"Folk Star"- the song

[brianlux]

Somebody, please, help me with this- I really didn't care for the song "Folk Star" at first, but it has really grown on me (especially the nod to Sandy Denny at the end with that brief but amazing Hendrix/Strat sounding riff thrown in) ... except for that line about " 'til you went and tried to choke her". What's that about? That line makes me cringe. Am I missing something or reading too much into it? Is there a metaphor there that I'm just too dense to see?

[GtrPlyr]

I think it was A regular who pointed out that the line was probably about Jackson Browne and that whole Darryl Hannah fiasco from years back. I haven't heard a better suggestion yet.

[Cotton]

gtrplyr said:

I think it was A regular who pointed out that the line was probably about Jackson Browne and that whole Darryl Hannah fiasco from years back. I haven't heard a better suggestion yet.

How I spent my Wednesday night:

Starting with the end of Folk Star,

Across the morning sky, all the birds are leaving
but how can they know, it's time for them to go

these are the first two lines from Who Knows Where the Time Goes by the 60's/early 70's/ still at it, British folk-rock group Fairport Convention

Which was wriitten by and was originally sung by


Sandy Denny

10,000 Maniacs & Judy Collins both covered this song (as well as others)

brianlux- pointed out the tip of the hat to SD... others may know Sandy Denny's voice from Led Zepplins' Battle of Evermore

Sandy Denny is the "her" in the 'til you tried to choke her... line.

The "choker" and "Folk Star" of the song is most probably:


Richard Thompson

from the first line of this Richard Thompson bio:

"British folk-rock guitar phenom Richard Thompson is one of those critic's faves who has never been a major commercial force despite a lengthy career. But who cares about chart performances?"

Match this bio up with some of the other lines in Folk Star & I think RT is the one.

Thompson, the "exceptionally talented and inventive guitarist" was at the very least, partly responsible for moving the traditional folk group Fairport Convention to "the cusp of inventing FolkRock".

The "choking" is a metaphor for Thompson's wicked guitar on Sandy Dennys' vocal stylings.


At least that's what I'm thinking!


Come to think of it, didn't PW wear a beret on the last tour?

[Marz]

I think you're right , Cotton, because the Jackson Browne /Darryl Hannah thing never happened. At least the police, Darryl Hannah and Jackson Browne say it didn't. And Fox paid a hefty sum in a lawsuit filed by Mr. Browne for saying it did.

That's a perfect explanation and completely explains the last bit of the song. I didn't even think of Sandy Denny when I heard it because I have it so wrapped up w/ Eva Cassidy's cover in my mind. Great detective work!

[TomT]

Nice work cotton.

[Cotton]

TY, to you.

I suppose it could be under the shameless self promotion section, but for my day job, I'm a private investigator.

[landshark]

Impressive, Cotton. I'm not sure I buy it, but it's a coherent theory. Bits of the song are autobiographical, I'm convinced ("stand up for nothing") and all the "I'm a folk star now" screaming at the end seems to me to be PW's self-assessment -- half way between folk singer and rock star -- a guy who acts like a star, but gets paid like a folkie. Anyway, PW is also a critic's fave (mostly) who never found mainstream commercial success.

I admit, can't explain the "tried to choke her" line, but I write it off to just that mish mash of thoughts and observations that any creative soul might have -- could mean something, could mean nothing.

Has PW ever name-dropped or covered Richard Thompson? Wonder what he could do with "Wall of Death"?

[onewink]

I've always loved how Paul brought the melody of "Jingle" into the intro to "Folk Star", and just before the guitar solo. It perfectly ties up Folker thematically.

And it raises the question of what he's trying to say by connecting the commercial pop nakedness of the singer in "Jingle" and the 'purity' of singer in Folk Star - maybe they're both one and the same?

[kgp]

landshark said:

Impressive, Cotton. I'm not sure I buy it, but it's a coherent theory. Bits of the song are autobiographical, I'm convinced ("stand up for nothing") and all the "I'm a folk star now" screaming at the end seems to me to be PW's self-assessment -- half way between folk singer and rock star -- a guy who acts like a star, but gets paid like a folkie. Anyway, PW is also a critic's fave (mostly) who never found mainstream commercial success.

I admit, can't explain the "tried to choke her" line, but I write it off to just that mish mash of thoughts and observations that any creative soul might have -- could mean something, could mean nothing.

Has PW ever name-dropped or covered Richard Thompson? Wonder what he could do with "Wall of Death"?

I hear it the same way you do: a folk star, a man of the people versus a rock star playing makeup, wearing guitar. He's balancing two personae. (I just sort of skipped over the 'choke her' line. )

[landshark]

onewink said:

I've always loved how Paul brought the melody of "Jingle" into the intro to "Folk Star", and just before the guitar solo. It perfectly ties up Folker thematically.

And it raises the question of what he's trying to say by connecting the commercial pop nakedness of the singer in "Jingle" and the 'purity' of singer in Folk Star - maybe they're both one and the same?

Great ears! I never picked up on that, will have to go give it a spin.

[Kathy]

I always figured he really want to use "til he tried to poke her" but settled for "choke her"

[A Regular]

admin said:

I always figured he really want to use "til he tried to poke her" but settled for "choke her"

still listening to those pantages bootlegs?

[brianlux]

Good work eveybody! Big thanks especially to Cotton for the very intersting theory, great research and fantastic pictures of two musicians I've long thought at least a bit overlooked. I love Sandy Denny's voice and it breaks my heart that she died so young (I read somewhere she fell down a flight of stairs and broke her neck). And Richard Thompson is a great guitarist whos work with ex- Linda was terrific (i.e "Shoot Out the Lights").

Anyway, I think I can get around that line about choking her and just dig (still love that old folkie term!) the song.

[torethatbridgeout]

Bob's nickname for PW: something like "Fall downstairsberg"

[Kathy]

landshark said:

Has PW ever name-dropped or covered Richard Thompson? Wonder what he could do with "Wall of Death"?

That just shot right to the top of my dream list of songs for Paul to cover...oh my.

[brianlux]

admin said:

landshark said:

Has PW ever name-dropped or covered Richard Thompson? Wonder what he could do with "Wall of Death"?

That just shot right to the top of my dream list of songs for Paul to cover...oh my.

Oh yeah! I couldn't agree more , Landshark and Kathy!

I remeber seeing Thompson doing "Wall.." with Nancy Griffith on a late night show once. Very cool. But Paul doing that song- yeah WOW!

[brianlux]

Oooh! What about this one- I was just playin' around with the Who's "The Kids Are Alright" (missing all the high notes) and afterwords I thought "Hey, I'd like to hear Paul do that song". I could hear/see it in my head clear as day- Paul dancing around on stage with his "Ill" guitar playing "The Kids are Alright"!

[scoOter]

is this thread turning into paul's dream covers thread? good!

street fighting man - stones

[TomT]

scooterboy said:

is this thread turning into paul's dream covers thread? good!

street fighting man - stones

The Mats did this one. I'm thinking Paul/Mats covered the Stones more than anyone else.

[brianlux]

scooterboy said:

is this thread turning into paul's dream covers thread? good!"



Hey, why not! Or even a dream-poetry-inspired-cover-thread.
Mayby turn an Anne Sexton poem into a song like he did with Sylvia Plath's poetry.