Query:Folk Performing Portrayed

Subject: Query:Folk Performing Portrayed
From: Peter Timmerman
Date: 02 Jul 97 - 04:39 PM

Does anyone know of any interesting literary (or even from movies I guess) fictional (or maybe fact-based) descriptions of the experience of playing/creating folk music/blues or listening to folk performers, or even just the life? I don't mean ancient stuff, but from the 20-'s or 30's on. I am thinking of novels about musicians or short stories. For example, there is Young Man with a Horn about a trumpet player, or The Horse's Mouth about a painter. Yours, Peter

Subject: RE: Query:Folk Performing Portrayed
From: Mountain Dog
Date: 02 Jul 97 - 04:49 PM

Dear Peter:

Check out Peter Guralnick's excellent novel "Nighthawk Blues" for a great and believable portrait of the life and times of a Delta Bluesman. I don't recall the publisher, but you might look in a good library or check for it at Powell's (which I think of as the "used book Amazon.com") at the following URL:

www.powells.com

Subject: RE: Query:Folk Performing Portrayed
From: Peter Timmerman
Date: 02 Jul 97 - 04:55 PM

That must be the same Peter Guralnick who did the histories -- Last Train from Memphis, etc? Thanks, MD, Yours, Peter

Subject: RE: Query:Folk Performing Portrayed
From: RS
Date: 02 Jul 97 - 05:06 PM

Do songs qualify as "literary"? The Canadian folk performer Valdy wrote the (presumably biographical!) song "Play Me a Rock and Roll Song" - about a folk musician who is booed off the stage after he is mistakenly booked at a Rock and Roll venue. The final verse is :

Well if I played you a Rock and Roll Song / It wouldn't be fair, cause my head isn't there / So I'll leave you to your rock and roll songs / and make my way back to the country.

and the chorus is :

(Still they called) Play me a rock and roll song / I don't want to hear about [something like peace & love, not sure of the exact words here] / Play me a rock and roll song / Or don't play me no song at all

A very catchy tune, the words alone don't give the full flavour of the song!

Subject: RE: Query:Folk Performing Portrayed
From: Joe Offer
Date: 02 Jul 97 - 08:49 PM

Well, this doesn't follow the thread exactly, but several threads recently have portrayed folksingers as singing with their fingers in their ears. I hadn't noticed that before, but since I saw it posted, I've noticed that some of the more obnoxious purists in our song circles sometimes sing with a finger in one ear. I thought that might be so they didn't have to hear my rather loud voice, but I didn't want to ask. Let me ask you, who can't hear me:

Why the finger in the ear? Should I take it as a silent commentary on the quality of my singing?

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Query:Folk Performing Portrayed
From: Rick
Date: 03 Jul 97 - 04:56 AM

Joe - the "finger in ear" is a way of hearing yourself when singing. If there is a lot of ambient noise around putting your finger in your ear (well, actually just pressing the bottom flap of your ear up against the hole leading to the eardrum) helps you to hear your own voice against the noise, by filtering out certain frequencies (probably the higher ones). You also get more immediate feedback on what's going out of your mouth, so can keep in better tune, if, like me, you're essentially tone deaf. I find that it also works when listening to an amplified band where the singing is drowned out by the high frequency noise of cymbals, elctric guitars, etc.

So, if your audience are sticking their fingers in their ears, take it as a compliment - they actually are trying to hear you better!

In Britain, anyway, "finger in ear" is almost synonymous with folk singer, and is a frequent source of jokes, none of which I can remember.

Cheers

Rick.

Subject: RE: Query:Folk Performing Portrayed
From: Rick
Date: 03 Jul 97 - 05:01 AM

Peter

try reading "Accordion Crimes" by E. Annie Proulx, which is based round the travels of a melodeon from generation to generation.

Go to here for a review of the book.

Cheers

Rick.

Subject: RE: Query:Folk Performing Portrayed
From: LaMarca
Date: 07 Jul 97 - 05:02 PM

There's quite a few books in some of the genré fiction set around folk music/singing/festivals. I read a lot of mysteries, fantasy and some SF (I tell my friends I'm reading "Mind Fritos" - junk food for the brain...). Here's a list of some of my favorite descriptions of folk music in pseudo-literature:

"Black Is the Color of My True Love's Heart" by Ellis Peters: before she started writing the interminable Brother Cadfael mysteries, Ellis Peters wrote a number of musically oriented mysteries. This is my favorite - it's set at a British folk festival, and involves feuding folk performers, a noxious folk producer, love, jealousy and a family secret. The solution to the mystery lies in the plot of a Child ballad; I won't spoil it by telling which one... Two of her other mysteries from the music performance world that are also good are "Funeral of Figaro" set in a small opera troupe, of course, and "Horn of Roland" about a classical music festival in Switzerland(?)

"Highland Laddie Gone" by Sharyn McCrumb: set at an American Highland Games, it gleefully skewers all those Americans of Scottish descent who seek their "roots" by dressing up in tatty woolens once or twice a year, the con artists who prey on them by selling them ersatz Scottish tartans for Clan Silverstein, and the straggle of folk musicians who make their living drifting from festival to festival. Ms. McCrumb also writes a number of mysteries with folk song titles (The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter) that are set in Appalachia, but don't actually have anything to do with music.

There's a large overlap between the people who like folk/traditional/Celtic music and the science fiction/fantasy community here in North America; don't know if it's the same in the UK. A lot of North American fantasy writers use (mostly) Celtic or Anglo ballad themes as springboards for their fantasies; very few of them use it very well... As Theo Sturgeon was reputed to have said, "99% of everything is crap", and that seems to be true of a lot of the self-referential Celtoid/folk fantasies I've encountered. The better ones, IMHO, are the ones that don't take themselves too seriously, such as:

"Tea With the Black Dragon" by R. A. Macavoy: umpteen century-old Chinese dragon living in San Francisco befriends computer programmer and her itinerant musician friends.

"The Song-killer Trilogy" by Elizabeth Scarborough: "The Phantom Banjo", etc. involve The Devil's attempt to crush The Human Spirit by killing folk music, and Folk Musicians' gallant fight back. These were a little more formulaic, but still fun.

The "Silver John" books by Manly Wade Wellman: fine short fantasies set in Appalachia about a roving musician whose guitar is strung with magic; he encounters Evil in many guises and tries to fight back. NOT cutsie like the Scarboroughs; Wellman actually includes both traditional Appalachian songs and wrote a few trad. sounding ones for these stories. Bob Coltman, a fine American folk musician, set one of these, "Vandy, Vandy" to music and recorded it.

The Canadian writer, Charles De Lint, has set a number of his fantasies around the Toronto folk scene; he annoys me by writing a bit too much to an insider crowd by making passing references to current folk groups and recordings, kind of like name-brand product advertising in a novel.

These are the ones that immediately jump to mind; like I said, they're mostly "light" reads that are fun diversions, but aren't very deep or serious portrayals of a folk musicians' life. Hope this thread will lead me to discovering some other books to read, too!

Subject: RE: Query:Folk Performing Portrayed
From: Kiwi
Date: 07 Jul 97 - 05:15 PM

Since I love the works of Mercedes Lackey, I'd be remiss in not posting some titles here..._Knight of Ghosts and Shadows_ and _Called To Tourney_ center around Eric, the last true bard.. and makes some nifty references to one of the CA RenFaires. Also, the Bardic Voices and Bardic Choices books are about Free Bards thumbing their noses at the Guild Bards. I'd advice starting with _The Lark and the Wren_.

Subject: RE: Query:Folk Performing Portrayed
From: Catfeet
Date: 07 Jul 97 - 07:30 PM

I'll be dating myself, but Greg Bear's Song of Earth & Power, recently combined to one novel out of Infinity Concerto & Serpent Mage has always been one of my favorite combinations of a number of folk tales and songs from both European and Eastern traditions.

Subject: RE: Query:Folk Performing Portrayed
From: Buzz
Date: 07 Jul 97 - 09:00 PM

Wow!! all you people who refer to Mercedes Lackey and Elizabeth Anne Scarborough tickle me to no end. I agree about these writers - in Scarborough's series on "godmothers" she even has a character compare himself to Finbar Furey... I'l pretty well wager Finbar doesn't mind! But I would like to know what he would think abt portrayals of performers - he and his brothers say they sang their way out of a pretty tough neighborhood.

Subject: RE: Query:Folk Performing Portrayed
From: John
Date: 08 Jul 97 - 02:46 AM

I was nearly going to respond under the thread about the parody of "The Boxer" and some-one suggested a search under the word "folkie". What a find! There are two Eric Bogle songs about singing to non=appreciative audiences, and I have heard a number of others over the years. Any other thoughts on this tongue in cheek subject?

Cheers John

Subject: RE: Query:Folk Performing Portrayed
From: John
Date: 08 Jul 97 - 02:48 AM

I was nearly going to respond under the thread about the parody of "The Boxer" and some-one suggested a search under the word "folkie". What a find! There are two Eric Bogle songs about singing to non=appreciative audiences, and I have heard a number of others over the years. Any other thoughts on this tongue in cheek subject?

Cheers John

Subject: RE: Query:Folk Performing Portrayed
From: John
Date: 08 Jul 97 - 02:51 AM

I was nearly going to respond under the thread about the parody of "The Boxer" and some-one suggested a search under the word "folkie". What a find! There are two Eric Bogle songs about singing to non=appreciative audiences, and I have heard a number of others over the years. Any other thoughts on this tongue in cheek subject?

Cheers John

Subject: RE: Query:Folk Performing Portrayed
From: John
Date: 08 Jul 97 - 02:54 AM

I was nearly going to respond under the thread about the parody of "The Boxer" and some-one suggested a search under the word "folkie". What a find! There are two Eric Bogle songs about singing to non=appreciative audiences, and I have heard a number of others over the years. Any other thoughts on this tongue in cheek subject?

Cheers John

Subject: RE: Query:Folk Performing Portrayed
From: John
Date: 08 Jul 97 - 02:59 AM

I was nearly going to respond under the thread about the parody of "The Boxer" and some-one suggested a search under the word "folkie". What a find! There are two Eric Bogle songs about singing to non=appreciative audiences, and I have heard a number of others over the years. Any other thoughts on this tongue in cheek subject?

Cheers John

Subject: RE: Query:Folk Performing Portrayed
From: Rick
Date: 08 Jul 97 - 03:22 AM

John

congratulations - you must hold the record for greatest number of phantom repeats :-)

I suspect the self-parody song theme should be moved to a different thread, since it doesn't seem to be relevant to Peter Timmerman original request, however I'd like to add "All the tunes in the world" (composer unknown, taken from the singing of the McCalmans). It's about the last singer of the evening wanting to carry on singing and has fine lines like

Lay down the borrowed guitar/Lay down the fiddle and bow/You'd like one more drink from the bar/But tha manager says you must go

Rick.

Subject: RE: Query:Folk Performing Portrayed
From: Henrik W
Date: 08 Jul 97 - 02:20 PM

Dear Peter,

Brian McNeill (ex-Battlefield Band) has written a novel called "The Busker", about (you guessed it!) a busker. I haven't read it, but Brian McNeill is a great songwriter so it is very likely that the book is just brilliant...

As it happens he has written two songs ("The Busker" and "The Devil's Only Daughter"), both on the album "The Busker and the Devil's Only Daughter", about a busker.

Regards,

Henrik

Subject: RE: Query:Folk Performing Portrayed
From: Bob Clayton
Date: 08 Jul 97 - 02:36 PM

Another mystery story that LaMarca might have mentioned, but didn't seem to (hope my hurried reading didn't just pass over it) is "Bimbos of the Death Sun," (author?) which skewers filk songing, SF "cons" and includes a folksinger character as well.

And, in light of the mention of cons, there's the newish SF novel "Fallen Angels" by Jerry Pournelle, which includes quite a bit of SF fandom with references to filksonging.

Stories of "the life" using performers in other idioms are also found. I recently read a good mystery involving country singers, and my wife has just finished reading yet another, which she's recommended to me, but I can't remember the title to either just now. Maybe later.

Subject: RE: Query:Folk Performing Portrayed
From: Peter Timmerman
Date: 08 Jul 97 - 02:40 PM

As ever, thanks to all. Fine late summer reading. It had never occurred to me to link the bardic folk song to science fiction (even though I dimly recall Anne MacCaffrey's dragon stuff having something about this). I had a couple of interesting e-mails, one recommending one or two of the sections of Joan Baez' autobiography ("And A Voice to Sing With") about the experience of being on stage, fiddling with your guitar, trying to connect with your audience, etc. I have yet to run across the kind of thing rock and roll and C&W is filled with, both reportorial writing of the experience, and interviews about the folk life with well known artists. There must be one or two about the Celtic crowd, surely... Yours, Peter

Subject: RE: Query:Folk Performing Portrayed
From: rich-joy
Date: 19 May 05 - 04:10 AM

refresh
: still of interest - whether film or book!

I'm also interested to know of "Folk" performances on DVD / Video.
There are some great Old Timey ones available, but so far, not available (to my knowledge) in a format suitable for way down in Oz ...



Cheers! R-J

Subject: RE: Query:Folk Performing Portrayed
From: jonm
Date: 19 May 05 - 04:42 PM

Charles de Lint's "The Little Country" set on the Cornish folk scene, complete with tunes in an appendix at the back.

Subject: RE: Query:Folk Performing Portrayed
From: greg stephens
Date: 19 May 05 - 06:02 PM

Not recent,but very relevant: Thomas Hardy gave many accounts, in his novels and short stories, of all sorts of things connected with folk musicians(mainly instrumentalists, but also singers).

Subject: RE: Query:Folk Performing Portrayed
From: Bob the Postman
Date: 19 May 05 - 06:17 PM

I really liked the writing about old-time music and the making of it in Charles Fraser's excellent novel Cold Mountain. The recent movie was not as good as the book, of course.

Subject: RE: Query:Folk Performing Portrayed
From: PoppaGator
Date: 19 May 05 - 06:59 PM

The film "Mighty Wind," of course, has appeared since this discussion faded out in 1997...

Subject: RE: Query:Folk Performing Portrayed
From: Charley Noble
Date: 20 May 05 - 04:54 PM

And the "Song Catcher" loosely based on collecting traditional ballads in the Appalachians.

One of the first movies that I ever saw that incorporated, or tried to at least, traditional Irish Singing was "The Quiet Man."

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Query:Folk Performing Portrayed
From: Phil Cooper
Date: 21 May 05 - 12:08 PM

Check out the novel Come and Go Molly Snow, I forget the author's name, will look it up when I get home and let you know her name.

Subject: RE: Query:Folk Performing Portrayed
From: Padre
Date: 21 May 05 - 02:41 PM

In John Steinbeck's 'The Grapes of Wrath', there is a wonderful description of the migrants making music at night in the camp - it talks about the difference between a guitar strummer and a 'picker' -complete with mention of the calluses on thumb and finger.

Padre

Subject: RE: Query:Folk Performing Portrayed
From: rich-joy
Date: 22 May 05 - 01:42 AM

There's a thread up at present that discusses the 1945 film "I Know Where I'm Going" + folksongs - and the director's Hebridean documentaries etc etc ...



But anyone with any recommendations of DVDs / Videos available that feature "folk" type performers??????



Cheers! R-J