Neocon Music

Subject: RE: Neocon Music
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Dec 11 - 02:52 AM

I knew someone who had been in Up With People in the 60s in California. Her parents were very conservative. She said the group was funded by the CIA to counter student unrest. They had a hand in setting up a coffee house in a methodist student center and she was chosen to head it. Not making this up. At a certain point she saw the light and became a liberal.

Subject: RE: Neocon Music
From: meself
Date: 14 Mar 10 - 11:48 AM

I would distinguish, as the OP apparently does not, between conservatives and neocons - at least in the context of North American politics; can't comment on the UK. I've known any number of intelligent and compassionate conservatives - we have the term 'Red Tory' in Canada - but I cannot say I've heard of any neocons of that stripe. Or hue.

Beyond that, we're back to 'What is folk?', I'm afraid.

Subject: RE: Neocon Music
From: MARINER
Date: 14 Mar 10 - 11:34 AM

I remember Up with People .They toured Ireland a few times and they were fairly dire. But they did manage to pick up a couple of members ,or at least one new member in my home town.

Subject: RE: Neocon Music
From: wordfella
Date: 14 Mar 10 - 11:05 AM

The 60s "folk scare" was countered by a group called Up with People, who sang patriotic, pro-war songs in a New Christie Minstrels style. I always suspected that they were formed by means of a casting call from the Republican National Committee.

As I recall, they were almost self-parodic. All I remember of their material is "Freedom Isn't Free," which advised us to "...pay the price...sacrifice...for our liberty."

Subject: RE: Neocon Music
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 14 Mar 10 - 11:03 AM

One of thier songs was almost a hippy anthem - was the title "POlice in Denver"?

Subject: RE: Neocon Music
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 14 Mar 10 - 11:02 AM

Gosh, you've just put me right off Canned Heat, and I used to like thier stuff.

Subject: RE: Neocon Music
From: Amos
Date: 14 Mar 10 - 10:58 AM

I think it would be a worthy exercise to try and imagine titles that such songs might have.

"Give me Back My Nation"
"A-Hunting for an Immigrant"
"We Shall Be Right"
"When My Hands are Dead and Cold, You May Take from Me My Colt"
"Wetbacks, Gays and Commies"
"Undoing the Union"

You get the idea...

A

Subject: RE: Neocon Music
From: GUEST,Bob Coltman
Date: 14 Mar 10 - 10:25 AM

The idea of a right-wing folksinger was cleverly parodied years ago in the satirical Tim Robbins movie "Bob Roberts." The results were hilarious, and a bit scary.

Among rockers, Neil Young once created a frisson by coming out for Reagan. Canned Heat members, who were inspired by traditional blues, also leaned that way. Wouldn't surprise me to find some blues professionals in the conservative camp.

But folkies? I've known quite a few who were conservative in their behavior, but none personally who ever confessed to political conservatism. Those I know have tended to run liberal or socialistic, as noted above.

I almost dread to mention that the Tea Parties culture (and the recently launched Coffee Parties counterpart) are a seedbed in which right-wing folksinging could easily arise. It wouldn't be a pretty picture.

On the other hand ... Songs about greed, selfishness, violence, and promulgation of fear? Those prevail in traditional culture. And quite a few oldtime singers, from Bascom Lamar Lunsford to Uncle Dave Macon, were fairly right-wing and let everyone know it.

So the trait is there. It just hasn't descended to the modern folksinging population very successfully, thank goodness.

Bob

Subject: RE: Neocon Music
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 14 Mar 10 - 09:55 AM

You must be in the USA fella, when folkies in GB meet socialism permeates the room not liberalism and why would it be ' implicit '

Conservative folkies are few and far between, it's almost an oxymoron.

Dave H

Subject: Neocon Music
From: wordfella
Date: 14 Mar 10 - 09:45 AM

I intend this as a serious question, but the punchline opportunities abound.

It's pretty obvious that a sizable majority of 'Catters are of the progressive stripe, yet the site was devised to be about the music.

When folkies gather anywhere, it's implicit that liberalism permeates the room, be they traditional songsters or acoustic singer/writers.

My question is whether any form, genre, or style of music exhibits an unofficial membership of conservatives.

The quick answer is country music, but I've been close enough to the genre to suspect that the pseudo-patriotic Bible-thumpers might not outnumber their opposite; they're just louder. Most of the country-market writers I've encountered, in Nashville and elsewhere, seem to be biting their political lips.

Obviously it's okay to be whimsical here. (As far as I'm concerned, whimsy is ALWAYS okay.)

Thoughts?