Canadian Folk Music BUUEllN 30.2 (1996) ...5

(originally written in 1954)

Vera Johnson

One of the most remarkable child It was the kind of program that radio hour Mills strove with increasing exasper- prodigieson record is a deceptivelygenial artists dream about in their most fright- ation to overcome her objections, without Montrealer who chain-smokescigarettes ening nightmares, where musical scores results. She was afraid to take a chance. and drinks his whiskey straight. Techni- are lost and the whole program has to be Now, if he would only sing something cally, Alan Mills is only six yearsold, yet altered five minutes before air-time and reliable, like "Road to Mandalay." Even- he has already solidly establishedhimself nervesare tenseand throatstighten up and tually he stormed out in a rage, leaving as 'sbest-known folksinger. How- the station managerfalls into an apoplec- behind him an expensive book of Schubert ever, this achievementis not quite as tic fit. Even now, Alan cannot recall the lieder. phenomenalas it sounds,for Mills sprang detailswithout wincing-but the broadcast That was 1937, and he has stayed into being in 1947 as a full-fledged adult did lead to one rather significant incident. mad ever since. Furthermore, when he with years of training and experience A prominent clubwoman turned his back on Schubert as his particu- behind him-the "alter-ego" of an ex- heard it and decidedthat Alan Mills was lar means of musical expression-though newspapermanand actor named Albert just what she neededfor the next regular he still treasures his collection of Miller. meetingof her group. In an interview she lieder-it was a permanent decision. For Originally, the new namewas simply offered him ten dollars to deliver the Alan Mills there is only one kind of a useful device which enabled him to usual baritone's program-including the music-folksongs. Behind his pleasant avoid being typed as an "actor who inevitable "Road to Mandalay." Sincehis exterior this passion seethesin him like a sings." Therewas nothing to indicate that accompanist'sfee was ten dollars, Mills volcano, and whenever he comes in con- actually he wascreating a personalitywho respondedwith somethingless than wild tact with people who think these songs are would soon push Albert Miller into the enthusiasm.He madean alternativeoffer. "cute" or "quaint," or regard them as an background. In fact, there was some "Let me sing folk songs,unaccompanied," inferior art form, or quote American doubt at the beginningwhether Alan Mills he said, "and I won't chargeanything." authorities by the yard but ignore the would be able to survive. "Folk songs?Unaccompanied?" The existence of native Canadian songs-then His debut-on the first (and last) lady was taken aback at this wild sug- the volcano erupts. programof a scheduledseries over station gestion. Such a thing was unheard-of. It In spite of his explosive tendencies, CFCF in Montreal-was a dismal failure. had never been done before. For half an Mills is essentially a good-natured, easy- 6...BULl.EllN de musiquefolkJonque canadienne30.2 (1996)

going fellow with an immensezest for life the Montreal Evening Journal at a fabu- headquartersand instructed AI to rush and a warmth of personality that makes lously small weekly salary. aroundto the comer restaurantand phone itself felt even over the air-waves. One Saturdayin Decemberthe com- from there. AI agreed.After hangingup, He was born in Lachine, , plete reportorial staff of the Journal was he reflected that it was cold and slippery where his Jewish parents had bought a hanging about police headquarters(with outside, and anyway the boss was being small store after emigrating from Bes- the insoucianceproper to a newspaperman unreasonable.So he waited ten minutes sarabia. As a boy he caddied at various of nearly four months' experience)when and then phoned his sister again, pre- clubs along the lakeshoreand becamea the phone rang. The desk sergeantpicked tending he was calling from the restau- fair golfer-though not as good as his it up and after listening a moment stam- rant. To guard against the remote possi- brother, Cecil Miller, who is one of the mer"ed "Qw..? ... Ri cot.h ?" A t t his AI bility of police interference,this time he top-ranking amateurs in Montreal. In pricked up his ears. Richot was the name spokein Yiddish (in which he is as fluent 1926the family movedto Montreal where of a lumberjackwho had choppedhis wife as he is in French and English). AI (as he is known to his friends-a to bits in their Montreal flat and was now On hearing the news, the boss con- nicknamewhich covers both facetsof his being sought by all police forces of the gratulated AI (both on his acumen as a split personality) continued his education province, with the hunt concentratedon journalist and his devotion to duty in at Baron Byng High School. With the the Quebecbackwoods country. The ser- braving the elements)and instructed him exception of gymnastics, in which he geantbabbled excitedly in French (which to return to headquartersto await further excelled,school was an unfortunateneces- AI speaksas fluently as English), then developments.AI "returned" by hanging sity rather than an interest, and when he rounded up some assistantsand left in a up the receiver. One hour later the Jour- was 14 he left it for good. rush. From the conversationAI gathered nal scoopedthe other papersby rushing a For a year he worked as a messenger that Richot had been found at a local four-sheetextra to the street,and the next boy for a ladies' dress store, but it was a hospital-dead. day AI was rewarded with a two dollar "joe" job, filling in time until he got his His job was to phone in the news, so raise. However, this was a dying moment big chance.That camein September1928, he called his sister at the Journal and of glory for the paper. Two weekslater it when he was fifteen. Through the influ- startedto tell her what had happened,but folded completely. ence of his sister, who was already an the boss intervened. He insisted that the With the scoop as his recommen- employee,he becamethe only reporteron story must not be phoned from police dation, Al movedto the Montreal Herald.

In 1972, Shelley Posenand I receiveda grnnt from the CanadianFolk Music Societyto conductresearch on popular music in Newfoundland.We knew of the importanceof Newfoundlandmusic on the folksong revival, and the correspondinginfluence of non-Newfoundlandsingers on popular music on the island. We were certainly more awareof the part played by Alan Mills (along with singerssuch as Omar Blondahl and Ed McCurdy) in this interplay of traditions. During our researchwe found ourselvesin Montreal, staying with friends who lived in the sameneighbourhood as Alan Mills. We couldn't passup an opportunity to speakwith Mills, so we madean appointmentto interview him. For whateverreason (Shelley and I have beenkicking ourselvesever since) we did not bring a tape recorder to the interview. Perhapswe thought that a formal interview would be an imposition, although that never stoppedus before. Nevertheless, we spenta pleasantand useful hour with Mills-useful for us in understandingthe place of the folksong revival in Newfoundlandpopular music history. Most of our questionsdealt rather specifically with Mills's knowledgeand understandingof Newfoundlandsong: how he learnedhis Newfoundlandrepertoire, why he recordedNewfoundland songs, whom he influenced and who influenced him in this matter. Only occasionally,as I remember,did we discussthe wider issue of folksong as popular culture, or Mills's place in the wider world of the North American folksong revival movement. What impressedme most about Mills was his clear understandingof his motivations for singing folksongs. He saw his role as an interpreter; someonewho could take traditional material and interpret it so that a wider, cross-cultural audiencecould appreciateand understandit. Like others in the folksong revival movement,his aim was to translatean esotericart form into a style of performancein conformity with the conventionsof massmedia. As a young grnduatestudent in folklore, I was not appreciativeof Mills's motivations; I found them destructiveof the authenticity of songsas performedwithin traditional, esotericcontexts. But I had much to learn. "Authenticity" is a tricky issue, and neither the academicfolklorist nor the folk revivalist can lay claim to presentingan "authentic" tradition. Both are interpreters,and both use their separatein-group conventionsto representfolklore. The academic folklorist looks backwardto the song as sung in its traditional context, and tries to representthat performance,usually in the mediumof print. The folk revivalist looks forward to a cross-culturalaudience's ability to receivematerial taken out of its original context. In both cases,the "authentic" item is lost in the translation; in both cases,what is presentedis an essenceof the original. Canadian Folk Music BULlE1JN 30.2 (1996) ...7

A short while later Blair Fraserjoined the ering in Shaw's Pygmalion) for Rupert were in the big city before returning staff as a junior reporter-but as he had Caplan. Now-still under Caplan'sdirec- home. An agentpainted a rosy future for reachedthe advancedage of twenty, Blair tion-he beganto perform regularly over him and promisedhim a part in a musical was still senior to AI. On one occasion CBC. comedy, Friday at Four. After waiting a Blair was putting out the sports extra all Caplan is what Al terms a "great" few weeks for rehearsalsto begin, AI by himself when a murder was discovered director, one of his finest talentsbeing to quietly sneakedout of town. As far as he in a squalid little hotel on St. Lawrence infuse his actors with enthusiasmfor any knows, the rehearsalsstill haven't start- Main. The "senior" junior reporter (Blair) role and to get the most out of them in ed. He returnedto the Henlld and after immediatelyforgot his responsibilitiesand the way of characterization. Under his three years transferred to the Gazette, dashed off to the scene of the crime, influence Albert Miller, actor, becameas where Blair Fraser later becamehis city leaving the "junior" junior reporter (AI) well-known as Albert Miller, newspaper- editor and the dramaticcritic was Herbert to put out the paper-which he did very man. Whittaker, who afterwardsmoved to the competently. In 1934 he began to study singing Globe and Mail. As police reporter, AI's Blair remembersAI at 16 as an ebul- with the late Albert Whitehead.He had a work was mainly done by phone. Whit- lient youth who drove the other reporters naturally fine baritone voice to begin taker recalls that even in this chore he to distraction by tap-dancing all around with, and Whiteheadtaught him how to made use of his dramatic abilities. He them, singing blithely, when they were use it. A year later, Whitehead'sfriend, would speakto the various desksergeants trying to pound out their stories just John Goss, decided to re-organize his in a fair approximation of their own before deadline.It was futile to complain, London Singers, and Al was invited to voices, and the sergeants-responding for he didn't take their objections join the group. For the next two years, warmly to a familiar something they seriously. Once, however, Blair leaned while the London Singerstoured the con- couldn't quite identify-were all most against a phone booth (knowing AI was tinent, Al was busy learning folksongs friendly and co-operative. inside) and expressed his views very and getting a new slant on music. "It was By this time Ai was in great demand loudly to a third party. AI looked quite Gosswho taught me the wonder of words at newspaperstag partes, where his folk hurt when he came out of the booth and in a song," he says, "and who made me songs-particularly the more lusty items stoppedsinging for at least half an hour. realize that singing is only telling a story such as "The Fireship" (which was later In 1932 the junior reporter-who by musically." cleanedup and releasedfor the jukebox as this time considered himself a veteran The tour was a flop financially, but "Oneof the Roving Kind")-were listened newspaperman-beganto expand his ac- for Albert Miller personally it was an to and sung with great relish. Whittaker tivities. When he was 16 he had become invaluable experience. When the group remembersthat at one of these parties interested in amateur dramatics and had broke up in in 1937, he de- (which are not, he points out mildly, in played his first role (that of Col. Pick- cided to see what opportunities there the sameclass as a musicaleor afternoon

Alan Mills was presentingan essence.In his performances,he had no interest in replicating the soundand style of a traditional Newfoundlandsinger. He was intent, rather, on bringing acrossa song in way which capturedits essential qualities-as he interpreted thesequalities, and as he imagined his audiencewould appreciatethem. As a performer, Mills not only presenteda style or interpretationof his songs,he also presenteda persona-a folksong singer. Once again, this personawas not directly related to the personalitiesof traditional singers, but was a characterwith certain essentialqualities: earthy, extroverted,jovial-the exact nature of this personawould be a study in itself. Vera Johnson'sbiography of Mills is also a representation.She gives a good accountof the life and performing careerof Mills, but she also has an audiencein mind-a readership-and she interpretsMills for this audiencein a way which brings out his essentialqualities. Shetoo presentsa Mills-persona. Perhapsher first sentencesets the tone: a genial chain-smokerwho drinks his whiskey straight. Mills's commentson the piece presenta counter-persona.Mills wrote that he was not a whiskey-drinker, but a coffee fiend. But the personarevealed in Mills's commentsis really quite close to the one presentedby Vera Johnson. Regardlessof what his favorite tipple was, there is a consistencyto the personapresented in both the biography and the commentary-earthy, extroverted, jovial. ShelleyPosen and I noted that, when interviewing Newfoundlandpopular performers,we were often presentedwith a stagepersona. We never knew if we had been speakingto the "real" person, or simply to a characterinvented by that personto satisfy our supposedexpectations or that person's senseof his or her pubic self. Once again, we were confrontedby that old trickster, "authenticity." The documentsVera Johnsonoffers us are valuable, and their value lies partly in the severalways in which they can be read. They are historical, informative, personal,and entertaining. They are also authenticperformances in their own right. -Michael Taft 8... BUUEllN de musiquefolkloriqlle canadienne30.2 (1996) tea)AI sang"Lord Randall" so beautifully hours in the CKEY recording studios lis- cast if he spent a couple of hours daily that the entire crowd was hushed, and tening to the luscious, money-making running after accidentsand fires. Rather when he finished some of the men had voice of Lome Greene,he would comeup than return to elementary news-legging tears in their eyes. for air and try it again-and onceagain he -the kind of thing he'd startedout at 15 1940 was a big year for AI. It was would blow up. It was as if somebaleful years before-AI decided to quit CKEY the year he married Bernie-a warm- occult influencewere at work, determined and return to Montreal. hearted, attractive and intelligent girl to prevent him from succeedingin this had one more treat in store whose cooking would do credit to a particular field, for during the same for him, though. Andrew Allen, who Cordon Bleu. They had met five years period he took part in a number of edu- knew of his work on Caplanshows out of before at a summercamp in the Lauren- cational broadcastsover CBC and got Montreal, wantedto usehim on the Stage tians, a perfect setting for romance. through his lines with no difficulty. series.When he turned up at the first re- Fortunately, this was before AI had dis- To keep his spirits up during this hearsal, AI discoveredthat he had been covered fishing, or he might still be a trying period, AI usedto sit in the news- given a small part of two or three lines, bachelor. room alone, and while he looked over the which was fine for a beginning-but, un- Bernie remembers that he started fortunately, the role was that of a fishing with a hook and a line which he newscaster. His fate was sealed right wound around an old tomato soup can. there. He did well at rehearsals,but when His equipmenthas made some progress in it cameto the actualbroadcast-he fluffed the thirteen years since, but it is still again! relatively simple. AI is the kind of fisher- The Millers skulkedback to Montreal man whose passionburns steadily, quite with a sour taste in their mouths and a independentof shiny rods and flies and low opinion of Toronto. This opinion was doodads.At Mrs. Wilson's summercamp intensified some years later when they on Lake Memphremagog,he will happily were invited to Toronto so that AI could spend the day sitting in a flat-bottomed be presentedpublicly with a First Award boat, catching perch and black bass. from the Radio Awards Committeeon an Whenhe stopscatching fish and returnsto hour-long network program. On arrival, the camp, he startstalking about catching they found that the programproducer had fish, and this continuesindefinitely unless decided,in spite of the Committee'sinvi- someonesteers him onto the subject of tation, not to include AI on the program, folksongs. so he and Bernie turned around and went His passionfor fishing is one of the back to Montreal-where the award was things Bernie has had to get used to. delivered a few days later, without any Another is his mannerof getting up in the speeches. morning. He openshis eyes and bounces The Toronto jinx was finally broken out of bed, raring to go. Bernie-who, in the summer of 1952, when Mavor like mostnormal people,finds the process Moore invited AI to Toronto to play the of waking up much like struggling back part of Doctor Panglossin the revival of from the grave-has still not adjusted The Best of All Possible Worlds (the completelyto this inhuman behavior, but part originally createdby Tommy Tweed). she has hopes. The whole affair was a thoroughly satis- In the five years after his marriage, fying and delightful experience. (Dr. AI finally reacheda point where he could Pangloss,it should be mentioned,is not a take over almost any reportorial or city- materialfor his next newscast,cutting and newscaster.) room job on the Gazette and was pro- changingright up until air time, he would To return to 1946, some time after moted to Assistant City Editor. By this be singing his headoff. He suspectsnow the Toronto fiasco, AI took part in a CBC time, however, the glamor of newspaper that these impromptu concertsmay have broadcastfrom Montreal, The Ballad of work had worn thin. On October 1, 1945, been somewhatannoying to some of the Charlie Spence, written by Athol Stew- he quit the paper, intending to devotehis "creative" mindsaround the place, suchas art. In format this consistedof a ballad, time to radio. Mickey Lester, but if so, they exercised with dramaticscenes sandwiched between Almost immediatelyhe was offered a admirable restraint. the verses.No music had been provided, job as newscasterat CKEY. He and Jack Kent Cooke, owner of the so AI wrote it himself. The responseto Bernie blithely packed their belongings station,also adopteda remarkablytolerant his performanceas ballad-singer in this and headed for Toronto-and the most attitude towards the latest addition to his production was so encouraging that he miserablefour monthsof their lives. As a staff, but after four monthseven he began concluded the Canadian public would commercialbroadcaster, AI madehistory. to wonder. At last he suggestedthat AI welcome a new folksinger. A short time He fluffed every newscast.After spending might do a better job on the local news- later, Alan Mills was born. BULlE7JN de musiquefolklorique canadienne30.2 (1996)

This was also the year when Al got in Buck Lacombe), and the job of script- times, she added his name to the list. touch with Helen Creighton, whose writing was turned over to Alan Mills. "That man, when he sings, we feel him achievementsin collecting the folksongs Songs Chez Nous is heard on Monday jumping, so light, so gay." ("And effec- of Nova Scotia were tively," Helene says, describedwere describedin "Alan sings with all his a previous Maclean's sat.Rite body: legs, amlS, tie, article. everything works. ") Originally he wrote to Dear Vera: When the compliment her for permissionto use in was passedon to AI, he his book a songthat shehad It was very sweet anu considerate of you to let me see your first draft of "Just Call Ue Al"... 1 like 1t. Quite told Helene, "Your collected. At this time the apart from any prejudiced view 1 might have towards the subject mattB', end regarding it with the critic..l eye of a form,r copy editor, mother is an old flirt." Alan Mills programwas not it's a bloouy good Job of reporting and makes v"ry good reading. 1 like the way yo" went about gettin8 the story, searching f- Sometimes AI calls for every possibly anglc that would "rev"al" this guy to yuu, yet carried by the eastern and then tying up the tangle in a nice clean knot. 1 swear it would Helene around ten have taken me months to do it, and 1 franl'ly admire and respect network, so Miss Creighton your efficiency. o'clock at night, was unfamiliar with his And that's no bullshitl searching for a French- name. However, their ac- There are surprisingly-few serious errors in the story, the main on" being the chronoltgical order of events such as the Canadian song of one quaintance soon deepened CFCF incident. 1 like your title and your lead very much, tho' 1 must confess the "technical" age of Alan Uills puzzled me until particular type to use on into a warm friendship, 1 realized th..t he actually did NOT exist until 1947. 1 do object -- and strenuously -- to the unfortunate -- reference to driaking the next week's program. especially after Miss whiskey straight. My God!... 1 rarely ~ have more then one or two drinks a week, and 1 very seldom drink whiskey STMIGHTI Anyone who If she can not think of knows me will get a snicker out of thatl... which would be a reflection Creighton finally heard him on the ~ thoroughness nf your reporting, and an unfair slander to me, one offhand, he gets ner- perform. "His singing is for 1 need hardly tell you the effect of such a phrase on prim Ontario vous. She suggests polished," she comments, mothers, etc." churches, schools, who all regard my stuff as good clean fun, and consequently expect me to be the same. ...which 1 am, dammitl others, and finally they "but never so highly that NOW -- had you said, "and drinks coffee by the gallon", how right you would have beenl... Friends!ll!l.! us as the .coffee-drinkin' would end up singing for lIillers"... There is always a 70t nf coffee on the stove, from morning any of the simplicity is lost. till bedtime, which sometimes 18s you remember) 1s around 3e.m. half an hour over the Bernie likes her coffe hot, without sugar, and with or without " Even the original folk- homog~nized milk (WE BOTH ~ ~ in coffee) depending on her mood. phone, working out har- In fact 1 bring her coffee in ~ almost every morning, as she SHOULD have

singersenjoy it, and that to told you, the bitchl... 1. drink coffee an' ole way, straight, ..~- ~~~-~ ~~brown, with or without sugar (but preferably WITB); monies, trying all the

me is the real test. A singer ~--~-~ 1 drink it hot, cold, or tepid, fresh or stale -- a rough guess would be about 15 cups a day and you know verses, and so on. must have great sympathy our CUPSI Helene'shusband, Andre and understandingif he is a Have I made that point' Cote, a Montreal lawyer, professionaland attemptsa To continue... The corrections on Pages One and Two speak for themselves. is almost as well versed

folksong." Pages 3, 4 ,. 5 0kay as is.. in Quebec folklore as This is a rare tribute Page 6 Corrections are self-explanatory... Rr.le~e~zM.itili.x she, and on one occasion from a respectedauthority .a.x Ie ..ue,... zxa~ r.x 8i tll- zox tllex t -.zx1~ zx.. zi U z".ae dill zi tEeili7-x x!z~ z. ex tx t II. Xv.a~.ZSBXt. zll.n~l. ~x wltex io.apa ziUuun zx zEt.ilx &t.bt l~x she came home late at in the field-and a rebuttal sIIstxiiueUxta

In 1953 Folkways Page 13 Dropp1ng of the pr1ce of mY book f,'om $2.50 to Whenhe isn't work- 81.00 has proved beyond doubt that slow sales were due to the PRICE released a second Alan of the book. Ex"-Ple:- ing, Al relaxesin the old Mills disc-this time a 5,000 books were pr1nted or1g1nally to se~l at &2.50 greystone house on From 1949 to December, 1952, that jS 1n more than three years, group of a dozen New- *A.x only s11ghtly more than 1,500 books "ere sold. Tupper Street which foundland songs, including S1nce the pr1ce drop as of last December, nearly 1,000 books Bernie, with the touch of have been sold -- 1n less than TWOIIONTHSJ Of course, "Squid-liggin' Ground" and publishers are losing money nn this edit10n, wh1ch 1s pretty a born decorator, has good b1nd1ng, paper and cover but hope to recoup losses by pr1nt1ng a SECONDEDITION, ,,1th less expens1ve b1nd1ng, transformedinto a bright, others which are not so paper, etc., to sell at &1.00.. And 1f sales cont1nue as well-known. From February they have 1n the past twu months, that Second ~1t1un w111 charming, and comfort- be out before In '1e"another n year rolls by 25 to March 3, he played able home. Like AI and deserve the slap the role of the Leader in antagon1ze them town Bernie, the colors are Kurt Weill's Down in the warm and earthy, and the Valley, produced by the furnishings-from the Page 14 A Minute Opera Company in original paintings by the Gesu Theatre in Mon- Canadiansartists to the treal. On March 11 he was weather-beaten wooden guest artist at the second "a. head of Christ carvedby International Folksong Fes- some anonymousMexi- tival, sponsored by the can-are "different" and Laurentian Choir-a group storv yet exactly right. The of untrained housewives only room which has who discovered, with his been left practically un- help, that anybody can sing touchedis the bathroom, folksongs. a surprisinglymodernistic "Extra-curricular" ac- place of green tile and tivities such as these are and full-length mirrors. AI and crammed into an already "'.. and Bernie fell in love heavy schedule. In his with it at first sight, basementworkroom-where like when the rest of the a watercolormural executed little house still brooded by a kindergarten class for Page 15 A chronological correction. "Singing Narrator" .uzx behind heavy dark pan- is MY mistake. The role is called the LEADEIi. Note their favorite singer occu- the additional concert, Utellztlxx I elling. They have re-

6P:~' pies a placeof honor on the Page 16 lt's GREY-stone, not BrillWNI~~...And you can call christened it "The the head CHlilST if you like, but w# actually don't know.

wall-Al sits at his type- Page 1817 and EggWelll we call rolls hiD tax "THE ALONESAIIIT" is for peasantsl... 1 like 'em, Narcissus Room" and writer and poundsout three ~ still regard it as their scripts a week: one for pride and joy. Chez Nous, one for the surel But 1 like so Many other vllinese dishes. It is here, at home, Sunday show, and one for THASSALI that AI is happiest. For his regular weekly short- eleven years Bernie has wave broadcast to Latin beencoaxing him to take America. He works up to his neck in has a thick sheaf of correspondenceto her to a night club some Saturday, but papers, but like every good newspaper- attend to-and when that has been an- without success.Although occasionally man knows exactly where to put his hand sweredthere are alwaysnew songsto pick she twits him with being a stick-in-the- on any particular document. out on the piano. Twice a week he joins mud, secretly she admits that staying at (This isn't the only hangoverfrom his the chorus on the CBC Anny Show. Al- home is probably a lot more entertaining newspaperdays. A friend reports that most every Sunday, as soon as his own than any tour of the night spots. recently they were walking down a Mon- program is finished, he movesto another Life with Mills is more fun than a treal streetand happenedto reachthe site studio to perform in Rupert Caplan's barrel of monkeys. Bernie never knows of a big fire. Everybody from the fire- Bible series,The Way of the Spirit. Then whether she is living with a Russian, chief down greetedAl as an old friend, there is his regular appearanceas the French Canadian, a Cockney, or what- and within ten minutes he had learned suitor, Robert Marshall, in the popular have-you,for AI slips in and out of var- BULlEl1N de musiquefolklorique canadienne30.2 (1996) ious roles and with his amazing facility hard road to travel. As long as a large he will never be satisfied. He is a ded- for dialects he makes each character number of Canadiansremain unawareof icated folksinger, approachinghis work completelycredible. the songswhich are our national heritage, with a seriousnessand intensity that make He is sufficiently extro- him impatient at times, verted to enjoy good com- and occasionally even pany, although social life is intolerant. not allowedto interferewith Some time in the 1 hope you don't regard "'y suggested correctiuns his work. If guestsarrive in as being out of order, or -- in any way -- a reflection future he wants to learn the middle of a script, he on your story in toto. how to play the guitar Again, I'd like to tell you you've done a wonderful will greet them with genu- Job, and it's far-and-away the best-"ritten and most-complete which he bought many story on me that I have yet seen. I only hope th3t lIucleans ine pleasure and then "ill appreciate it, but I have a snenking suspicion that they yearsago. A West Indian "ill find it too long and will prubably order you to cut blithely desert them while gre3t chunks out of it In any case, l'm most anxio"s to friend advised him to know the reaction to your fir"t dr3ft, so don't waste too he completesthe remaining much time responding to this... take it easy-pick it up pages. Only when that Yours, with usual regards to the epheluntsl... now and again and strum chore is completeddoes he AL. it fondly, and beforelong take over his duties as 4062 T"pper St., he'd find he was making Westmount, QUE. host-a role he fills with music. Al has followed efficiency and obvious en- this advice, but so joyment. He assiduously 1 wasn't going to -- but 1 might as well answer far-even though he has fills and refills glasses, FIRb'T:some of -- the Congratsquestions to YOUin your on theletter Festival Job, always treatedthe instru- pressesfood on the guests, Bhat fun ~hat's gonna bel... And does ment with the utmost Eleanor Stuart know that she's slated and at the drop of a hat jus- for leads?..I'd like to congratulate affection-he has pro- her. tifies his reputation as a ducedonly discords. lncldcntally, did you ask her to s;leak her marvellousraconteur. Those mind on Me?..And did she7...And while 11m Some time, too, he on this... I'm ~ather curio.s to know 1f who know him only as a Caplan responded. must follow his doctor's "children's" singer would Don't Irorry about the Geo.l!obertson affair, 1 DIDN'T jwnp tu conclusiuns... instructions and stop be surprisedto discoverthat Got a laugh out of the AX.Morrow deal...must smoking, but up until he has a lusty and engag- remember to tell AzxtJzx li'l Art. now he hasn't talked ingly ribald approach to 1 think your Rank yoke on Roc is really I,ankl Besides, it's as old as the hills. himself into it. The life. CONIffiATS, too, on the Can. Forum publication. doctor has also ordered

Although he has no ReGurding Uncle Alphonee, in later conver:;"tion him to reduce. This is a with IIcGill, he was disappointed that Boyle children of his own, Al is a didn't buy the script. And there is a!11.e. prospect which chills possibility that he -- McGill -- nUx might devoted family man and consider boying the show for lIontreal region him, for he loves food alone, if not net/work. Th1s possibility hinge keeps in close touch with on whether or not he wiU get larger budget -- or rather, a separate ENGLISH budget -- for (especiallyChinese dishes his two brothers, his sister CBII, which is rumored likely at lung last. and Bernie's specialmeat As things have been, CBII has had depend on and his parents. The elder rather-slim handouts from the FI!LNCB Network, which gets the entire bud£et for the ~ontrcal loaf) with an abiding Millers are pleasedby his erea. McGill, an efficient administrator ond . perfectly bilingual, has got along so well passion. successbut somewhatmys- wi th the FI1E!/CH boy s that they are actually BACKING his request for a SEPARATE budget for This, then, is Alan tified. When they hear him English shows And,so far,~.s 1s closest to getting it than anyone hos ever been before hi~ Mills. tHIS IS TOP-SECIlt.1:, SO YU"..' S THE WOPJJ, UNLE:;:; doing a special program of IT'S AI/JIUUUCj,:D, not that - think it motters to As a folksinger he Scottish songs for St. any.ne in Twanno. doesn't yet have the in- Andrew's Day, they cannot I'm so goddam t&red ternationalreputation of a help feeling that it is a ,C'nJte Burl Ives or Josh White. strange occupation for a But for a six-year- Jewish boy. old, he's doing all right. Alan Mills still has a

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The local boys Ihat played for dances were Babe Scar and one of Ihe Welch boys. That was a fiddle and some dlUnIS, bul Babe said lhat he Ihoughl he could play an acconiion, so sure enough one of Ihe bush men came Ihrough a week or so later, and he had an acconiion wilh him, and Babe sat in a comer. He'd never seen one before, bUl he fiddled wilh it Ihat qftemoon, and lhat nighl he was able 10 play lunes 10 please everybody who was in Ihe bar. So Babe said lhat ifwe would buy him an acconiion, he would play for Ihe dances unlil he paid for il. So we gOl a raJfle going, and we sold tickets up and down the line. We sold 10 everybody that went through. Evenlually we sold all the tickets, and we had enough money to buy Babe his acconiion. Wen, sir, the next dance we had Babe bring lhat acconiion out, and he played us some toe tapping tunes Ihere that you couldn't sit through. He played for us all the rest of the time we were in Gainfoni. I don't blow when the acconiion was paid for, and I don't believe Babe blows when it was paid for, either. Nobody ever cared; Babe just played.

Mac Peck, Spirit and Trails of Lac Ste. Anne (Lac Ste. Anne, Albena)