Fantastic work, Andy! Those are some brilliant readings of Ophelia's songs. Along with opening my ears, your writing opens my eyes to connections between Shakespeare and the broadside ballad market. It makes me wonder if some songs in the plays were early examples of what we'd call today "product placement." There was a shilling to be made if Shakespeare ever wanted to put his art in the second best bed with commerce and coordinate with those entrepreneurs hawking their wares inside and outside the Globe. But now I'm thinking like someone from the land of Coca-Cola!
You blew my mind with Part 2--"Nettie Moore" as murder ballad! I missed it entirely, but now I'm totally convinced that you're right. You also make me think that I haven't sufficiently appreciated the importance of Lead Belly as a prototype for the singer-as-killer that Dylan so often channels in his later songs. Great piece, Andy!
Hi, Graley. Yes, almost certainly product placement. I said in an earlier post that we'll get to that in the end. Tiffany Stern did some excellent research on this - they helped each other, ballad writers/hawkers and playwrights, to expand their respective sales/audience, much like hit songs in popular movies. One example for now: there's almost certainly a specific reference in "Tempest" to a ballad's cover illustration which you'd have to guess is on sale in or outside the venue or why draw attention to the image - but more of that anon.
I was wondering what your reaction would be as I was writing it, not knowing if you had thought of it or not. You came close to doing so, I think, in a post you once made (maybe "Nelly was a Lady"?) but shied away, like our narrator here.
Lead Belly's life story is so far-fetched that if someone made it up you'd not believe them. Dylan naming him and referencing him or his songs twice in that speech is surely important.
Thanks for your enthusiasm and approval, it's great to read positive feedback once one puts something up. I still feel new to Substack, and I'm not sure when I'll start to feel otherwise.
Fantastic work, Andy! Those are some brilliant readings of Ophelia's songs. Along with opening my ears, your writing opens my eyes to connections between Shakespeare and the broadside ballad market. It makes me wonder if some songs in the plays were early examples of what we'd call today "product placement." There was a shilling to be made if Shakespeare ever wanted to put his art in the second best bed with commerce and coordinate with those entrepreneurs hawking their wares inside and outside the Globe. But now I'm thinking like someone from the land of Coca-Cola!
You blew my mind with Part 2--"Nettie Moore" as murder ballad! I missed it entirely, but now I'm totally convinced that you're right. You also make me think that I haven't sufficiently appreciated the importance of Lead Belly as a prototype for the singer-as-killer that Dylan so often channels in his later songs. Great piece, Andy!
Hi, Graley. Yes, almost certainly product placement. I said in an earlier post that we'll get to that in the end. Tiffany Stern did some excellent research on this - they helped each other, ballad writers/hawkers and playwrights, to expand their respective sales/audience, much like hit songs in popular movies. One example for now: there's almost certainly a specific reference in "Tempest" to a ballad's cover illustration which you'd have to guess is on sale in or outside the venue or why draw attention to the image - but more of that anon.
I was wondering what your reaction would be as I was writing it, not knowing if you had thought of it or not. You came close to doing so, I think, in a post you once made (maybe "Nelly was a Lady"?) but shied away, like our narrator here.
Lead Belly's life story is so far-fetched that if someone made it up you'd not believe them. Dylan naming him and referencing him or his songs twice in that speech is surely important.
Thanks for your enthusiasm and approval, it's great to read positive feedback once one puts something up. I still feel new to Substack, and I'm not sure when I'll start to feel otherwise.