Every Thursday throughout August grab a drink, pull up a pew and sign in (for free) for Folk Thursdays running as part of Yorkshire Festival of Story. We’re thrilled to be welcoming Reg Meuross, described by BBC Radio 2’s Mark Radcliffe as ‘a brilliant singer-songwriter with a social conscience’, to the digital stage. Reg is performing 12 Silk Handkerchiefs, which is inspired by Brian W. Lavery’s book The Headscarf Revolutionaries at the festival. The piece opens a window on Hull’s fishing community in the aftermath of the Triple Trawler Disaster of 1968. We caught up with Reg to find out more about him and his work ahead of the event.
Who is your folk hero/heroine?
I tend to avoid heroes & heroines but if I was to answer that in the terms of influences I’d have to include Bob Dylan, Hank Williams & Joni Mitchell.
Has Yorkshire influenced your song writing if so, how?
The only specific example I can think of is the song I wrote about two characters I saw having lunch in Morrison’s café just outside Doncaster called Phil Ochs & Elvis eating lunch in Morrison’s Café, although I’ve played there and travelled there extensively and all on the road experience informs my writing to some degree.
You write songs about real historical characters, who has been the most interesting that you have written about so far and why?
Similar to the heroes and heroines I try not to have best ofs. They all contribute in a different way, just as we do in life and if I was to say the ‘most interesting’ I would almost certainly think about an aspect of another character which was possibly more interesting 5 minutes later. When I am writing about them they are the most interesting person on earth to me. I can tell you what
interested me about each character individually though and I am also driven to unearthing truths, debunking myths and looking at things from different angles, not to spoil a good story but rather to enhance it and to get as close to the real story as possible. For example for my song about Dick Turpin’s life, ‘Lizzie Loved A Highwayman’ I looked at the gallows notes as part of the research; when I wrote ‘And Jesus Wept’ about the shell- shocked soldier Harry Farr who was shot for ‘desertion’, I talked to Harry’s granddaughter. By doing this research I uncover authentic, and often hidden, facts and perspectives.
As someone who is new to the genre of folk music, what kinds of things can people expect to experience from folk as opposed to other genres of music?
That’s a tricky one because folk, as it is now, is a blend of genres. Essentially there is Traditional Folk, the homogenous stories and tunes of our ancestors passed down over centuries. From this you can experience some of the most beautiful tunes and stories that have influenced all who have come since. These songs were gathered together in the late 1800’s by the likes of Baring Gould & Cecil Sharp and found their way into the school curriculums and have become the basis from which most of our music and folk music of America is made. You will hear great recordings of these songs from the 1950’s onwards by sometimes virtuoso musicians such as Nic Jones & Martin Carthy, through the 60’s and Folk Rock of Pentangle and Fairport Convention, right up to the present day where young folk musicians still interpret those old songs and mix them with their own original compositions in
the Trad Folk style. Then you have the singer/songwriter who, in my opinion is essential to keep the tradition alive and growing. To me the songs of The Beatles, The Stones, The Kinks, Dylan, Woody Guthrie and thousands of other articulate pop writers are the folk songs of our day. When people look back on our time it is these songs which will reflect our times. This is a huge question!
Which country has inspired you the most by keeping the folk tradition the most alive?
I have been heavily influenced by American singer songwriters such as Dylan and Hank Williams, also Paul Simon, Tom Waits, Joni Mitchell, their influence freed me up to write in the way that I do, so in that sense, America. I’ve also been hugely influenced musically by British Pop Music.
Politics, social commentary and observations on injustices, both contemporary and historically, have been a feature of many of your works. What current issues and social injustices that are close to your heart do you sing about currently?
The current handling of the pandemic and the seemingly contradictory treatment of the NHS is very worrying. I can honestly say that not one person in the current ruling government gives me any confidence. There is a sense that they are from a different class, a stance they maintain by a kind of upper class mob rule. We can scream and shout and wear scary masks and complain as much as we like but the toffs and the corporates are in charge. A great example is the voucher scheme encouraging people to shop not at the small businesses who desperately need the help to stop from going under, but at Macdonalds, Burger King, Starbucks etc, all the massive, safe conglomerates turning out mass produced unhealthy food, while at the same time warning us that we are more at risk of dying from Covid19 if we are overweight, suffering from Diabetes or generally unhealthy. And Trump is a monster, don’t turn your back on him.
Folk music is such an important tradition to hand down stories and life lessons to the next generation. Which story from history-
*Is still as relevant today as it was then?
*Shocked you the most?
*Shares a valuable life lesson?
I think the story of Lillian Bilocca and her girlfriends and the shift of her protest from the garden fence to the House of Commons applies to all three here. It is a story of the common man/woman in the street standing against greed and evil oppression, and corporate manipulation of power and resources. She didn’t join them in order to beat them. She didn’t play them at their game, she didn’t pander to their superior position. She spoke truthfully, authentically with love and compassion for her family and her
people. She spoke loud and she didn’t stop until she was heard. I think this is an essential lesson. It should be taught in all places where folk believe in goodness, fairness and doing what’s right.
What is the most memorable venue you have played in?
That’s easy! The Albert Hall. My grandmother encouraged me to sing. She was herself a Drury Lane opera singer. I would sing for her most Sundays as a child and she would often compliment me by saying one day I would sing at The Albert Hall. It was the pinnacle of achievement to her. And she added that if I ever got the chance I should do it alone. I turned down an earlier chance as a member of another outfit and when I finally got the chance in 2009 I was solo. It was like coming home. I was in Dressing room 1. I was the only solo on the bill of four big folk bands and I couldn’t figure out why I was in Dressing Ro
om 1! They had even lit candles for me in there and the sense of history in that room, closest to the stage was palpable. After a while I sensed an
underlying odour. It turned out there was a drain problem and the drains ran directly under Dressing room one. Hence the scented candles and the number one dressing room being occupied by the least known performer. I didn’t complain.
Where does the title of your 13th album, ‘12 silk handkerchiefs’ originate from?
It comes from Big Lil on her death bed instructing her daughter, Virginia to go out and buy for her 12 handkerchiefs which she then gave to the hospital staff who had cared for her in her dying days. It felt like a hugely symbolic act to me after she was so neglected by the community she strove to protect. The best bits of performing both collaboratively and as a soloist? I’ve been lucky to play with some brilliant and gifted musicians and singers in my time and the positive energy that can be created in collaboration can be truly remarkable. Sometimes it might only be really enjoyed by the participants but as a player the pleasure that kind of harmony brings is sublime and verging on spiritual. Probably the most satisfying for me was my time in a vocal duo called The Panic Brothers. I’ve always been a fan of the brother duets, The Everley’s The Bee Gees, The Louvin Brothers, the country duets, and in Richard Morton I met the closest I’ve come to a brother in vocal terms. We both naturally had the same phrasing and exactly the same approach to a tune so when we took off we took off together and in perfect synch. The best onstage experiences I’ve ever had though have been solo. Nothing beats for me that experience of being in tune with an audience who,
even if they might not have come to hear you, are listening and responding to the feelings and thoughts you are evoking through your songs, and on top of the sense of fun and entertainment, you feel a sense of enrichment, like somehow everyone is better off for that experience.
Dream collaboration for the future?
Having spent the last few years almost entirely solo I would very much like to play my songs with a full orchestra …. If you can arrange that?….
Has the pandemic given you some new material for future songs?
Yes. I’ve written a single which I recorded remotely with other musicians called Shine On. I have also moved forward massively with my Woody Guthrie project commissioned by Pete Townshend. And I’ve been experimenting with some traditional folk songs in collaboration with a young duo called Harbottle & Jonas. I wanted to see if I could make those songs somehow like my own singer songwriter efforts without changing them too much, but just trying to inhabit them and deliver them in an authentic
way. I’m very happy with the way they’ve developed and when we’re allowed we may do an album.
Can you give listeners a glimpse in to what impending delights you have in store for them when they tune in for your performances at the Yorkshire Festival of Story?
Look out for some story songs! I’ve always wanted to highlight the stories in my songs so I’m looking forward to this opportunity to put all the characters into one place. I’ll also be giving more background about the characters and my reasons for wanting to tell their stories.
BOOK YOUR FREE PLACE ON 12 Silk Handkerchiefs HERE
Written by volunteer writer Jane Corbett
