There's always been something just a little off for me when it comes to the Winnipeg Folk Fest. And after trying to formulate a snappy, original, concise statement about what it is, the best thing I can come up with is a paltry "ignorance is bliss".
The Fest is the ultimate modern cultural experience. It takes very little investment from the consumer, and by investment I mean a surface thin commitment to the espoused values of the fest. You don't need need to quit your job and drive across the country in a love wagon. I mean really, who gets that much time off these days! In fact for the low low price of your weekend and $200 you get a little slice of Woodstock(tm) you can fit in your pocket for your fast paced modern lifestyle. Frat boys, you can bring your weed purchased through channels that promote gang violence: there's a gonna be young hippie chicks looking for dope and company! And for all you office workers in office land, it's a good chance for a weekend outside closer to home instead of going to the lake. Plus Jenny in accounting is gonna flip when you tell her you talked to someone with a real Jamaican accent!
Despite my preceding observations, I still think the Fest is a good thing and is better happening than not. I just don't like it when things are taken beyond their original context into a space where they don't belong. I've read somewhere that we are the generation that never realized "You've Gotta Fight For Your Right To Party" was a joke. What was originally written as a commentary of the state of music at the time became the anthem of those it intended to make fun of. The same has happened with the hippie festival of the 1960's and the result is going on this weekend at Bird's Hill Park.
But wait a minute Gary, how can you make all these judgements if you've never even been!?! Well first of all, I'm the one with the password to this blogger account which gives me the sole privilege of writing pretty much whatever I want without any formal oversight to speak of. Second, I have been if only once. I may be a hypocrite but I do try to cover my bases every now and then. For example I once went to Springs of Living Water for the sole purpose of validating all the downright nasty things I would say about it. That adventure ended up in us being tailed around the church by a man talking into a Denzel Washington CIA style cuff-link microphone. But I digress: My impression of the Fest was a lot of people re-inventing themselves for one weekend of the year.
My parents in law are not going to enjoy this post.
