Archive: Meet the Morris

Name: Sue Wales
Occupation(s) Started off as a teacher then became an archaeologist, and worked at that for a number of years. I’ve now taken voluntary redundancy from my last job at the Bodleian Library, and spend most of my working day writing.
Special morris skills. I know how to enjoy it.
Special drinking skills . I know how to enjoy that too.
Instruments you play. Well, I have a melodeon and a bodhran, and soon I will have an anglo concertina.
So you like a bit of squeeze, then? No comment!
How long have you been with Cry Havoc? Since January 2007
How did you come to join CH? I wanted to do some Morris dancing. I’d seen Havoc dance (and read ‘The Buzzard’) so I asked Liz, who asked the Foreman and Squire and they said ‘Come along’, so I did.
Any previous convictions? I joined a dance side when it started in my village in 1995. This is the side that became the Vale Islanders. I also spent a few months with Rogue Morris, and some time later a few months with Queen Emma’s, but in both cases I had difficulty making their practice night. Then I found Havoc and everything fitted into place.
Other hobbies/interests? Books, gardening (the bit that involves growing things), walking, movies, more books, history, drawing (might include painting one day), re-enactment – although I’m not involved in any at the moment….
Has morris changed your life? More dancing – more sessions – more fun
Why did God invent morris dancing? Probably so we could have fun, and to keep publicans in a job.
Sticks or hankies? I think I have a natural affinity for Stick dances, probably down to the Viking blood in the North West. But I am getting to quite like some hankie dances.
Bear Dance or Davy Davy Knick Knack? Do you have to ask? Bear Dance every time - no contest.
Favourite dance, and why? At the moment it’s probably Jenny Lind, but I think Stepback may be a contender once I’ve learnt it. Jenny Lind because it has sticks and bounces along; Stepback because it’s elegant and graceful.
Least favourite ditto? Shave the Donkey, closely followed by anything else containing Bampton capers.
Most embarrassing moment? That has to be going down like a felled tree, and breaking my arm while dancing Vandals last Boxing Day. Prior to that it would be the first time I danced out with another side, and my bells slid down my leg. I ended up trying to dance Bluebells with a morrisman (not a Havoc one) hanging onto my foot trying to remove the bells which had entangled themselves round my shoe!
Favourite morris pub? Probably need to do more research on this, but I was quite taken by The Bell at Aldworth.
Favourite beer? Undoubtedly need to do more research on this, but I really enjoyed Orkney Brewery’s ‘Red Macgregor’ this summer.
What’s so great about Orkney? Landscape, people, Tomb of the Eagles, sea, brochs, Red Macgregor, history, Belgarth bodhrans, cliffs, Skara Brae, seaweed-eating sheep, Vikings, Highland Park, music, archaeology, birds, Orkney Brewery, sea stacks, Maeshowe…….
And what’s this thing about Caedmon? Caedmon was a 7th century Northumbrian poet/monk, and is one of my heroes. Do you want the story? Bede recorded it in his ‘History of the English Church and People’, which he finished in A.D.731. Caedmon couldn’t sing, and wouldn’t stay when the harp was passed round the guests at the end of a meal. One evening he left the feast before the harp reached him, and went to sleep in the stables. He dreamt a man called him by name, and told him to sing – to sing about the creation of all things – and so Caedmon sang! He later became a monk and is credited with writing the biblical narrative in the form of the heroic poetry of his day, and so was responsible for the first telling of the biblical story in anglo-saxon.
Best piece of advice you’ve received? (1) Quote: ‘Do you know how old I will be by the time I learn to play the piano?’ Reply: ‘The same age you will be if you don’t’. (2) Play it slowly. No, slower than that.
Tell us something about yourself we don’t know. I once had a three year research grant to study prehistoric dung.
Continue this sentence: ‘small is ….just what you need in a melodeon!’


Name
Jim Hague

Occupation
Software engineer. Roughly that means a computer programmer. I spend most of my days sitting in a converted children’s playhouse at the bottom of our tiny garden working on the radar screens that Czech air traffic controllers look at.

Special morris skills
Trying to hit someone else's stick and missing.

Instruments played
Joining Havoc has slowly been rekindling some long dormant music-making synapses. I used to play the French Horn at school, but that dwindled in my early 20s and losing my horn in a break-in means I haven't played for 25 years. But I recently bought a crappy old horn off Ebay and started resurrecting my embouchure. You have been warned.
I can also fumble my way around a few guitar chords, but you'd be best advised not to listen to the results.

How long have you been with Cry Havoc?
I remember nervously pushing open the door to the WI Hall. I think it was late October 2006.

How did you come to join CH?
I got ganged up on. Heather (wife) and I were sitting in the garden of the General Elliot in late spring 2006 when Havoc rolled up. I remembering Heather encouraging me into volunteering for Shepherd's Hey, and talking to (I think) Liz and Susie. After that, Heather said I should try it. Then it turned out that I knew John Brett from my active CAMRA days, even if I didn't recognise him without the tash and mullet. And then Heather's identical twin Lynne rang to say that she'd been to an event in Parramatta and seen her first Morris dance 'and they all looked like Jimbo. Has he ever done it?' So I found the Buzzard, took the dog to the Plough in Appleton to spectate for an evening, still mulling it over. And finally when John grabbed me while I was working at the Oxford Beer Fest. I gave way to the inevitable.
Of course, like all my wife's ideas, it turned out to be a really good one.

Any previous convictions?
None whatsoever. First offence, yer honour. I throw myself on the mercy of the court.


Other hobbies/interests?
Beer and computers, obviously, though with the latter the moment you start making a living from your hobby it isn't quite ever a hobby again. I have the sort of gannet-like brain that means I find pub quizzes fun, provided they lay off the celeb/soap stuff. I may know more about trains than is considered normal. It's been a few years since I played Sunday pub cricket. Like music, I love playing cricket but I'm crap at it.

Favourite beer?
A pint of homebrew made by a bloke I knew in Sydney. I'd been out of the UK for 18 months. This fellow pom did homebrew properly; full mash, and he'd even replaced the temperature control in an old fridge with one that could keep a constant 56F. Angels crying on your tongue, all right – my whole body tingled.

Has morris changed your life?
Completely. I often have a clean hanky handy these days.

Do you have an anorak?
If I don't, I probably should have. You got me bang to rights, Mr Questioner.

Second favourite beer?
My beer favourites change all the time. A well-kept Timmy Taylor Landlord is always welcome.

Car or bike?
Bike. Unless it's raining hard. Or really cold. Or I'm not travelling alone. I'm not really a Biker, you know.

Whites or leathers?
Whites. Bikes limit your beer intake.

Sticks or hankies?
A slight preference for sticks, but only because Sidesteps is hankies.

Ever had a tankslapper?
(a) Not outside my dreams.
(b) No, Thank Heaven.
(c) Never met one.
See below.

What is a tankslapper?
<Bing> And the next word. 'Tankslapper'. Frank?
(a) A mostly undraped pneumatic female lovely as seen looking fantastically cold and uncomfortable draped over sundry bits of bike bodywork in Certain Biker Publications. Which, not being a biker (see above), I don't read.
(b) A violent resonant oscillation of the handlebars, causing them to swing from one side to the other until the victim almost invariably parts company with the bike.
(c) A Turkish customs official.
Answers at the bottom.

Third favourite beer?
I haven't found any for ages, but Wychwood Black Wytch.

Favourite dance/tradition, and why?
Well, I'm still learning, so it's too early to tell. But Banbury Bill is definitely my first love.

Favourite morris pub?
So far, The Bell Inn, Aldworth. If Henry got another ale in, he'd be close. And I have to mention the General Elliot.

Fourth favourite beer?
Right now, St Peter's Old Style Porter.

What’s the problem with heavy computers?
Historical. I'm a child of the microcomputer age. The first computer I ever owned was an Acorn Atom, featuring a massive 1k of RAM. In those days, dealers in Proper Computers – things generally looking like a collection of large fridge-freezers – would kick sand in the faces of us weedy micro types. Just 'cos it's big and it cost a lot doesn't mean it's right.

Advice for a new morris person?
You already forfeited much dignity by leaping around with baldricks and hankies. Getting things a bit wrong can't make things much worse, so relax and enjoy it. And don't tie your bells tightly below the knee. You risk a dose of bursitis, aka housemaid's knee, which is rather painful.


Tell us something about yourself we don’t know
I might not have been entirely truthful about previous convictions. In summer 2005 I appeared on stage in two ballets. I had ballet gesture dialogue to do in both, and did a stately dance in one. http://bear-cave.dyndns.org/photos/Persephone
Ed now knows I am a hopeless procrastinator.

What question should I have asked you that I didn’t?
How long do you think you can get away with this?

Sum up morris dancing in three words.
Beer, friends and fun.

Answer: Buff folder (b) – a violent oscillation – contains the truth.
Name: Fi Nutbrown


Occupation
For money – Sales Administrator at ComputaCenter (sic)
For no money – Associate Director, Oxford Folk Festival

Special morris skills
I don’t think I have any!

Special drinking skills
An ability to drink tea in quantities other people would balk at.

Instruments you play
Melodeon. I have tried the penny whistle but I run out of puff really quickly

How long have you been a morris person?
Ohhh…about four years now, I’ve lost count!

How did you become one?
I joined Havoc in 2006 as I’d moved from Reading to Abingdon, and I knew Ed via his friend Pete (this could get like ‘Folk Family Tree’ if I’m not careful) so he suggested Havoc would be the one for me (or us, as my friend Vikki joined at the same time).

Any previous convictions?
I got to know Maggie Tarrant from Fleet Morris (Hampshire) on the Spiers & Boden messageboard, where I happened to mention I’d got my first melodeon. She said why not come along and play with their band as a way of getting me started, so I did! They are a lovely side of complete madwomen (and one chap and a chihuahua). I fitted right in.

Why did God invent morris dancing?
I think People invented morris dancing, and why? Because they could!

Are you a ‘folkie’, and if so, is there a cure?
I should say I am, and I should hope not!

Has morris changed your life?
Only for the better.

Reasons to be morris
It’s fun, it’s great exercise (I ask you, choice of exercise location: a stinky gym with BAD music blaring out, or a nice country boozer of a sunny summer evening? not difficult eh?), there is beer quite a lot of the time, and the people are all lovely. Also I just love the look on peoples’ faces when you say you are a morris dancer.

Morris turn-offs
The white trousers. And the tucking in of the shirt. Does my bum look big in this?

Best morris moment(s)
Finally getting Bampton Capers right

Most embarrassing morris moment
Playing for Fleet all on my own when Maggie didn’t manage to get out one night. It was more terrifying than embarrassing really. It’s hard to play when you’ve forgotten to keep breathing.

Favourite dance or tune
Side Steps is my favourite dance, I love so many of the tunes, but particularly Banks of the Dee and Laudanum Bunches.

Least favourite ditto
Dance: Jenny Lind (I always get it wrong) and tune: English Country Garden (I don’t know why, it just makes my skin crawl!)

Best place to do morris in
Outside a pub, obviously!

What is ‘cool’?
Something at a fairly low temperature, but not so low that it’s ‘cold’.

Tell us one thing about you we don’t know
I can waggle my second toes as if they were my index fingers. Really, my yoga teacher was dead impressed.

Best piece of advice you’ve received
If you’re playing, try to keep playing if you go wrong, as the dancers can’t really stop halfway through a dance! (easier said than done). Don’t fall over, and don’t drop your hankies!

What question should I have asked you that I didn’t?
I think you’ve been pretty thorough. Now could you possibly turn that lamp off because it’s right in my eyes and I’m getting a bit headachey…



Name: Barbara Payne

Occupation(s): I’m a potter, by training, and for many years that’s what I did all the time. Now I’m 25% of J C Payne Engineering Ltd (this involves letting some business units, and until recently, soldering up the wiring for Quick Step Mills©!) but I still pot a bit, and I also paint.

Special morris skills: I am very good at being on the wrong foot, leading to tripping myself up doing back-to-backs and galleying round in the wrong direction. I am quite good too at trying to put Adderbury Heys into Headington dances (this works surprisingly well if your oppo is up for it). I am also a leading exponent of Introvert Morris: you take small steps, never raise your arms very high, hit very gently with the stick and look worried throughout.

Special drinking skills: I usually get most of it in my mouth.

Instruments you play: Guitar (a bit) and bouzouki (a bit more) and the bootstick (with the royal philharmonic).

How long have you been with Cry Havoc?... I joined in Sept 03.

How did you come to join CH?... Pete and I had been watching morris for years and years and thinking it looked fun and we always enjoyed the music in the pub afterwards and hung around in the doorway listening and singing choruses. So when we saw CH at Appleton we volunteered. (Alison said ‘oh good, we need some more men!’)

Any previous convictions?... I had a friend in the 70s/80s who danced with Mr Hemmings (actually he still does! I saw him at Duck Ale!) and I used to get put in the middle to be lifted up at the end of the dance or have my backside walloped with a bladder. Sad but true.

Other hobbies/interests?... Bellringing, Morris Minors, glow-worms, shed-mending, art, folk music, family history, walking, writing poems, making wine, making chutney, driving the tractor, vampire slaying …



Has morris changed your life?... Of course it has. We always did folky stuff, but we do much more of it now, to my great satisfaction, and it’s lovely to have an active part to play and not just be a spectator. I enjoy the dancing very much now I’ve got over being terrified, and I love the pub music sessions. And it’s fantastic how Havoc makes you welcome. It’s a great thing to be part of.

Why did God invent morris dancing?... To provide employment for the hundreds of impecunious artists at our large factory at Rockley engaged in painting the ends of sticks purple.

Sticks or hankies?... Hankies, on the whole. I know, sticks are more macho, but I like hanky dances. But I really don’t like bunched hankies. What’s the point in having a hanky to flourish if it’s all bunched up?



King of the Fairies or Harper’s Frolic?... Oh Harper’s is a sweetie. The bouzouki will play this on its own with very little interference from the musician. King of the Fairies starts off harmlessly in Em, but rapidly leads to those embarrassing moments when none of the chords you try seems to be the right one. When it starts up I suddenly remember I left something in the car or I urgently need to buy some beer.

What’s so great about a Morris Minor?... No other car is so endearingly poached egg shaped. Travelling at 45 mph but not being able to stop suddenly is strangely exhilarating. And trafficators are the biz.

Favourite dance/tradition/tune, and why?... My favourites are the ones that don’t tax my brane! I like Bampton dances, especially Sidesteps. On the stick front I enjoy Rigs and Young Collins.

Least favourite ditto?... Laudnum Bunches … I know, it’s supposed to be a lovely dance … can’t stand all that flapping your arms up down down up down and galloping off round corners.

Favourite morris pub?... Well … the Rising Sun at Stockcross is good … the Bell at Aldworth of course is brilliant, haven’t been there though for a while … the North Star is a lovely pub …and the General Elliot is good too …the Plough at Appleton is our much loved local … so is the Eight Bells … but my heart belongs to Henry at the Watermans.


Favourite beer?... The King’s Head and Bell in Abingdon in the late 1970s served Bass to die for. Bass was quite different in those days, it was wonderful. I was quite often full of this when being lifted into the air by Mr Hemmings, it’s a wonder there was never an accident. Nowadays I am enjoying Mr Chubbs, Brakspears, Hook Norton … generally I like lightish hoppy bitters. Or whatever there is going.

Most embarrassing moment?... I am very shy, and I was terrified the first time we really danced out in public, in Cornmarket Street for Oxford FF, and I not only danced very badly but found at lunchtime I had had my flies undone all morning…



Give us five non-morris uses for a morris stick.... Well, if you had one short stick sharpened on one end you could slay vampires. If you had one long stick and one short one and tied them together in a cross you could ward off vampires. If you had several long sticks and some tank tape and a tarpaulin you could make a rough but useful pointed shelter for sleeping under at Towersey. If you had lots of long sticks and some bell ropes you could make a bridge for crossing treacherous ravines. In Scotland short morris sticks are sometimes used as rudimentary porridge spurtles. But by the time Ben’s finished with them, the only use for morris sticks is firewood.

Would Buffy the Vampire Slayer make a good morris dancer and if so why?... Well, she’s a nice little mover. It would be good to see her with bells on. But she’s got Slayer Strength, she’d break a lot of sticks.

Best piece of advice you’ve received?... I don’t know, I obviously wasn’t listening.

Tell us something about yourself we don’t know. ... I was once asked to make ceramic beer pump handles for the brewery in Cerne Abbas. I expect most people are familiar with the attributes of the Cerne Abbas Giant … well you can imagine the shape they wanted those beer pump handles to be.



What question should I have asked you that I didn’t?... Are those both your left feet?

Sum up morris dancing in three words. ... Folk and beer! (What more do you want?)




Name: Emma Gardner

Occupation: Student

Special morris skills: ... Not sure I have any – possibly the only person who can spend an entire practise session standing on one leg!

Special drinking skills: ... Probably the slowest drinker ever: I don’t like beer much but I can make one small orange juice last a whole evening.

Instruments you play: ... I started the piano when I was about six, and then the flute and it sort of expanded from there. Now I play the concertina, Northumbrian small pipes (when the neighbours are out), guitar (a little) and I did for a while try to play the Irish pipes, but they’re no good for morris tunes!

How long have you been a morris person? ... About 18 months.

How did you become one? ... I had been playing the concertina for about two years and it was getting boring just playing on my own. I was looking through the lists of dance teams in ‘Shire Folk’ and just picked Cry Havoc since it was nearest to where I live. I think I made a good choice!

Inspirations and influences? ... I’ve heard some recordings of William Kimber’s playing and they were amazing. No one plays like that any more and I don’t think I ever could! I did a workshop once with Robert Harbron who plays English concertina and his style is completely different from Bill Kimber’s and also from Dave Townsend who I’ve learnt most things from. You don’t see many people playing English concertinas for morris dancing around but in a way that doesn’t matter. There are a lot of techniques people use on melodeons and fiddles that you can imitate on a concertina (or at least try to) anyway. I think I’ve learnt a lot in these last 18 months just by hearing so many different people play.

Why did God invent morris dancing?... Probably for three reasons: to keep musicians out of trouble, to make sure pubs sell enough beer and to keep bell manufacturers and people who sell white jeans in business.

Interests outside morris: ... I like walking and photography (trees and things that don’t move) and playing music, of course.

Are you a ‘folkie’, and if so, is there a cure? ... I think I probably am a folkie. I’m not sure I would want to be cured but if you did, listening to ‘Shooting’ on a loop for six hours would probably do the trick.

Has morris changed your life? ... Before I didn’t know any English tunes and now I know more than I can remember. It’s like a window into a whole parallel musical world – for me anyway, plus I’ve seen the inside of more pubs in this last year than I have in my entire life!

Do your non-morris friends think you are strange? ... I think they thought I was quite strange before so I’m not sure morris dancing made much difference!

Reasons to be morris: ... Everyone is so friendly and it’s good fun. Also I think it’s important to look after the tunes and the dances, when you think of all the people who have done them before. They belong to us now and I think we should keep them going and pass them on.

Morris turn-offs: ... Playing outside when it’s really cold and I can’t feel my fingers.

Best morris moment: ... The procession at the Oxford Folk Festival last year and causing a nice big traffic jam by stopping in the middle of the road to do the sticking.

Most embarrassing morris moment: ... Probably last May day when we danced Constant Billy; I played perfectly well for the dance but when it came to the ‘outro’ I managed to play two bars of Balance the Straw followed by a very loud ‘Hang on a minute…’ I still swear Constant Billy and Balance the Straw are basically the same tune!

Favourite tunes: ... Banks of the Dee, Step Back or Dearest Dickie because they’re such good tunes to play and the dances are nice to watch.

Least favourite ditto: ... Ring o Bells – it’s just a bit dull.

Best place to do morris in: ... Somewhere with a nice pub and a nice garden where it’s not raining.

What is ‘cool’? I never did work that one out. As an Allegro-driving, bagpipe playing morris musician I’m sure I’m not the best person to ask!

Do you go clubbing? ... No, the music is rubbish and the orange juice is far too expensive.

What’s so great about an Allegro? ... You don’t have to worry if you scratch it ‘coz they’re not expensive and even if you leave them unlocked (which I have done) no one will steal them because joy riding in an Allegro is no fun – for a start you can’t get above 50mph.

Tell us one thing about you we don’t know: ... If you thought Allegros were bad, I am also the proud owner of a pea-green bubble car.

Best piece of advice you’ve received: ... Shape the tune to what the dancers are doing and give the music plenty of lift – or at least try to!

What advice would you give someone just starting playing for morris? ... Don’t worry about having a go. If you can’t remember the B part now, you might remember when you get there. Watch the dancers and keep listening and you’ll be surprised how the tunes seem to get inside your head without you even noticing.

Sum up morris in three words? ... Daft but fun. Having said that, I do think people generally should be a bit more proud of our ‘national dance’ – I’m just waiting for Strictly Come Morris Dancing. That would do it!

Name: Ben Fisher

Occupation:
Trainee Actuary (I'm sick of trying to explain what an actuary is, so look it up in a dictionary).


Special morris skills:
Breaking sticks, getting chased off bouncy castles and long distance Bampton capering.


How long have you been a morris person?
Two years

How did you become one?
Emma and I had seen some morris dancing over at Bampton and we both commented how everyone seemed to have a good time. We thought it would be a good way to meet a few people around Oxford and would provide ample opportunities to visit the Pub. We then met Geoff through the local theatre group (see link below) who persuaded us to come along to practice. The rest as they say is history.

Interests outside morris:
Pubs, travelling, listening to music, murdering Emma’s favourite songs on the piano, complaining about mobile phones.

Do your non-morris friends think you're strange?
I still don't think they really believe we're morris dancers.

Reasons to be morris:
A chance to get out and visit some of the wonder pubs that Oxfordshire has to offer - and then get drunk at them!!

Morris turn-offs:
Sides that take it too seriously

Best morris moment(s):
Dancing “Step and Fetcher” on Gloucester Green at last years Oxford folk festival. We made loads of mistakes, but we all capered with gusto and the crowd loved it. A victory for artistic impression over technical merit!!

Most embarrassing morris moment:
Making a complete hash of my first dance at my first Cry Havoc Ale. I ended up in the wrong corner during Shave the Donkey. (We’ve all done it – Ed.)

Favourite dance?
Like your favourite record it always seems to be changing – often depending on your mood. Currently enjoying Skirmish and Balance the Straw. Always enjoy Dogs of War and Shave the Donkey.

Least favourite ditto:
I could live without Sidesteps.

Best place to do morris in:
In general any pub garden is pretty good. A few standouts for me over the past two years have been: The Three Horseshoes at Bennet End, Rising Sun at Stockcross, Six Bells at Warborough, and The Plough at Finstock. My favourite though has to be the Waterman's, if for nothing more than Henry's Egg Mayo Sandwiches.


What is ‘cool’?
Not Me!!
Liquid helium maybe.
Being yourself.
Not owning a mobile phone!


Do you go clubbing?
Only on the golf course

Complete this sentence: The peanut song is ...
A social comment on the repetitiveness of modern suburban life and a damning indictment of the disgraceful food hygiene standards present in the global peanut industry. (Or is it just rubbish?)


Tell us one thing about you we don’t know.
I once professionally modelled sportswear for Nike.

What advice would you give someone just starting morris dancing?
1. Be patient - it will all come together eventually.
2. The only person who notices your mistakes is YOU, so don't let them put you off.
3. LISTEN TO THE MUSIC

Three words for morris dancing:
Hop, skip, and jump.


Name John Creber
Occupation: My job is mainly to do with IT and corporate governance, which basically means stopping grown-up people doing daft (not grown up) things. Remember Enron ?
Special morris skills: My special morris skills revolve around playing the melodeon, which is (rising choral music) the ultimate English dance instrument, created for the sole purpose of annoying large numbers of people whether indoors or outside.

Instruments played:Hmm – electric guitar (black Fender Stratocaster with maple neck – very sexy), bouzouki, fiddle (very badly), saxophone, whistle, melodeon(s) and spaniels ears (very quietly).
How long have you been with Cry Havoc? About 18 months. Seems like yesterday…..

How did you come to join CH? Oddly my family camped at the Towersey Festival in 2004 and Ed and Jackie camped next to us. I then bumped into Ed in the gentleman’s toilet and asked whether CH were looking for any melodeon players.

Did it seem like a good idea at the time? Yes I had been playing the melodeon for about two years and felt a strange yearning to play for morris dancing, like salmon migrating to the Sargasso Sea to spawn, or penguins flying south for the winter, or herrings rolling mops.
Any previous convictions or other offences you’d like to be taken into consideration? In terms of musical activities I do have to admit to singing in the shanty band ‘Short Drag Roger’ who are world famous in Chalgrove, and a ceilidh band called ‘Pigzear’, who’s main claim to fame is having played after The Animals at the Great British Beer festival in 1999. Introduced by Eric Burden even…
Has morris changed your life? I now have the chance to wear white trousers which is quite unique for me, generally preferring black. I have also never had bells tied round my legs (at least not in public).
Why did God invent the melodeon? God didn’t invent the melodeon, the melodeon is actually reverse-engineered alien technology that fell to Earth in the famous 1833 Rhondda Valley mining disaster (near Wales). It was actually a cooling system from a Vogon warship which was copied by the local instrument makers who managed to convince the local populace that it was actually a musical instrument. We’ll keep a welcome etc etc…
Let me throw a few titles at you. ... Constant Billy... Nice tune with an erratic B section that sometimes doesn’t come out the way you intend. Same problem Hendrix had with Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) – normally during the chorus.
...Banbury Bill... This is a tune that was never intended to be played on a melodeon, it must be a fiddle tune (Or maybe a sousaphone).
...Adderbury Shooting... Unfortunately there are some tunes that don’t know when to stop. Adderbury Shooting is four of those tunes rolled into one. My own belief is that this tune is some kind of Cotswold Morris meets Ibiza Trance without the eighteen pints of warm lager, and a girl from the Wirral called Sharon.
Desert island instrument? I think my desert island instrument would have to be an electric hurdy-gurdy. I would imagine that being consigned to a small, restricted land mass (or promontory) with such a device would provide maximum motivation to find a way to leave the island as soon as possible.
Favourite morris pub? Not sure about this one, having only done this for a year, some of the Ducklington Day of Dance pubs were good. I am normally happy in any pub with a roof.
Ditto beer? Current favourite is Adnams Broadside which is available in the Red Lion Chalgrove. All time favourite would have to be a Hall and Woodhouse (Badger) winter warmer called ‘Newe Timer’ that doesn’t exist any more. A dark winter warmer ale flavoured with cinnamon.
What is your idea of the ideal way to spend an evening? Playing the melodeon, drinking beer, stroking spaniel’s ears, eating Chinese food and playing the melodeon.
Advice for a new morris person? If you’re a musician - throw yourself into it, make mistakes, drink beer and don’t worry. A tune is just a collection of notes that sometimes arrive in different orders. If you’re a dancer - throw yourself into it, make mistakes, drink beer and don’t worry. A dance is just a collection of steps that sometimes arrive in different orders. As Angus Grant (Shooglenifty) said ‘A cheap couch is a false economy’.
Tell us one thing about yourself we don’t know: Up until the age of six I was raised by dolphins.
What question should I have asked you that I didn’t? Which is your favourite scene in the classic 90’s ‘rockumentary’ film ‘Spinal Tap’.
Sum up morris in exactly twelve words: English traditional dance, performed for hundreds of years by men with big


Name. Pete Day.
Occupation. Minerals and Waste Planner for Oxfordshire County Council.
Special morris skills. Bampton Capers (‘I thought Pete’s Bampton Capers were particularly exhilarating’ – Ed, after Ducklington Ale); I once practised them on Hot Water Beach, Coromandel, NZ.
How long have you been with Cry Havoc? 1 year 5 months.
How did you come to join CH? Made the mistake of talking to Geoff when CH were dancing at our local (The Plough, Appleton).
Previous morris experience? Press-ganged (I think by Debbie) into joining CH in (probably) Bonnie Green at the Eight Bells, Eaton, some years ago. Otherwise, only watching with rather envious interest and joining in post-Morris singing.

Other hobbies/interests? Playing trains; ringing bells; walking up hills; watching Bristol City lose.
Has morris changed your life? Definitely. I now spend most of my spare time dancing and going to sessions instead of ringing bells, and the beer consumption has gone up quite a bit. (Not that ringers don’t drink, but you can’t ring and drink at the same time these days.)
Do you have an anorak? Of course – several – in various colours.
Highs? Dancing down Burford High Street on Levellers’ Day; dancing inside the Far From the Madding Crowd at Oxford Folk Festival last year; winning the handbag at Masons Apron Ale.
Lows? Dropping my stick in Shooting at Masons Apron Ale.
Sticks or hankies? Hankies – less embarrassing when you drop them.
What has inspired you recently? Very little. Both Bristol City and the England rugby team have been crap; but I did have some very good beer brewed by a friend in Burton on Trent; and when in Scotland recently I did a beautiful walk along part of the West Highland Way.
Favourite dance/tradition, and why? Dance: Sidesteps – it flows so nicely. Tradition: Bampton – simple but looks good
Favourite morris pub? The Plough at Appleton – it’s our local! and it sells Mild; and it’s only £2 a pint; and Bill is an excellent landlord.
Favourite beer? Very difficult to decide – so many excellent ones around – but definitely not Greene King IPA. It used to be Highgate Mild (from Walsall), but I haven’t had it for ages; now perhaps Maggs Magnificent Mild.
Advice for a new morris person? Don’t be put off by the slow progress made by old farts like us; look at Ben and Emma instead.
Tell us something about yourself we don’t know. I have many older sisters, one of whom is a Buddhist monk in Bethnal Green.
What question should I have asked you that I didn’t? What was I best at, at school? (It was the lunchtime egg sandwiches that did it.)
Sum up morris dancing in one word. Ale!



Guest interviewee, autumn 2004

Name: Graham Hubbard
Occupation: Development chemist

Special morris skills: Dancing energetically, jumping high in the right places, making traditions distinguishable. Playing in a way that encourages the dancers to dance more energetically.

Morris sides you dance with: Icknield Way Morris Men, Ebor Morris (York), Man Friday Morris Men (Leicester), sometimes Kennet Morris Men. (Phew! – Ed.)

Instruments you play: Fiddle, melodeon, concertina.

How long have you been a morris person? Since I was 5 or 6.

How did you become one? My Dad is a founder member of Man Friday Morris Men up in Leicester where I come from. I used to pester him to teach me how to dance.

Inspirations and influences: My Dad, Ring Jigs Instructionals (where I learnt most traditions), several individuals from Icknield and other teams I have danced with - it would be unfair to name names as I'm bound to leave someone out.

Playing or dancing? Both.

Interests outside morris: Folk music, if that counts as outside morris. I go to as many folk sessions as I can fit in and I'm in two ceilidh bands - The Mad Hatters Ceilidh Extravaganza and 'Scratch 'n' Sniff'. Erm, walking the dog – does that count?

Are you a 'folkie', and if so, is there a cure? I guess I've been a 'folkie' for about four years now. I was dragged along to sessions in York by members of Ebor Morris during my last six months at Uni there and have been obsessed with learning new tunes and instruments ever since. When I joined Icknield the younger guys told me I should be going to folk festivals playing more, so I have, and wish I'd turned 'folkie' earlier! (Don’t we all? – Ed.) I used to play the violin in orchestras until I left Uni – that seems like all pain and no gain now that I've discovered the folk scene.

Has morris changed your life? I don't remember ever not being involved in the morris - at the moment I'm battling to stop folk and morris from taking over my life, especially as I'm currently IWMM Bagman, but it’s all good fun.

Do your non-morris friends think you are strange? Probably. Many wouldn't do it themselves but have respect for the opportunities that the morris gives me.

Reasons to be morris: When you join a team anywhere in the country they take you in and treat you as part of the family. I think it broadens your character in many ways, socially, physically, gives you more self-confidence, allows you to meet other like-minded people. Its an activity for people of all ages and backgrounds, there are single-sex and mixed teams out there - something for everyone.

Morris turn-offs: Practices can go on a bit - everyone always has much more fun when dancing out in front of a crowd.

Best morris moment(s): Probably involves dancing with the younger members. The first two Morris 18-30 weekends hosted by Icknield were excellent (see www.morris18-30.freewebspace.com). It was great to pull together twenty young guys from all over the country and to dance traditional dances at such a
good standard with one practice on the Friday night.

At the 2004 Icknield Ale we had six dancers and a musician on a unicycle all under 25!

Icknield Way also have some magical events like a Dickensian evening in Wantage - we set the sticks alight last year.

But I've had some great times over the years and mustn't leave out Ebor who looked after me through Uni and of course Man Friday.

Favourite dance and/or tune/song: I like the dances I don't get to do very often i.e. the ones done at Ales that Icknield don't do like Queens Delight Bucknell, Orange in Bloom Sherborne, Swaggering Boney Longborough... the list goes on! But Icknield do have some good dances, especially the jigs like 3-man Bonnets so Blue from Bucknell and of course Princess Royal Bampton.

Least favourite ditto: Only the ones that come up all the time and you get bored of doing - nothing in particular.

Best place to do morris in: It’s important to interact with a crowd. They need to be close enough to react when you jump towards them but far away enough not to restrict the size of the set. Anywhere where there is an appreciative audience is good, whether it is the public or fellow morris dancers.

What is 'cool'? It would be really cool to recruit more people into the morris who have never danced before. I have an ambition to establish a local 'feeder group', perhaps aimed at cubs, building a team that gets older but is continously fed by the younger ones. When they get old enough they'd join Icknield (or another local team if they really wanted to). That'd be cool. A local team of people all my age would be even cooler!

Do you go clubbing? Don't have time.

What advice would you give someone just starting morris dancing? Jump into as many dances as you can, enjoy yourself, learn by copying other dancers, be spacially aware of where you need to be in the dance, do plenty of massed dancing and go away with the side on lots of morris weekends!

Sum up morris in one word: Fun.





Summer 2004
Now in her second season with Cry Havoc, Nancy is by some distance CH’s youngest member. I’d have to say that in her unofficial capacity as Youth Development Officer she has to date proved sadly ineffectual. But we love her anyway.

Name>> Nancy Aitken

Occupation>> Chainsaw-operator extraordinaire and purveyor of fine ales (i.e. trainee conservationist and bar maid)

Special morris skills>> The ability to break or otherwise damage my limbs. And I'm going to be cheeky and say youth, in Cry Havoc at least!

Morris sides you dance with>> Cry Havoc and Armaleggan.

Instruments you play>> Guitar and mandolin.

How long have you been a morris person?>> I did a bit at school, about 15 years ago, but I'm not sure that really counts. I joined Cry Havoc autumn 2002, and Armaleggan in autumn 2003. I'm ever so glad I joined, and now I just wish I'd started a bit earlier! (Don’t we all – Ed.)
>
How did you become one?>> Well, like I said, I did a bit at school, and I guess after that I was always interested in it, just afraid to embrace it.... When I started at uni, I got more into folk music, and I did an internet search for local morris sides...one which came up was Cry Havoc, but I was always too busy rowing or getting drunk, or (occasionally) working, to actually join. The autumn after I finished my degree, one of my friends saw an advert for Rogue morris, who were looking for new members. I went along once, but they didn't go to the pub after practice, which put me off a bit, so the next week I tried Cry Havoc, and you've been stuck with me ever since!

Inspirations and influences>> Chris Leslie, cos he's lovely, and one of the reasons I wanted to dance. Anyone who dances well, leaps high, gives 100%, and most importantly enjoys it.

Why did God invent morris dancing?>> Because he wants us to have fun and drink beer. And I also wonder if he sits on his cloud and has a bit of a chuckle at a load of grown men and women capering around with bells round their legs!

Interests outside morris>> Well, I like chainsawing a lot. And drinking beer. I'm not allowed to do the two at the same time sadly. I also like folk music, being outdoors, and attractive young men....

Are you a 'folkie', and if so, is there a cure?>> I guess so...I listen mainly to folk music, I try to play it on my mandolin, I morris dance and I drink real ale. There might be a cure, but it probably involves Pop Idol and lager, so I'm not that interested.

Has morris changed your life?>> Definitely, for the better. For one, I have many more excuses to drink beer and visit nice pubs.... On a more serious note, aside from the beer, I very much enjoy the friendships I've made over the past 18 months, and being involved in something very traditional and very English. I'd be lost without it these days.

Do your non-morris friends think you are strange?>> Yes, but I think my morris friends think I am too!

Reasons to be morris>> I'd love to be able to say 'because it's really cool'. It's not, but I'm planning the revolution......

Morris turn-offs>> People who take it too seriously....I like to dance well, but I only dance well when I'm having fun. I see the traditional aspects as very important, but I feel it's a tradition designed as a celebration and to have fun. Dancing somewhere with no beer.

Best morris moment>> I'd say most of my morris experiences have been good ones, but May Day this year was pretty high up there for me - it was something special to be up so early, be with so many wonderful people, and to drink for 15 hours pretty much solidly and still be (just about) standing at the end of it.

Most embarrassing morris moment>> I can't really think of many to be honest, but maybe I'll come to regret the 'purple G-string on head' incident in years to come.... (Whatever makes you think that? – Ed.)

Favourite dance and/or tune/song>> Laudnum Bunches, anything with Bampton capers in, and (song) The Happy Man.

Least favourite ditto>>I hate dancing Banbury Bill, but it's a good tune. That's about it really.

Best place to do morris in>> A country lane outside an old pub, sun going down at the end of a warm sunny day in late June, good beer (maybe Old Hooky, Summer Lightning, one or two others), a couple of other sides with us (including Chris Leslie and a couple of young attractive single men....well, I'm allowed to dream aren't I?)

What is 'cool'?>> You could ask my sister and get a long list of clothes, music, films, etc. But I'd say cool is when people don't follow the crowd, but live their own life and do what makes them happy. That's what I aspire to anyway.

Do you go clubbing?>>I do sometimes, yes, and when I do I like to throw in a bit of morris dancing wherever possible! Remember what I said about the revolution.

Best piece of advice you've received>> I've not had the chance to test most of it out yet, but what works for me right now is honesty...with myself and with those around me. Oh, and whoever first took me along to the Turf for a pint knew what they were doing!

What advice would you give someone just starting morris dancing?>> Keep smiling, go for it, and have at least one pint before you dance out for the first time.

Sum up morris in one word>> Ace.


Spring 2004.


Name: Steve Griffiths

Occupation>> Estates' Manager of an Oxford College

Morris side(s)>> Musician of Mason's Apron (northwest clog morris).

Special morris skills>>Well clearly music, but as a dancer Bledington capers and hook-legs and getting the beat about right on the Bampton anacrusis (arm movement).

Why the accordion?>> I had piano lessons from around the age of 8 or 9, so I have always graduated to keyboard instruments. When I became interested in Trad Folk music at 14, the piano accordion seemed the natural direction; also Jimmy Shand was a hero of mine (along with Pink Floyd, The Beatles and, curiously, Ralph Vaughan-Williams). I bought my first box (a 32 bass Hohner) for £32 from Taphouses' Music Shop in Oxford in 1968. I tried the melodeon and the anglo concertina, but they really are a different science!

How long have you been with your current side>> I believe it to be 18-19 years.

How did you come to join them?>> My wife Liz was already a dancer with Mason's Apron when I joined. I had been dancing and playing Cotswold morris with another side and fancied playing different tunes and a different style.

Any previous morris experience?>> I was a member of Oxford City Morris for seven years, followed by a spell with Charlbury for around three years and Wheatley for a year. (I have 'guested' as musician at odd times for various local sides, including Queen Emma's, Corn Dollies, Eynsham, Green Lentil Clog, and others).

Why did God invent morris dancing?>> To give 'Line' dancers something to laugh at of course!

Inspirations and influences?>> The biggest morris music influence was definitely John Graham, musician of Headington Quarry Morris. We both played for Mason's in their early years and he taught me a great deal about playing for dance, on morris tempo and expanded my knowledge of the accordion. He is a superb morris musician. In dancing, the biggest influences were my two main teachers of dance, Roger Jenkins and Alan Kimber-Nicholson, both at the time members of Oxford City. For inspiration I would choose the morris tunes collected from Charlie Benfield, morris musician, at the beginning of the 20th Century. Although an uneducated agricultural labourer, he was a wonderful natural and inventive musician, with probably no formal tuition. And finally, I have never forgotten being fascinated as a young child seeing William Kimber playing an instrument I did not recognise at the time, (concertina) at our local school fete.

Has morris changed your life?>> I don't think you can be involved in morris, both dancing and playing, for around 25 years without a significant effect on the direction of your life. I have a large folk/morris/barn dance circle of friends, and these are long established now, some for over 20 years. Before morris I was playing mainly Scottish and classical on the box, so I simply do not know what I would be doing now, except to say that that I am certain it would be folk related. I also discovered folk festivals through the morris.

What is morris heaven?>> I have been researching morris music for some years now and to discover a previously unknown tradition complete with dance notation and music would be pretty close. Sadly as the 19th century recedes from us ever further back in time, it's not likely to happen.

And morris hell?>> Bad border morris sides, where no one is on the same foot, the kit worn is not the same for all dancers and the musician can't play. Border done well is a wonderful spectacle and I enjoy it, but done badly is just a turn off for the audience.

Most embarrassing morris moment?>> In my early morris days, arguing with my dance teacher about the finer points of Headington, only to be quietly told that the teacher had himself been taught by William Kimber!

Greatest morris high?>> Either completing my first solo jig in the Oxford Westgate in the 1970s, or as a nervous young musician about the same time, accompanying my first dance (solo) at a packed Reading Morris Ring meeting over the PA. In the case of the jig it was Bampton Nutting Girl, which I got almost right except that I did the rounds to the left (Abingdon style) instead of to the right.

Favourite dance/tradition?>> Without a doubt Bledington; sadly few stick dances within the tradition, but a good range of different dances and a full range of capers, and not as over-fussy as Sherborne. The music may not be as sophisticated as Fieldtown (where a few of the tunes seem to me to detract from the dances), but the repertoire is composed of good sound Cotswold dance tunes. I also enjoy Upton-on-Severn and, for Northwest, Preston Carnival. To simply watch morris, I would choose Chipping Camden because it is so unusual.

Has anything inspired you recently?>> Watching the dancing recently of two of your previous contributors, Louise Bush and Jessica Marshall, and also watching the young dancers with Dogrose Morris (who tour with The Demon Barber Roadshow). All of these young dancers perform Cotswold as good as I have ever seen it and it gives me hope that Morris will not die upwards.

Best pub for morris dancing?>> In Oxfordshire I would choose The Falkland Arms at Great Tew; a good selection of real ales in a superb setting. My all time favourite is in Herefordshire, the Hop Pole Hotel at Bromyard. On Folk Festival Sunday they close off the little square outside and you see all styles of morris dance, all day. The pub has good beer and there are little cafes with outside tables if the weather is good (and it usually is).

Have you got a morris/folk-related anecdote for us?>> Playing Adderbury Black Joke for a visiting side with another accordionist and realising that something was dreadfully wrong with the music. It began to dawn on me that the other box player was playing the Irish Washerwoman in an entirely different key and at a slightly different tempo, at the same time as my Black Joke in 'G'! I have never forgotten the looks on the faces of the audience and dancers. This could also be Morris Hell (see above) and it really happened at a pub at Minster Lovell in the 1980s.

Any advice for a new morris person?>> Just ENJOY it. I have never been entirely happy with the Morris Ring types telling me about sobriety of expression and warnings that the Morris was solemn and dignified. The largely agricultural labourers who danced the collected form of morris we know today, wanted a bit of fun (and extra cash), and a break from their mostly hum-drum lives. I think that they morrised for enjoyment too.

Sum up morris in one word.>> 'TERPSICHOREAN' (look it up), because it's a great word. Or how about this gem from the OED; 'FLICKET-A-FLACKET' which is an onomatopoeic word from about 1710 meaning the noise of flapping and flicking, possibly from really long hanging sleeves. It is almost as if the person that coined the word had been watching Cotswold morris, especially as one theory of the origins of handkerchiefs in morris was to replace over-long sleeves. (Er, that’s two words, or possibly four – Ed.)


February 2004. Ducklington Morris can boast not just one but two exceptional young dancers. A few months ago we met Jessica; now it is the turn of Louise, who also plays with Jessica and Bob from Ducklington in ceilidh band Lost Marbles.

Name>> Louise Bush

Occupation>> Happy-go-lucky student.

Special morris skills>> High jumper, the odd twizzle, very alert.

Morris sides you dance with>> Ducklington morris and Mason's Apron
north-west clog.

Instruments you play>> Recorder - very well, ocarina - sometimes, sing - extremely
well.

How long have you been a morris person?>> Since April 2001.

How did you become one?>> My elder sister Michelle used to dance for Queen
Emma's morris when she was 12 and she left when she was 15. When she used to
dance out, I would've been 5 years old and I used to wear my ‘Morris Dancing
Dress’ as I would call it, disappear down sides of shops and have a go at the
dancing. When I was 15 I joined Queen Emma's morris and
danced as a hobby. After watching other teams from around the area, I
decided that I wanted to join a livelier side and that's where Ducklington
Morris came along. I joined Ducklington in December 2002 and since then
nothing and no one is going to tear me away. I have made some truly amazing
friends and my social life has entered overdrive!



Interests outside morris>> The gym, to get rid of built-up tension, and
swimming to increase my stamina. I have been having folk and classical
singing lessons since March 2002 and I am now on to grade 5. If all else
fails and I find that I can't follow my chosen career for a while, then I
hope to study opera at the Birmingham School of Vocal and Operatic Studies.
Finally, I admit it, I'm a Christian/bible-basher, whatever you want to call
it, and I have been all of my life!! Because of this my biggest outside
interest is in individuals - their personalities and feelings. I especially
enjoyhelping others. Any probs? Just call on.......(calls charged at
local rate!!)



Are you a 'folkie', and if so, is there a cure?>> To be honest - I'm not too
sure! Seeing as I have only been involved in folk culture for two years, I
find it difficult to class myself as a ‘Folkie’. However, over the two years I
have noted and concluded that most ‘Folkies’ are carefree, don't mind/really
care what you wear and, in general, are LOVELY. Therefore, seeing as I am/do
all the above anyway, I feel that I'm not really a ‘Folkie’ but a ‘Me’ (stuck
somewhere between various cultures and not wanting to move because you love
them all!!). If I WAS a folkie, then I don't think that there would be a
cure because there's no need for one - you're doomed from the start!!

Do your non-morris friends think you are strange?>> Yes, although the
majority have got used to my strange antics and ways of life. Those that
haven't are receiving trauma counselling!

Reasons to be morris>> It's great fun, fantastic for meeting new/known
people, alcohol, music, the wearing of ribbons and bells and the general
atmosphere.

Morris turn-offs>> Women being ‘afraid’ of really whacking sticks. This
could turn into a debate but it is one of my personal turn-offs. Fools,
although I haven't FULLY decided why yet, and the general idea of ‘no effort
needed’. When performing, in my world, hankies are classed as individuals;
for them to express themselves fully they need a