> Almost every artist borrows from other, older sources. It's how the source > material is used that counts. 'Silky Veils of Ardor' has bits of lyrics > from several old folk songs but Joni rearranges them and weaves them into a > completely new work that is uniquely her own. The same with 'Slouching > Toward Bethlehem.' I would not call this plagiarism or lack of originality.
This is an interesting thread. Since I've been here in Asheville, I've written seven songs now(the muse is being very kind) and I wouldn't think this is so unusual but each time I've started to write something, I've been inspired by completely different artists, creating a strange hybrid of their style and my own. I mean, I've been inspired by different people for years...Rush, Grateful Dead, Jethro Tull, Ella Fitzgerald, REM, etc...but its never been so rampidly different over the course of two months. India Arie, James Taylor, Elton John, Neil Young, Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix, and just today Tom Waits. And it feels as you describe above, weaving into a completely new work that is unique. I'm begininning to believe more and more that Asheville is a very unusual place, a spiritual hub where unusual things can happen. There is a bookstore downtown(a very cool one Allison!) where I am able to go and actually lose awareness of everything surrounding me, while people are still milling about and getting coffee or reading books or whatever. The real world almost begins to seem secondary to the spiritual world that is constantly weaving and thriving. Kind of spooky and exciting at the same time... Victor --- Victor Johnson --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Roses wait for the springtime, They sleep beneath the ground. They hear March winds a callin' For the sun to come around."vlj Visit http://www.cdbaby.com/victorjohnson
