Interview with John Fahey on Music in Oregon

Middle class people you know upper class. In the suburbs and take advantage of. Poor downtrodden people who can't write their own music there were more know some they do write their own music. I was a folk or major but you never hear the. You know radio radio on rock station. What do you mean you never hear that. When he talked about what I don't understand you ever hear what. If. You mean like a background of somebody who's out you know I mean like. The city negroes in the cotton fields Mississippi you never hear that. We saw not so sure singing were rushed here you know long term good enduring bracing recordings of saying you know I don't know what you're hearing some white guy saying some white kid talking about picking cotton. Peter's never done in his life. You know he's taking advantage of. Career. You're all I know a lot of what

Pete Seeger is the only guys I know what they do and I'm not saying he's dead good. Well. You know we like them. You know I mean I don't think they're really good music. I don't like to hear it they hide behind big good. Free speech. I don't really believe that it's free speech as long as it's their. Point of view. So I want to go back to the folk music and socialism again so people categorize your music as folk music some people do. Most people bookers country all. Night. I can't help I think of myself as a classical guitar player. You know that's the way it turned out. I don't care for me.

So all the agents who. Look at me. If they bought us a classical guitar player. Which far you know that I mean we know what you know. Have you got a way of knowing that never in sight and people still OK. My distinct class Katamari. As classical music. I mean you're well known enough to say I want whatever guy play whatever whatever label they want to put on is OK because I like what you guys hear. Wonderful. No I'd love to get rid of this so good. Because it puts me in a. Bag or a category we always guys were talking about. Take advantage of. Her use

of it was you know almost as good as or make you think you have good jobs and they deserve it. We were cheerleading. They were taking. Contemporary say 20 30 years ago you were taking social. Issues that were newsworthy and. Writing songs and making a big deal. The social issues are sought after all for a good thing much happened. First of all I think these two were sent there imprudently these guys are damn thing to do. The so-called folksingers about bringing about any kind of change thinking they would do. They were just trying to sell records. Everything that happened would have happened without them.

Then when things got better kill themselves like dogs killed himself. So you knew. So you know we got those problems. Well that's what happened you know. Is there really that much involved. So I said new things to. Do. Did you go down south around the early sixties. Things like that travelling around searching for folk music to your records and then I was looking for old musician to record. You know it's looking to give people jobs. And.

I sent a couple people worked and were a couple people book away and skipped them got jobs up north. You know. As a result they were much better off the rooster walks. Oh you know we were involved and. I was all for getting negroes registered to vote and I wasn't involved in the movement although I got arrested for. Suspicion of being involved. BLOCK took over and I was sometime in the mid 60s in Magnolia. Arkansas. Where is my mother who's great and where my mother was. She couldn't give me one of them over.

Here which you know is right next to his coffin. Well you know the thing to do with the courthouse one calling Time magazine because I just felt Skip James in Mississippi so I had done nothing in the study except try to use the telephone. And I got locked up overnight threatened with pistol whipping. And. They wonder Why don't white males don't look straight I mean you still lose a lot of this place. Still there was still fuel societies were here ruling corps who could do a deal. Really. And then you know of the year here I was waiting for somebody to get cure. Some way kids get killed in this way because they had guns

drove the old cars out of town get out of our section were New Years. All of whom. So far only you know. They get here. I think want to get killed. I mean I quit I quit looking for stuff until there was a tool. You quit looking for people. Yes just why did you want to take Scott James up north. Because oh I had a connection. With the producer. Concert manager. What. Was that because playing down south and have there was no money and playing that there was nobody was there any tension here at least you know he goes

he you know. Those considered cruel fashion music nobody would be here except boy kids again. Truly funny and already your town halls I mean more for any book award to ensure the white kids because you can play guitar really. You know it's really interesting. So I recently were works you know. So we're all right people like more in touch with more out of touch with music than in terms of appreciation. I mean you've obviously made some kind of a small boon for white people who are who are fairly intuitive who are saying negro music. First appearances. To some extent before. The worst writers black writers.

So if we were to do what the hell why don't we haven't heard music you know take into. You care you know you can't talk to me because after all you're a white guy. I don't talk to. Me like thesis get published you know you're. Screwed. Yeah well they are great theses are great books were popular catchphrases and the last chord with all of you feel it. Oh I mean you can document everything where stuff was you know. I mean it's an awfully broad statement you can say that this music is sad which isn't looking good for mad angry awfully

broad statement to say that it's the way it is because of the economic conditions. I mean I'd like to see that demonstrated. I mean isn't Perkins to stand talking about black music you know particular kind of blues. So you don't think that you're not a clean way to live people. Bessie Smith you know her first records were issued to two segregated record stores and record label it's just cool meaty hand with orchestra. I mean surely tour all except a few records you know could destroy it. But you know when they think of blues but people think of blues that's what they think oh they never heard her blunt with Jefferson ever. People are getting too could reverse your. Bed.

It's a big issue it's bitter and. How so. While the books the books are off the wall there's more white writers like you have a Marxist approach to country which is really hard to demonstrate weight like where's the facts that you know in my book. Bees are stored in a listening tour. You can see it in your thesis. You're. Going through you know creeping social issues because. I can't verify it. You know and I'm not interested in the great big political story. With a masters in folklore and mythology are you saying this is all speculation that

like you say you can prove it. I don't understand. Yes I know my book. Yeah one good smart is another particularly biographical it just is interested in the scales. These people say the rhythmic structure. Well it's all about Charlie Patton and his poetry. You are. So you are a heretic or a dry loser here. So you are making a connection between social issues and the blues. No I think. No I would speculate your source. For speculating Marco you know Stanley had fun race relations you were still there exactly. I don't understand.

Well if you would have had better if they had of been slaves if they hadn't been downtrodden blacks miners are. Probably why. I was just speculating. I can't prove it and you can't prove yours. But you know. Almost. They come from somewhere. I mean well I think they are my. Make sure that the to do those talks that Morris you know going through Muslim sources if you are quoting sources. Put the sectors we don't know we should treat our African music. Everywhere because to recruit U.S. to the Library of Congress

would do and there. Was research some research early. But no we are in and we bought. Firstly bought a bunch of 78. What you call. If a lot of the seniors like Bessie Smith had a car so it was a rather all singer zero LOT of all circuits. Surely something from blues and there was big analysis major scales and so on saw nothing really nothing particular ridge was. And then there were some. And you know there was nothing done. No recordings made half are good or. At least. Not by scientists. Over here.

I have seen 78 pre Second World War 78 where African trade. Looks very interesting but I couldn't afford them. The radio issue in South Africa for. The fuck was. Not yours and we did it over here. We didn't have any tribes but you know the idea of recording a group and then selling it back to the. Reporter behind them. You're right so do you think I like this country or a lot of people. It. Ignored like one of the most basic elements of American music. Oh yeah absolutely. I mean you have you know a lot of researched British folk songs you're being you. Hang guru saying.

Oh. Much more you know black you know this again black folk or was you know looked at very few people did anything except make generalizations which. Didn't prove to be true. I used talking about the economic connection. No just the structure of the music itself. Scale. Were you are you making now ceased to skewer Jubilee Singers. I've been trained by white people sing those properly. And. You know kind of you know to see and hear from you could you hear the way or piano way Whitely wants to hear them so they hear you might get the words. But it will all be very arranged and I have ties to yeah

you know. Well how did NOT happen. There was a book. Well sounds very white you know. So American music to you is what's your definition of American music. Oh you da interesting group. American music has a coming together of books with English or endure Irish Scottish were. Coming together in this in the southeast and creating new kinds of music. Like you're like YouTube where. You know you know the best stuff comes because. Like where.

Whoa did get into Texas. You would. You don't hear anything very rude mixed up in the northeast of the Canadian west cove. Very very interesting stuff. Before. You like it starts to sink a bit. Hard. I taking music is OK but there was Cajun singers and players who block everybody ignores. What about a lot of course mutual. What about change. OK now we've gone. There. Yeah I.

Know.