The Mayor Of MacDougal Street.

Suze Rotolo, Terri Thal, Bob Dylan & Dave Van Ronk.

A couple of weeks ago a friend on Facebook recommended a film to me. It is called Inside Llywn Davis. It was on the Film 4 Channel at 1.00 in the morning. Luckily, I was still quite awake at that time, so I watched it. I am glad I did because it is very enjoyable. It is a dark comedy set in Greenwich Village, New York in 1961. It follows the misadventures of a struggling folk singer as he tries to get his career off the ground while also trying to sort out his chaotic private life. The film was directed by Joel & Ethan Coen and stars Oscar Isaac. As well as being a very funny film I think I also liked it because, although I doubt if I will ever go there, I have had a long time interest in the whole ethos of Greenwich Village of that period, it’s association with the Beat Generation and the music scene, Bob Dylan, Karen Dalton, Peter, Paul & Mary, Joan Baez, Phil Ochs  and many more.

As the film progressed, I suddenly realised that I had the book on which the film is loosely based. I had read a sizable chunk of it a few months ago. The book is called The Mayor of MacDougal Street and is a memoir by Dave Van Ronk. Llywn Davis the protagonist in the film was inspired by Dave Van Ronk, On Wikipedia it says, David Kenneth Ritz Van Ronk (June 30, 1936 – February 10, 2002) was an American folk singer. An important figure in the American folk music revival and New York City's Greenwich Village scene in the 1960s, he was nicknamed the "Mayor of MacDougal Street". Van Ronk's work ranged from old English ballads to blues, gospel, rock, New Orleans jazz, and swing. He was also known for performing instrumental ragtime guitar music, especially his transcription of "St. Louis Tickle" and Scott Joplin's "Maple Leaf Rag". Van Ronk was a widely admired avuncular figure in the Village, presiding over the coffeehouse folk culture and acting as a friend to many up-and-coming artists by inspiring, assisting, and promoting them. Folk performers he befriended include Bob Dylan, Tom Paxton, Patrick Sky, Phil Ochs, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, and Joni Mitchell. Dylan recorded Van Ronk's arrangement of the traditional song "House of the Rising Sun" on his first album, which the Animals turned into a chart-topping rock single in 1964, helping inaugurate the folk-rock movement.

Dave died before he had finished his book and it was completed after his death by Elijah Wald. Dave Van Ronk was quite a character. I looked on youtube for any footage of him performing and found a film of him performing Cocaine Blues at the Newport Folk Festival (See below, go forward to 1.30 mins for film of Dave) This determined me to buy an album. On eBay I saw an album called Inside Dave Van Ronk. The similarity to the film title could not be a coincidence. Also, the cover depicted a cat which I thought must have inspired the Coen brothers to have a cat in their film. Some of the funniest scenes in the film involve his accidental adoption of the cat and his efforts to return it to the true owners.

I ordered the CD and it arrived a few days ago. It is 25 songs in total and is actually a repackaging of Dave’s first two albums from 1962. I like it. As well as Cocaine Blues I like his version of Dylan’s He Was A Friend of Mine. After two listens I think my favourite song of all is Fair And Tender Ladies, an Appalachian ballad that has been recorded by many people. Although Dave was a folk singer you can tell he was also influenced by blues singers.

Anyway, I’m pleased that I watched that great film and discovered the music of Dave Van Ronk who was undoubtedly an important catalyst in American music during a very exciting creative period in its history.