of "the Day the Pub Burned Down" viz "Now Morporks haunt the old pub site"

I think we can at least say that TP is a polymath.

Subject: RE: Terry Pratchett - Folkie
From: GUEST,surreysinger sans cookie
Date: 02 Oct 13 - 02:45 PM

Sir Roger ... if you care to check out my posting of 30th September you'll see that I had already placed that Wiki link earlier. And in fact it doesn't give all of the Morris references in Mr Pratchett's books,just the more obvious ones (or part of them. The reference to the Dark Morris is actually fairly truncated.)

And Mr Red - there is reference on the web to Pratchett responding by letter to a query regarding his participation or otherwise in Morris dancing to the effect that he had never "waved a hankie in anger" and nor did he personally know any Morris dancers, although he admitted that the dance did fascinate him.

Subject: RE: Terry Pratchett - Folkie
From: Bearheart
Date: 02 Oct 13 - 03:54 PM

Two of my favorite things:Steeleye Span and Terry Pratchett!!! have read some of his books many times, and been listening to Steeleye since a wee one. Love this thread, and will check out all the blue clicky things... Thank you Mudcatters...

Subject: RE: Terry Pratchett - Folkie
From: GUEST,Crow
Date: 02 Oct 13 - 05:17 PM

Seems slightly ironical since many (most)of Pratchett,s references to folk songs are far from praising. (And I own and have read them all, many several times.)

Subject: RE: Terry Pratchett - Folkie
From: Sir Roger de Beverley
Date: 03 Oct 13 - 03:20 AM

Apologies for repeating the wiki link - I thought that the original one was to a youtube clip.

R

Subject: RE: Terry Pratchett - Folkie
From: Claire M
Date: 03 Oct 13 - 04:00 PM

Hiya,

Me too, Bear♥.

Think it's called "steeleyespanitis" Had SS [b]forced[/b] down my throat as a little girl; loved, & still do love, the nastier tracks best.   I'm a writer too; they inspire me a lot, keep me ☺ ing & have been w/ me through thick & thin, more loyal than a lot of people. I'll be ♥broken when I have to wake up to a world w/o them. Ach, crivens. Teary-eyed now. I want my dog.

I've a b&w drawing of a hanged man on my wall who I'm positive is Long Lankin.
Ahhhh @ the owl calling "more pork!" I thought they only liked mice. I think I'd be one, cos I [b]love[/b] pork. Anyone got a link to some pix??

TP must truly love folk; if not why bother putting ref's in ?? & a lot of jigs & reels sound like Morris tunes anyway & vice versa. No wonder he, & now I, am fascinated.

[i]Deep in the forest, clad in black,
Dance the Dark Morris, you may never dance back......[/i]

Fine; I don't want to anyway.

Subject: RE: Terry Pratchett - Folkie
From: GUEST,surreysinger sans cookie
Date: 03 Oct 13 - 04:32 PM

Sir Roger ... LOL. It's not often that Youtube links make interesting reading ? Sorry by the way, as my earlier post sounds a bit sniffy, which was not the intention.

Subject: RE: Terry Pratchett - Folkie
From: Claire M
Date: 05 Oct 13 - 11:57 AM

Hiya,

I want this cd.

Very happy to have access to said music player thingy via SS-loving friend [thanks Mark!] as well as trailer [made me melt, my ♥ fluttered]

It'll tide me over until upcoming gig & – hopefully -- Xmas present of cd. Said song keeps playing on its own. Only how can you dance said dance/any other w/o music.

Overjoyed to read that Chris Ts_____ [can't pron. his name] is producing. I got re-acquainted w/ SS via a heavy metal background, Maiden, Priest etc, which though I loved it & still do never seemed quite right & made me feel a bit out of place. That's why it reminds me of both bands so much. Logo & character v similar to theirs; maybe CT suggested it.

I loved, & still do love, everything to do w/ fantasy, despite not getting into/realising I liked TP till later, & my love of fantasy is part of SS's appeal to me – love of 1 feeds love of other. My friend bought me an evil-eye bracelet from Turkey & it looks as if it's giving me a steely glare. It hardly ever comes off.

Subject: RE: Terry Pratchett - Folkie
From: Reinhard
Date: 24 Oct 13 - 04:28 PM

Well, I'm a Steeleye Span fan since the beginning of the 1970s and I think I have devoured all of Terry Pratchett's novels, most of them as first issue hardcovers. So I was quite eager to get Wintersmith. But now having listened to it for the first time I'm quite underwhelmed.   For example, Terry Pratchett describes the Nac Mac Feegle with loving humour but also with respect. The words of The Wee Free Man on this album, however, sound like a silly Smurf song

We like to go a-hunting
We like to fight and drink
We are the Nac Mac Feegle
We'll vanish in a blink.

And the Nac Mac Feegle's battle cry "Nae king! Nae quin! Nae laird! Nae master! We willnae be fooled again!" is sung as a two line pop chorus:

No_king_no_queen_no_master
We'll not be fooled again

The rest of the album is of a similar vein. I think I'd better bury it deep in my CD rack and finish my evening with a good dose of Below the Salt or Live at Last.

Subject: RE: Terry Pratchett - Folkie
From: GUEST,Heather Wood
Date: 24 Oct 13 - 07:49 PM

Terry is definitely a folkie. See the book "Folklore of the Discworld."

When I met him at the World Science Fiction Convention in the Netherlands, he read my badge and said "Heather Wood of the Young Tradition?" I said yes. He said "I've got all your records." I replied, "well, I've got all your books."

There was a CD: Music from the Discworld. I wrote the words to "A Wizard's Staff." Also wrote an extended version of The Hedgehog Song."

Terry is a great man.

Subject: RE: Terry Pratchett - Folkie
From: Jack Campin
Date: 24 Oct 13 - 08:03 PM

the owl calling "more pork!" I thought they only liked mice.

"Morepork" is the English name for a small New Zealand owl, "ruru" in Maori. In this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s_lO2ul_UQ

the "more pork" call is pretty clear. I think English got it closer than Maori.

Subject: RE: Terry Pratchett - Folkie
From: Claire M
Date: 04 Nov 13 - 02:55 PM

Hiya,

I've come to the conclusion things you look forward to will always disappoint you; you look forward to it [whatever "it" may be] so much, & think it'll be so good, that there's no way it can ever match up to what you hoped it'd be like.

Oh dear. If they did other songs in proper Scots why not that one?

I'd've much preferred a song re how the Summer Lady should be feared as much as the Wintersmith, complete w/ hissing from the book. I love the Dark Morris so much I think I'll let that slide.

I think this will be SS's last release myself, but I desperately hope not. I'll be ♥broken.

Subject: RE: Terry Pratchett - Folkie
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 04 Nov 13 - 10:21 PM

Another thread on the Wintersmith album.

A prior (long-running) thread on Terry Pratchett's folkiness.

~ Becky in Long Beach

Subject: RE: Terry Pratchett - Folkie
From: Claire M
Date: 06 Nov 13 - 10:10 AM

Hiya,

Oh, that morepork's *sweet*! Prefer Discworld cartoons to books but that might be cos I saw the former 1st . I still spend ½ my time on the Disc, so I clearly like his work, & intend to read a ton more. Borrowed a load of the books. from various people , thinking they seemed familiar. I must've read @ least a few but forgotten I had............

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