FOR FOLK'S SAKE

I always thought The Grateful Dead were, along with balding, incontinence, and new series of IACGMOOH, a painful eventuality. When you have certain leanings, you expect to one day have secret passions for things like aimless hippie folk music, cheesecloth slacks, and organic olive oil, viewing it as an acceptable alternative to Neil Diamond, twin-sets, and spam sarnies (with the crusts cut off). 

I didn't realise i would be so young when 'the change' set in though. At nineteen i find myself barely ever listening to punk anymore, with grunge, new wave, dance and riot grrrl going a similar route. My library is mainly made up of this sort, so i still put on certain track fairly regularly, but i find a whole album fairly hard work. HARD WORK. I assure you i never thought this day would come. 

So it started with the Dead. I've always been a fan of Cat Stevens and Tyrannosaurus Rex, and there my folk persuasions ended. But when i found that these three acts had become pretty much the only records i could listen to in entirety, i decided i must explore this strange and whimsical world, this folk.

Simon and Garfunkle, Bob Dylan, Bonny 'Prince' Billy. All artists i have heard many times, but always with the closed ears of someone 'who doesn't like folk'. My new ears of course let me enjoy, for the first time, songs i'd heard many years ago. I sat in my bedroom, in secret, devouring albums. Like a secret eater i gobbled up each one and never let on where my secret feast of tunes was coming from. "Haven't heard much coming out of your room today", I hear from a sibling, so used to speakers blaring with Poly Styrene, Ari Up and Kathleen Hanna, "Oh?", I reply, without really replying. I've even turned off my lastfm scrobbler, for God's sake!

But I'm no longer ashamed with my current, mellow funk, and yes i do see it as a sort of funk. I will always be one for the louder side of things, but currently my mind is opening up to the other side of music, the calmer side. I think of it as my brain allowing for my musical knowledge to be expanded and fulfilled. Otherwise i'd never be able to fully appreciate music from all eras and genres, as i hope to one day. So yes, I'm listening to Laura Marling as i write this, and the first time i heard her i squawked my stock response, "Yeah its ok, but not really my mind of thing, bit wussy." But now i count her album as one of my current favorites, and without this blessed funk, i would probably be enjoying this lovely morning with some abrasive Japanese noise-punk. I think that's called a blessing in disguise.