Gallows Pole

Dear James,

Concerned by the male-heavy direction the blog is taking, and eager to post another recently-dead folk singer, here's a lovely song from Odetta, who also popped up briefly in the Frank Zappa biography I claim to be reading, as well as in the Bob Dylan documentary I claim to have watched all the way through, where she played Water Boy. There was another very interesting folk singer in No Direction Home, with white hair, playing a stringed-instrument on his lap, but I neglected to note down his name. Not wanting to rely too heavily on our readership today, but if anyone has the inclination to watch the documentary here this and find out who it was, we'd be much obliged. Ex-girlfriends and stalkers need not apply.

I was just reading that Odetta started out life as a domestic servant, which is interesting because she bears more than a passing resemblance to my domestic servant. Maybe I should get Alejandra a guitar. Maybe I could pay her to watch No Direction Home until the appearance of a white-haired man playing what may or may not be a hurdy-gurdy.