questions

what went well w/ #4? why?
what did not go well w/ #4? why not?
how was #4 compared to #s 1-3? why?
what are you most proud of in # 4? why?
wht do you still need to work on? how will you?
advice to yourself for your next research project.

cover letter

Casey Clark
430 Solano Dr. Benicia, CA 94510
Phone: 406-396-2573
Email: cclark1@students.solano.edu

Maximum Rock n Roll
PO Box 460760San Francisco, CA 94146-0760USA
Phone: (415) 923-9814Fax: (415) 923-9617
E-mail : mrr@maximumrocknroll.com

Dear, (MRR)

My name is Casey Clark, and I am sending this letter regarding an article that I have written about Celtic Punk Rock. The title of the article is (…), and it contains (#) words. It has already been edited revised numerous times. I have been working on this particular article for about two months at Solano Community College, and I wanted to find a publisher that would be able to appreciate the genre as I am presenting it. I can think of none better than (…).
A summary of the paper is that it discusses where Celtic Punk Rock has come from and why this makes it a unique form of Punk. It goes into detail of different visual and audio aspects that make this genre different from other Punk genres, but the article also discuss the number of universal Punk ideals that are present in genre. It follows from the history of the British Isles and the hardships of the Celtic people to the streets of Boston where a more modern form of Celtic Punk rock was born.
I feel that Celtic Punk Rock is not really a (sub-)genre of Punk that many people are aware of, and I’m hoping that this article can help shed some light on what the genre is really about. As I have mentioned the article has been reviewed, and the feedback that I received was very encouraging. Many of the editors were (extremely) interested to learn of this genre and how it came to produce the music it does today.
I would like to thank you sincerely for taking my paper into consideration. Please feel free to email or call me anytime if you have any question.

Sincerely

Casey Clark

essay 4 outline Celtic punk rock

Casey Clark
Prof. Stein
English 4
5/1/11
Outline essay #4
Intro
Hook-
Thesis- Celtic punk rock is used to tie to Celtic (typically Irish) identity and heritage through aural and visual conotated aspects of the Celtic archetype. Because of this people use it to express their heritage as Celtic people and all the things that the Celt represents. These ideals happen to be similar to punk ideals, so the genres go together well.
History
A. Geography- Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Isle of Man, and north east France.
B. Roman occupation of Britain 55BC
C. Anglo-Saxon invasion post roman era
D. Norman invasion 1066 Hastings.
E. The English (Anglos/Normans) invade Ireland 17th century
a. Irish are subjected, but never fully integrate in the English system of government
as the Scots and Welsh
b. Music was a continual mode of expression and freedom
c. Made it very important to the culture of the Celts
d. Later revolts establish a republic separate from England, yet the north is still in English control
F. Many Celts emigrate from the British Isles to America in the 18th and 19th centuries
a. Why America? Gives the little guy a new beginning
G. Long history of being conquered and oppressed
a. The idea of fighting against authority made Celtic music highly compatible with punk
Celtic Punk
A. Birth of punk 1977
a. Ideas of punk (against authority, disorder)
b. “Deliberately bad”
B. Celtic punk started in London
a. Punk bands in Ireland didn’t sound Irish they tried sounding just punk (examples- radiators from space, stiff little fingers)
b. Not started in a Celtic area, but the area punk began in the land of the oppressors
c. The Pogues- first to incorporated traditional Celtic music with Punk rock
d. CA. classified as punk rather than new wave (examples pending)
e. Members were second generation Irish or Irish and English
f. Wanted to be recognized as Celtic
Symbols
A. Stereotypical denotative images
a. Shamrocks, green, Irish flags (mostly Irish)
b. Because, most famous of the Irish people through media and the fact that they still retain complete independence, for the most part, from England.
c. Use images from punk- Mohawks, drunken disorderliness (matches with Irish stereotype), anti authority.
B. Sounds
a. Used of traditional instruments- fiddle, tin whistle, banjo
b. Same instruments as American folk, brought over through emigration.
c. Has a double appeal- people who like punk and folk(both have similar messages)
d. Bagpipes- strictly a Celtic instrument, instantly recognizable
C. Used many trad. Ballads and songs
a. Many already had themes of anti authority, drunkenness, and oppression
b. Recongnizable by older audiences- connection with heritage and lore passed down through stories.
c. Not necessarily coverbands- came up with original stuff with similar themes (Shane MacGowan)
Globalization
A. Globalization of Celtic music through emigration, in which oppression and invasion were the reasons
a. The famine, wars with England, and economic difficulties in the Celtic homelands
B. Celtic punk not started in Ireland
Context
A. The Pogues- formed in post ’77 era London-so what?
a. During the Troubles- a time of extreme Irish nationalism and hardship
b. Not people that were in Ireland that came up with the idea of Celtic Punk
B. Newer bands in America that made it popular
a. Able to gain popularity from the people with Celtic heritage
b. It represented something unique to their heritage
c. It reminded them of what it is to be Celtic to stand against the authority, independently
Comparison
A. The Pogues- original Celtic punk band
a. First to combine the 2 genres together creating the new sound
b. Not a lot of commercial success in England, Ireland, or USA, but lots of recognition.
B. The Dropkick Murphys- most popular in the US, probably world, today
C. Defined as a punk band (examples pending)
a. No members from Ireland or Britain, only heritage
b. “Started out as a joke” didn’t seek popularity, yet gained it rapidly
c. many people in the US also have Celtic heritage and celebrate it
d. wanted to be recognized as Celtic for the things it represents (fight against oppression, overcoming adversity, toughness)
D. overall The Pogues best represent the genre
a. they were the first
b. closer to the source- the dropkick murphys put more of an American spin on their songs, The Pogues are more about the history
c. songs of the The Pogues have more authentic themes and fewer American ones
d. Shane Macgowan, lead singer, considered one of the best songwriters of the time.
e. Fairytale of New York and others- very critically acclaimed
Conclusion
A. Celtic punk reflects the heritage of Celtic people and the fight against oppression
B. Used to represent the history of what it is to be Celtic and what it is to overcome hardships
C. Represents were a person comes from

reverse outline

I. intro. Hook- Celtic punk rock seems like a straight forward genre of music; irish punks drinking, fighting, and raising hell, but it has done its share of influending around the world. Thesis- celtic punk's working class and rebellious image has made it a good genre for oppressed people in tyrannical societies and has spread irishness all over the world. II. Body A. celtic punk defined as traditional celtic music with punk sounds and mind set. i. traditional irish instruments used with punk sound and irish symbols such as shamrock, green, and gaelic language. ii. these symbols are uniquely irish and no other culture in the world can use these symbols unless making the connection to ireland. iii. bands such as the pogues and dropkick murphys use these symbols to express irishness. iv. CA- even though these bands are emigrant bands with irish heritage they are still the main influences in irish punk, and many punk bands have members who are irish and from irish heritage. B. beginning with the pogues, they combined trad. irish music with the imerging punk scene from london. i. these sounds eventually made it across the Atlantic to America and influenced bands like dropkick murphys ii. they incorporated new American irish symbols particularly from Boston such as the red sox and other american twists. iii. they do covers of traditional irish songs plus original material. This emphasized the history of ireland (i.e overcoming hardship, The Famine, the revolution) iv. they can't be seen as a true cover band because the covers of trad. irish songs are done with a punk sound unigue from old irish music and also the creation of new songs specific to america. D. the genre then made its way to korea with the "expats" or expatriots punk scene. largely influence by US G.I.s i. the band the tear jerks is the primary irish punk band in korea. ii. incorporation of the irish rebelliousness from the events of the 1980s and the sense of irish perseverance from the history of ireland. iii. they closely imitate similar irish punk bands from the US and don't incorporate new sounds into the music. iv. has been influencial in the formation of the punk scene in korea but is not exactly unique to a korean sound. III. Conclusion. A. because of the history of ireland the music was used as a sound of overcoming hardship and rebelion. B. has a superficial feeling of roudiness, but the underlying message is one of freedom.

sources for essay #3

six to go: irish nationalism-F. Moran

skinheads of korea, tigers of the east-S. Epstein

sounds: Dropkick murphys-Jason Bracelin

Boston's finest: dropkick murphys-Shea Connor

king find the right fit with flogging molly-Shane O'Donohue

Anarchy in the UK solidarity in the ROK- S. Epstein

Noisy island: a short history of irish popular music-Gerry Smyth

outline essay #3

intro.

hook: conerning the diversity of celtic punk rock and the evolutions it has undergone

i. celtic punk rock is a mash up of tradtional celtic or irish music with modern punk rock themes and sounds



Thesis: NA?



body.

A. celtic punk rock is defined as punk rock incorporated with traditional irish themes and sounds

i. kilts=celtic, mohawks=punk

ii. use of fiddles, banjo, and bagpipes along with a punk rock sound (need to better define punk rock sound)

iii. examples-the pogues, flogging molly, dropkick murphys, the bollocks

different from regular punk rock because of the irish traditional music and irish themes and sometimes covers of old time irish songs with a modern punk sound.

iv. similar to regular punk because of its themes of oppression, civil strife and social hardship

(need more specific CA)

B. globalization of celtic punk in america
i. american bands dropkick murphys flogging molly
ii. common themes with irish punk rock
C. celtic punk rock in korea
i. influences punk rock in korea with themes of anit establishmentism
(research and further details pending)
ii. CA pending
Conclusion.
A. restate thesis?
B. tie everything together

outline #2

Casey Clark
Josh Stein
English 004
2/25/11

Outline #2

Intro.
· Hook- people who say they like everything except country are, most likely, unwittingly using the same presupposed prejudice as the main-stream media uses against rap and heavy metal; Making a decision without ever actually hearing the music, but only associating it with images and main-stream messages that they see as uncool.
· Thesis- country music is seen through popular images as what is typically a bunch of people in cowboy hats singing about Jesus and pick-up trucks. However, as with most imagery in the media, these are only the artists that are paid to be images or are found in the media only because many people will instantly associated them with that genre.

· Definition- the pop definition- cowboy hats, trucks, and Jesus

More universal definition- songs with include themes about everyday people, heavy lyrical dependency, simple melody typically with a guitar and/or fiddle-modern country may include drums.
Body
· Presupposed due to imagery- bastardization of the cowboy hat, they are everywhere now and are worn by people who have never even seen a horse in real life. The symbol is becoming more distant from the actual use as a sunshade for working in summer temperatures.
· Boots- many people that wear cowboy boots don’t use them for their function of riding a horse, that was the entire purpose of the boot. Specifically designed for a stirrup. Now its association with country music makes it fashion attire not work attire.
· The idea of a working person with a lower intellectual capacity. People think of country music listeners as being close minded and unintelligible.
· Restate hook- (presupposition)
· CA- the same thing can be said of someone that listens to many other forms of music (need examples)
· The media has portrayed country music as having a higher moral standard. Seen as unlikeable in some segments of society.
· CA- however, many country songs deal with the same sort of immorality seen in rap songs, heavy metal, and rock
Con.
· The association with country music and its images is usually portrayed as positive in main stream media. Morally superior than rap or heavy metal. However the music of country music has many of the same themes found in these two genres, but they are not attacked by the media.
· What is seen in the general media is not how things are in reality the only sure way to see things for what they really are is to investigate them for yourself and leave out prejudice and assumption.