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SNOPES

Claim: Snopes is always right.

 

Status: False

 

Origins: Although generally correct, sometimes Snopes is wrong. This happens rarely, but the problem is determining when they may be wrong. You are advised to conduct your own research.

 

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Yeah, be careful about shooting the messenger...

 

Snopes aggregates info from sources, lists it's sources (very specifically, I might add), and then prints it's conclusion.

 

I've found them to be very reliable over the years, but as always, there are humans behind the final determination and the veracity of the sources needs to be judged.

 

In this case, IMHO, I wouldn't say that snopes is wrong necessarily, but perhaps that maybe their sources were being less than forthright.

 

All in all, snopes does a pretty good job of finding sources and reporting a conclusion without too much bias or spin. There are exceptions, of course.

 

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Eamonn, I sympathize. I felt the same way when I heard it. I take solace in the fact that there are still some of the others around, Oscar Brand, Pete Seeger, Jean Ritchie, others. They won't be here forever though. I guess we'll have to keep them as memories.

By the way, if you're ever interested in songs that you can sing to and have fun but not around anyone else, consider Oscar Brand's bawdy ballads.

 

As for Puff, remember this was the time when Alaska and Hawaii were new states, Nixon was debating Kennedy, and Vietnam was far, far away. It might be a sensational claim for the song to be about pot but I doubt it and tend to side with the author's claim.

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Pack:

You mentioned Pete Seeger. As a kid in Greenwich Village, Mary Travers lived in the same building as Pete Seeger. Mary was one rare among the Village folk scene in that she actually grew up there. As a teen she got her start in a group called the Song Swappers backing up Seeger and the Weavers. Who would have thought that she would be gone before Pete?

 

Hal

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One more quick thought: has anyone seen "A Mighty Wind" which was done by the same people that did "This Is Spinal Tap"? It pokes very good-natured fun at the whole folk music scene of the 60s. I especially enjoyed because that is the kind of stuff I grew up listening to...my parents were big fans of folk.

 

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A Mighty Wind is a very funny movie. As someone who has worked on a lot of concerts and festivals it cut very close to the bone. I have been in some of those conversations especially when non-technical producers/promoters feel compelled to give there input on the lights, sound or scenery. Bob Balaban was suberb in the role of the promoter, that is to say, I wanted to smack him.

 

I have also been there when the artist wandered off just before they were supposed to go on (and a number of variations like not making it from the hotel to the venue or not being able to pass the bar in the hotel... and not making the show!).

 

The music is also superb in that it captured the near absurdity of much of the 60's (and later) folk music. Shortly after seeing the movie I saw a concert on PBS that was basically a folkies' reunion. Barry McGuire sang Eve of Destruction, Roger McGuinn sang Turn, Turn Turn and Mr. Tambourine Man and the Kingston Trio was also on the bill. Watching this concert it was very hard to separate them from their parodies in A Mighty Wind.

 

 

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