🚀 go-pugleaf

Somebody sez:

> I believe that can be taken to extremes - it's called political
correctness.

That's right. And perhaps this thread has been taken to extremes.

> So, to be PC, Dr. Ralph must stop performing Pretty Polly because killing
> one's girlfriend offends me. Rocky Top must be banned because I feel
> threatened as a "stranger" and I'm now afraid to hike in Tennessee. "Wreck
> of the 97" is out because the graphic detail of being scalded to death
> offends me.

I've tried to be a strong, perhaps even strident, campaigner against PC in
all it's forms. Personally, I've used M*F* myself several times over the
years, but I hope not on stage at a BG event (or any other.) I tend to be a
little touchy about religious tirades because I'm a relative pagan in a
strongly "fundamentalist" Christian area, and am just plain tired of having
that brand of idolatry rammed down my throat time and again, at every sort
and kind of event that should be non-religious in nature.

I've played a lot of the "he loves her so much he kills her" songs both with
bands and on my radio show. Got a call once from a listener who gave me
down-the-country about Pretty Polly; said that if I was gonna play that, I
should play some songs wherein She Kills Him. I told her that if there were
more of those songs in the tradition, she could be sure that I would. I've
always been an equal opportunity offender <g>

Now, I've implied before, there is a great deal of difference between
performing songs on any particular subject and preaching between songs about
that same subject, whether that subject is girlfriendacide, religion, or
whatever. The songs should speak for themselves, and performing them should
be based on musical quality more than "message" considerations (at least in
my view.)

> Enjoy the music and stop complaining about every little thing.

Well, I THOUGHT that was what I was advocating? I'm a minor fan of Steve
Earle; I own copies of at least three of his CDs, and have around here
somewhere an LP of Guitar Town (in addition to that CD) which I still think
is his best album. I'm a minor fan of R. Skaggs, own copies of a couple of
his albums, and think that some of his work as a sideman is outstanding.
But, as I have said here recently, I am equally offended by things they have
done on-stage, not necessarily because of content, but because they are
practices that are liable to cause controversy in the audience, as is very
evident here on the -L in the last several days.

And to put some perspective on things, just last Thursday I attended a
presentation by Geo. Hamilton IV on the hymns of Fanny Crosby, a
Victorian-era writer, at which Geo. did a fair amount of proselytizing and
witnessing, which I have preached against here recently. BUT this was at an
event which had as it's purpose this sort of thing, so I was aware going in
what I was going to hear. If this same presentation were done at, say, the
Wembley Country Music Festival in England (an event that Geo. has emceed
regularly over the years) with no mention that it was going to be a
"preaching" event, I would be equally concerned, despite the fact that I
have known and liked Geo. for a quarter of a century now, and consider him
to be a friend.

Context makes a huge difference. Steve Earle saying M*F* at the local blues
bar, while wearing his biker's outfit would cause no comment, but saying the
same thing at MerleFest or the Letterman show would and should cause
repercussions. Ricky (or Carl Story's Ramblin' Mountaineers, just to pick a
name out of the hat) testifying about his born-again status at Singin' On
The Mountain or a Billy Graham Crusade would, likewise, cause no comment,
but the same remarks at MerleFest or the Philadelphia Folk Festival would
and should cause similar repercussions. Different audiences, different
expectations.

Selah.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Joe Cline ( joe.s.cline@trellis.net )
Charlotte

I'm not schizophrenic. You only think we are.
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