University of Mississippi eGrove Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 2013 Chasing That Ghost On Stage: The Haunted Continent And Andrew Bird's Apocrypha Mary Elizabeth Lasseter University of Mississippi Follow this and additional works at: https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd Part of the American Studies Commons Recommended Citation Lasseter, Mary Elizabeth, "Chasing That Ghost On Stage: The Haunted Continent And Andrew Bird's Apocrypha" (2013). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1163. https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/1163 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at eGrove. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of eGrove. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. CHASING THAT GHOST ON STAGE: THE HAUNTED CONTINENT AND ANDREW BIRD’S APOCRYPHA A Thesis presented in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Southern Studies The University of Mississippi by M.E. LASSETER May 2013 Copyright M.E. Lasseter 2013 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ABSTRACT This thesis traces the various physical and metaphorical journeys south of Chicago musician Andrew Bird. Using what historical record is publicly available, I examine Bird’s formal musical training. I then explore the years between 1995 and 2001, or what I call Bird’s period of apprenticeship. Next is an exploration of the canonical narratives surrounding the blues of the Mississippi Delta, especially the music of Charley Patton. When Andrew Bird encountered a canon, or dominant histories and meanings of Southern music that influence how musicians play and how audiences interpret that music, he began to react against that canon in his own compositions and performances.