Letters
Dear Alfred, We received our copies of "I Went Downtown" and "Love for the Land" last week, and have been listening to them nearly non-stop since. As I said on the phone about the Peter Stanley collection, it's great to have such wonderful music -- the only improvement would be to install Peter -- and his guitar -- in the living room as a permanent fixture. I'm particularly delighted to see "Sioux City Sue" on "I Went Downtown." When I was a sophomore in college, the student union put on an outdoor air guitar contest. I m sure you know the type of thing -- play a popular song on the stereo, and lip- and body-sync on stage as if you were the musician. Naturally, many people tried it out, singing the usual Top 40 songs and acting things out with a wide range of talent. My roommate and I, with the LP of "Hard Times in the Country," found a blue-eyed redhead and formed a last minute entry. (My roornmate being from Iowa gave us a certain added authenticity!) We sat in a semicircle on the stage, barely moving throughout, dressed as cowpokes (or as near as we could manage), my roommate playing a saw and me a pitchfork, and the redhead chiming in at the appropriate times. At least some of the audience thought it was funny, and we had a good time! One of the school newspapers even mentioned us (or at least referred to "lesser known numbers like 'Sioux City Sue"'). Now that I've started going on about singing Peter Stanley songs, the Greenland No More song is one I've used as a lullaby (my not-quite-three-year-old son Caleb usually requests "the whale song" at bedtime), and also at an international meeting during the banquet. It was a meeting in Greenland, fittingly enough, on conservation of Arctic flora and fauna. We had representatives of all the Arctic countries, and at the banquet there is a tradition of each country singing (or trying to sing) a song. The Americans usually do poorly, which is especially embarrassing when the Russians finish our songs after we've forgotten the words. At this particular meeting, the U.S. had caused some diplomatic problems with a directive not to talk at all about marine mammal hunting or trade in marine mammal products. At the banquet, I stood up to lead our delegation in song, and announced that we had intended to sing "Greenland No More," as an appropriate song for the place, but that the Embassy in Copenhagen had forbidden us to do so because it was about marine mammal hunting, which provoked a good laugh. Instead, we sang "The Golden Vanity," which was well received (despite a great lack of singing talent). All in all, it went over well, and was a fun and memorable occasion! I also like "I Went Downtown To Get My Purse," especially the origins. Last October, we were visiting my brother-in-law and his family in Montana. Driving around in our rented van, I sat in the back row between Caleb and his four-year-old cousin, trying to keep them entertained during the drive. I sang a few songs, and then Caleb asked for a song about trees. I said I didn't know any, and asked if he knew any like that. He launched right into a song of his own making:
All in all, very inventive, I thought. Unfortunately for Caleb, his father isn't as musically inclined as you, so I don't think he'll ever get a CD named after his creation! Anyway, thank you again for bringing more Stanley music into our lives! Best wishes,
Alfred, What a wonderful thing you've done! Please give Peter my best and good wishes for his health. Debbie Green
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