Message Board Archive: Thread Number 89

Hi,

I recently went to see an acoustic blues duet, and they were great. I
noticed, though, that when there was any song that contained pejorative
references to women or what we would consider to be ill treatment of
women, the guitarist would precede the song wih an apology. As it turns
out, there are a number of songs he simply will not play, such as RJ's
"32-20 Blues." Now, I'm the first to admit that some old blues lyrics do
contain what we would consider today to be ... well ... questionable in
taste (eg "I beat my woman down ... etc). But I wonder ... should blues
players genuflect at the altar of political correctness by either
changing lyrics or banishing songs altogether? When playing old blues,
it is the telling of a time, a place, a situation ... a reality, really
... as experienced by one of the old greats. We can't change the way
things were, but it seems that there is a certain amount of pressure to
change the way we retell it in song.

How do others feel? Do you feel compelled to change/omit certain
politically incorrect lyrics? Do you avoid certain songs altogether? Or
do you unabashedly perform them in their original state, or close to it?

Just curious.

Regards, Kevin

Date: Wed, 24 Jun 1998 22:16:19 -0400 (EDT)
From: zeppa@earthlink.net (Frank Basile)
Subject: Feedback: Lyrics and political correctness
Message Number: 89.1

>But I wonder ... should blues players genuflect at the altar
>of political correctness by either changing lyrics or
>banishing songs altogether?
My initial reaction is "No!!!!" On further reflection, though, there are
certain lines/songs that I'm uncomfortable singing. What I usually try
to do is to substitute the "offending" verse with a verse from a similar
song. For example, when I perform "Pony Blues" (C. Patton) in public,
I'll replace the "Brownskin woman/Jet black woman" verse with the
"Vicksburg on a high hill" verse from "Stone Pony Blues". While there
may be an objection that this betrays the integrity of the original
recorded performance, there is some evidence (see _Big Road Blues_, by
David Evans) that these songs did not necessarily exist as finely honed
compositions, but as a "core", consisting of one or two verses, upon
which the performer would add and interchange verses as befit his/her
mood or the context in which the song was being performed. It's clear to
me that most blues do not attempt to tell a "story" in any linear sense,
so changing verses here and there seems relatively benign to me. In his
book, Evans makes a case for a set of aesthetic principles that he
maintains guided the decisions of "traditional" blues musicians when
performing. I'll leave that to you to judge whether or not his case
holds any water.
>Do you feel compelled to change/omit certain politically
>incorrect lyrics? Do you avoid certain songs altogether? Or
>do you unabashedly perform them in their original state, or
>close to it?
I do avoid certain songs when performing in public (like "Travelling
Coon" by Luke Jordan). It just doesn't make sense to perform stuff that
can so easily be misinterpreted by a less than perceptive listener. I
have no problem singing lines that refer to a "fair brown", though. I
guess that doesn't seem (to me) to be particularly offensive and, more
importantly, is a uniquely expressive phrase that I rather like... I
try, as much as possible, to perform the song in it's original state
(being the stodgy purist that I am!).
I also avoid certain performers, although this has more to do with
aesthetic concerns rather than PC concerns. I tend to avoid performers
whose music is easily stereotyped. This list includes quite a few of the
better known Delta blues performers. Even though I enjoy the music of
Robert Johnson and Son House very much, I'm uncomfortable with the
posturing that seems necessary to pull their stuff off convincingly (at
least to an audience who has some cursory familiarity with them). For
Delta stuff, I much prefer the playful loud-mouthness of Charley Patton,
the low-down of Ishmon Bracey and the funkiness of Garfield Akers...
...but I digress...
Frank Basile

Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1998 22:15:23 -0400 (EDT)
From: hclewman@mindspring.com (Harry Lewman)
Subject: Note: My answer to Political Correctness
Message Number: 89.2

Great question. I love singing Barbecue Bob's songs and do a version of
Barbecue Blues.

I hate leaving out the great old lines, and I think it is important to
continue singing some of the lines like: "Gonna tell you momma, like
Gypsy told the Jew: If you don't want me, it's a cinch I don't want
you." Not only did the old singers have their own prejudices, but
acoustic blues has a large component of humor and self-parody.

My answer was to rename the song "Thin Skin Blues" and tell the audience
that it is not suited for thin skin people.

You can hear me sing some of this song and read the lyrics at
http://www.hlmusic.com/thinskin.htm

It seems most suitable for me to substitute brown-skinned or brown-eyed
woman with "blue-eyed woman", especially since I tend to leave my good
sense behind when looking into a pair of pretty blue eyes..