|
Subject: Memories of JOHN FAHEY From: Justa Picker Date: 03 Mar 01 - 04:48 PM Good article |
|
Subject: RE: Memories of JOHN FAHEY From: Rick Fielding Date: 03 Mar 01 - 06:10 PM Exceptional article. Rarely do you read about folks with great promise who fall that hard and that far....written in sympathetic terms. Yup there's a tragedy there, but it's not an unusual one. John's story mirrors that of a couple of friends of mine (one living, one dead) and I can relate to watching the inevitable take it's toll. There were so many gifted people who thrived in the sixties, survived the seventies, hung on for dear life in the eighties, and became totally unable to support themselves, either financially or emotionally by the nineties. Much of their survival depended on young women (yes, virtually all the ones I'm thinking of were/are guys) willing to go way beyond the call of duty, either because of love, or sympathy, as caregivers/partners. When the musician in question was unable to radiate any trace of that "charisma" because of old age, or simply too many broken promises...they had to go it alone...and for that they were ill-equiped. Thanks Justa Rick |
|
Subject: RE: Memories of JOHN FAHEY From: SINSULL Date: 03 Mar 01 - 09:03 PM I read the article and it is a good one. But it lacks the respect, restraint, and dignity provided by our friends here about Walt Robertson. Hopefully some here can offer glimpses into John Fahey at his best and worst with an element of respect for his privacy. |
|
Subject: RE: Memories of JOHN FAHEY From: katlaughing Date: 03 Mar 01 - 09:53 PM Personally I didn't care much for the article. She kept telling us things such as "I didn't mind really, he was always entertaining and interesting", but doesn't tell us why he was interesting. Make no mistake, I am sure he was, he sounds fascinating, but I really didn't learn much about him or his music from this, IMO, fairly simple article. Like Sinsull, I hope someone else will come in and tell us a bit more of the depth and music of the man. I also echo her concerns for respect and privacy; the Walt Robertson thread was a superb example of this. kat |
|
Subject: RE: Memories of JOHN FAHEY From: Justa Picker Date: 03 Mar 01 - 10:48 PM You know I just went back and re-read the article link I initially started this thread with, and I'm inclined to agree with Sinsull and kat/katlaughing. (But keep in mind that article was written quite a while before he passed away, and it is only from one perspective.) I did a bit of searching and found more info, including a New York Times Article, and a Bio and an Obituary from Rolling Stone Magazine, that just may fill in some more of the gray areas. |
|
Subject: RE: Memories of JOHN FAHEY From: SINSULL Date: 04 Mar 01 - 02:20 PM You're right JP. I thought this was written after his death. Still, I think out of respect for his talent and friendship we could have been spared the bathroom details and dirty car. This seemed to me to be more about "what a good person I am to put up with this" than anything else. No kindness; no dignity. |
|
Subject: RE: Memories of JOHN FAHEY From: SINSULL Date: 04 Mar 01 - 02:25 PM Another thought: I have been trying to get a copy of his Christmas record. Someone here described it in glowing terms while Fahey himself (in the article) fluffed it off as a "commercial" piece. He wanted to sell records. I don't buy it. Wish someone here could shed some more light on it. |
|
Subject: RE: Memories of JOHN FAHEY From: Barbara Date: 04 Mar 01 - 02:35 PM I've loved John Fahey's music for a long time, since college in the 60's where I heard Blind Joe Death and we have a Christmas music cassette tape which I assume is the same as the record. Whatever John Fahey did sounded more like him than like itself, and I love hearing some rare, some common Christmas songs played in his unique style. He has a powerful slide quitar style heavy on the bass line, and it transforms Oh Come All Ye Faithful into something almost minor, bluesy and primitive. Everything -- all the Tacoma albums --I had of his I loved, but I never managed to catch him here locally. There was seldom any publicity when he did play. You had to just know. I also posted the local story about his death on the John Fahey, R.I.P. thread. Check that out. Blessings, Barbara |
|
Subject: RE: Memories of JOHN FAHEY From: Barbara Date: 04 Mar 01 - 02:38 PM Here's the link: John Fahey is Dead, RIP Blessings, Barbara |
|
Subject: RE: Memories of JOHN FAHEY From: Tom D. Date: 05 Mar 01 - 12:39 AM I too feel the need to remark on the passing John Fahey. His music has been an important part of my life since the mid 1960's. I put on the old headphones tonight and listened once again to some of the old nuggets (most of which I last had on vinyl)on "The Return of the Repressed". All I can say is that, for me, listening to his music is like going to church. I am aware that he made some albums of intentionally 'religious' music, such as his Christmas album. However, for me, all of his stuff is pervaded with the sacred, whether it be in that majestic and solemn presence he could evoke or in the light-hearted tunes that sparkled with a joy that was not always manifest in his own day to day life. It is my belief that when he was playing his music, he was in that better place. By playing his music he made for us a better place. May God Bless John Fahey, as he blessed us with his music. Tom D. |
|
Subject: RE: Memories of JOHN FAHEY From: CamiSu Date: 05 Mar 01 - 10:55 AM I haven't read everything here, yet, but need to give the connection to Dave, but just a few words. His Christmas record is wonderful, truly. There is a joy there, that is often missing from "Christmas/holiday" recordings, particularly of late. John Fahey was a man of immense talent who did things as they came, and would change plans immediately if he wanted to. Once, before I knew him, Dave went to a concert of his at Tulagi's in Boulder. John was more than a bit drunk and when he took the stage he really couldn't tune his guitar. He plucked a string and asked "Does anyone know if that is flat or sharp?" Well, Dave's then-girlfriend has perfect pitch and said "It's flat". It took a few minutes, but the two of them tuned the guitar, and Fahey launched into a piece. He played a few bars, said "Naah, not that one", tried another, didin't like it either, and finally gave two hours of just jamming. It was a highlight od Dave's life. The man was SO GOOD! Find his stuff if you can. It's worth it. CamiSu
|
|
Subject: RE: Memories of JOHN FAHEY From: voyager Date: 06 Mar 01 - 07:58 PM Fahey Catalog of Musical Excellence - http://www.johnfahey.com/sligoriver.html voyager |
|
Subject: RE: Memories of JOHN FAHEY From: Justa Picker Date: 07 Mar 01 - 04:52 PM As related by Stefan Grossman from his website, today. (This is a direct quote from Mr. Grossman. Don't shoot the messenger. *G*) In the summer of 1964 I travelled to Berkeley, California from New York City. I was part of the 'blues mafia' (folks that were intensely involved in country blues playing and research). Tom Hoskins aka 'Fang' (he was the person that rediscovered Mississippi John Hurt) had dubbed me 'Kid Future' and told me to look up John Fahey aka Blind Joe Death when I got to California. John was performing at a Berkeley club named The Jabberwocky. When John took his break I went down to say my hellos. I introduced myself and he hugged me tight, grabbed me and then dragged me in to the toilet where upon he pulled down his trouser and seated himself on the toilet for several minutes of heavy farting!!! All the while we discussed with fervor the recordings of Charley Patton, Willie Brown and Son House. John was a character! Over the years we spent time together in Italy and the USA. He came to my home in Italy in the 1970s and recorded a series of audio lessons. He was afraid - and afraid was the word he used - that he wouldn't be able to describe or explain his music. But after a few days of recording we had six full hours for a wonderful series of audio lessons (which will be re-released on CD in the coming months). On these lessons he told stories of how each composition evolved. He poked fun at himself and basically put down his composing skills to 'robbery' - you robbed a little here and a little there and the end result was something other folks could call original. I remember taking John to the Villa Borghese in Rome where he had an outdoor concert. He was nervous - mighty nervous. We talked about stagefright and he told me that his way to handle it was to tell the audience straight off that he was nervous - bring the audience in to his psychic as well as musical world. In the 1990s I asked John about doing video lessons. By this time John had burned a lot of bridges and clubs were reluctant to book him. He had a reputation of drinking too much and being generally in bad health and an unreliable performer. I booked the Freight & Salvage for two nights and John played magnificently. During the day we recorded videos lessons. John was all geared up and by the end of the sessions he had put down enough material for three lessons. He insisted on wearing sun glasses for the lessons but these seemed to only help him play and explain his music. Sure, John was difficult at times. He had a habit of playing mean jokes on friends that really cared for him. But he was always intensely involved in music of all sorts and happy to share these sounds with anyone interested. John was a character. He was a big bear of a man with a delicate child inside him. I miss him. |
|
Subject: RE: Memories of JOHN FAHEY From: katlaughing Date: 07 Mar 01 - 07:27 PM Oh, that is the kind of stuff that is interesting about the man and pays tribute to his talents, too. Thanks! |
|
Subject: RE: Memories of JOHN FAHEY From: Art Thieme Date: 09 Mar 01 - 11:42 PM I think I may have posted my only memory of John in another thread but what the heck. It was at a festival at CHELSEA HOUSE in Brattleboro, Vermont. I had been paid $50.00 to ride a Geyhound bus 1000 miles from Chicago to do this. Actually it was quite nice except for the bad payday, but all I remember of that week was Fahey. He was quite drunk when he came on stage to good applause. Then he sat down to pick. The audience was completely quiet !!! John tuned for a good 10 minutes, looked up and yelled at the top of his lungs into the mike, "SHUT THE FUCK UP !!!" Then he began to play. That's it. I don't remember the music other than it was his typical "head music"-----as we called it in the '60s. Art Thieme |
|
Subject: RE: Memories of JOHN FAHEY From: Art Thieme Date: 11 Mar 01 - 05:33 PM What, no other memories of John??? Please, don't let it end on my downer note. Art |
|
Subject: RE: Memories of JOHN FAHEY From: Rick Fielding Date: 11 Mar 01 - 06:11 PM Art. Because of this thread I got into a discussion with one of the Catters about a long-time mutual friend who burst on the scene at a young age as one of the really fine acoustic pickers. Sadly most of our lengthy discussion focused on just how dependant he has become on alcohol and how badly his music and life skills have eroded. It would have been more fun to talk about what we'd learned from him so many years ago, but the reality of the last thirty years seemed to overshadow that of the first three or four. Bummer. Went and dug out some John Fahey albums last week for a listen. Good stuff. Rick |
|
Subject: RE: Memories of JOHN FAHEY From: Mike Regenstreif Date: 11 Mar 01 - 06:54 PM John played a couple of times at the Golem, the club that I ran in Montreal in the '70s and '80s. Late one night, we got into a very long political discussion that lasted well into the wee hours. Flash forward to the Winnipeg Folk Festival. John walks up to me, doesn't even say hello, just picks up the discussion exactly where we'd left it. It was as if the conversation had just stopped for a minute or two. But it was 1500 miles away and seven or eight months later. Mike Regenstreif |
|
Subject: RE: Memories of JOHN FAHEY From: SINSULL Date: 11 Mar 01 - 07:11 PM Multiple copies of his LPs and CDs are up for auction on Ebay. Prices have dropped dramatically in two weeks. Mike - thanks for the post. I will get my first taste of his music when the CD arrives. |
|
Subject: RE: Memories of JOHN FAHEY From: Justa Picker Date: 13 Mar 01 - 12:52 PM Another in-depth article |
|
Subject: RE: Memories of JOHN FAHEY From: Rick Fielding Date: 13 Mar 01 - 01:15 PM Thanks Justa. Excellent article. Once again, I know the sad stuff is hard to take, but I feel it's essential in trying to understand someone's life. The similarities between John and Skip james are fascinating. I strongly suggest that if anyone wants to really get into this, they read Stephen Calt's "Skip" book, "I'd Rather Be the Devil" I'm quite taken with how Fahey seemed impervious to sycophancy, in a field (collecting songs and the musicians who sang them) where it's often the only way to get close to some. I'm really starting to like the guy. He had guts. Rick |
|
Subject: RE: Memories of JOHN FAHEY From: SINSULL Date: 13 Mar 01 - 11:11 PM Though a strange twist of fate, I am now the proud possessor of two copies of John Fahey's Christmas CD. One will be up for auction next week. Mary |
|
Subject: RE: Memories of JOHN FAHEY From: LR Mole Date: 14 Mar 01 - 04:22 PM There were(and are) lots of folks flashier, better at promotion, with more stage moves, on bigger labels, etc. But all the pickers I've known with a fondness for Fahey were gentle and in touch with something beyond the music.Choosing to be a shrine rather than a roadside attraction makes the path there thornier but I suppose it keeps the dust down. Not a flash in the pan but going on with the current. |
|
Subject: RE: Memories of JOHN FAHEY From: SINSULL Date: 30 Mar 01 - 04:01 PM Refresh and check the auction. |
|
Subject: RE: Memories of JOHN FAHEY From: Justa Picker Date: 22 Apr 01 - 12:54 PM Just came across this. Interesting interview done years ago, between Stefan Grossman and John Fahey. Clicky |
|
Subject: RE: Memories of JOHN FAHEY From: Justa Picker Date: 22 Sep 01 - 03:15 PM Discovered a nice John Fahey Tribute site today. |
|
Subject: RE: Memories of JOHN FAHEY From: Justa Picker Date: 22 Sep 01 - 03:19 PM Nestled within the above mentioned site are lots of tabs for John's songs. To save time looking, clicky. |
| Share Thread: |
