[Harp-L] Politics and Blues Harp

[Mick Zaklan <mzaklan@xxxxxxxxx>]

   I respect Bill's position and probably share it.  If I don't like a
performer's politics or attitude, I'm not going to put money into his or
her pocket.  I don't even want to be counted as an audience member.  I
stopped listening to Miles Davis years ago.  I got sick of his
rude behavior during interviews and while performing.  The last straw was
when he called Stevie Wonder an expletive in Downbeat magazine.  A friend
of mine told me that the last straw for her was when Davis blew his nose in
his hand and wiped it on his pants during a performance she paid to see.
And she had been a fan for years.  An important artist, Miles?  Sure, but
a world class jerk in my opinion.  Am I missing out on great music?
Definitely, but so are Jews who don't buy recordings of Wagner.  At some
point, everybody draws a line in the sand.
   Years ago a guy on this list launched what I perceived to be a scathing
attack on the blues community.  When it came time for him to hit the stage
at SPAH, I found something else to do.  Ditto with Stan Harper when he
called diatonic players "young crappers".  A bunch of us got up and walked
out of the SPAH banquet that year.
   For the record, Bill and I are opposites politically.  With the
exception of a couple artists, I stopped listening to country music years
ago.  It's the equivalent to a "red state" to me.  People like Bruce
Willis, Jon Voight, Mike Ditka, and Hank Williams Jr........well, I
wouldn't walk across the street to urinate on them if they were on fire.
So I totally get Bill's rage.  It's impossible for me to separate the art
from the artist.

Mick Zaklan