Page 27 - BiTS_09_SEPTEMBER_2023_Neat

can enhance other people's lives if they listen back to it. And the beauty of the recorded medium
is that somebody can listen to somebody who's deceased, that maybe was born and deceased
before this person was even born and across borders and across languages it can travel and so
when those moments happen, it's truly magical. And the other even larger gauge is when I'm
overcome emotionally, and that doesn't happen so often. But it's happened. Over the years, there's
been times where I start weeping when I'm listening to somebody and sometimes not knowing
what they're singing about and often having no idea what they're singing about. And that

happened on more than one occasion here at Parchman because I was kneeling down beside
them as they stood there and sang before the others. So I was just a foot or two away and you
know it happened more than once. And a lot of it was just, it was incredible that we were together
and that this was happening. It was such a beautiful experience for those few hours.

BiTS: What was it just you by yourself, or was your wife with you? Is that Marilena?

IB: Yes. Marilena. Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. In this case, yes, I was there solo. You know, I'd flown
all night, and I was

John and Alan Lomax in the States just
for a few days and
it came together at
the last minute.

BiTS: Tell me
what the response
to the album has
been, if you're
aware of it.

IB: Well, you
know it's been

positive so far and
hopefully it will
continue to be.
There seems to be
a lot of interest in
it, and I think it's obviously a smaller percentage of people, but I think people are very hungry
for honesty, period. You know, socially, culturally, but in music, and here we are in an era where
we're on the cusp of artificial intelligence, AI music and not even on the cusp of it. I mean it's
happening and AI, they're in film.

BiTS: You’re aware, of course, that Lomax, both the Lomax's John and Alan, recorded stuff in
Parchman. Were you conscious of the fact that you were repeating history in a sense?

IB: Well, not really. I mean, I try not to compare myself or anybody else to anything as much as
I can, but certainly, there's a lot of history at the prison and a lot of the history at the prison is
just the region itself. I try to avoid comparisons in general in life but I'm aware of the history. In
particular, just the history of the region itself. The prison is located near, just a few miles from
the crossroads where Robert Johnson supposedly sold his soul, and so many great musicians
have risen from the area or near the area, Muddy Waters, quite a few hours away, but not so far
away, and Ike Turner right there in that very town. So there's a rich, rich history there.

BiTS: Yes, indeed. But I want to talk to you very briefly about something else which is associated
with your good self, and that is Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, who just turned 92.