Let me say first, in case I come under fire, that I'm not actually a guest. I'm just on my In-Laws' computer and don't want to go getting my cookies in their software. When I get home I'll look like a member again! (in other words, you can dismember me now, but please remember me later!)

On to my two sheckels worth. The weirdest thing about Greil Marcus's comment is that, as I define folk music, Greil Marcus dos NOT hate it. In fact, he has written pretty eloquently about traditional American music in the past, and though he may be guilty of romanticizing "the folk" a bit, he flat out does not hate the music.

I think what's happening is more a question of genre terms than anything else. He probably thinks of Muddy Waters as Blues, Roscoe Holcomb as old-time, the Carter Family as country, etc. "Folk" he probably reserves (as many Americans do, alas) for the earnest productions of 1960s singer-songwriters.

However, to assume profound ignorance on his part would be a mistake. In fact, Marcus is probably the best-known rock critic in America who expresses real knowledge of and sympathy for roots music. Smithsonian Folkways, headed up now by Tony Seeger (not only Pete's nephew but a brilliant ethnomusicologist and a pretty good picker), asked Marcus to contribute an essay to the booklet for the Harry Smith Anthology reissue.

If Marcus chooses to hate earnest singer-songwriter music, I can disagree but I can't call him ignorant. If he chooses to use the name "folk" for that music, I can call him misguided, even plain old wrong, but again I don't think it's ignorant; he knows many folk enthusiasts have a very different meaning for the word "folk," including ballads, blues, and ozark fiddle tunes. He knows traditional folk music better than most Americans, and likes it more than most Americans. For some reason, he's not including traditional music in the term "folk" as he used it in the "I hate folk music" article. I don't know why, but it's not 'cause he doesn't know any better.

Again, i don't want to make him out to be a hero. Some of the comments in the Harry Smith essay might offend you, others might leave you scratching your head in puzzlement. But none of it makes me think he's ignorant. In fact, I'd love to get him here on the 'Cat and hash the whole thing out with all of us...he may have some interesting, albeit misguided, reason for not including true folk music in the category he calls "folk music."

Steve W. (Nerd)