John Fahey has died. - Acoustic Guitar Forum

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John Fahey has died.

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Author	Topic: John Fahey has died.
Hambone Member Posts: 642 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: Jan 2000	posted 02-22-2001 16:21 It is with inexpressible sadness and grief that I must report that John Fahey died today after undergoing bypass surgery this past Monday. IP: Logged
webnash unregistered	posted 02-22-2001 20:37 thanks Hambone, wow, what a loss.....it there an article or something with details? IP: Logged
Hambone Member Posts: 642 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: Jan 2000	posted 02-22-2001 20:53 go to the Visitor Forum at www.johnfahey.com for more information IP: Logged
Hambone Member Posts: 642 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: Jan 2000	posted 02-22-2001 20:58 And now some (somewhat) random quotes from the writings of John Fahey: You must play until you are no longer afraid of the guitar. Many players are afraid to touch the guitar, AND THEY ACT LIKE IT. You must create an intimate relationship with your guitar. Getting over your fear of it is much like a romantic/sexual conquest. When you are alone with your guitar, you must win if you are to be a man. And you can win - with any guitar. Sit there with it for six hours. No guitar can withstand the creative spirit that is within every human being. IP: Logged
Kurt Member Posts: 1508 From: Suffern, NY USA Registered: Nov 1999	posted 02-22-2001 21:27 Which of his works hit you the hardest? I'll never forget the first time I heard "God, Time and Causality." Wow! I'm listening to it right now. A friend saw him perform around that time, She said "When he holds it, it's not a guitar anymore, it becomes something completely different." I'll never forget that. She also said that he got up in the middle of a song to go take a pee. I regret missing that show. I think it was the last time he played in Nyc - around 1989. I also love his take on Christmas music. IP: Logged
Dennis Roger Reed Moderator Posts: 1901 From: San Clemente, CA USA Registered: Sep 2000	posted 02-22-2001 22:30 Fahey played at my college coffeehouse in about 1973. I had heard rumors about how mean he could be to non-attentive audiences. The opening act was a young man a couple of years my junior who had not listened enough to Neil Young. He'd listened just enough to think he could do the same thing: write 20 songs in double dropped D. His girlfriend rocked in front of the stage for the longest 45 minutes of my adult life while this guy butchered his poor Guild. Most of the audience couldn't take it, and left. I expected Fahey to do a 45 minute lecture on talent. Instead, he never mentioned the opening act, which was the kindest thing he could have done. He played a somewhat less than brilliant long set to the 20 or so of us left in the club. He only spoke once or twice, with sort of a Salvadore Dali influence in his topics. I was most impressed by his mastery of the instrument. As Hambone quoted, I was fully in the stage of being terrified what my Martin 000-18 could do to me. Fahey obviously was not suffering from the same condition. Arguably others may have done what he did with the acoustic guitar sooner, or others may have done it better later, but to me he was the great white father of acoustic fingerstyle solo performance guitar. Long Live Blind Joe Death. IP: Logged
bcw unregistered	posted 02-23-2001 10:14 anyone know of a way to buy faheys book by mail? IP: Logged
Hambone Member Posts: 642 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: Jan 2000	posted 02-23-2001 11:29 Fahey published at least 5 books in his lifetime. They are all out of print save the most recent one. They are: CHARLEY PATTON - Fahey's thesis on Patton that he wrote for his master's degree in Folklore and Mythology at UCLA in the early 60s. Published in Paul Oliver's Blues Paperback series around 1970. THE BEST OF JOHN FAHEY, 1959-1977 - Tablature for the album of the same name along with classic, brilliant ramblings by Fahey. 1980? THE NEW POSSIBILITY - John Stropes' transciptions of Fahey's Christmas songs from the album of the same name. 1985 THE GUITAR OF JOHN FAHEY - Excellent book of tablature published in the 90s by Mel Bay under the direction of Stefan Grossman (I think). HOW BLUEGRASS MUSIC DESTROYED MY LIFE - Fahey's recent book of stories which is at once terrifying and miraculous. He also published various articles in Guitar Player magazine and elsewhere. Of particular interest is a GP article called something like "Horizontal and Vertical Guitar Playing" in which is found the memorable quote "teleological suspension of ontological fixity: that is the goal". IP: Logged
brewbird Member Posts: 103 From: San Jose, CA USA Registered: Jan 2001	posted 02-23-2001 12:02 Very sad to hear this. He was a seminal influence on me in terms of getting beyond folk music in my youth. IP: Logged
Adrian Freed Member Posts: 2360 From: Berkeley, CA, USA Registered: Oct 2000	posted 02-23-2001 13:01 "The Best of John Fahey" was published in 1978 by Guitar Player Books:ISBN 0-89122-021-6 . I hope Mel Bay will reprint this relatively recent one: "Guitar of John Fahey�" John Fahey �Stefan Grossman (Editor) ISBN: 0786634839 IP: Logged
Adrian Freed Member Posts: 2360 From: Berkeley, CA, USA Registered: Oct 2000	posted 02-23-2001 13:06 Leo Kottke has written a fine tribute: http://www.leokottke.com/ Here are sources of concert and instructional videos: http://vestapol.com/nffahey.htm http://guitarvideos.com/grossman/videos/nffahey.htm [This message has been edited by Adrian Freed (edited 02-23-2001).] IP: Logged
SteveO Member Posts: 41 From: Monmouth, OR Registered: Aug 2000	posted 02-23-2001 23:27 John's passing was noted on the front page of our hometown newspaper. John lived in Salem, OR and I just about 15 minutes away. Over the years it was great to see him in many small venues locally, where he would play for just a couple of folks at a record store, or a couple dozen at a Christmas concert. I always bought a recording from him when I heard him, and had him sign them...glad for that now. His music is great to listen to and will be remembered for a long time. SteveO IP: Logged
John Bushouse Member Posts: 325 From: Registered: Apr 2000	posted 02-26-2001 15:34 Listening suggestions? I've got "The Legend of Blind Joe Death" and "The New Possibility: John Fahey's Guitar Soli Christmas Album/Christmas with John Fahey vol. II." In what order should I start the rest of my acquisitions? [This message has been edited by John Bushouse (edited 02-26-2001).] IP: Logged
bcw unregistered	posted 03-01-2001 10:09 is there an address for the publisher of how bluegrass destroyed my life by fahey? IP: Logged
Hambone Member Posts: 642 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: Jan 2000	posted 03-02-2001 13:26 Mr. Bushouse, I recommend the double-CD retrospective of Fahey's career, THE RETURN OF THE REPRESSED. It's very well done, with liner notes by Dr. Demento. BCW, You could probably find out the publisher on amazon.com, and do a search for it on google.com. IP: Logged
John Bushouse Member Posts: 325 From: Registered: Apr 2000	posted 03-02-2001 23:23 "How Bluegrass Music Destroyed My Life" is published by Drag City Incorporated, Chicago, IL. www.dragcity.com. Get your copy here: http://www.johnfahey.com/hbmdml.htm [This message has been edited by John Bushouse (edited 03-02-2001).] IP: Logged
Adrian Freed Member Posts: 2360 From: Berkeley, CA, USA Registered: Oct 2000	posted 03-03-2001 17:11 Amazon carries the book (backordered). The chapter on Skip James is great: it includes an incredible critique of Berkeley in the 60's. I didn't realize how many country blues guitarists John Fehey is responsible for dragging from obscurity until I read this. IP: Logged
bennewhouse unregistered	posted 03-03-2001 19:57 who's john fahey? IP: Logged
Kurt Member Posts: 1508 From: Suffern, NY USA Registered: Nov 1999	posted 03-03-2001 20:01 THE FIRST SOLO STEEL STRING GUITAR ALBUM EVER: "Blind Joe Death" by John Fahey, who's record company, Tacoma, was started with $300 dollars he made pumping gas! IP: Logged
bennewhouse unregistered	posted 03-03-2001 21:57 oh. THAT John Fahey. Don't worry guys, Trent Reznor is still around. IP: Logged
Kurt Member Posts: 1508 From: Suffern, NY USA Registered: Nov 1999	posted 03-04-2001 09:57 On another board, El McMeen posted this link to a beautifully sad tribute to John: http://www.execpc.com/~pgkuchar/FaheyMems.htm IP: Logged
Phil Dollard Member Posts: 101 From: Briarcliff Manor, N.Y. Registered: Jul 2000	posted 03-05-2001 09:10 Thanks all for the various eulogies to Fahey. There's also a well written piece in yesterday's N.Y. Times (3-04-01.) A musician friend of mine called last week; when I mentioned John Fahey's passing, he told me this one: my friend had gone to see Fahey play at the Leob Student Center at NYU one night in the mid-eighties. He took his seat along with a few hundred others in the hall. Jim noticed that there was a table on the stage next to the lone guitar stand. Presently, Fahey ambled out on stage with a McDonald's bag in his hand. He sat down at the table and, without a word, took a hamburger, fries and cup of coffee from the bag and proceeded to eat his meal. Everyone in the audience waited patiently, not a word. When he'd finished, Fahey took a napkin, wiped his hands and chin, leaned over for his guitar and began the show. Jim said he didn't utter a word, acknowledged the audience not once, but played a brilliant set. Said later, he realized it was all an act, but that he doesn't think he's ever seen anyone who might pull off a similar stunt.The next day a reviewer in the Times said Fahey was so tough you could light matches off his ass. IP: Logged

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