About the Show
Foolkiller Folk
The Foolkiller Folk collective explores the storytelling, cultural, and protest power of folk music from as far back as the Child Ballads through as current as released today.
"When one becomes enlightened one kills the fool within" -Jack Conroy
I’m fascinated by the folk process and how it transforms songs and legends over time. Take, for example, “Ghost Riders in the Sky,” written by Stan Jones and famously sung by Johnny Cash, which topped the Billboard charts in 1949. The theme of ghostly riders appears throughout the ages and is possibly of pre-Christian origins
Jones shared that he first heard this tale at age 12 from an old Native American living near an Arizona border town. This story also resonates with ancient European myths of the Wild Hunt—a folklore motif present in various northern, western, and eastern European cultures. These tales often feature a ghostly group of hunters in wild pursuit, possibly rooted in pre-Christian traditions. Similar stories can be found in Welsh, French, Slavic, and German folklore, and the already legendary Hunt was reportedly witnessed at night at an English monastery in 1127. Witnessing the Wild Hunt was believed to herald disasters, such as war or plague (or, in the case of the monastery, the appointment of a disastrous abbot).
You’ll also hear echoes of the Wild Hunt in the song “Lady Margaret,” a variant of “Tam Lin,” featured in today’s show.
Don’t miss out—tune in for more!
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