Been a bit since I saw it but I didn't get any sense of absolution for the military. What they did in South Dakota was reprehensible. Before that film I never knew the US military had once fought against the Mormons and considered them enemies of the state
The Country Music documentary was previewed by producers. The only scholar author interviewed is Bill Malone. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_C._Malone They are editing 175 hours of film taken from 101 interviews, almost exclusively other performers. https://www.variety.com/2019/music/news/ken-burns-country-music-pbs-premiere-september-1203126693
I hope Western is represented well in it and rockabilly is minimized with regards to cultural importance as it rightfully should be.
I think the first few episodes have to be heavy on Western songs, gospel, and bluegrass, to set the stage for commercial radio and records that followed.
Specially the northern generals like Sheridan and Sherman who used the same strategy when they burned the south to remove native peoples from their homeland seem to have gotten a free pass in it. The constant reference to “Indians” is by far the worst aspect though.
Not sure how anyone could repeat watch The Vietnam War. It was amazing but once is plenty. That's a testament to how good it was. Every Vet I've asked that was in the war has said it was on point. Not gonna subtract for the use of "Indians" in a doc that was released in '96.
I’ve watched the civil war twice, vietnam, the war, dust bowl, and prohibition. I just started the west on Netflix bc I’ve only seen bits and pieces. What I like about Burns is that he uses different historians with different perspectives. Anyone can read a history text book on a subject. Anyone that has taken a history class, that is beyond entry level, can tell you the facts are not what makes the past exciting. It is the differing perspectives and opinions. You should be viewing and consuming all things from multiple perspectives to formulate your opinion. If you are only looking at something through your lense or from the angle that only fits your preconceived opinions/feelings, you are doing yourself a huge disservice.
Not sure if was just too scared to fail or if he loved his men too much to send them to their deaths. I’ve heard the latter many times
I just went down a rabbit hole researching the proper nomenclature for Native Americans. More confused than when I started... Native American/Indian/America Indian/Indigenous all commonly used as well as the specific tribe a person is per the article I just read.
Episode 2 is on tonight. https://www.pbs.org/video/ken-burns-country-music-episode-1-the-rub/ Ken Burns - Country Music Country Music will chronicle the history of a uniquely American art form, rising from the experiences of remarkable people in distinctive regions of our nation. From southern Appalachia’s songs of struggle, heartbreak and faith to the rollicking western swing of Texas, from California honky tonks to Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry, we will follow the evolution of country music over the course of the twentieth century, as it eventually emerged to become America’s music. It will be directed and produced by Ken Burns; written and produced by Dayton Duncan; and produced by Julie Dunfey—Emmy-award winning creators of PBS’s most-acclaimed and most-watched documentaries for more than a quarter century, including The Civil War, Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, The Dust Bowl, and many more. Country Music will be a sweeping, multi-episode series, exploring the questions, “What is country music?” “Where did it come from?” while focusing on the biographies of the fascinating characters who created it—from the Carter family, Jimmie Rodgers and Bob Wills, to Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Charley Pride, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, Garth Brooks and many more—as well as the times in which they lived. And like the music itself, Country Music will tell unforgettable stories—stories of the hardships and joys shared by everyday people. We will trace its origins in minstrel music, ballads, hymns, and the blues, and its early years when it was called hillbilly music played across the airwaves on radio station barn dances. We will see how Hollywood B movies instituted the fad of singing cowboys like Gene Autry and Roy Rogers, and watch how the rise of juke joints after World War II changed the musical style by bringing electric guitars and pedal steel guitars to the forefront. We will follow the rise of bluegrass music with Bill Monroe and we will note how one of country music’s offspring—rockabilly—mutated into rock and roll in Memphis. And we’ll see how Nashville slowly became not just the mecca of country music, but “Music City USA.” All the while, we will note the constant tug of war between the desire to make country music as mainstream as possible and the periodic reflexes to bring it back to its roots.
NPR's critic ripped this one btw. Said it seemed as if Burns doesn't think country music can withstand criticism and accused him of ignoring the existing scholarly material on the subject and those who have produced it. Thought that was interesting, particularly on NPR. Also said there were a lot of artist interviews that basically amount to praising peers with no real insight or thoughtful/articulatr commentary. Played a clip from Kristofferson as an example, and it did indeed sound awful lol
Which really says a lot since country music is known for songs about people's dogs dying and their wife leaving.
this isn't quite so clearcut. i know i've heard some of them say they prefer to be called "indians" and not "native americans"
In true ken burns style, there is a 105-track soundtrack on amazon music. I got to meet him when he was grand marshal of the rose bowl. Highlight of that day by a mile.
I've seen 4-5 of the episodes now. Downloaded PBS app so I wouldn't have to wait to catch them on tv. My mind is pretty bottled on the backstory of some of these folks. I can't believe there's so much authenticity. These people weren't making up songs about riding railroads, mining coal and going to prison. That's what they actually did
Guy Clark’s line about Townes last night was one of my favorites of the whole show. “I was always inspired by him, but to be inspired by Townes was different than being like him. If you wanted to be like Townes, you had to be dead.” Also, Vince Gill’s bluegrass band opening for KISS and telling the audience to kiss their ass while being booed off-stage was hysterical.
Haven't made it to that ep yet. I shouldn't trip because I'm getting older too but Vince Gill looks like a fat bitch these days
Nah he legitimately toured with the Eagles in place of Glenn Frey. I had a front row seat within sweating distance. Spoiler: Picture is huge like Vince
I would have never been able to identify him or Hank Jr in pictures from their early days. Even Willie without the long hair and facial hair still looked pretty much like Willie. But those two looked nothing close to what they did early on.
I never realized the connections between country and other genres. I love music in general but country in particular isn't at the top of my list -- however, it's been cool seeing how it's connected to rock and R&B and how they all kind of sprung from common roots. Also where various subgenres came from like bluegrass, honky tonk, etc
Alt-country would've been cool, but not sure it could've been added/covered in just an episode. You'd be talking Jason and the Nashville Scorchers, then getting into Uncle Tupelo, then Son Volt and Wilco, then Whiskeytown, then into Drive-By Truckers and the like. It's almost worth more of an exploration on its own than a dedicated episode in a country music focused doc.
I talked to a native American person the other day and she called herself an Indian. They literally call them Indian tribes. I don't think it's a slur anymore.
Stupid PBS. I was going to binge through Country Music when I had some time. Now I have to be one of those “viewers like you” to stream it.
They’re available on YouTube TV from PBS, but I can’t get to 1/2. Is starting with part 3 going to mess things up a lot?
No, imo. I found them to be pretty self-contained. 3 has bluegrass and Hank Williams, so that's pretty early country. 1/2 are interesting, but he goes all the way to the beginning of country music. Personally, I was more interested in Eps. 3 and those following.
Townes greatly influenced boo-coo artists who are more well known. He’s idolized in the industry, but never received the due respect from the masses nationally.
The first couple of episodes were compelling in the stories of how life was for some of the music ‘pioneers’. The story of the Okie family who moved to California in railroad boxcars and then lived in a concrete pipe in Oakland’s Pipe City, and how those experiences informed the music that came from those artists had me spellbound.
Loved his Baseball series but he should go back and redo the piece on Cobb. Everyone grew up thinking Ty Cobb was some racist nutjob based on a bad movie and a shitty journalist.