levin4now
May-31-2004, 6:03am
The other night I went to town with my family and just before we had to go into a store that I really didn't want to have to, Fresh Air came on with Doc Watson. #I sat in the van for 1/2 hour and enjoyed it. #Very nice interview with Doc. #I think it can be heard here (along with the individual songs he played) at this link: Doc Watson on "Fresh Air" (http://freshair.npr.org/day_fa.jhtml?display=day&todayDate=05/28/2004) #Make sure you listen to "Talking to Casey" #- about 17:45 minutes into the interview....
At one point Terry Gross asks him about his first guitars, and if he ever got caught up in having the absolute best, and custom made guitars, as is the obsession with so many musicians today. #(sound familiar?) #And Doc answered: #"I was fairly contented with what I had never had my hands on a [i]good[/] guitar." #He then goes on to describe how he came into his first good guitar - a Martin D-18 that someone got for him for cost ($90) and he paid it off that summer by picking at the local fruit stand. #
Would we not respect Doc if he still played his old Sears and Roebuck, and not his current model? #Would we not be enamored with our mandolin heroes if they played Pac Rims (or Rigels for that matter http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif #) instead of Loars? # I think in any situation, music is about music, but we as humans have a desire for having the best of earthly possessions. #It's juyst plain envy #and materialism (and I'm guilty of it too every day).
At one point Terry Gross asks him about his first guitars, and if he ever got caught up in having the absolute best, and custom made guitars, as is the obsession with so many musicians today. #(sound familiar?) #And Doc answered: #"I was fairly contented with what I had never had my hands on a [i]good[/] guitar." #He then goes on to describe how he came into his first good guitar - a Martin D-18 that someone got for him for cost ($90) and he paid it off that summer by picking at the local fruit stand. #
Would we not respect Doc if he still played his old Sears and Roebuck, and not his current model? #Would we not be enamored with our mandolin heroes if they played Pac Rims (or Rigels for that matter http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif #) instead of Loars? # I think in any situation, music is about music, but we as humans have a desire for having the best of earthly possessions. #It's juyst plain envy #and materialism (and I'm guilty of it too every day).