The "Farby"
Interview
It's been almost 7 years, since
1998, since Civil War reenacting world has last heard from "Farby,"
the unsung and enigmatic Civil War reenacting parody artists, wrapping up his
huge body of recorded work with his farewell tape "Over the Red
Horizon." Strangely, I'm one of the few people who has a copy
of the entire "Farby" tape collection which spans from 1992 to
1998. Even Farby himself does not own every copy of his own work.
So in a recent visit to my house, "Farby" went through my collection of
his work, which inspired this interview.
Jeff Hendershott: You know
Farby, many people have asked me what has happened to you since you hung up the
microphone and pen. Your "retirement" of Civil War parody song writing,
recording, singing and producing more or less correlated with my retirement
from the hobby.
Farby: "I'm bumbling along,
trying to make sense of this world. I still write now and again. I guess I
still write just as I did then. About whatever is going on at the moment."
Jeff Hendershott: For the record,
you never were a reenactor. However what was your association with the
hobby from which you drew inspiration?
Farby: "I was a close
friend of a re-enactor [Note: Farby and Jeff grew up - it is alleged -
together]. I would have made a miserable re-enactor. I would have been waaaay too
Farby"
Jeff Hendershott: It certainly
isn't for everyone. But what I think you did - if I may go back to the
music - is to interpret what we did with your first love, music, and in a
humorous way. I
remember after the first couple tapes, the guys would keep asking me "When's
the next Farby tape coming?" Guys would sing the songs at events
around the fire sometimes. Anyway, we always took great pride in our
authenticity and performance on the field. I believed we were unique in
that we could do this and earn respect, yet when it came time to
"play," we had our
fun. Your music was a part of that. I can remember at our boot camp
one year I took some tapes down and a boom box. You know, this wasn't a public
event, so we sort of took some liberties
with authenticity at night after a hard days drilling session. We'd play
your songs and I remember the captain and I having just a bit too much to drink
and dancing to your songs!
Farby: "Hey, science has
proven that laughter has mental and physical healing power. I'm glad I haven't
devoted much of my life to making people angry and miserable!!"
Jeff Hendershott: It
impressed not only me but many guys in the group the way it would seem like
"you were there," taking something that I or we would tell you about
and man, you'd nail it as if you were there for the whole thing! What's
the secret?
Farby: "I'm a psychic! I
don't really know. I suppose it is from studying psychology and observing
people. We do share some universal impulses, as you know. I'd like to think
that if I here a story first or second-hand,that I can kind of fill in the
blanks in verse, based on life experiences of my own."
Jeff Hendershott: I have
to add that there was another side to the "Farby" appeal. There
were occasions when you'd add a more serious song or two to a tape. I
thought some of those were
pretty good.
Farby: "Yea, I wanted to
prove that there was more to me than just cracking jokes. The actual Civil War
was generally a bleak time in our history and having researched it for a number
of songs, I was moved and wanted to express this. I'm like everyone else, I don't
go through life honking a clown horn"
QUESTION: Hey, we have
lots more to talk about. I want to cover more of the music specifically
and maybe we can list the "Tapeography" and
perhaps make them available to listeners again - those that want to hear them
that is.
Farby: "Let me think
on that............."
Jeff Hendershott: One
thing I find kind of interesting is that some people have the entire
collections of what, eleven tapes? Yet you do not. What's the story with
that?
Farby: "It is art. One of a
kind. I engineer a tape off of the various masters, rather than just make a
copy of my finished demo for distribution. I was also too lazy to make a copy
of the original for myself, probably because I was sick of hearing it by the
time I sent it along. You know, I'd want to re-record something or add something
or leave something off. If I simply HAD to hear something again. I could
usually find it in it's unmixed form and play it through my multi-track recorder."
Jeff Hendershott: Why did you
decide to not market your tapes? You would have outsold any competitor by
miles.
Farby: "Marketing involves
time and capitol investment. Also a band or the ability to proficiently play an
instrument myself. I mainly a writer and not even very disciplined in that I
must admit"
Jeff Hendershott: you were
certainly the "Weird Al" Yankovic of Civil War reenacting, and that's
a fact. So let's talk about favorites. Your favorite tape?
Farby: "Whatever tape I was
working on at the time was my favorite. The process of creating, experimenting,
researching. The mystery before the fact, was what made those moments in
time interesting. As for the final products? I am kind of a perfectionist on
that note. I always thought I could have done them better"
Jeff Hendershott: that's
what I think the appeal of "Farby" was, not knowing from tape to
tape, from song to song, and sometimes within a song, where you'd go
next! You used all kinds of music, from metal to country to blues to
period music. Hell, you used disco a few times! Ha ha .....
Farby: "That was actually
the intent all along. Farby was supposed to be out of character. His un-authenticity
was what made him authentic. As you pointed out, it was the genre variation that,
hopefully at times, added to the humorous intent of the lyric. It was good to
insert a period piece of music now and again though, just as now and again a
reenactor would have that transcendent connection back to the wartime period
they portray"
Jeff Hendershott: I
remember your parody of the Sullivan Ballou letter from the Ken Burns
documentary. I'll never forget the first time I played it for our
captain. We were driving to class
when we were getting our masters degrees together, and he damn near wrecked the
car laughing. I don't think I ever seen that man laugh so hard!
Farby: "Mmmmmmmm??
Perhaps I should have considered slapping one of those warning's on my songs.
"Do not partake while operating heavy machinery."
Jeff Hendershott:
Certainly did! You did that at the beginning of "Hard Boiled Farby."
Hey, we are out of time and still have not gotten that much into the particular
songs. How about I ask
Jonah if we send him the "Farby Discography?" You interested in
making any of this stuff available? Providing anyone is still interested?
Farby: "I dunno. I wouldn’t
be engineering it. So much of what I wrote back then was dropping names all
over the place and of course as I have said all along, there is the whole
rights infringement of borrowing music without consent. I realize it isn’t
selling a product, but it is still altering the original artist's intent. I've
never had a lawyer tell me nothing would ever happen. I would have no control
over what the unknown person would do with it, but it's still ME on there. Do
you think my concerns are unwarranted?"
Jeff Hendershott: I
believe they are. But it's your call. How about we just leave it at
that for a while and let you think on it some. We can always get back
with Jonah in terms of making these tapes available again.
Farby: "Yea. We
are all a bit older now. Wiser too. Let's leave it at that."
Farby and Jeff Hendershott
would like to give a hearty "thank you" to Jonah for allowing this interview to take
place. We will keep you posted on the availability of the
tapes. But please DO drop Jeff Hendershott a line if you'd be
interested in hearing the tapes. Let us see if there is any response or
interest before Farby makes a decision.
If you are interested in
certain cuts from tapes, please contact me at historynut@bright.net. All
those who write will also be put in touch with "Farby's" email
address so you can communicate with him also.
THE
FARBY TAPEOGRAPHY
Bluebellies and Graybeards
Release Date - May, 1992
Volunteer Army
For Bob Lee (Not!)
Old Dan Tucker
Glory, Glory Halitosis
Hooker
Lincoln and Mary Todd Too
Dixie
Glory, Glory Halitosis (Reprise)
Hey Mr. Pork and Bean Man
Farby
II
Release Date - August, 1992
The Boys are in the Ivy Again
Amazin' Waste
Hippie Man
I Skipped the Drill
Fall
In!
Release Date - March, 1993
Gettysburg - Porta Pisser
Lady of the Tennessee Farm
The Lonely Zouave
Shelby
Ode to a Nuclear Reenactor
The Sutler Blues
Gunpowder Conversion
Like a Rollin' Stone
The Letter
The Mother Load
Fire
and Ice (Sample Tape)
Release Date - May, 1993
Dawn of the Dead
Mr. Jack
Big Trouble
The Dealer
The Muck of Reconstruction
Horizontal
Refreshments
Release Date - August, 1993
Old Dan Sutler
Dr. Lobs-a-Volley
Gettysburg
Farby's in the Blue Camp
The Carbine in My Life
Mother Byckerdyke
Abe
Butter
It's a Surgon's Life
Flamin' Hoop Skirts
Buckshot Bitch
No More Mr. Nice Guy
Foot Soldier's Lament
Horizontal Refreshments
(Sherman) The Man With The Matches
Hard-Boiled
Farby
Release Date - June, 1994
Killer Farby
A Pond Song
Gold and Pearls
Bitch and Moan
Sniffin for Apples
Dangerous Nerves
For our Children's Children
Enfield on my Shoulders
Johnny Shiloh
Fought With Elvis
Little Jokes
Barrel of Will
A
Blank Tape
Release Date - September 1994
Transcendental Trip-Out
Who's Responsible?
Sissyland
Danny Indiana
Abe Lincoln Limbo
Lock,
Stock and Barrel
Release Date - Summer, 1995
This tape is currently on loan,
but contains the song from Jonah's website "Piss on your Buttons."
Cabin
Fever Rocks
Release Date - March, 1996
Rebels Don't Die
Bean Coffee
Fresh Fish
Incompetent
(Won't Stand) Down Wind From You
Bald-Headed Nixon
Antietam
Release Date - October 1996
Build It!
Faggot?
Los Tiitebreeches
One
Last Powder Blast (Released
as "The Artist Formerly Known as Farby"
Release Date - January 1997
Sgt.Carter's Grouchy Fresh Fish
Band
I'm Gone
No Happy Campers
Percolated Soldiers
Ghoulies
You Call This Attack (Longstreet's Song) - written by Jeff Hendershott
Winchester Cerebral
Tip-Toe (Through the Bullchips)
"Georgie"
Dead Men
Let My Hair Grow
Screwed
Tubby Bearded Guy Lament
Checkin In - Checkin Out
TAFKAF
I Ain't Galvanizin'
Over
the Red Horizon (Released
as "The Artist Formerly Known as Farby"
Release Date - January, 1997
Blow Me Down (Popeye's Rag)
Free Soil Country Side - written by Jeff Hendershott
I'm Outta Here!
Mr. Bones and Me
