The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #20525   Message #3539589
Posted By: Ron Davies
20-Jul-13 - 01:07 AM
Thread Name: Bobbie McGee's 'harpoon'
Subject: RE: Bobbie McGee's 'harpoon'
Well, "Scotsman"   is a fine gateway drug to the hard stuff (traditional folk).   But please don't stop at "Scotsman".      And it has in fact been done a lot (even at US Renaissance festivals--go figger).    By the way, you might not want to ask somebody like Bill D about it--it's likely high on his "oh, no, not again" list, as well as those of quite a few other folkies--who feel that other songs deserve a lot more exposure.

"Rattlesnake Mountain"   is much better;   you can easily imagine it being sung in the Appalachians.

And please don't forget "Talk Dirty".    I like that one a lot more (even though it's composed, it has the hand of a master (John Prine)    It seems much more witty than "Scotsman", maybe since it has lots of syllables which sound like imitation Hawaiian but in fact are mangled but suggestive English.

But I'll admit I'm far more inclined to songs I can actually imagine singing.    "Talk Dirty" is one;   the others are not.