Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
Hello everyone!
I'm still shaking with anger, due to a discussion I had the other day.
But, let me start from the beginning.
I am a cloggie, a Dutchman, living near Amsterdam, and been playing ITM for half my life (I'm 43 at present). I play whistles, piano-accordion and bodhran, just recently purchased a practice-set of uilleann pipes, and generally having a lot of fun going to sessions in this part of the country, i.e. I'm away and playing twice a week and loving it.
And so I went to a pub in Hoorn where some people are trying to get a new session going (and succeeding wonderfully, by the looks of it). Only, last weekend, there was an Irish gentleman sitting at the bar, listening to the noises that emanated from the musician's corner. When I retreated from to circle to order a fresh pint of Murphy's Red, he seized his chance: he cornered me and quite agressively started explaining his views on ITM and nationality at great length. What it came down to was this: the Dutch musicians in this pub had no business defiling the beautiful music of his fatherland, and the Irish musicians present should all be punished severely for committing the horrible act of playing with foreigners: high treason I think he called it. And he wasn't even drunk for I saw him drinking soda all night.
Trouble is, I've had this criticism thrown at me before, and though I think it's nobody's business what I do in my spare time, I'd like to know if anybody's had the same experience. What is your opinion of this incident?
Ger.
Re: Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
Ger,
Bigotry exists everywhere. While I'm not Irish (and can't trace any ancestors there, although since I can trace my family to Scotland I'll bet I've got a bit of Irish in me since there's no such thing as a pure Scot or Irish) I think you should continue to do what you love and at least mentally tell the bigots to go stuff it.
I'm a white male that looks a bit british and got a few odd stares when my wife and I entered most pubs duruing our trip to Ireland this past spring. That is, until we got up and started dancing (we're irish step dancers and beginning musicians) and at that point the odd stares were overwhelmed by the people who wanted more.
Do what you love and ignore the bigots. While they may be louder, the non-bigots outnumber them.
Re: Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
This hasn't happened to me yet, although I am not Irish by a long way. Console yourself with the fact that Irish musicians would not feel that way. De Dannan did some phantastic collaborations with New York Kletzmer musicians in the eighties (Andy Stratman, I think). It was probably just some twisted form of home-sickness...
Re: Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
Ger, I would have nodded my head & acted like I didn't speak his language & waited for him to finish - than told him to have a nice day in perfect english. I do it to panhandlers & other annoying people all the time.
Re: Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
I will start by saying can understand the point of view of the said Irishman. There is certainly something to be said for having grown up in the tradition, and having generations of musicians behind you. This is, of course, by no means the case with all IRISH traditional musicians. Being an English Jew, I am sometimes conscious, when I walk into a session, that I am being singled out as a 'foreigner'. I often wonder myself what I am doing playing - almost exclusively - Irish traditional music. "Why Irish?", my mother asks me. But, having grown up in a middle-class suburb of London, Klezmer music, great as it is, has about as much to with me as Calypso has to do with an Antarctic penguin. So, "Why not Irish?".
That said, if a stranger approaches me in a session, it is most often a welcoming gesture, or sometimes even to compliment my playing - which I inevitably take with a pinch of salt (my mandolin is so quiet you wouldn't hear my right notes, let alone my wrong ones). There is no excuse for the kind of behaviour that Ger describes. If this man will live in the Netherlands - and no disrespect to the Netherlands - he can hardly expect to hear music exactly like in Ireland. And if he doesn't like what he hears, he can jolly well drink elsewhere..... and find something else to complain about.
As far as I'm concerned, Ger's Irish 'friend'
Re: Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
Ger, you should've asked the "gentleman" what instrument HE played. Chances are, he doesn't, and the jealousy is wracking his wee and dried up heart.
I've heard a few snippets of such racisim at big city sessions, once or twice aimed at people of Asian ancestry who "dared" play Irish music. These bigots were roundly ignored and/or slagged upon for their unsupportable views.
If the bigot in question continues to air his ugly mind, tell the bartender or pub owner. They obviously support ITM in their establishment (probably appreciate the business it brings if nothing else), and the price of those sodas may suddenly become unaffordable for the expatriate, sending him elsewhere.
Play *your* music. These tunes belong to a mighty tradition--AND to anyone who takes the care to learn them and make them their own.
Re: Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
Heh. Wondered if anyone would mention that there's lots of Asians playing Irish music these days...in both SF and Boston, there are two Asian women who are usually called "one of the best fiddlers in the States" by their cohorts... (I'm not one of the two, dammit. *grin*)
I was in SF visiting folks at one point and dropped in at the Star and Plough or whatever it's called. I started chatting with some guy from Ireland who found out I was a stepdancer, and he couldn't believe it, but he thought it was funny more than anything else. I laughed right along with him -- let's face it, it does look incongruous!
There's some great recordings made by a Japanese couple who visited Clare and fell in love with the music and started playing themselves. No one could pronounce their names, so they nicknamed them Paddy and, what was it, Bridget? They ended up recording a bunch of sessions all over the county and putting them out as albums (I know you can get them at Custy's). On them appear a great many of the good session musicians in all of Clare. Nobody has much of a problem with them being Asians, and the way people talked about them remind me of people talking fondly and proudly of well loved proteges.
Sounds like the guy is full of sour grapes, Ger. Ignore him as a bigot. If he keeps showing up there, you'll know that it doesn't really bother him that much and that it was his way of getting some attention, like little kids throwing tantrums.
Me, I'm full-blood American, with nothing but Chinese blood in the veins, and I fiddle, stepdance, write about Irish music and dance, sew Irish stepdance costumes, blah blah blah. Why? Damned if I know. I just do. It's simply part of my life. If somebody has trouble with that, it's their problem, not mine.
*grin* At least the color of your skin and shape of your eyes is closer to Irish than mine, Ger. hehehe. You could tell him that. *snicker* Maybe he could be a bigot by degree...you know, maybe he'd be happier knowing that at least you're not Chinese like me!
Best answer is probably "Sorry you feel that way. I don't agree." with a charming smile and then changing the subject to something ridiculous like "how about them Broncos?" (Our local American football team.) If someone keeps it up, smile and say something along the lines of "well, too bad we don't agree, and probably never will." and walk away. You can't argue with bigots.
Re: Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
Hi Ger,
I am so sorry that you have had to put up with this aggressive interference. It doesn't matter where you are from and nobody has ever said that the Irish are the only ones allowed to play this music. Perhaps the jealousy of this poor individual is what took over, taking that you have the courage and talent to play in a session and he probably does not. Without a doubt, if you have the guts to step in front of other people and play, I salute you.
Keep playing, don't get angry, let your music speak for you.
Re: Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
Don't let the anglo raggae-playing, djembe thumping hippies in Vancouver hear about this guy and his anti-culture-appropriating views! They'd follow their spirit guides to his hotel and run him down in their flower painted VW vans! Culture, in my opinion, has nothing to do with nationalism. Music, art, dance, poetry, philosophy - all these arts know no boundaries and that's as it has always been, and as it will always be.
You don't have to be Greek to read the Iliad, you don't have to be Italian to make a fantastic lasagna, you don't have to be Japanese to wear exquisitely embroidered silk. The triumphs of human ingenuity are not concerned with lines on a map. He can be as much of an indignant windbag as he likes, and his petty patriotic attitude will not ever have any impact at all on the free-flowing nature of music. ITM might be a part of "Irish" culture, but "human" culture is based on the unrestricted flow of ideas.
That's enough idealistic rhetoric for one post. I wouldn't waste much valuable headspace being angry about this guy. I hope the overwhelming show of support you hear here helps... I agree with Will's impression that the guy probably doesn't play, and is jealous. God forbid anyone should have a deeper interest in and understanding of the Irish arts than an Irishman!
Re: Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
Foo to you, David! *snicker* Okay, so bad English, sue me. Call it the President's English, then...hehehe
No, really, there's an Asian woman in SF who I often am told is one of the best in the US, and an Asian woman in Boston whose friends say the exact same thing about her. I've never met either.
Re: Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
After all I know about the wanderings of some of the tunes, starting out in Sweden, Norway, Chechoslovakia, Brittany, from all over Europe, ending up as Irish tunes, sometimes even taking the long detour through the U.S.A., I´d say this gentleman doesn´t know half as much about the music of his country as he thinks. Which is true of most nationalists and bigots everywhere. They only seem to learn what fits their picture of the world and ignore the rest. Is there anything more boring? Ask him about Irish mazurkas the next time you´ll meet him (hope it´s not too soon...)
(Only yesterday I came across two "German Barndances" in an Irish tune collection. I´ve never heard any of them before, and both sound Scottish to my ears...)
By the way, Ger, how would a German visitor be treated in your session? Amsterdam is only three hours away from where I live (Emden). I didn´t have any problems in Amsterdam, but outside of it people occasionally took special pains in not making me feel too welcome. The news about 1945 seems to travel slow in some parts of the world.... Just to let you know, I´m one of those people that has his old instrument cases all full of stickers on the lines of "This Machine Kills Fascists" and other fashionable slogans of the times. Never brought myself to do it with the more expensive newer cases though....
All the best, and try to gnore the a...hole (I know it´s harder done than said),
Re: Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
As a matter of interest, I was once talking with an Irishman who whispered to me after a bit that Ireland was filled with the worst bigots ever, and that they're in general a terribly bigoted country--he was terribly ashamed of it! All I could say to him was that I've never seen any of that in Ireland and her people while I was there, and in fact know of many Chinese people who were horrible bigots as well -- the word for foreigners meant "ghosts" originally, as they couldn't believe that white people were actually alive.
(Some friends actually named a tune "Exotic Ina" after an incident when we were trying to locate them in Ennis. Local musicians kept telling them that this girl was trying to find them, very tall, very exotic looking, long hair, very tall, what was her name now? They were mystified as to who this woman looking for them was, and finally someone mentioned that the name might be...Ina, was it? Not one single person in a week of trying to connect with them mentioned that my hair was black and that I was Asian. I find the story exceptionally funny.)
So bigots are found everywhere in every place, and all we can do is ignore them. Generally, I find that bigotry tends to find a home in people who are so insecure that they need to look down on someone somehow, and unreasoning bigotry usually is their answer.
Re: Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
Hi, here's Ger again, sending a very big THANK YOU to all of you friendly people who took the trouble of lifting my spirits. I can tell you it most certainly worked.
A well. The geezer just caught me off guard, I guess.
Thanks again, all of you.
Ger.
Re: Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
Ger,
I'm late in getting in on this but all I can say is, consider the source. Maybe he was just jelous that he could not play. Who knows? Who cares? Keep doing what you love.
I played a Contra dance a while back and one of the tunes I used was Dixie. (Not ITM but it was good for that particular dance set and sitting) A guy stepped out of the line, stuck his finger in my face and ordered me to change songs, said that tune had no place in today's society. All I could do was smile, finish the set, and have a lot of the same advice your getting given to me.
There will always be a jerk out there to try to spoil your fun. Your the only one who can allow him to do that. Consider the source and go on.
Re: Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
Nah, It was one of Abe Lincolns favorite songs.
A certain few idiots have made it their theme song and twisted it's meaning just as some have twisted history.
But of cource this is a different discussion. I did not mean to get us off track.
I guess the bottom line is, everyone is going to have their own oppinion of how or what type music should be played and by whom. When somone comes at us negatively, like the old guy who jumped on Ger, we can't let those folks ruin our day.
Re: Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
Ger, you should have asked him wether his mother ever had met the clockwinder ... (well, you know, the one who moved from germany to dublin and got famous...)
Re: Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
A German clockwinder to Dublin once came
Benjamin Fuchs was the old German's name
And as he was winding his way 'round the strand
He played on his flute and the music was grand
The Fureys play 'het kleine cafe aan de haven' as well. So what's the problem. I think this grumpy old man was a bit jealous. He doesn't have to listen to the music.
As we say in Dutch 'laat hem lekker in zijn sop gaar koken'
Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
Hello everyone!
I'm still shaking with anger, due to a discussion I had the other day.
But, let me start from the beginning.
I am a cloggie, a Dutchman, living near Amsterdam, and been playing ITM for half my life (I'm 43 at present). I play whistles, piano-accordion and bodhran, just recently purchased a practice-set of uilleann pipes, and generally having a lot of fun going to sessions in this part of the country, i.e. I'm away and playing twice a week and loving it.
And so I went to a pub in Hoorn where some people are trying to get a new session going (and succeeding wonderfully, by the looks of it). Only, last weekend, there was an Irish gentleman sitting at the bar, listening to the noises that emanated from the musician's corner. When I retreated from to circle to order a fresh pint of Murphy's Red, he seized his chance: he cornered me and quite agressively started explaining his views on ITM and nationality at great length. What it came down to was this: the Dutch musicians in this pub had no business defiling the beautiful music of his fatherland, and the Irish musicians present should all be punished severely for committing the horrible act of playing with foreigners: high treason I think he called it. And he wasn't even drunk for I saw him drinking soda all night.
Trouble is, I've had this criticism thrown at me before, and though I think it's nobody's business what I do in my spare time, I'd like to know if anybody's had the same experience. What is your opinion of this incident?
Ger.
# Posted on February 13th 2002 by Emerald BT
Re: Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
Ger,
Bigotry exists everywhere. While I'm not Irish (and can't trace any ancestors there, although since I can trace my family to Scotland I'll bet I've got a bit of Irish in me since there's no such thing as a pure Scot or Irish) I think you should continue to do what you love and at least mentally tell the bigots to go stuff it.
I'm a white male that looks a bit british and got a few odd stares when my wife and I entered most pubs duruing our trip to Ireland this past spring. That is, until we got up and started dancing (we're irish step dancers and beginning musicians) and at that point the odd stares were overwhelmed by the people who wanted more.
Do what you love and ignore the bigots. While they may be louder, the non-bigots outnumber them.
# Posted on February 13th 2002 by Michaelh
Re: Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
cheer yourself up by reading the 'citizen' section in 'Ulysses'.
best wishes,dave
# Posted on February 13th 2002 by biggus dave
Re: Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
This hasn't happened to me yet, although I am not Irish by a long way. Console yourself with the fact that Irish musicians would not feel that way. De Dannan did some phantastic collaborations with New York Kletzmer musicians in the eighties (Andy Stratman, I think). It was probably just some twisted form of home-sickness...
# Posted on February 14th 2002 by Bloomfield
Re: Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
Ger, I would have nodded my head & acted like I didn't speak his language & waited for him to finish - than told him to have a nice day in perfect english. I do it to panhandlers & other annoying people all the time.
# Posted on February 14th 2002 by Mad Baloney
Re: Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
I will start by saying can understand the point of view of the said Irishman. There is certainly something to be said for having grown up in the tradition, and having generations of musicians behind you. This is, of course, by no means the case with all IRISH traditional musicians. Being an English Jew, I am sometimes conscious, when I walk into a session, that I am being singled out as a 'foreigner'. I often wonder myself what I am doing playing - almost exclusively - Irish traditional music. "Why Irish?", my mother asks me. But, having grown up in a middle-class suburb of London, Klezmer music, great as it is, has about as much to with me as Calypso has to do with an Antarctic penguin. So, "Why not Irish?".
That said, if a stranger approaches me in a session, it is most often a welcoming gesture, or sometimes even to compliment my playing - which I inevitably take with a pinch of salt (my mandolin is so quiet you wouldn't hear my right notes, let alone my wrong ones). There is no excuse for the kind of behaviour that Ger describes. If this man will live in the Netherlands - and no disrespect to the Netherlands - he can hardly expect to hear music exactly like in Ireland. And if he doesn't like what he hears, he can jolly well drink elsewhere..... and find something else to complain about.
As far as I'm concerned, Ger's Irish 'friend'
# Posted on February 14th 2002 by ragaman
Oops! Sorry, forget that last line.
# Posted on February 14th 2002 by ragaman
Re: Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
Ger, you should've asked the "gentleman" what instrument HE played. Chances are, he doesn't, and the jealousy is wracking his wee and dried up heart.
I've heard a few snippets of such racisim at big city sessions, once or twice aimed at people of Asian ancestry who "dared" play Irish music. These bigots were roundly ignored and/or slagged upon for their unsupportable views.
If the bigot in question continues to air his ugly mind, tell the bartender or pub owner. They obviously support ITM in their establishment (probably appreciate the business it brings if nothing else), and the price of those sodas may suddenly become unaffordable for the expatriate, sending him elsewhere.
Play *your* music. These tunes belong to a mighty tradition--AND to anyone who takes the care to learn them and make them their own.
# Posted on February 14th 2002 by Will CPT
Re: Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
Heh. Wondered if anyone would mention that there's lots of Asians playing Irish music these days...in both SF and Boston, there are two Asian women who are usually called "one of the best fiddlers in the States" by their cohorts... (I'm not one of the two, dammit. *grin*)
I was in SF visiting folks at one point and dropped in at the Star and Plough or whatever it's called. I started chatting with some guy from Ireland who found out I was a stepdancer, and he couldn't believe it, but he thought it was funny more than anything else. I laughed right along with him -- let's face it, it does look incongruous!
There's some great recordings made by a Japanese couple who visited Clare and fell in love with the music and started playing themselves. No one could pronounce their names, so they nicknamed them Paddy and, what was it, Bridget? They ended up recording a bunch of sessions all over the county and putting them out as albums (I know you can get them at Custy's). On them appear a great many of the good session musicians in all of Clare. Nobody has much of a problem with them being Asians, and the way people talked about them remind me of people talking fondly and proudly of well loved proteges.
Sounds like the guy is full of sour grapes, Ger. Ignore him as a bigot. If he keeps showing up there, you'll know that it doesn't really bother him that much and that it was his way of getting some attention, like little kids throwing tantrums.
Me, I'm full-blood American, with nothing but Chinese blood in the veins, and I fiddle, stepdance, write about Irish music and dance, sew Irish stepdance costumes, blah blah blah. Why? Damned if I know. I just do. It's simply part of my life. If somebody has trouble with that, it's their problem, not mine.
*grin* At least the color of your skin and shape of your eyes is closer to Irish than mine, Ger. hehehe. You could tell him that. *snicker* Maybe he could be a bigot by degree...you know, maybe he'd be happier knowing that at least you're not Chinese like me!
Zina
# Posted on February 14th 2002 by Zina Lee
P.S.
Best answer is probably "Sorry you feel that way. I don't agree." with a charming smile and then changing the subject to something ridiculous like "how about them Broncos?" (Our local American football team.) If someone keeps it up, smile and say something along the lines of "well, too bad we don't agree, and probably never will." and walk away. You can't argue with bigots.
zls
# Posted on February 14th 2002 by Zina Lee
Re: Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
Hi Ger,
I am so sorry that you have had to put up with this aggressive interference. It doesn't matter where you are from and nobody has ever said that the Irish are the only ones allowed to play this music. Perhaps the jealousy of this poor individual is what took over, taking that you have the courage and talent to play in a session and he probably does not. Without a doubt, if you have the guts to step in front of other people and play, I salute you.
Keep playing, don't get angry, let your music speak for you.
# Posted on February 14th 2002 by Mcbear365
Re: Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
Don't let the anglo raggae-playing, djembe thumping hippies in Vancouver hear about this guy and his anti-culture-appropriating views! They'd follow their spirit guides to his hotel and run him down in their flower painted VW vans! Culture, in my opinion, has nothing to do with nationalism. Music, art, dance, poetry, philosophy - all these arts know no boundaries and that's as it has always been, and as it will always be.
You don't have to be Greek to read the Iliad, you don't have to be Italian to make a fantastic lasagna, you don't have to be Japanese to wear exquisitely embroidered silk. The triumphs of human ingenuity are not concerned with lines on a map. He can be as much of an indignant windbag as he likes, and his petty patriotic attitude will not ever have any impact at all on the free-flowing nature of music. ITM might be a part of "Irish" culture, but "human" culture is based on the unrestricted flow of ideas.
That's enough idealistic rhetoric for one post. I wouldn't waste much valuable headspace being angry about this guy. I hope the overwhelming show of support you hear here helps... I agree with Will's impression that the guy probably doesn't play, and is jealous. God forbid anyone should have a deeper interest in and understanding of the Irish arts than an Irishman!
# Posted on February 14th 2002 by Kerri Brown
Re: Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
Zina, TWO Asian women who are usually called ONE of the best fiddlers in the States? Are they Siamese twins?
Sorry, pun intended.
I remember meeting two Oriental-looking fiddlers with Occidental-sounding accents in Milltown Malbay, and they were very good. Could have been them.
# Posted on February 15th 2002 by ragaman
Re: Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
Foo to you, David! *snicker* Okay, so bad English, sue me. Call it the President's English, then...hehehe
No, really, there's an Asian woman in SF who I often am told is one of the best in the US, and an Asian woman in Boston whose friends say the exact same thing about her. I've never met either.
zls
# Posted on February 15th 2002 by Zina Lee
Re: Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
After all I know about the wanderings of some of the tunes, starting out in Sweden, Norway, Chechoslovakia, Brittany, from all over Europe, ending up as Irish tunes, sometimes even taking the long detour through the U.S.A., I´d say this gentleman doesn´t know half as much about the music of his country as he thinks. Which is true of most nationalists and bigots everywhere. They only seem to learn what fits their picture of the world and ignore the rest. Is there anything more boring? Ask him about Irish mazurkas the next time you´ll meet him (hope it´s not too soon...)
(Only yesterday I came across two "German Barndances" in an Irish tune collection. I´ve never heard any of them before, and both sound Scottish to my ears...)
By the way, Ger, how would a German visitor be treated in your session? Amsterdam is only three hours away from where I live (Emden). I didn´t have any problems in Amsterdam, but outside of it people occasionally took special pains in not making me feel too welcome. The news about 1945 seems to travel slow in some parts of the world.... Just to let you know, I´m one of those people that has his old instrument cases all full of stickers on the lines of "This Machine Kills Fascists" and other fashionable slogans of the times. Never brought myself to do it with the more expensive newer cases though....
All the best, and try to gnore the a...hole (I know it´s harder done than said),
Jörg
# Posted on February 15th 2002 by Joerg Froese
Re: Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
As a matter of interest, I was once talking with an Irishman who whispered to me after a bit that Ireland was filled with the worst bigots ever, and that they're in general a terribly bigoted country--he was terribly ashamed of it! All I could say to him was that I've never seen any of that in Ireland and her people while I was there, and in fact know of many Chinese people who were horrible bigots as well -- the word for foreigners meant "ghosts" originally, as they couldn't believe that white people were actually alive.
(Some friends actually named a tune "Exotic Ina" after an incident when we were trying to locate them in Ennis. Local musicians kept telling them that this girl was trying to find them, very tall, very exotic looking, long hair, very tall, what was her name now? They were mystified as to who this woman looking for them was, and finally someone mentioned that the name might be...Ina, was it? Not one single person in a week of trying to connect with them mentioned that my hair was black and that I was Asian. I find the story exceptionally funny.)
So bigots are found everywhere in every place, and all we can do is ignore them. Generally, I find that bigotry tends to find a home in people who are so insecure that they need to look down on someone somehow, and unreasoning bigotry usually is their answer.
zls
# Posted on February 15th 2002 by Zina Lee
Re: Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
Hi, here's Ger again, sending a very big THANK YOU to all of you friendly people who took the trouble of lifting my spirits. I can tell you it most certainly worked.
A well. The geezer just caught me off guard, I guess.
Thanks again, all of you.
Ger.
# Posted on February 15th 2002 by Emerald BT
Re: Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
Ger,
I'm late in getting in on this but all I can say is, consider the source. Maybe he was just jelous that he could not play. Who knows? Who cares? Keep doing what you love.
I played a Contra dance a while back and one of the tunes I used was Dixie. (Not ITM but it was good for that particular dance set and sitting) A guy stepped out of the line, stuck his finger in my face and ordered me to change songs, said that tune had no place in today's society. All I could do was smile, finish the set, and have a lot of the same advice your getting given to me.
There will always be a jerk out there to try to spoil your fun. Your the only one who can allow him to do that. Consider the source and go on.
GO CLOGGIES!
Tiny
# Posted on February 16th 2002 by flyinfiddler
Re: Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
Say,
Would you happen to be a Rigger? you know, Ger the Rigger? OOOHH ARRGGGGGG,, BOOO!
Sorry 'bout that. I just had to ask.
(You are familier with the tune Ger the Rigger arn't you?)
# Posted on February 16th 2002 by flyinfiddler
Re: Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
Dixie the tune might be okay. Dixie the song is indeed perhaps a little bigoted.
zls
# Posted on February 16th 2002 by Zina Lee
Re: Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
Nah, It was one of Abe Lincolns favorite songs.
A certain few idiots have made it their theme song and twisted it's meaning just as some have twisted history.
But of cource this is a different discussion. I did not mean to get us off track.
I guess the bottom line is, everyone is going to have their own oppinion of how or what type music should be played and by whom. When somone comes at us negatively, like the old guy who jumped on Ger, we can't let those folks ruin our day.
# Posted on February 16th 2002 by flyinfiddler
Re: Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
Ger, you should have asked him wether his mother ever had met the clockwinder ... (well, you know, the one who moved from germany to dublin and got famous...)
# Posted on April 15th 2002 by crannog
Re: Can blue men sing the whites, or: Can cloggies play ITM?
A German clockwinder to Dublin once came
Benjamin Fuchs was the old German's name
And as he was winding his way 'round the strand
He played on his flute and the music was grand
The Fureys play 'het kleine cafe aan de haven' as well. So what's the problem. I think this grumpy old man was a bit jealous. He doesn't have to listen to the music.
As we say in Dutch 'laat hem lekker in zijn sop gaar koken'
# Posted on April 28th 2006 by Arabesk