The following article appears in the March - May '98 issue of FolkNotes.

Positive Outlook

The previous issue of FolkNotes contained two articles which, in retrospect, might be viewed as a wee bit cynical: the FolkNotes interview with Dennis Friscia, and a brief report by Dana Cooke on the difficulty in attracting an audience to a Folk Alliance showcase performance by an FOF-affiliated contingent.

These articles caught the attention of well-regarded national folk artist Michael Johnathon. He responded separately to the two articles, beginning with Cooke’s rhetorical question: "Why, at this point in the history of humankind, has every person alive decided to pick up a guitar and perform in public?" Johnathon’s response:

"Because never before in the history of mankind has it ever been so easy for anyone grab hold of their ‘15 minutes of fame.’ Make a CD and some DJ, somewhere will play it. This, I believe is a good thing. Anyway for anyone to get up and sing is a positive event.

"But it is not neccessarily ‘art.’

"People once used art as a statement of their life before death erased them from the planet. It was full of passion and desperation and deepest possible emotions. However, today there are fewer actual statements being made. This is not a good thing. More and more people are singing out about less and less. New songs are abundant, good writing is not. The ‘I, Me, My’ generation of songwriters have isolated the folk veiwpoint from that of the world and the community, which is always interesting, all the way down to the focus of their one small opinion, which is tedious at best.

"I guess this is inevitable. But, again, it is not ‘art.’ It is a form of complaining dressed in the cloak of art.

"Music and song is a wonderful therapy. If a person can take their troubles to song instead of blowing their neighbors head off with a shotgun, I’m completely in favor of it!"

It was in an e-mail originally sent to FOF President Reluctant Larry Hoyt that Johnathon first commented on the Friscia interview — that e-mail then forwarded to FolkNotes:

"From the sounds of it, [Friscia] seems to have weathered through a bunch of frustration trying to get his songs and music out to a relativly small audience. . . .

"Now, I don’t mean to sound critical of anybody or any artists, especially those who might be struggling and going through a period of discouragement. And my heart goes out to Dennis. I write only my own opinions of how to help folk music grow nationally and in each hometown. . . .

"Let me say first that negativity will always spred quickest. There is nothing more contageous then negative feelings. . . . This attitude exudes like a bad weed from an artist to the audience. If the artists feel down on the community they play in, why should the audience rise above it? Artists have to be positive, they have to enjoy what they do and love their audience if they want that audience to grow. . . . I have found nothing in the world to be more effective than the simple power of a great song in the hands of a capable artist that truly enjoys their audience, whether it be ten people or ten thousand. I have found nothing in the world more absolute than the repelling nature of an artist who has a negative mood about their stature or their difficulty in making a living.

We should never blame our communities for this. We can’t take on a war mentality and complain about it. We simply should work harder. We must simply get better. We should write more meaningful songs. We should reach within deeper and offer more each time we perform. We should take that banjo neck out of our a** and relax . . . and start having some fun. . . .

"When I read the [Friscia] interview, I couldn’t help but be a bit alarmed of how the audience will react. Does it make being a folksinger sound fun or depressing? Does it make me want to look deeper into the unknown acoustic world or does it push me away by being negative in spirit.

"Many times, an artist has a small audience because, well, we think small. The smallest thing we can think is, of course, ourselves. The smallest and most insignificant part of ourselves we can focus on is our complaints. The audience doesn’t want to hear us complain. Hell, most of them would give their eye teeth to be able to live as an artist for one day. To have the freedom of creativity and the talent to express it, to have the joy of performing and the privilege of the applause. An artist is simply someone who is willing to suck long enough to get good. And the audience looovvves to travel that road with an artist."

This page maintained by Dana Cooke. E-mail me at djcooke@aiusa.com.