Favourite folksinger stories

Subject: Favourite folksinger stories
From: Strupag
Date: 26 Jan 03 - 02:59 PM

I see there is a good thread about folk jokes. Rather than divert this thread I thought I'd start one about famous folk stories - about the one which was erroneously attributed to Hamish Imlach.
Here goes:
There was this rotund folk singer who, after a gig, went on to the inevitable party.
He woke up in the morning in a sorry state on the toilet pan. He had been sick but, even worse, he had "badly soiled" his lower kit.
He had to catch a train early that morning to get to his next venu, so, he got himself together, walked sort of splayed legged along the road untill he found a jeans shop.
He slapped some money on the counter and said " Give me size 40 denims please.
He left with the carrier bag under his arm, made his way to the station and boarded the train.
Once the train moved and left the station, he went to the toilet, took his soiled jeans off and threw them out of the window. He washed himself as well as one could in a train toilet. He then took out the denims from the carrier bag and discovered - yes - it was a size 40 denim waistcoat!

PS I asked Hamish once if that was true about him. He said "No but I do know who it is about"

Your entries please!

Subject: RE: Favourite folksinger stories
From: Charley Noble
Date: 26 Jan 03 - 05:14 PM

I posted this true story once before but why not post it again. You can always ask Garnet whether it is truthful:

Placenta Helper


Way back in the 1970's when I lived at Rivendell Housing Co-op in Michigan with six other friends, we used to host itinerant folk musicians who performed at the 10-Pound Fiddle Coffeehouse. Well, one time I'll certainly never forget. There was Stan Rogers, his brother Garnet and bass player Dave Eddy. The concert was the evening before and, of course, the evening continued as a late night party in our living room, partially fueled by a bottle of absolute alcohol supplied by one of our resident bio-med students. Anyway, everyone was somewhat bleary eyed when they awoke late next afternoon. We pulled together a wonderful vegetarian chili and some meat chili especially prepared for our carnivorous guests. Most of our members were vegetarians, and Stan and the boys could not resist baiting the vegetarians with stories and songs. Steve, one of our shy med students, rose to the occasion by vividly describing the home birth that had taken place in our house a few years back, casually mentioning that since we didn't know what to do with the placenta in the middle of the winter, someone had wrapped it up in waxed paper and stuffed it in the freezer. One of our newer members and cook for the day, Karrie, then chimed in on cue, "In the freezer downstairs? Oh, no!" Stan and the boys turned ashy pale…

We did bury the placenta the next spring in the backyard before a real "accident" happened.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble, who was there

Subject: RE: Favourite folksinger stories
From: Willie-O
Date: 26 Jan 03 - 05:45 PM

Good one Charlie. Second post and we're already into the Stan stories. Geist.com, a Vancouver literary mag, is running a contest for the best Stan story (75 words or less), edit that one down a bit and send it in. This is part of their campaign to have Stan inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, where he certainly belongs. Canadians, get thee to that link and vote.

Interesting how reminiscences of TRF (That Rogers Fellow) often relate to other peoples' reactions to Stan.

W-O

Subject: RE: Favourite folksinger stories
From: GUEST,Walking Eagle
Date: 26 Jan 03 - 09:11 PM

I know this isn't much of a story, but I met Hazel Dickens on the train we were both on going to WV for the Christmas holiday. She related how the director, John Shales, studied almost every move and tone that her preacher father used so he could use the character in the role he was playing in Matewan. He also directed the movie.

Subject: RE: Favourite folksinger stories
From: Strupag
Date: 26 Jan 03 - 09:37 PM

Then there's true story about a Scots folksinger who after a gig "got off" with a girl less than half his age.
She got up in the morning and said "Do you still like toast with scrambles eggs and a mug of black coffee?"
He said, in surprise, "How do you know that"
She said "That's what you used to take when you would sleep with my mother"

Subject: RE: Favourite folksinger stories
From: paulo
Date: 27 Jan 03 - 06:36 AM

The late Fred jordon always appeared at clubs/concerts etc fully dressed as a Shropshire farm labourer - boot, flat cap, waistcoat over his jumper etc.
But there was always a story going around that someone met him on a train once and he was dressed in a suit and tie, and that when he got to his station he went into the toilets and changed into his "stage" gear.
I, of course, never believed it.

Paulo

Subject: RE: Favourite folksinger stories
From: GUEST,Bystander
Date: 27 Jan 03 - 07:02 AM

The sory about the late Fred Jordon is true. When Peter Kennedy first discovered him in the early 50's he asked him to appear at the annual EFDSS shindig at the Royal Albert Hall. Now any country singer would normally wear his best bib and tucker on an occasion like this, but Peter talked him into appearing in a leather jerkin, cap, cord trousers tucked into his wellies, etc. Fred went down a bomb with the 50's EFDSS audience who had never seen a real traditional singer before. When Fred got further bookings at 'folk' events he carried on with the same costume. Now you could hardly expect him to travel the length and breadth of the country by train dressed in this gear, so he brought it with him in a case. Later on in life he wore a scaled down version of the original costume which he travelled and appeared in.

Subject: RE: Favourite folksinger stories
From: Charley Noble
Date: 27 Jan 03 - 12:59 PM

Willi-o:

I sent in the Stan Rogers' story as you suggested but couldn't edit it down to less than 200 words. Sigh, so much for my moment of shared glory!

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Favourite folksinger stories
From: Strupag
Date: 27 Jan 03 - 04:29 PM

I remember another story about a "ripping" Yorkshire bluesman who was up doing a gig at Rosehall, in the Scottish Highlands.
Once again, after the gig he made advances to a young lady and offered to see her home.
Along the way he stopped to give her a wee snog (kiss).
As he leaned against the wire fence and fealt those young pouting lips against his own he got the most amazing sensation.
It turned out that he was leaning against an electric fence.
Nice one Rodger!

Subject: RE: Favourite folksinger stories
From: banjomad (inactive)
Date: 28 Jan 03 - 06:00 AM

When first asked to sing for the BBC, the Copper family always put on their best clothes.From ' A Song For Every Season ', Bob Copper

Subject: RE: Favourite folksinger stories
From: Allan Dennehy
Date: 29 Jan 03 - 03:36 AM

Before singing My Hearts Tonight in Irealnd, Andy Irvine wil often tell mad stories about his younger days with Sweenys Men. Among others things they had a van older than folk music itself. Now this is before pollution was invented, but the van burned so much oil that its smoke screen was famous around Clare and Galway. Not having much money, the boys solved the economical side of the problem by buying barrels of used oil. Irvines stories are as entertaining as his music.
....which reminds me of the Irish farmer when asked if his car used oil replied "well she might, if she got it"

Subject: RE: Favourite folksinger stories
From: mooman
Date: 29 Jan 03 - 05:51 AM

One of my favourite's is when I booked Simon Mayor and Hilary James when I was running a folk club many years ago in the UK.

As one of their encores, Simon and Hilary were, if my memory serves me right, doing a rendition of Franz Shubert's "The Trout". Anyway, whatever it was, it involved Simon drinking a mouthful of water and "gargling" the tune at one point. Unfortunately for him, it was so funny that he also got a fit of the giggles and some of the water went "down the wrong way", causing Simon something of a paroxysm and not inconsiderable consternation in the club...

Fortunately, at that time the club met in the social club of a local hospital and several medical professionals present rushed forward to help. Luckily no "Major" harm occurred and a somewhat tousled and moistened Simon continued shortly thereafter to great applause from the audience in general and particularly from the drenched front row!

mooman

Subject: RE: Favourite folksinger stories
From: Joe_F
Date: 29 Jan 03 - 10:23 AM

Overheard at Pinewoods camp, 27 July 1989 (since I may have misidentified the performer, I have deleted his name):

Pleasant story by --- (I think it was), who is an atheistic Jew: An old and dear friend of his, who had had cancer for 10 years, called him up to say he was dying at last. It was all right, he said, he had seen God today. Then, after a short silence: "Don't worry, it wasn't Jesus." He died the next day.

Subject: RE: Favourite folksinger stories
From: Strupag
Date: 29 Jan 03 - 02:54 PM

This one Dougie actually told me
When Caledonia became a top twenty hit here in Scotland, Dougie was travelling back home from a tour. He phoned home and his wife said "Could you pop in somehwere and get a bottle of whatever"
Dougie was passing a bar in Glasgow in quite a rough district.
He stopped to go in for his "carry-oot" and he saw a wee drunk man staggering out of the bar with the loaded plastic bag entwining with his legs. Following him was a wee wifey, with curlers still in, and she was shouting, "Yer jest aboot the maist useless drunkin thing that has ivir put legs in a pair of troosers!"
The wee drunk man turned round, held his hands apart, still holding his carry-oot, and sang "Let Me Tell Ye How Ah Luv Ya"

Noo that's whit ah ca' acclimation!

Subject: RE: Favourite folksinger stories
From: Strupag
Date: 29 Jan 03 - 03:01 PM

I realized that I'm being parochial - for Mudcatters outside this wee place, I was referring to Dougie MacLean

Subject: RE: Favourite folksinger stories
From: Cluin
Date: 29 Jan 03 - 08:48 PM

Another story about Stan Rogers I remember Garnet telling on stage was about a western "tour" they were on in the late 70s/early 80s.

Apparently, they were playing some fairly rough bar and the clientele just weren't into "Make an Break Harbour". When one heckler got personal and insulted Stan's missus, he quietly removed his mic from the stand, telescoped it down and hurled it overhand at the loudmouth. Luckily it missed him, but did some damage to the wall behind. Things turned into a minor brawl and Stan (and the band, I think) ended up in jail. But the heckler admitted he stepped over the line and decided not to press charges. He apologized. Stan did too. Then they all went off and got drunk together.

Garnet later told a small number of us who were still around after tearing down his stage about the time the whole band was almost shot by the O.P.P. near Montreal River. But that's another tale.

Subject: RE: Favourite folksinger stories
From: Charley Noble
Date: 30 Jan 03 - 08:29 AM

Cluin-

Sigh, those were the days!

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Favourite folksinger stories
From: Art Thieme
Date: 30 Jan 03 - 06:37 PM

A well-known folksinger friend was on his deathbed. The nurse came into his room and asked, "Is anything bothering you?" He answered, "Country music"---and then died.

Art Thieme

Subject: RE: Favourite folksinger stories
From: Strupag
Date: 30 Jan 03 - 07:21 PM

Great to hear these Stan Rodgers stories. Over hear we only knew him as a great songwriter and a singer. God he would have had a great time in the Highlands.
Anyway back to the stories, and this one is true.
Hamish Imlach had quite a lot of respect from guys in the rock scene and knew many of the artists.
In the early days of Cream, they were performing in the same southern England town as Hamish. He met up with Clapton and Frazer. They both discovered that they had the next night off.
After a few drinks on their night out, Hamish persuaded them to go to the local folk club.
At the door Clapton and Frazer had to pay the full price but Hamish was recognised and got in for nothing!

Subject: RE: Favourite folksinger stories
From: Lanfranc
Date: 31 Jan 03 - 04:58 AM

One I heard recently about a well-known character on the British Folk scene, who I will not name in case he is litigious or the story is merely apocryphal.

This well-known entertainer and musician was the featured guest at a Folk Club in the West Country. Standing by the bar during the guest's first spot was a man in his thirties who looked somewhat out of place and was neither laughing, applauding nor joining in with the choruses. All he did was stare intently at the performer.

The organiser noticed and was worried that the stranger might be a spy from the local Council (see PEL threads passim) or a debt collector of some sort. Then came the interval.

The organiser was about issue a warning when he spotted the stranger advancing on the guest, so he rushed over to moderate the inevitable confrontation, only to overhear the following conversation.

"Are you J... M... ?" asked the stranger, using the guest's real name rather than his stage name. "Er, yes," was the reply.

"Well," said the stranger. "Do you remember E.... at the Isle of Wight Festival in 1969? She never told you she became pregnant after you spent the night together, but she did, and I am your son! I don't want any money or anything, but I thought you should know."

At that point, apparently, the stranger turned on his heel and walked out, leaving a somewhat bemused folksinger in his wake.

The second set must have been interesting. I wonder if he sang "A Boy Named Sue"!

Alan

Subject: RE: Favourite folksinger stories
From: Spartacus
Date: 31 Jan 03 - 09:39 AM

I had the pleasure of meeting Eric Taylor in Ann Arbor. He told me that in the last city he was in, he was interviewed by a radio station. The DJ said "I know the songs of Eric Taylor, but I don't know anything about Eric Taylor. Tell us something about you"
Eric Paused, and he said "You know how when you make popcorn in the microwave, and it has that carousel in it?" He paused again..."When the bag is too big and it gets stuck?" and with a final long pause....
"Well....I hate that....that's what I told him."


-Spartacus

Subject: RE: Favourite folksinger stories
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 31 Jan 03 - 05:45 PM

I was sitting next to a folksinger in a Scottish pub when someone from the next table approached him: "Hi, do you know how ... [another well-known folksinger] is doing these days?" Then he explained matter-of -factly: "There's a girl sitting at our table who asked about him. Her mother used to know this guy - in the biblical sense as well."