Mushroom Music

The small faced boy looked from beneath his fringe and said: “It's about time they took notice of Protest songs”. . . . Folk singers, it appears are out to save the world.

Peter, Paul and Mary announce a song of theirs by saying that it contains all the elements of a Child song. Simplicity, for the child to understand the song. Repetition, to give a false sense of security. Pathos, to prepare the child for later traumatic experience. This song which they say is one of the best they have encountered is, I discovered, written by two of the members of the group. Obviously it is one of the new school of profound songs. (It has such controversial protest lines as "I've got a dog and his name is Blue, I'll bet you 5 dollars he's a good dog too"). Is, therefore, that other famous children's song of theirs "Puff the Magic Dragon” a cunning advertisement for Hemp smoking. . . . ?

Commerciality seems to be the prime factor. Protest songs sell better if the singer has a good Image, and a commercial name. Robert Zemmerman commercialized to become Bob Dylan. In his pre commercial days he filled an L.P. with himself singing and playing an acoustic guitar, to songs about segregation (with lines like . . "A bullet from the back of a bush took Medgar Ever's blood, a finger fired the trigger to his name" . . .). Now he prefers distorted electric guitars, wailing harmonicas, with pounding drums, and screaming organs and songs with lines like I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no mo'. . . ." For someone to whom "Money doesn't matter" it is amusing he should be a millionaire, smoke 80 cigarettes a day, and book in at the Savoy on his stays in London.

Some of the songs, like the one about the person who is 5 feet 4, and 6 feet 2 (one leg longer than the other, no doubt) and has been a soldier for a 1,000 years. ("He's only 17" says another line) are pleasant to listen to. But their attempts to make people sit up and take notice, grab the Bible and rush off to a Civil Rights meeting as soon as the record ends, though in a just cause, are in vain. For to be told that you have no opinions, you are complacent, and that the only person who cares what happens to the world is a scruffy young long haired 20 year old who dresses in jean from toe to cap is mildly amusing, but nevertheless nauseating. In fact, in the words of the father of many of the modern day folk songs "When will they ever learn . . . ?"

Dominic Williams, 5A.


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