Jim Carroll interview

Subject: Jim Carrol interview
From: GUEST,iains
Date: 25 Mar 26 - 02:00 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJHYr8zPHaA

An interesting narrative.

Subject: RE: Jim Carrol interview
From: The Sandman
Date: 25 Mar 26 - 02:47 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJHYr8zPHaA

Subject: RE: Jim Carrol interview
From: The Sandman
Date: 25 Mar 26 - 02:50 PM

Very Interesting

Subject: RE: Jim Carrol interview
From: The Sandman
Date: 26 Mar 26 - 03:59 AM

thankyou for putting this up.

Subject: RE: Jim Carrol interview
From: GUEST,Steve Shaw
Date: 26 Mar 26 - 09:12 PM

Well it's probably no secret (to anyone who took interest) that I was a staunch ally of Jim here (though in a few private exchanges with him I did tell him like it is) during the time that he was being harassed by several people here who were far inferior to him in most regards except for one: that Jim struggled to realise that the people taunting him here were people who were simply not worth his time and who he should have shrugged off. Quite simply, he was an amazingly insightful and supremely knowledgeable man who understood traditional music in a way that no-one else here could hope to match. This forum suffered one of its most severe losses when it failed to embrace his superb scholarship. Yeah, he was argumentative, opinionated and stubborn and didn't know when to hold back. But in the world of traditional music he is a mighty man - and we just let him go. Tragic.

.

Subject: RE: Jim Carrol interview
From: meself
Date: 27 Mar 26 - 11:40 AM

Well put, Steve (although I'm a little uneasy about your use of the past tense - I take it that's just in reference to his time here, and that I didn't miss something?).

Btw, some very interesting stuff in that interview, for anyone remotely interested in traditional song and singing.

Subject: RE: Jim Carrol interview
From: GUEST,Peter Laban
Date: 27 Mar 26 - 12:14 PM

A similar public interview was done some dark evening in Miltown Malbay. It was filmed/recorded but I fail to remember who holds the footage. It was mighty although it perhaps went on just a bit too long and Jim lost focus a bit. John Tunney chaired the night.

Subject: RE: Jim Carrol interview
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Mar 26 - 12:41 PM

Two questions, and a suggestion - was it Jim who farted in church?
Where's the oft mentioned song? Some misspelled subtitles be fun.

Subject: RE: Jim Carrol interview
From: GUEST,Keith Price
Date: 27 Mar 26 - 12:43 PM

Well said Steve Shaw.
I only occasionally look in on this site now. It seems to be mainly lyric requests and obituaries.
It really was a good informative group at one time, and not just Jim.
I wish Max and others well.

Subject: RE: Jim Carrol interview
From: GUEST,Steve Shaw
Date: 27 Mar 26 - 12:55 PM

On reflection, I suppose I should have referred to traditional song rather than traditional music. Whatever both those things are! ;-) I'm far more of a tunester than a songster (though I'll be out this evening singing one or two shanties with the lads in my band, a new diversion!), but I always appreciated Jim's learned input here.

Subject: RE: Jim Carroll interview
From: The Sandman
Date: 27 Mar 26 - 05:34 PM

Steve I agree.

Subject: RE: Jim Carroll interview
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 27 Mar 26 - 07:22 PM

Jim did add a lot of erudition here.

Subject: RE: Jim Carroll interview
From: rich-joy
Date: 27 Mar 26 - 08:56 PM

I really enjoyed that JC interview - thanks, All :)

(and yes, I do miss Jim's erudition here on The Cat!)

Cheers!
R-J (Down Under)

Subject: RE: Jim Carroll interview
From: Sol
Date: 28 Mar 26 - 12:27 PM

I've just finished watching the Jim Caroll video. It was a great. His depth of knowledge, sincerity and his informal presentation was a joy.

Thanks for putting up the link, Iain (and the Sandman for the blue clicky).

Subject: RE: Jim Carroll interview
From: StephenH
Date: 29 Mar 26 - 02:06 PM

I'll add my thanks for the link - it really was a very informative and enjoyable interview.

Subject: RE: Jim Carroll interview
From: GUEST,Steve Shaw
Date: 29 Mar 26 - 05:17 PM

Looking back at the last ten minutes or so of the interview, it would be tempting to take umbrage over his critique of modern folk bands (he singled out Steeleye for example, characterising them as akin to "pop music", a view which one could easily take as pejorative)... but he didn't say that such takes on the music are invalid, just that he doesn't want the songs of the "old singers" to be lost. I do agree with that sentiment but I didn't hear Jim saying that all music thrives on evolution, whether it be folk, jazz, pop or classical, and that we should cheerfully espouse that evolution. The "old singers" are now mostly dead, and we simply have to move on...

Subject: RE: Jim Carroll interview
From: The Sandman
Date: 30 Mar 26 - 03:15 AM

but liking particular musical evolution is a matter of personal taste, not all musical evolvement is bad, nor necessarily is it good. to cheerfully evolve everything is nonsense, it is all down to personal taste.
we do not have to move on, we move on if we like how it evolves. steeleye span were attempting to popularise the music and it was a form of pop music,at the same time a version of folk music
personally, i do not find their musical evolvement particularly inspiring.
i find some of the jazz folk fusion more inspiring, but that is personal taste
"we simply have to move on£" quote
no no no, we move on dependent on its musical, personal appeal and competence

Subject: RE: Jim Carroll interview
From: GUEST,Steve Shaw
Date: 30 Mar 26 - 10:26 AM

Well you appear to be being contrary for the sake of it there. I didn't say we should "cheerfully evolve," did I. Every genre of music I can think of has evolved in some way or another down the centuries and if music stands still it will wither away. New people, new approaches, new experimenting. It's there for the taking and if one doesn't like something new that's going on then democracy dictates that we can ignore it. Personally, I like a bit of everything (except for bubblegum and modern jazz) because I like to see folk pushing the boundaries in interesting ways. That's all.

Subject: RE: Jim Carroll interview
From: GUEST,Steve Shaw
Date: 30 Mar 26 - 04:39 PM

Heheh! There's no "Guest Steeleye." Some damn great ad suddenly took over my screen just as I was typing and it completely bamboozled me. Something about mis-sold car finance...

Anyway, I was about to type as follows:

Steeleye, Fairport, Bothies, Planxty and a whole host of others...Don't call it folk if you don't want to (Jim wouldn't have) but if you can't tell it from "pop" well there's summat awry with your thinking. Calling it "pop" is no more than a lazy way of doing it down. For years I worked with a dance teacher who wanted me to edit "pop songs" for her. I did about three or four hundred in all, having to listen very closely and repeatedly in order to accurately do the cuts, splices, fades, blending... and the vast majority of that music was well performed, well put together and done with great production values. An eye-opener for me. One song I edited down to about four minutes was American Pie (don't tell Don...). Not exactly Freddie and the Dreamers, but both "pop?" Most of what I did was what we'd call "pop" of course. Not all great, but neither is a lot of what we call folk music. We should choose our pejoratives more wisely I feel...