By: Joe Lang
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| Joe Boyd - Publicity Photo |
Joe Boyd is the Forrest Gump of rock. Don’t know who he is, do you? The cat produced Nick Drake, Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood and Pink Floyd. He brought Muddy Waters to
So when I had the opportunity to hear Boyd read from his new book White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s, I jumped at the opportunity, especially when I heard ECM guitarist and Twin Cities local Steve Tibbets would be playing and leading the question and answer session.
After the Tibbets and Boyd came to the stage accompanied by Marty Keller, local writer, Tibbets played a song where he urged audience participation, asking members to make noises as he did certain gestures. Afterward, in a tribute to Boyd (who produced some of Steve’s work on ECM) and Hendrix, Tibbets played maybe the finest Hendrix cover I’ve heard. Armed with only a 12-string Martin, Tibbets drew out all of the nuance and emotion from one of the deepest of the Hendrix deep cuts, “Villanova Junction.”
Tibbets took a bow and sat as Boyd read from the first chapter of his book and talked a little bit about the writing process, his philosophy on the 1960s music scene, and life as a producer.
Then came the questions. Throughout the remainder of the session, Boyd addressed his thoughts on the use of Nick Drake’s “Pink Moon” in car commercials (he didn’t mind it), the use of analog versus digital recordings (he doesn’t like digital at all and doesn’t own an iPod), album covers, regrets, white blues singers (he doesn’t like them), and other musings and anecdotes.
The biggest discussion/debate came when Boyd offered up the assertion that people listen to more artists from the 1960s than now (a point Steve Tibbets disagreed with). Boyd’s belief as to why art and music flourished in the 1960s was by far the most convincing and encompassing I’ve yet heard. According to Boyd, the 1960s ended in 1973, with the energy crisis. He called it the end of economic innocence; in the 60s you could make your way as a waiter and artist, something that is immensely more difficult, if not impossible, now. So there it was: no “magic,” no “rising up of the human condition against oppression,” just a clearly-thought analysis of what conditions allowed the culture of the 1960s to flourish.
To me, however, this was a terrifying perspective. Considering what many academics are projecting of the 21st century, with problems like peak oil, climate change, and water resources, I was greatly concerned about the implications. So after waiting around for Boyd to greet and sign books, I decided to ask him what he thought about the possible implications, especially for a roots musician weaned on Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck and John McLaughlin. “My frame of reference is old, having lived through the 60s,” Boyd said. “But in art and culture there are always periods of flourish and fading.”
“Great,” I said. “So that means I need to put on my boots and get ready to start wading around in the dark ages?”
“Well, maybe,” Boyd said.
Joe Boyd knows? Maybe not.
Location Info:
Cedar Cultural Center
Artist Info: Joe Boyd, Steve Tibbets
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