Throughout this class, I have tried to find links between oral traditions and my modern world. I am a child of the media, who grew up maybe too close to the TV and the computer. As much as I have learned to appreciate the nuances of oral performance and the importance of early traditions, I still think I'd rather plunk myself down in front of a glowing box.
However, in researching my final project, I think I've stumbled upon not only an oral tradition I can embrace, but also an example of how the influence of ancient performers have influenced our storytelling today. The latest issue of the online journal Oral Tradition focuses on the work of Bob Dylan and how his songwriting and performing mirrors ancient oral poetry.
I shouldn't admit this, but I'm not a huge fan of Dylan. It's something about his voice that rubs me the wrong way. I do, however, recognize his unique contributions to music, and I respect him for his body of work and his willingness to cross and even mute traditional boundaries. Reading about his performance art in the journal has helped me to see how a master storyteller might have transmitted culture in ancient days. It's also helped me to realize the vital role the actual performance plays in the transmission. Maybe I don't appreciate Dylan as much as I should because I've never seen him perform live. I've just listened to his recordings, and honestly, only those recordings that are widely available.
I can, however, relate better to Bruce Springsteen because I've been a voracious fan of his since my teens (1986 to be exact). I own all his CDS, and my favorites are the less commercial ones (Nebraska and The Ghost of Tom Joad).More importantly, I've seen him in concert once and I've also been pretty focused on obtaining bootleg recordings of his other shows. In him, I can see the difference between live and Memorex to borrow an ad slogan. Springsteen's songs are full of meaning, but they have even more power when performed live. Even songs that were not originally his gain new power when he belts them out onstage. I saw Springsteen in Las Vegas and he began and ended his nearly three hour long show by squeezing as much energy and fun and celebration out of Elvis' "Viva Las Vegas" as possible. I never really even liked the song until he performed it. More importantly, I also saw the true power some of his ballads have when he joined first his wife and then his whole bad for a muted rendition of "If I Should Fall Behind". Nothing was as meaningful to me as the stripped down version of "Born in the USA" he offered alone on his acoustic guitar. There are good version of it on YouTube, if you want to check it out.
While this class has taught me to appreciate performers like Dylan and Springsteen more, it has also made me want to know more about the traditions that informed and inspired them. Often, I've wished I could have sat in on some of the Zuni tales or the South Slavic epics. Thanks to ethnopoetics I can get a glimpse, but I still have to wonder if it's quite the same. Just as I can watch Bruce on YouTube, hopefully more people will take advantage of the 'Net to transmit the important cultural messages of our ancient traditions.