Leigh,

At least 75 or 80% of my repertoire---the songs I took seriously and loved--were all, either directly or obliquely, about death and other heavy stuff.
This is probably too simplified, but here's my feelings about that:

Many of the basic truths about LIFE are to be found in tragedy. Comedy is said to be "COMIC RELIEF"-----and if it is relief from something, then that something is the basic tragedy inherant in life.

FOLKSONGS have all of it--up, down, sad and happy. But it was the tragedy that drew me in when I found those songs in Chicago's bistros and folk bars. It was the beatnik 1950s. There was NOTHING LIKE IT in all of pop music. All Perry Como and Sinatra sang about was, as Pete Seeger used to say before he aparently decided that all songs are folksongs, "Tin pan alley and pop is nothing but moon, June, croon and spoon." That means love songs and sex !! ------------Here's the rub:

The "MUSIC INDUSTRY" was striving to sell it's stuff to EVERYONE----not just folks on the Western ranges or in the lumbercamps or in the Southern Appalachian Mountains or whatever. That just wouldn't do. Why? Because those were very limited markets. Only recently, since the world has "shrunk", has World Music found a world-wide constituancy outside it's place of origin. Love songs and sexual inuendo-- I enjoy some/many of those songs. But the theme of love is universal--and can be easily sold to everyone. Why go for the little markets? It was thought better to leave those to the smaller and specialized business folks and record companies.

If one is looking for insight into real life, one must look on the dark side. "Shit happens", despite being a funny bumpersticker, is a true statement. As a young guy, I was looking to these songs to show me "real life"--the likes of which I'd not experienced personally before.

To temper the dark songs I used to do, I used humorous tales and jokes. It was also a way to make the old songs I had found relevant to modern people---a way to push the songs forward into the spotlight. And I also did funny songs. Don't get me wrong---I love a good joke or folktale that's well told. (When people started introducing me as a comedian at gigs is when I had to tell 'em to quit it; I wanted to be seen as a serious folksinger and songcatcher who, surprisingly, turned out to be pretty funny to a hopefully pleasantly surprised audience.)

I've gone on too long. These are just some of the thoughts that came to me after seeing your good query.

All the best,

Art Thieme