Folk under fire
Newport and the conservative world of the singer-songwriter (Boston Phoenix)
"What’s surprising is that 37 years after Dylan started making his music crackle, the issue of going electric — or, to put it more accurately, reaching for a more expansive sonic palette — remains charged."
Racial bigotry, musical bigotry -- it's all the same. When I went to Newport as a 17-year-old in 1967, I was hoping to hear some great folk music, and I did. I couldn't tell you the name of one acoustic performer I saw, however. But what I'll never forget, is seeing Janis Joplin with Big Brother and the Holding Company, Taj Mahal with Jesse Ed Davis on guitar, Tim Buckley with vibes and Carter Collins on conga drums, Buddy Guy and Junior Wells.
Man, it was an embarrassment of riches and I loved it all. And it was a shitload of fun. Even sleeping one night in a local graveyard and another night in an alley that smelled like piss was the perfect compliment to carefree hours on the beach. While these fools are busy taking themselves so seriously, still trying to define folk music in the 21st century, they don't have a clue as to what they're missing.
12:06:55 PM Permalink
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