6 Month Anniversary
I would like to thank all my subscribers - whether free or paid - for reading “Looking for America.” Last week, we celebrated our first half-birthday and have now exceeded 150 subscribers.
A Favor to Ask
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*****
Part 5
I got a call this morning from nationally touring folk musician and Wisdom Catcher, Jon Stotian. He said he couldn’t agree more with the wisdom Paul Mugwart expressed in last week’s post, “Be the Principle You Would Like to See Manifest in this World.” In light of what he read, we revisited an issue we covered in my interview with Jon this past February at one of his concerts.
Here is a combined, condensed, and edited version of our conversation:
The Mission
Spook: “With all you’ve said about the role of folk musician, what do you believe the ‘mission of the folk musician’ is?”
Jon: “To model the values and virtues expressed in your songs. This, at first, can be simple, but it is not always easy. It’s a two-way street. If you commit to walking the talk – to living the principles you espouse – then you’d better be careful what values you promote in your music.
“If you don’t want to be a snudge, don’t promote snudginess. Don’t promote greed, impatience, intolerance, or grievance. Don’t present yourself as cheated or a victim of persecution, unless you wish to actually live it. On the other hand, you have to be careful not to come off as a holier-than-though, preacher, avenger, or fake messenger for God.
“A better path is sincerity. Do your best to tell stories that promote ‘good’ values and virtues. And be honest with your audience about where you stand on the path. In my case, the more I understand what a positive factor a musician can be in the lives of others, the more I see how much more work I need to do.”
Spook: “Can you give us an example of what work you need to do?”
Distill the Story
Jon: “I tell a lot of stories. Occasionally, I go back and do more research to make sure I am telling them accurately. I almost always learn one or two new things which, in turn, raise three of four new questions. So, the quest to tell stories correctly is never-ending.”
Spook: “Your stories have many nuances and layers of detail. How do you tell a story without becoming a human encyclopedia?”
Jon: “That is an art Pete (Seeger) excelled at. Can you boil it down to one or two sentences? Can you distill the essential points and universal truths in your story? Can you say more by saying less?
“This does two things. It encourages people to do a little research themselves, and it allows them to make up their own minds.
“Your friend Paul Mugwart said in your post last week that you neither have the right nor responsibility to change another person’s heart or mind. But you can point to the basic principles her opinions rest upon. Remember,
“a man convinced against his will, is of the same opinion still.”
Spook: “I like that! So, what are these basic principles?”
Jon: “The values we all share. The virtues we all value. One of my deepest beliefs is that if you can see beneath the politics, gripes, and grievances, you will see that we all have a lot more in common with each other than we are led to believe. The vast majority of us are good people with at least some mooring to a moral compass. So make sure your stories and songs, your conduct and your interactions boil down these basic principles to their simplest form.”
Spook: “And what’s the best way to express these principles?”
Be a Model
Jon: “Live them. BE them. Like Paul Mugwart said. Like Pete did.”
Spook: “Ouch! I have lifetimes of work ahead of me. Is this the mission you talk about?”
Jon: “Precisely! Like I said, whether you like it or not, you reflect and promote values in every song and story you share. The mission is this:
“Be aware of what values you reflect and promote, and live them – both on stage and off.”
Spook: “Why is this the mission of the folk musician and not every musician?”
Jon: “We covered that before. And remember, I said it is the mission of the folk musician. I did not say it is not the mission of anybody else.”
The Secret
Spook: “You call it the ‘secret’ mission. Why is it secret?”
Jon: “Because it is as ever-present as is the air we breathe and the blood coursing through our veins. It’s right in front of our faces. All the time. As a result, most of us rarely take notice of it.”
With that said, the sun is shining and trails are waiting for me to run along. So, until next time …
Keep the Flame Alive!
Perhaps some of the older music, such as "Freedom is your Destiny" ? Looking forward to reading more of your stories :-)
These stories are always interesting. Can you tell us how YOU cam to some of the lyrics and messages in your music? I believe many (most?) of your readers would love to understand the birth of their favorite Spook tunes !