Editorials- .A Triple Header
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2. BlH.LEl1N de musiquefolklorique canadienne 32.3 (1998) Editorials- .A Triple Header ThreeResponses to the CBC Gentlemen: I have written a few letters to the CBC lamenting the fact that there is not even a half hour program a week, of our old time fiddle music on the radio network and have askedthem why this prevails. I have receivedone rather confusing letter as to why there is not this kind of Canadianheritage music available. Somethingabout that they try to presentan eclectic (one meaningis "selectingat will") selectionof music. Well, to me that is a politician's type of answer; it doesn't really addressmy definite question. Why is there no presentationof Canadianold time fiddle music on the CBC, on a regular basis, as I have suggested? Does the CBC have difficulty in presentinga heritagetype of Canadianprogram? US networks glorify their BluegrassMusic, AppalachianMusic, Step Dancing, Country Music Programsand on selectedbut readily available music programs. [In fact, I suspectthat many Americanold time musicfans would claim that the US media ignores this fonn of culture. Perhapsthe problem is not that the CBC is unlike US networks, but that it is too much like them! -GWL] I always thought that the CBC was our national radio network. Well, Canadianold time fiddle music is played and listened to devoutly, right acrossCanada, from "Coast to Coastto Coast.to We have Canadianfiddle clubs all acrossthis land of ours, we have certainly 30 to 40 (at least) excellent old time music fiddle players who I know could present, together if needed,a half hour program on the CBC Radio, weekly, without playing the same tune twice in a year. I am in the processof contactingfiddle clubs acrossCanada to obtain signaturesfor a petition that I am forming up and which I then will sendby mail or deliver, personally, in a big bag or box, to the CBC headoffice in Toronto. What does the CanadianFolk Music Bulletin think of this idea of mine? Could I ask for some support from your membersand the CFMB itself? I am seriousabout this and intend to pursuethis idea until I have a half hour program on CBC Radio. I am teachingmyself old time fiddle, at age 7o-something,and am coming along pretty good-1 am an Andy deJarlisfan from away back, and his compositionsabove could keep a program, such as I have suggested,going for many weeks. Then there are other superbold time fiddlers, such as Patti Lamoureaux(nee Kusturok), three times Grand Master ChampionCalvin Vollrath of Edmonton, Canada'sFinest Fiddler-Ivan Hicks of NB, Natalie MacMaster, Richard Wood, Ned Landry, Johnny Mooring, Don Messer, Reg Bouvette(Manitoba), Marcel Meilleur (who played with Andy deJarlis's group for years), Crystal Plohman (Manitoba, now in Nashville, USA), Mel Bedard(Selkirk, Manitoba), John Arcand (Whitecourt, Alberta), &c., &c., right acrossCanada. Would you be kind enoughto print my letter, condensedas you seefit-and recommendthat reader write to me or addressedto the CBC, Head Office, %Wendy Reid, Box 500, Station A, Toronto, Ontario, M5W 1£6. GeorgeLinsey 458 Ennis Road Ennismore, Ontario KOL ITO PS Let's pressureour national radio for somethingthat is sadly, long overdue. PPS I have just donated 16 of Andy DeJarlis's long playing recordsthat I have to Franceene Watson, Andy DeJarlis Archival File, University of Victoria. They are a pricelesscollection today. Thought you would like to know. CanDdianFolk Music BVLlE7JN 32.3 (1998) ...3 ~~~ 12, 14 Ian 1998 that a degreeof honestelitism isn't reasonable-someof the peo- Hi George, ple who talk a load of populism (Manning & co., for example) The proposal in your editorial [Bulletin 31.3/4 September/ seemto me to be creating a society that is anything but egali- December1997] to push CBC is an excellentone-I alreadyhad tarian. Someof this goesback to what we usedto call Jackson- it down in the suggestionsin my Market Plan notes. [Dave ian vs. Jeffersoniandemocracy in the States.I think I always agreedat the last AGM to prepare a Market Plan for the Soci- wuz and am more and more a Jeffersonian-do you know Milton ety, as a way of locating opportunities.] It seemsto me the CBC Acorn's poem, "Where Is Che Guevara?"He says something (and perhapsother stations)is ripe for suchpressure at the mo- like, "I've chosento believe in you, not as you are, but as you should be-I've chosento believe in your own best wishes." ment, askingnot just for folk music (which allows them to point to the Saturdaymorning hit-and-misseffort) but for seriousat- A lot of people (if the responses,say, to Clyde Gilmour's tention to Canadianfolk music with the samesort of context as deathcan be trusted) havehad their world openedby the stodgy they give to ClassicalMusic. It is typical that they had a nice in- old CBC FM-of course, there are not many more who would terview with Grit Laskin a few weeksago, and talked almost en- rather listen to the Spice Girls or whoever else is the flavor of tirely about his work as a maker of classicalguitars. the month (pun intended), but I think that this smaller "lot" counts, too. I listen regularly to CBC FM and seeit going through some Yours, massivechanges to be more attractive to the peoplewho actually GeorgeW. Lyon live in the country. There is a new sensitivity to multicul- Calgary turalism-a long piece of Indian music in prime time recently, 16 Feb 1998 for instance,as well as more instrumentalfolk and jazz. In fact, Hi George, it soundsquite a lot like CKUA did about 15 years ago. If the Sorry not to have replied earlier-1 was a bit boggled that follies don't tell them that they are missing somethingimpor- my note had producedso many and varied thoughtsat your end. tant, they can continueto pretendno one is interested.And (un- Your email was extremely thought provoking about CBC. I've like any other radio station) they have a responsibility to do it! had to chop a lot of wood on this one. This doesn't meanit will be easy,but it's the best time there has I think CBC hasto do two things (in relation to music), and been in the last 20 years, I suspect. one is be elitist in the senseof playing lots of good music (of all Cheers, kinds). The other is to acknowledgethat there are people out DaveSpalding there of very varying tastes,who should feel that the program- PenderIs land, BC ming hassome relationship to them, and if they don't like opera, 17 Ian 1998 or blues, or whatever, they should have times when their stuff Dear Dave, can be played, too. If I may, I'd like to edit your last two letters together for I guessmy point about traditional music is that CBC can the Bulletin. I'd probably add an editor's commentto your note, only copewith it if they treat it as pop-i.e. if CapeBreton fid- which might run somethinglike: While obviously I would be de- dling is in this month, then we'll play lots of it to show what lighted to hear more folk music on the radio, I want to be cau- swinging and with-it peoplewe are (your point-though I guess tious about any alteration of CBC FM. I personally find most I'm usedto this-Auntie BBC usedto do it too), but as soonas CBC pop music programsdreadful-they remind me of the sort it's unpopular, we'll forget all about it. My point is, if it's any of newspaperpop columnsmy crowd usedto laugh at during the good (which it is), it should certainly be played on popular mu- days of dope & hope-squares trying to be hip. I would hate to sic programswhile it happensto be popular, but there should seethat sort of mentality representingany sort of music I care also be regular programmingwhich treats Canadianfolk music about. Nor do I want to see the classicalprograming lessened. as seriously as opera or jazz or any of the other important mu- The other morning, I turned on CBC FM and caughtthe tail end sics, and gives it social and historical and aestheticcontext, as of somechamber work, so lovely in the freezy foggy morning, well as just playing lots of really good stuff. and then they played something that surprised me-a dobro The first CBC is doing at the moment,but certainly not the instrumental. In fact this one was very nice-like what lurgen second(unless it's on some time and channelI never intersect Gotheplays is usually very nice-but it sometimesis just plain, with). The elitist point is entirely valid-David Gregory at the oh, hell-new agey The opening up of CBC, I'm afraid, last conferencereminded me of how much my life was changed might just be more homogenizing-the World Beating of the by hearing the Alan Lomax broadcastson blues and European public airwaves.(I even sometimeswant to kick in the set when folk music at a key point in my adolescence.Spanish bagpipes I l~stento Katie Malloch.) go a long way to break down stereotypes! You speakof making the CBC more responsiveto what peo- Cheers, ple in the country want to listen to I've gotten very distrust- Dave ful of populist rhetoric lately. Why not turf the classical stuff ,fJ,fJ,fJ altogether,then? In recent months, I've been less and less sure 4...BULlEllN de musiquefolklonque cO1Iadienne 32.3 (1998) While I remain less confident than Dave Spalding that the the tired hours of late afternoon,and I'd hateto seean "eclectic" new-look CBC offers increasedpotential for Canadiansto hear CBC that featuredambience and atmosphericsover intensity.