The question of the audience

Subject: The question of the audience
From: simon-pierre
Date: 10 Mar 03 - 03:12 PM

The times ain't like they used to be, I know. Still, i read this in a relatively interesting article in the NY Times today, about new anti-war songs that seems to emerge:

"Music's modes of persuasion have also changed, from strum-and-sing to stomp-and-shout. Although there are still plenty of folky guitar-slingers who are writing topical songs — including relative youngsters like Stephan Smith and Dan Bern — it has been more than a generation since the coffeehouse singalong was close to the center of a pop mainstream. Now a song with a political message is more likely to reach a broad public if that message is slipped into a rhythm-and-blues or hip-hop song, eased along by a groove or blurted out over headbanging metal chords."

Correct me if I'm wrong, but these coffeehouse were marginals? I can believe there were two number #1 in the charts in the 60's with "Blowin' in the wind", but none of them were by Dylan. All the folks at Broadside, Sing Out! or at the Newport Festival (I mean, all the folk scene), while they were certainly the most interesting movement of the era, were not a mass movement?

I raise this question because there seems to be a nostalgia that tends to cause a distorsion of time. This kind of comment is relatively common, and it always makes me frown. I just wonder what were the #1 hits in those days?

Your thoughts?

Maybe reading the article could help: New Songs, Old Message: 'No War'
(registration required, I could cut and paste if it is allowed)

SP

Subject: RE: The question of the audience
From: pattyClink
Date: 10 Mar 03 - 05:11 PM

I don't see the inaccuracy in the quote. It says that a generation ago "the coffeehouse singalong was close to the center of a pop mainstream". That's right, it was a big movement and in the popular mainstream, but not as big as the exploding rock'n'roll of the same time, therefore not the 'center' of interest.

Subject: RE: The question of the audience
From: Frankham
Date: 10 Mar 03 - 08:28 PM

The writer of the article is attempting to evaluate the "protest song" that was popular for a while in the 60's. On the underground level it was thriving. It may be doing so the same today. But it's like trusting the polls that you hear about when you read and editorial point of view. It may not be popular or significant in the mass media but under the radar more enduring then might be realized.

For example, Pete Seeger's influence in this area is not largely reported. But there would be no early Dylan or Paxton or any of the topical singer-songwriters had Pete not been a one man publicity campaign for this genre. He defined it as well as Woody and others but Pete was the catalyst for folks in the eastern cities to get exposed to this form of expression. The political song was a raison d'etre for many of the early groups that predate the Folk Scare. Their influence on college campuses, concerts and coffee houses was huge. Pete brought this kind of song to the unions as well.

Frank Hamilton