> I thought his work with the Del Mcoury band was excellent, and still
> listen to alot of it often. Then a couple years back, he recorded a
> song that evidently seeked pitty for treasonist, terrorist, and etc,
> etc, named John Walker Lindh, i believe it was titled "John Walker
> Blues". I have to be honest, Ive not thought the same of Steve Earle
> since.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but have you actually heard the song
and/or read the lyrics, or are you making an assumption based on what others
have said? When you say "evidently," I assume that means you haven't.
This isn't an attack on you, but I would urge you & everyone else to reserve
judgement on *anything* until you have investigated it for yourself.
As it happens, "John Walker's Blues" is a STORY SONG, which is an old, OLD
tradition in mountain music, & puts the writer in the place of the
protagonist, & neither condones or condemns his actions...the subject is
just telling his story from his POV.
Considering all the murder ballads, all the gals "Little Willie" has
gleefully killed over the years ("Pretty Polly," "Little Glass of Wine,"
etc.), all the songs about bad men ("Jesse James," "The Ballad of Carol
Chessman"), most of which don't condemn them & sometimes even elevate them
to hero status (take a look some time at how many innocent people Jesse
James killed during his "career"), I think it's a little silly to pass
judgement on Steve Earle. I think it's ludicrous to make unfounded negative
judgements on the man just because he is following a long tradition of
writing story songs...this one just happens to be about a controversial
contemporary figure...but then so was Jesse at the time that song came to
be...
It'd be like me saying, well I'll never buy anything by the Louvin Brothers
ever again because of "Knoxville Girl," or I've not thought the same of
Ralph Stanley because of "Jesse James Prayed."
As always you mileage may vary...
bw
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