[Harp-L] Re: Politics and Blues Harp

[David Fertig <drfertig@xxxxxxxxx>]

Bill, I don't know many born again christians who don't talk about their religion, nor many atheist radical lefties like myself who don't talk about our views, too.  Because it's important, and blues music cannot be independent of sociopolitical awareness, or spirituality if that's your bag, since it's not just a popular dance music form but rather a mode of expression born of the experience of oppression, slavery, alienation, survival, community and personal spirit.  

Does that mean I won't enjoy Randolph Family Band because they're evangelicals?  I'll dig their music, and pay the ticket price, not because of their religious message, but because of their positive energy and personal expression.  You want to boycott for political reasons, fine, but don't complain that there is a message, just that you don't approve of it. 

I'm just glad when someone has more of a message than, "she got junk in the trunk" or comparing women to cars or horses, a la "mustang sally."

'Cause when someone's playing crappy harp, or even great harp, they better have something more than a good back beat, pop-y lyrics or snappy licks to keep my interest!

Dave "My Harp is My Megaphone" Fertig



--- On Thu, 12/15/11, harp-l-request@xxxxxxxxxx <harp-l-request@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
[Harp-L] Politics and Blues Harp
        	Thursday, December 15, 2011 6:36 AM
        	
            
            
            From: 
            "Bill Kumpe" <bkumpe@xxxxxxx>
            	
            	
            	
        	To: 
        	harp-l@xxxxxxxxxxx am a born again Christian, politically conservative, blues fan.  There are
a lot of us.  We just don't talk about it.  There is a tendency among some
in the performing arts to adopt the attitudes of and inject into their
performances whatever they perceive to be the current political/social
zeitgeist.  That is a terrible mistake.  While nobody begrudges a performer
their honest expression of their views on any subject through their art, the
self-serving agenda of many performers is obvious and that degrades the art.
I flee political correctness, especially the self-serving genre, and will
not pay good money to support performers who inject it into what is supposed
to be entertainment.  I am a social and political conservative and my money
tends to follow my beliefs.  While I never inquire into the politics of any
performer, the first time they force PC or liberal orthodoxy upon me in a
performance, I walk, if need be in the middle of the performance, and never
support them again.  

Bill Kumpe
Tulsa, OK