Expert: Caleb - 6/21/2008

Question
QUESTION: I just recently got into the early punk stuff.  I really want to get into the early early folk stuff that was BEFORE patti smith or velvet underground.  I have no idea where to start when it comes to pre-proto so top speak, lol.

ANSWER: I don't really know what you're talking about.  The Velvets were around a decade before Patti Smith and they're about as early as it gets when it comes to proto-punk, but if you think of punk broadly as just being loud and fast and abrasive and anti-authority, you'll have to look back to the early bluesmen.

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QUESTION: Got it.  I meant stuff like the Fugs, Lou Reed, Hairy Smith, the godz, David Peel, etc.  Sorry I was so vague.  As I mentioned before, I don't know much about early stuff.  Hope this helps, thanks.

ANSWER: Ha, you know more than me.  I haven't heard of any of those except Lou Reed (but he was in the Velvets in the sixties before he went solo)

Some of those bands look pretty interesting, I might check them out.  By the way, regardless of whether they were the first of anything, the Velvet Underground are one of the greatest bands of all time so definitely get into them if you havent yet

Good luck researching.

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QUESTION: This is going to seem stupid, but a random youtube video is what mentioned most of the bands I listed in my last question to you.  It is honestly a very interesting video and it is what sparked my interest in this early stuff.  Here is the video.  I would be very interested to hear your thoughts on this video.  I have no idea how accurate it is but regardless, some of those bands sound REALLY good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88QLxLHQW_M

Answer
That video is real interesting, I'd never heard of most of those folk bands, thanks for showing me it (by the way, he mentions lou reed and john cale playing acoustic/viola, he sings the song "im waiting for the man".  in 1965 they formed the velvet underground - as he says "the velvets went electric".  i didnt really know about their folkier origins so thats quite interesting. their main idea was to merge pop with avant-garde).  I would recommend listening to the velvets, stooges and the nuggets compilation(s) and i'll check out some of those folk bands, especially David Peel seems good.