A thread begun yesterday regarding the latest Coen Brothers-T-Bone Burnett opus has caused me to reflect on a time when the sons of engineers, doctors, lawyers, and factory workers struggled to present the authentic songs of the working man, and in some cases, even adopt their mode of dress--yes, Im old enough to remember $2 chambray work shirts--while maintaining their integrity and staying out of the army at the same time. We were the first downwardly mobile generation, film maker John sayles once said, and it remains a favorite quote of mine regarding that time...and hey, I myself accused a female Serindipity Singer of inauthenticity at Ravinia one night...didnt say anything to Josh White, who opened for them... my personal father was a miner, so Im a miners son, but I cant personally call hogs, let alone sing, so it remained for the lefty camp counselers of my time to give voice to my generation...hope this new movie is about some of that...my other favorite pertinent quote regarding all this? Erik Darling (Rooftop Singers, Tarriers, Weavers) on a panel about the folk boom...We were mining the public domain, he saidfor hit material. He found Walk Right In and liked it so much he wrote it, which came as a big surprise to Gus Cannon. who inconveniently for many involved, was still alive and had a radio...
Posted on: Wed, 13 Nov 2013 15:00:14 +0000
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