[mplpost] what's folk?

[Nancy A.White]

Hi there. 
   This is for the "what's folk" thread.
   In 1975,when the gifted comedienne Gay Claitman was looking for a songwriter for a show called "Hey Seester Do You Want My Sailor?", someone recommended me.
   "Who is she?" Gay asked.
   "Well, she's a folksinger," the person replied.
    Gay told me she almost didn't call me because to her, a folksinger was someone who sang "a twenty-minute song about an old man". 
    After I heard that story, I started describing my stuff as "cabaret".

     I've always worried about being too folkie (tedious? mired in the 60's? ) or not folkie enough. When I first came to Toronto the story was that Tam Kearney would only hire traditional singers to play at Fiddler's Green. But I bravely did a guest set and he booked me, probably because I really really loved his jokes and his fabulous accent. (you know he just puts it on; he's actually from Pittsburgh.)  And, face it, I DID have a banjo. 

      Actually, I think a lot of it is instrumentation. I tried to put together a bluegrass version of 'La Vida Loca' and it would have worked just fine except that I couldn't, just couldn't, memorize the words. Same thing with "I Know That My Heart Will Go On". It sounds much better on banjo, and of course if Madame Dion had a lovely voice like mine she could have made something of herself. I would love to hear Skrüj McDuk do that tune. (Oh God, remember J.P.Ringwort and the Heartbreak of Psoriasis doing the bluegrass "Suzanne"? Heavenly! of course that was a folksong in the first place.)

     Yeah, "homegrown music from the heart" sticks in my craw too. It's like we made our own zithers out of popsicle sticks and elastic bands.

     Well, this is inarticulate blather, but since it's on-line I will of course let it go. just wanted really to pass on Gay Claitman's definition of a folk music.

     See you at Home County?  I am opening for Fred Eaglesmith on Sunday afternoon! Speaking of which, I read a quote from Fred who said folk music was "the kindergarten of music".  Chew on that!

adios,
nancita

    

Nancy White. singer-songwriter
Toronto/Canada

http://www.nancy-white.com
nancy@nancy-white.com

"Never miss a chance to have sex or appear on television." Gore Vidal.


Bookings: Campbell Webster Entertainment. (902) 566-3346. cwebster@isn.net
Nancy's cd's and tapes are available from 1-800 JOE RADIO or online from <www.coolname.com/coma>


-
To unsubscribe: mail majordomo@icomm.ca with
"unsubscribe maplepost" in the body (not the subject line)
Need help? mail owner-maplepost@icomm.ca