I am Writing a Play
Post 49 – what’s new with Spook – Vol. I
WHAT IS FOLK MUSIC
Why is it important?
Those of you who have seen my concerts over time have probably noticed that my presentation, like most bodies of artistic work, has evolved.
THE EARLY DAYS
Within days of buying my first guitar in 1982, having learned three chords, I started writing songs. And just as soon, I started playing open mics. I played songs by the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and Peter Paul & Mary and songs I’d written myself. The fun of sharing my originals, and the generosity of the audience prompted me to write a new song (or two) every week. Soon I started each show announcing, “Here’s a new song I wrote this week.”
THE ADVANTAGE OF BEING LAST
There was an advantage to being the newest, greenest, probably worst guitar player and undoubtedly the worst singer. It meant that everybody else in the room was better than I was. I was surrounded by talent that exceeded my capabilities. And I soaked up anything I could learn like a sponge soaking up mineral water from a mountain spring.
I watched, listened, and wondered: “If that guy can write that song, what would happen if someone wrote so and so?” Then, I would run 1/3 of a block from the Pizza Mill to my room on Handy Street and try to turn “so and so” into a song.
INSPIRED BY OTHERS
I learned new chords watching other players. I tuned into new chord progressions. And I heard people sing lyrics that really got me. I remember someone singing “He Was a Friend of Mine,” a traditional song reworded by Roger McGuinn of the Byrds to lament the assassination of President Kennedy.
I was far too naive to catch any inkling that this song was profound. So after hearing it, I ran home and wrote a completely new unrelated song about one of my friends - a childhood friend from the planet Zero named “Eddie B’heddy.” I believe it was the third or fourth song I ever wrote. Once written, I ran back to the open mic - maybe two hours later - and debuted a rough, unpolished rendition of the tune. The chorus went:
Little Eddy. Eddy B’heddy. Oh, he was a friend of mine
Little Sammy. Sammy B’hammy. We used to run all the time.
Months passed, and I watched and watched and I wrote and wrote. But at age 22, I had never been to a coffeehouse concert. For those of you who know me, this should come as no surprise. I’d been to big concerts with the Cars, the Police, Joe Jackson, the Pretenders, The Rolling Stones, and dozens of other bands, but I had never seen a solo act sitting behind a microphone playing an acoustic instrument giving a full concert.
STORIES IN CONCERTS
Then, sometime, maybe in 1984, or ’85, I saw Elaine Silver give a concert at Douglass College, three blocks from my house. She played and sang. AND she told STORIES!!!
“Wait a minute!” I thought. “You can do that? Tell a story as part of a concert?” The revelation set my heart pounding. It was like discovering gold. From that day forward, I set my sights on learning how to tell stories in my concerts.
I dreamed of writing songs and playing guitar eighteen years before I actually did. So, when I finally acquired a gitbox, I honed those skills fairly quickly. But, telling stories was a new concept for me. For years, I fumbled along, very gradually refining the art. Then, a big jump forward came by playing alongside Pete Seeger.
ONE BIG STORY
Every aspect of Pete’s life added up to one big story of what we can achieve as human beings - both individually and as a group. Multiple threads ran through his songs, stories, persona, and every small thing he did like choosing what food he would bring to the monthly potluck supper. The threads wove together one big overarching story of hope, wonder, celebration, dignity, respect, determination, wisdom and so much more.
With Pete’s encouragement, I “swiped” many of his stories. With his coaching, I learned how to thread them together. And following his suggestions, I learned the art of sharing them with audiences.
A FORTUNATE STUDENT
I am very fortunate to have had Pete as a mentor. I have a hard time asking people for help. But, fortunate for me, Pete gave tips unsolicited. I’ve seen a lot of people get offended when offered unsolicited tips. But, I ate them up.
Throughout my life, I have benefitted enormously from unsolicited tips from musicians like Pete Seeger, Noel “Paul” Stookey (of Peter, Paul & Mary), Anne Feeney, Dave Rimelis, and Jack Hardy, as well as from world-class runners like Roger Price, and hundreds of random people who stopped along the way to offer some seemingly out-of-the-blue advice.
Of all of these people, Pete went the furthest, sending me unsolicited postcards and letters about how to put together concerts, build community, live a greener life, and apply the “folk” process to just about any field of endeavor.
HELP FROM THE UNIVERSE
But maybe all of these tips weren’t really unsolicited. Maybe, as I have alluded to in previous writings when you put your attention on something, the universe aligns to bring you the tools necessary to attain it.
GOOD STORIES
Among those tools, at least for me, are good stories. Good stories can sometimes be the best answers to questions. Told right, stories can lead a person to find their own answers and make their own decisions.
Over the decades, I’ve heard people ponder, What is folk music? And why is it important? There are no definitive answers to these questions. But there are lots of stories about them, coming from many perspectives - so many that it would take a cast of characters to tell the least of them.
A CAST OF CHARACTERS
And so, I am putting together a cast of characters to tell the stories. If this experiment can achieve a small fraction of the success Pete had weaving stories into a cohesive patchwork, then each individual in the audience will be given the respect to make up their own mind.
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If you feel inclined to support this endeavor, please consider upgrading to a supporting subscriber. This way I can keep “Looking for America” free for those who cannot afford it, and I can continue writing and giving concerts of hope and optimism, especially in these times when a clear path through the darkness is not always easy to see.
Keep the Flame Alive!
This is a superb and interesting piece! Thank you. 😊 Life has recently handed me some unavoidable tasks, and I am behind in reading your articles. Looking forward to catching up.
Will "Uncle Micky" be one of your cast of characters?