Cape Breton's Magazine

along with it. I don't know how I could elaborate any more, really. (You went to school, and all around you, there was a revolution taking place.) Oh, God, yes. (In music, in the world.) That's for sure, right. (There was a revolution taking place. Rock-a.nd-roll was coming in, it was coming in very strong. And yet, you had no interest in it?) I think if there was any interest in music, other than the type of music that I played, it would have been in the country line of music that we know of today. Being Buck Owens, Merle Hag? gard, that type of music. That was more the line that I would have followed if I had gotten away from the Cape Breton style of music, and the push and incentive that was offered, that I took advantage of at the time. But if I hadn't, that's maybe the line that I would have followed. Either that, or I would have been a country-band follower. (No chance that it would have been fiddle and rock-and-roll.) No, no. At one point I tried it. I think I was 15 or 16. I had tried with a rock band. But it just wasn't me. It was definitely not me. (Did you dance rock-and-roll?) Uh, I think I did, to some extent. Which amounted to-- if I was to count the times, I could count them on my hands, count them on my fingers, like, the amount of times that I did, at that point, during that period. I didn't really have the interest in it at all. If anything, I would sit back and watch, far as dancing. I felt awkward on the floor. I felt awkward out there, didn't know what to do. I didn't have what knowledge my sister had, as a for instance, of what type of dances and how to dance, that kind of thing, because I wasn't exposed to it. (How was she exposed and you weren't?) Well. I was expected either to practice or--not bother with something that didn't give to my style of fiddling or playing. (Who expected that?) My father, more or less--more than anybody, I guess. And my mother was involved in that as well. There was a period of time that--well, all during my childhood, for the most part--it wasn't a thing that I was allowed to, more or less, listen to. I really didn't have much Clearwater HIGHLAND FISHERIES Highland Fisheries Ltd, P. O. Box 459, Glace Bay, N. S. Canada B1A 6C9 Tel. (902) 849-6016 Telex 019-35141 Fax (902) 849-7794 choice. It was ei? ther "Listen to this. The other stuff is trash." And so on. (Now, your friends in school--were they aware of you as a fiddler?) Oh, abso? lutely not. I kept that as quiet as I could. (Oh, you didn't use that as-- for your friends.) Oh, absolutely not, no. (So your friends wouldn't come to the house and hear you play.) If it ever happened, it was completely by acci? dent, and not volun? tarily- -you know what I mean. (It wasn't your inten? tion.) No, it wasn't my intentions at all that they even catch me with a fiddle, let alone.... (You led a secret life in Massachu? setts.) Oh, very much so, yeah. I be? lieve there was one or two times through my school life--and they were early in life, at that--that I was known as play? ing the fiddle. There was a school concert that I can remember fairly viv? id- -that also my fa? ther was involved with--as far as my performance, in this talent show or what? ever . And I remember after the perfor? mance and a few days after, that it was one of the sorriest things that I think I ever did. Although there were televi? sion performances on amateur shows that I performed on. that also got me recogni? tion as being a fid? dler. It was hard to live down and hard to live with, in school, with my friends and so on. It was kind of ridicule. THE BEST IN lOQAU RgQIQNAL NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ENTERTAINMENT July 15 Andy Stewart (Scotland's Intemational Star) July 16 Men of the Deeps July 17: JazzFX July 18 Alexander Brothers July 19 Winnie Chaf6 Ceilidh July20 Sneezy Waters (Country Rock) July21 South Haven Weavers' Guild of Spinners & Dyers: Fashion Show July22 Rock and Roll Dance Vtetoria Highland Civic Centre July23 St. Ann's Bay Players: "Talking With" July24 Rita IVIacNeil July25 Variety in Motton July26 The Bana M?;Neils and the Rankin Family Band July27 Terrence Simien & the Mallet Playboys (Louisiana Zydeco) July28 Jest in Time Theatre July29 Donovan JulySO The Wan'n Chiasson Quartet July31 Ltona Boyd August 1 Connie Kaldor August 2 Festival on the Bay Theatre AugL'3 Buddy Wassisname & the Other Fellers (Newfoundland Comedy and Music) August 4& 5 Cape Breton Summertime Revue August 7-21 "Beinn Bhreagh" (the Story of IVIabel & Alexander Graham Bell at Baddeck) TICKETS: phone 295-3044 or write FESTIVAL Box666, Baddeck, N. S. BOE IBO