James Agee, the celebrated film critic for Time and The Nation in the 1940s and 50s, tried his hand at screenwriting and turned out such gems as "Night of the Hunter" and "The African Queen". After he had been awarded an Oscar, he returned to full time criticism secure in his bona fides. I do not classify myself as a creative peer with Agee.
He is my hero. Nonetheless, I am, in my own sphere, a commentator on art, my genre being recorded folk music. My opinions appear in a few publications and are reposted on Mudcat. I review three or four CDs every month, sitting in judgement of the endeavors of hundreds of artists and producers. How much, I wonder, do I empathize with these talaented hopefuls. I have set about to travel their path and stumble in their footfalls.
I am in the process of producing and marketing a CD of my very own. I have avoided this step because, having played on countless albums and CDs, I found the process tedious and slower than ketchup. But, I am determined to stay the course. I will, of course, be reporting my progress and setbacks in my column. If the CD sucks, at least I'll get some decent copy out of it. I hope to do an all traditional collection. As a long time champion of trad, I can hardly do less.
So, here I go into the merry world of humility and financial stress.
Light a candle for me.