The Heart of Country Music

I put this entry off, until I was able to get pictures from the Fulbright Center. The setting of this entry is the American Voices Conference in Turku a couple of weeks ago. For the conference, each of us presented on an aspect of American culture near and dear to us. My topic was country music (in the last 15 years, as I've known it), and if nothing else, it was great to share some of my favorite songs with a room full of Finns. I started with a slide on "how to speak Southern." This was followed by the trends that I have seen in the last decade... from the old gentle, story-telling style, to a bigger and more pop-like sound, with colorful explorations of the use of music videos, and to now. I ended with a large section on the themes that have stayed the same. I really enjoyed this section, and it gave me an opportunity to look up the lyrics to some old favorites. This one by Tim McGraw is so beautiful.

She's my kind of rain
Like love in a drunken sky
She's confetti falling
Down all night

After my presentation, one man made several comments about how country music is a bit like traditional African folk music, with focuses on story-telling and the rain.

I also got a couple of comments about how Protestant country music is, and whether it is possible for nonreligious people to enjoy country music. My answer was "yes". I think that the core of country music lies in telling stories from real life, and if God is a part of life for some people, then it will show up in the music. The nice thing about country music, though, is that it's not trying to be religious. God shows up, in the same way that love and loss do. Afterward, Mrs. Stein - Julia's mom who was visiting - came up to me to tell me more. She's from the South, so she was really happy about my presentation, and she also had a lot of insight to share. I wish she had been up there with me to answer some of those questions.

So, the better answer would have been:

The origins of country music really date back to the Great Depression, when the small farmers and cowboys of the South were really having a hard time. People didn't have a lot money, so life was simple. Church was important, because it was probably the primary social outlet for many people, so religion naturally made its way into the music. Similarly, because life was simple, events such as love, loss, and even the rain were a big deal. When you didn't have a lot to talk about, you talked about the loves and losses in your life. So that's how country music became a form of story telling.

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Now for a few pictures from the conference.

The American ambassador kicked off the conference with a shout-out to the Fulbright program. By the way, I know it's hard to see him, but doesn't he remind you of Mr. Schwarzenegger, just a little bit?

Dinner on a boat, called the "Rudolph", I believe. I order a plate with three types of fish. I'm wearing a pink sweater, and the lady sitting next to me is named Terhi. Terhi is probably the most elegant person I know. I can't decide whether when I grow older, I want to be like Terhi or like one of those ladies who ravingly speak their mind and enjoy it.

The river running through Turku: the city's pride and joy.