Daniel Johnston recorded songs in his parents' basement in rural West Virginia that would eventually inspire artists such as Kurt Cobain, Beck, Wilco, and Sonic Youth. In this award-winning episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay explores the life, art, and enduring legacy of the late singer-songwriter and visual artist whose creative genius and struggles with bipolar disorder made him one of America's most influential outsider artists.
Encore: A Mine Wars Graphic Novel, Storytelling And W.Va. Life, Inside Appalachia
"Black Coal & Red Bandanas" began as an interest in the mine wars that became almost an obsession.Photo courtesy of Raymond Tyler
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We speak with the author of a new graphic novel about the West Virginia Mine Wars. The labor struggle culminated in the largest armed uprising since the Civil War.
Also, professional storyteller James Froemel invents quirky characters, like a sign maker who can’t spell. Froemel’s stories are drawn from small town life.
And, one of the most common animals to get hit by cars are opossums. But there’s a kind of animal rescue called pouch picking. We talk with author Laura Jackson.
You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.
“Black Coal and Red Bandanas” retells the story of the West Virginia Mine Wars.
Photo courtesy of Raymond Tyler
The West Virginia Mine Wars are an important but little-known piece of American history. Coal miners in southern West Virginia had been trying to organize a union, while coal companies tried to stop them. Strikes and violent clashes ensued, culminating in the Battle of Blair Mountain in 1921. A version of the story is told in the new graphic novel Black Coal and Red Bandanas: An Illustrated History of the West Virginia Mine Wars.
Host Mason Adams spoke with its author, Raymond Tyler.
Talking With Storyteller James Froemel
James Froemel continues in the long line of Appalachian storytellers.
Photo courtesy of James Froemel
Appalachia is known for its storytelling traditions. Cherokee legends, prayers and sermons in mountain churches, joke telling. James Froemel’s journey into storytelling has taken a lifetime. From reciting Emily Dickinson in sixth grade to winning the Vandalia Gathering’s Liar’s Competition in West Virginia.
Froemel recently worked with storyteller, author and Liars Competition champ Bil Lepp to hone his craft. James Froemel‘s journey into storytelling has taken a lifetime.
Folkways Reporter Margaret McLeod Leef spoke with Froemel about telling tales from the stage.
Digging Under Ground Leads To Spoonmaking
Stan (L) and Sue (R) Jennings shape spoons on sanding machines in their Allegheny Treenware workshop in Preston County, West Virginia. Sue is pre-shaping while Stan is fine shaping on 40 grit sandpaper. These two stations are only used by the Jennings to shape each spoon by hand.
Photo Credit: Zack Gray/Allegheny Treenware
For 30 years, Sue and Stan Jennings have run Allegheny Treenware, a West Virginia company that makes wooden kitchen utensils. They started off as a couple of coal miners. And when they weren’t underground, they talked about what else they could be doing.
Last year, Folkways Reporter Capri Cafaro visited the Jennings, and brought us this story.
Exploring And Explaining West Virginia
Humorist and essayist Laura Jackson’s book Deep & Wild explores and explains West Virginia — or some of it.
Photo courtesy of Laura Jackson
West Virginia writer and humoristLaura Jackson is an avid explorer of backroads and scenic byways. Inspired by her trips, she wrote a series of essays about what she saw in her home state. They became her 2023 book,Deep & Wild: On Mountains, Opossums & Finding Your Way in West Virginia.
Producer Bill Lynch spoke with Jackson.
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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Hello June, Jeff Ellis, David Mayfield Parade, Dinosaur Burps, John Inghram, Paul Loomis and Blue Dot Sessions.
Bill Lynch is our producer. Abby Neff is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. We had help this week from Folkways Editor Nicole Musgrave.
You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.
Daniel Johnston recorded songs in his parents' basement in rural West Virginia that would eventually inspire artists such as Kurt Cobain, Beck, Wilco, and Sonic Youth. In this award-winning episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay explores the life, art, and enduring legacy of the late singer-songwriter and visual artist whose creative genius and struggles with bipolar disorder made him one of America's most influential outsider artists.
The late singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston grew up in West Virginia and came onto the indie music scene in the 1980s. Last year, Johnston was inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame and he’s featured in the next episode of Us & Them. In this award-winning show, host Trey Kay learns about Johnston’s legacy which was partly shaped by his challenges with mental illness.
The Public Service Commission of West Virginia is currently conducting public comment hearings concerning developer NextEra Energy’s application to construct a new 107.5-mile-long transmission line from Pennsylvania through West Virginia to Virginia. WVPB spoke with NextEra about the project.
