I was thinking (<-mistake) tonight that all of the good itm musicians I’ve met and read about have been more of the liberal varietys. I can’t think of one politically conservative itm player (that I’ve met in real life, on the web or that I’ve read about) who was a master of his/her particular instrument. Definatly not going to name names here cause that would be all bad but I was wondering if it’s something about irish music that conservatives aren’t good at or if being conservative is being unirish? Maybe it’s because I tend to associate with leftleaners or that I live in California so the great players in the pubs that I meet are from California and that’s why I haven’t come across great politically conservative itm musicians. But then if you think about it, where are the good towns for Irish music? San Francisco, Chicago, New York, and Boston; all are leftist towns. You don’t here about Mobile, Alabama being a hotbed of Irish music.
Now I’m not meaning this to be a jab at conservatives, (okay maybe a little bit) but seriously is this a true phenomina? Could it be that Conservatives can’t accept that they make mistakes and that they can’t admit that they are doing something incorrectly, just like they can’t in real life? And therefore they cannot fix their problems? I do not know, I’m just throwing this out there.
Because this is a website about the tin whistle, an irish instrument. And most of us here are interstead in irish music. I know people around there are pretty good at Appalachain and bluegrass music. I’m not talking about all music, just irish.
In my experience, musicians of all types of music (except American country), and actors for that matter, are 99% liberal (look at Hollywood, both movies and television). Why else would Jane Fonda win an Oscar for a piece of garbage like Klute? Because her fellow liberals wanted to honor her for being so politically outspoken.
This is indeed the whistle flute or “tin” whistle forum but that doesn’t make it Irish. There is a separate Irish Traditional Music forum. Neither Ireland nor the other Celtic lands have a monopoly on the whistle flute in its simple system form. These whistles are extant in other European and Asian traditions, many of which are ongoing, living traditions rather than revived ones. Simple system flutes and whistles have been played in India and China and those in between since before people over 4 foot 6 inches sat at the mound of Tara.
Perhaps you will find more the leftie types playing music in public places
whereas the conservatives in the privacy of their lush homes and elite soirees …
ITM is basically “folk” music, right? I mean, it’s a form of music that is “of the people” and picked up by hearing (for most of it’s time) and not orchastratedly transcribed.
The “people” have used music for lots of things - celebrating good times, trying to deal with hard times, birth, death, and political problems such as war, monarchs, etc. Think of songs like “Brian Boru’s March”. “Chase Me Charlie”. And look at songs like “Over the River to Feed My Sheep” that I suppose you would now call an Appalachian song, but has strong Celtic roots.
Now, look at the “folk” musicians (not ITM genre) that have “made” it the past 40 years or so. Bob Dillon. Tom Paxton. John McCutcheon. etc.etc. All have songs about war, death - the same things in ITM. And all are of the “liberal” persuasion.
I think if you really KNOW the background of songs, and are drawn to that, you tend to be the “I’m going to do something and change this” type of person. Hense you tend to “appeal” to those that are more liberal.
BTW - I’m not liberal or conservative - I tend to be more libertarian than anything else. But I guess you could write a lot of songs talking about government having too big of a hand in everyone’s lives, right??
I don’t know the people at the top of ITM,
but I know people at the utter bottom, like myself,
who are conservatives. But we tend to lay low–
I don’t talk politics much except in virtual
reality, cause the other side tends to
get angry very fast. I think this is widespread:
if conservatives are there you are
less likely to know it.
Read a poem in the paper about the Hollywood
elite:
We resolved to leave the country
If Bush wasn’t shown the gate,
But who would enlighten you peasants?
So we’re staying, at least till 08!
Elites in this country tend to be leftist,
and it may be that elite musicians are
like this, too. I know that in the academy
the pressure to be a leftist is profound,
both social and in terms of job security.
Unless you are brave and very committed,
you adapt in such a milieu. Few people
care enough to buck ‘society.’ And if you
hold out, you tend to keep your head
down.
I agree that ‘protest’ music in the last century
came largely from the left.
I think it has to do with how a conservative will focus more on their job and money and a liberal will focus on what makes tham happy. A conservative finds music as a hobby where as a liberal finds it as a way of life. It is more likely to find a liberal person who plays music for a living where as a conservative would think that is not a real job only a hobby. So the liberal will spemd more time playing their music not only for fun but because that is the way they want to live they will play because it “feeds” their soul not because it is some thing to do or something to collect. To have a real love of music you need an open mind most conservatives are VERY closed minded.
Did I miss something or did we get through a whole page without stating the obvious.
ITM is the music of Irish who are culturally Gaels. A friend of mine grew up in Drogheda in the 60s and 70s and hardly heard any ITM locally but heard plenty when visiting relatives in Kerry. He knows what he’s talking about; Seumus Ennis used to visit his father regularly.
Seriously, don’t the theorists have any idea of Irish history? Today the reasons for not being conservative aren’t as obvious as they once were but the music has always had a strong connection with a certain kind of nationalism. Something deeply antiestablishment seems ingrained. Similar remarks are true of Scottish music.
Liberal seems a slightly odd term though for the many socialists who play the music.
I agree with your remarks re Scottish music - a lot of the vocal folk music is either left wing or nationalist - sometimes both at the same time (Dick Gaughan for example). A lot of the more modern music has it’s roots in the trades union movement, which would tend it towards socialist themes.
When it comes to the tune side however modern trad musicians here have an eclectic attitude, basically “a good tune is a good tune, who gives a s*@!! where it comes from”. Doubtless that will hold true down under as well.
