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10 Jun 13 - 01:05 PM (#3524852) Subject: 'They Call it Folk' Radio Program Idea From: Larry The Radio Guy An idea for a radio program just suddenly popped into my mind. What do you think? It would be based on those many many discussions (that bore so many mudcatters and stimulate others....but always seem to generate lots of responses) about what is and what isn't 'folk'. Threads like "When does it become folk", Can a pop song become a folk song, difference between folk and country music, etc. etc. I would play a wide range of songs that at least some people refer to as 'folk', and talk about some of the traditional roots to many of the songs. And I'd use, as part of the script, much of the 'expertise' that has been provided by various mudcatters. I'd also throw in a few songs that mudcatters have recorded.....and, of course, be giving constant credit to the mudcat forum. What do you think? Any ideas as to how one could make such a radio show interesting to a wide range of people? It would be on Peach City Radio in Penticton (B.C.)...which right now doesn't do live streaming (but will probably have it in a couple months) but does keep an easy to find archive of all the programs produced. -Larry Saidman Peach City Radio Programs |
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10 Jun 13 - 04:44 PM (#3524960) Subject: RE: 'They Call it Folk' Radio Program Idea From: McGrath of Harlow You could have fun making up voices for the nudcatter "experts". |
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10 Jun 13 - 05:10 PM (#3524966) Subject: RE: 'They Call it Folk' Radio Program Idea From: Gibb Sahib I think it could be interesting. However, while I think Mudcat is a good site for a sort of "field study" of people's debates/discourse, I don't think it provides much coherent to base a program on. The program would IMO have to be based in some broader debate about, e.g.: -Genre labels and all the different things that determine them, in general. (These include who the people are that perform, what they wear, where they're from, where the music is distributed, what political beliefs are associated with it, what instruments, what social class consumes it, etc etc etc -- i.e. more than musical formal features) -Stratification of musical types into "folk", "classical", and "popular". What do these serve? Why has such a stratification come about in some places and not others? Can any of these be defined in themselves, or are they only defined in contrast to others? -Historical development of concepts of "folk." What were the motivations for constructing such a category, and what is the interest in keeping it? Is it all about the "music," or much more? Does "folk" really tie into a larger category of stuff? What values are embedded in the idea of "folk"? - and *what's at stake* if something is / is not called folk? -What are the cultural / geographical / linguistic limits of the "folk" under discussion? Does most of what is being said go out the window as soon as one considers other cultural areas outside of whichever one is being assumed? If so, is "folk" then a culturally-specific concept? And if one says that it is not, and that there are some scientific constants to the concept, then please by all means let's see them applied to a reasonably diverse array of musics. |
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10 Jun 13 - 05:19 PM (#3524968) Subject: RE: 'They Call it Folk' Radio Program Idea From: YorkshireYankee Sounds like a fun - and thought-provoking - idea for a show, IMHO. I think it already sounds interesting, but if you're looking for ways to attract an audience of not-just-folkies, you might consider looking at a number of pop songs that have come to be considered folk, and perhaps look at some current pop songs that might end up being considered folk in the future. You might invite people in your target audience to submit songs they consider to be/have been both pop & folk for consideration/analysis. Intriguing idea for a program... |
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10 Jun 13 - 05:35 PM (#3524977) Subject: RE: 'They Call it Folk' Radio Program Idea From: Dave the Gnome Sounds fun. Can we pick who does our voices? Could start a whole new thread! :-) Cheers DtG |
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10 Jun 13 - 06:04 PM (#3524987) Subject: RE: 'They Call it Folk' Radio Program Idea From: McGrath of Harlow WC Fields...Homer Simpson...Marilyn Monroe...Winston Churchill...Betty Boops... Unveil the true characters of the Mudcat cast. |
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10 Jun 13 - 06:12 PM (#3524995) Subject: RE: 'They Call it Folk' Radio Program Idea From: Larry The Radio Guy I like Gibb Sahib's idea....about 'genre labels' in general. It sounds like it would be an incredible amount of work. I wonder if there are any other programs out there......or even good books or videos....that might be of help. I'd have to come from the position of the 'innocent' questioning one, as I must confess that musical genres have proved to be quite a source of confusion for me. I listen to lots of music of all kinds....and I really have minimal understanding of the 'categories'. |
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10 Jun 13 - 06:22 PM (#3524998) Subject: RE: 'They Call it Folk' Radio Program Idea From: bruceCMR We do that one - "Folk or Not Folk" - on Celtic Music Radio, on the "Thank Folk It's Friday" show. We discuss it, and let the listeners vote via facebook. But it's only a small part of each show. |
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11 Jun 13 - 12:34 AM (#3525078) Subject: RE: 'They Call it Folk' Radio Program Idea From: Larry The Radio Guy Interesting Bruce. Do most people want to 'expand' the boundaries or make them more restrictive? |
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11 Jun 13 - 10:17 AM (#3525199) Subject: RE: 'They Call it Folk' Radio Program Idea From: Bill D "Most people" don't have good ideas about how to actually do categories. They just like or dislike various music. Presenters and archivers and sellers need to make the attempt to describe the 'boundries' so that those who DO prefer certain types (like me) can more easily find them. I usually prefer more traditional types and versions of songs and tunes... with a lot of specific exceptions... and hate to pay for a concert or CD only to discover that "folk/trad" has been expanded beyond anything I can tolerate. My concerns are NOT to rate music as good or bad, and I am quite aware that the 'folk process' often creates well-done music that is just not to my taste. I just look for venues where the producer has made the effort to describe the program accurately enough to make choices easier. The actual word 'folk' has become so diluted that by itself, it does little to predict what one will hear. |
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11 Jun 13 - 12:00 PM (#3525241) Subject: RE: 'They Call it Folk' Radio Program Idea From: Larry The Radio Guy But I wonder how many of the categories or genres have been created in a way that is almost arbitrary. Or is there some logic behind it? I'm not just talking about the 'folk' category. My own tastes seem to transcend the whole 'category' system....yet there must be some factors that are common to all the music I like. If that could be discovered, could a specific genre of 'stuff Larry likes' actually be created? Maybe we could do something like that for every music listener on earth. Then we could do some kind of correlation or analysis----and invent some new 'genres'. Just a thought. |
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11 Jun 13 - 08:54 PM (#3525407) Subject: RE: 'They Call it Folk' Radio Program Idea From: GUEST,saulgoldie Great idea! Of course, sooner or later someone is going to say, "1954," and all hell will break loose. (Oops!) Saul |
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11 Jun 13 - 10:08 PM (#3525435) Subject: RE: 'They Call it Folk' Radio Program Idea From: Bill D "My own tastes seem to transcend the whole 'category' system..." Of course! That shouldn't be a serious problem. One doesn't need a 'general' set of categories for one's self. Suppose you like cars and collect pics of them... and you really like red cars with roof racks, and use age and model as subcategories. YOU just organize your folders accordingly on your computer, bearing in mind that it's not a usual setup. If you want to participate in a 'car-pic sharing site', you need to come to some reasonably standard setup...by model, age, etc. Jazz aficionados have little problem recognizing that Dixieland needs a different bin in the Eclectic music lovers in general don't (usually) toss their opera records in the same pile as Gregorian chant or Country & Western. Why is folk/trad such a can of worms? It is obvious that most modern singer/songwriters are in a different category than Dyer-Bennet or Jeannie Robertson. If they insist on being called 'folk' because that is such a nice, handy word, then call Dyer-Bennet & Jeannie 'trad'..or at least recognize the stylistic differences when setting up a playlist. (perhaps a special time for 'old' songs..or Child ballads.) I, personally, would tune into stations more often if I could know that there was a set coming that was NOT "young girls singing their diaries" *grin* Yes...I know I'm swimming upstream against modern trends of presentation... so I collect MY favorites and, like red cars with roof-racks, I play them on my PC or make personal CDs. I'm not unwilling to sample 'some' new stuff, but when it's 10-15% that I care for, it can be a lot of work. |
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12 Jun 13 - 05:11 AM (#3525508) Subject: RE: 'They Call it Folk' Radio Program Idea From: GUEST,Ross Celtic What is Folk is always an interesting discussion. I have run the Folk Or Not feature for a couple of years now and always get good comments. A song like Pulp's Common People is so obviously a folk tune to a disco arrangement. For me it's about the lyric, the subject matter and the feeling of the sone, rather than the arrangement. Anyways, listen in if you will: Thank Folk It's Friday, 8pm www.celticmusicradio.net |
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12 Jun 13 - 11:32 AM (#3525627) Subject: RE: 'They Call it Folk' Radio Program Idea From: Green Man Considering that a tradition is something that's done more than once in a similar way then most songs could be called traditional. Folk is something played or sung by folk so any tune or song could be taken as folk. Yes I know, I am a bit daft. |
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12 Jun 13 - 11:58 AM (#3525636) Subject: RE: 'They Call it Folk' Radio Program Idea From: Allan C. "But I wonder how many of the categories or genres have been created in a way that is almost arbitrary" Well, yes, historically. Consider that back in the '60's virtually any LP that had a "black" (sorry folks, that's what they called them back then,) face on it was shoved into the R&B section of most record departments in the USA. I don't know how it was elsewhere. Even now I find traditional folk albums lumped in with the Country Music section (if they have any such albums at all!) I suppose it is the same with Rock Music. There are so many subdivisions of that, well, I hardly know where to begin! |