REFLECTION

I came into this class not knowing what to expect and what I got was an education I didn’t know I needed. This class made me realize that I didn’t know as much as I thought, or as I should. I’ve never been very interested in history, which is ignorant, because history shapes and explains the world I’m experiencing now. It’s amazing how much can be put into perspective when you try to look at its roots. I’m still conflicted by certain things, and feel guilt for other things. I don’t know where I stand on musical gatekeeping. Perhaps I believe that we wouldn’t need it if everyone learned and appreciated the origins of music. But then I see the hypocrisy that I think *other* people should learn the history before partaking, meanwhile making no effort before now to understand it myself.

I think it’s important that we get these stories, these folk songs, from the sources themselves. I know how much the game of telephone can distort a message and I know how many journalists will twist the truth to fit a narrative. Though it may be difficult because these stories come from such odd places and odd people, we should try to see them for who they were, not who we wanted them to be. It’s dangerous to idealize. I’ll continue to explore music and culture, including the music of my own culture. Perhaps to understand myself a bit better and perhaps to process whatever pain I have inherited.

Thank you Tony for a great semester!

WEEK 13 & 14: BLUES

Once again, as I learn more and more about Blues music and the lives of the black people who originated it, I really feel almost a guilt for enjoying this music. Blues music was made to be played for black people by black people. It was originated as music they could sing while working on fields and music they could use to communicate with one another. Delta blues was borne of this kind of struggle. The kind of struggle only someone in destitute poverty could really feel and express through music. Despite slavery being over, sharecropping could still keep Black people indebted to, and essentially enslaved, to white plantation owners. Until the Civil Rights Act of 1964, black people were legally discriminated against and treated like second class citizens. It's infuriating to think of now, how some things haven't changed even 50 years later.

A lot of black musicians decided to pursue music as a job or a side job because it paid more than any other options they had at the time. City blues/Chicago blues grew from the Great Migration, a movement of millions of black americans from the southern to the northern states in search of opportunity. Some of this opportunity was the option of making money through music, either as a way to supplement their income or as their main source of income. Additionally, music was one of the few roles in which white people could accept black people. Many of these musicians were incredibly talented and the race record producers who took advantage of their situation knew that. Looking at 2017, most of the richest and most influential black people are entertainers or athletes. Children living in inner-cities with little access to quality education will see these two paths as the only way out of an insidious cycle of poverty.

Trying to separate the Blues musician from the music seems almost impossible. As I was watching a documentary on youtube about the Blues (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qq_qnLHf74) I was struck by how seamlessly the musicians interviewed could transition into singing and back to talking without missing a beat. The music seems to be so ingrained in them that it shows itself in the natural way they talk.

It makes me angry to think of how the contribution of African-Americans to American music has been so diluted in modern consciousness. There have always been people who will love black music but never the black musician. They will take any chance they can get to digest black music through a white figure (Bob Dylan, Elvis). Of course, I'd like to think that the majority of people are not this way, but it's hard for us to combat the systemic racism seeped into the roots of this country if we do not acknowledge that these people and these attitudes exist. It makes me upset that up until recently I have heard frequently of figures such as Bob Dylan, Elvis, Janis Joplin, etc. but nothing of Muddy Waters, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Mississippi John Hurt or any other important musical figures who inspired them. Taking what I learned from this class I want to continue to dive into folk music, into black music, into the history of the United States. It makes me embarrassed to think of how ignorant I was and still am in this area. By educating myself I can hopefully start educating others and keep the men and women who made this music alive.

WEEK 12: THE HARRY SMITH ANTHOLOGY

Elliot Smith from "Miss Misery" music video.
A talented and deeply troubled singer-songwriter who took his own life at age 34.

Some of the summaries and descriptions of the songs in the anthology feel very cold and almost brutal to me. It’s confusing because the composition of the songs does not reflect the content at all. A lot of the songs involve some sort of tragedy whether that be murder, heartbreak, or crime. Songs like “The House Carpenter” and “The Butcher’s Boy” seem more allegorical than whimsical. It’s as though some of these songs serve as cautionary tales on the darkness of human nature. I’ve mentioned this before, but after being exposed to more and more folk music I’ve truly come to the conclusion that a lot of music was made in response to suffering. Music, both creating and listening to it, can be therapeutic for people. It can give them an outlet or a way to distract themselves from the minutiae of life on a farm, from the everyday tragedies that can befall those who are poor or oppressed.

Why are folk songs so important? It’s something I’ve been thinking about the past few weeks we’ve been diving into them. Music has always been a way to unite communities and foster communication and a sense of connection. A bond between two people can be instantly created through the acknowledgment of a shared taste in music. In a way, folk music is the acknowledgement of a shared history and creates a stronger bond between people who share it with each other. Since back in the early days, before these songs were recorded, the only people who knew these songs were the people that carried the songs with them through generations. I’m curious what the development of the internet and the increased accessibility to this kind of music has done to the culture. Does it still carry the same weight if anyone can have access to it? On one hand I believe that music should not be gate kept. Music should be for anyone who needs it and should not be withheld from people due to social status, income, etc. On the other hand, I take issue with the co-opting of folk music as an appropriation of “poor culture”. Those who seek access to working class spaces and communities, with whom they can only feign shared experiences, bother me. It harkens back to Thoreau, who was privileged enough to taste nature, dip his feet in, but ultimately decide that the conditions were too rough  and that man should keep a balance between nature and civilization. How should those individuals who arrived in Appalachia, forced to carve out their own civilization in an unforgiving environment, feel then? They did not have a choice, their temperament and their culture was created through necessity and survival. Same with the African slaves who were brought here against their will. Their music was a way for them to endure their pain in the hopes of a tomorrow. Black music and black culture developed out of a place of pain and suffering, as did Appalachian music.

I don’t know how to feel about any of this, perhaps this is all very obvious and I’m just pondering it for the first time. I don’t know what it means that some of the best, most genuine music must come from such dark places. Could it be true that suffering, as a human condition, is what leads us to greater heights? I think about this often in regard to Berkeley’s overwhelming high-pressure culture. It’s amazing how many of us suffer here, and yet we believe it will be worth it in the pursuit of some greater success in our futures. All I see is the molding of workaholics, those who self-impose suffering because they get a high from the productivity it creates. Little to no sleep, lack of nutrition, reliance on substances, how much can we give up in the pursuit of “greatness".

WEEK 11: Woody Guthrie

Reading and learning about Woody Guthrie and everything he stood for made me think a lot about the current state of the United States and how disappointing it would be for him if he were alive to see Donald Trump elected president. Woody was a man who truly represented the average American citizen. His story from being born into a middle class family to losing it all during the Dust Bowl and finally becoming a legend is inspiring.

All Woody’s songs, regardless of their content, have this optimism and brightness to them. This line in the reader from Woody struck me, “I hate a song that makes you think that you’re not any good. I hate a song that makes you think you are just born to lose…I am out to sing songs that will prove to you that this is your world…”(59). Perhaps that’s why his rendition of ‘Red River Valley’ is more upbeat.

Hearing him sing “This Land is Your Land” tugs at my heart. Despite all the time that has passed since his passing, many immigrants and immigrant families still aren’t welcome or accepted by this land. We don’t feel that is “our” land. The visual differences between us and the white population of the United States makes it easy to isolate and scapegoat us. It feels so melancholy to only know one land as your home your entire life and yet still not be accepted as a native of that land. I sometimes feel lost, not accepted by the culture I was born into and yet not connected to the culture of my ancestors. It's a debate I have with many people to this day; who gets to call themselves "American"? What connects all "Americans" if there is anything at all? How can we live peacefully in a country where there are some people who still consider other people inferior due to their race, sex, etc? Perhaps the only thing we can all agree on is the desire to make better lives for ourselves and the desire to make America some place we can call home.

It's like we all live in our own bubbles and only branch out to attack each other with labels. It's so frustrating, but it's also frustrating to deal with racist and ignorant rhetoric from the same people you're trying to level with. Perhaps taking a page out of Woody's book and experiencing life at all levels and with all types of people is the only way to stop this insidious spread of divisiveness across the country. A divisiveness being made worse by President Trump.

WEEK 10: LEADBELLY

Learning about Lead Belly and his tragic history helped but his songs in perspective for me. After listening to ‘Midnight Special’ I looked up its meaning. Apparently it was a passenger train that passed Sugar Land Prison in Texas and shined light onto it. Lead Belly was imprisoned at Imperial Farm in Sugar Land, Texas after murdering Will Stafford. He had a very personal connection to the song, which was a traditional folk song.

Similarly, ‘Rock Island Line’ is also about a railroad and was first recorded at the Tucker, Arkansas prison farm. ‘Take This Hammer’ was also a prison and railroad work song specifically about fleeing from forced labor through the prison system (an insidious issue we are still battling today). The song is surprisingly sad. The lines:

"If he asks you was I laughin'
Tell him I was crying’
.
.
I don't want cornbread and molasses
But I got my pride”

Indicate how desperately he wanted to be out of that system that dehumanized him. I watched the segment from the Gordon Parks film and was struck by the line, “Nothing can sing like a darkie when he puts his mind to it” from the Governor while Lead Belly is essentially begging to be pardoned. When he throws the cigar at Lead Belly’s feet like you would throw a scrap of meat to a dog, I was angered. It angers me to think that a human being could treat another human being like this and that it happened quite frequently to Black Americans in those times.
The “Newsreel” depiction of Lead Belly makes him act the role of childish, obedient performer while the governor is portrayed as a mature, understanding figure. This video was quite frankly, made for white audiences in a way that would make them feel the least guilty for being complacent to the horrid treatment of people like Lead Belly in the penitentiaries.

Lead Belly was a man with his own demons and flaws who found solace and hope through music. His life truly reflects his singing and it's very special and rare that we get to hear recorded folk music come from such a genuine place.

WEEK 9: Songster 2 2017

I really enjoyed listening to 'Fishin' Blues', both the version by Taj Mahal and Henry Thomas. It recalls a simple pleasure of catching and cooking your own food. The quaintness of the music is endearing and makes me happy. 'Sitting on Top of the World' is also a pleasant song, but its lyrics are quite a bit darker and deal with losing an important loved one. Both 'Fishin' Blues' and 'Sitting on Top of the World' have an optimism to them though that makes them pleasant to listen to.

Mississippi John Hurt's Candy Man is a deceptively naughty song. Upon first impression John Hurt's warm and soft voice betrays the scandalous nature of the lyrics. It almost reads as a child overhearing what the women in the town are saying about this "Candy Man'. There's an innocence in the way he sings that gives an otherwise dirty song a humorous slant. Reverend Gary Davis's version has a similar feel, but is more visceral and desperate in his delivery. He is not a child, but a man. This makes the song not as comforting as John Hurt's version. I googled the term "Candy man" to see if it meant anything beyond song lyrics and wikipedia states that it is, "used to refer to a candy street vendor or slang for a drug dealer". I'm not sure whether to trust this information because they do not provide a source, but if it is true then Gary Davis's delivery in his version has an important dark undertone to it.

The chord progression of all these songs has an uplifting feeling to it that can distract from their lyrical content. 'Cocaine Habit Blues' once again takes a whimsical instrumental and combines it with a more serious, almost disturbing song topic of being addicted to drugs.

Blues music is interesting for its contrast between instrumental and lyrics. I'd never listened too intently to it before but it goes against my original expectations. I expected the Blues to sound sad, but somehow the realization that a lot of Blues music sounds happy has thrown me for a loop. Once again I think about how the people who originated these songs must have used them as mood lifters or coping mechanisms. The power of music to distract you from your problems and change your perspective is valuable. In my piece I decided to depict a woman in the middle of dancing joyfully. The bruises on her legs and dirtiness of her feet are in juxtaposition with the carefree nature of her actions. I find this same juxtaposition to be present in the Blues and am interested in exploring it.

WEEK 8: MISSISSIPPI JOHN HURT

Art by Winfred Rembert

Mississippi John Hurt is an inspiration and testament to the power of culture in connecting and healing people and the role that music has in keeping culture present and relevant. It's apparent in his name (Mississippi John Hurt) that the place he was born and raised played a tremendous part in his music. His tumultuous history with music and the fact that he was self-taught makes his story even more heartfelt. Making music was a way for people in rural areas to express themselves, pass the time, grieve, and celebrate. Music was an integral part of John Hurt's everyday life and a very personal thing for people of the time. I've been talking with my friends recently about the personal role of music in our lives. I remember being 11 years old and recording covers of songs with my brother. I think about the times I've gone karaoke singing with my friends and how the communal energy felt. Songs have an inherent history that can connect you with other people almost instantaneously. It saddens me that in many places, music (and art in general) has become something to be commodified and gate-kept, only afforded to those who conform to the society's standards of what is "good" (technically proficient, academically trained, etc.). The fact that the art realm has become so classist is a topic of conversation that gets my blood boiling every time. Not only that, the appropriation and imitation of "poor culture" is something that also happens frequently in the art world. People who have the privilege to artificially construct struggle for themselves in order to generate art are taking attention away from those who are also making art  from that struggle but actively living and working close to the poverty line. This is why I find Mississippi John Hurt's story so compelling, because he was an example of a genuine artist creating art through his experiences. Many times the world never gets to hear artists like him, and I'm sure there are still many people as talented as he was waiting to be discovered.

(side note, John Hurt's story reminds me a lot of Winfred Rembert)