folklore

This post originated as an email to my niece.

Hello, dear. I assume you have not commented on my blog post about The Tortured Poets Department because the ideas there are nothing you didn't know already, which is totally understandable. You're like, "Yeah, Uncle Ned, she's been doing that for years."

It is true that I am not as much of a Swift aficionado as most Swifties. I'm well-versed in the hits, the popular deep cuts, the notable live performances, but until recently the only album I had was 1989. I actually bought TTPD when it came out, but I only really listened to it over Christmas. And now I'm listening to folklore for the first time. Of course, it's brilliant. Won Album of the Year. She actually writes in the liner notes that she's writing in others' voices. "I found myself not only writing my own stories, but also writing about or from the perspective of people I've never met, people I've known, or those I wish I hadn't."

When I first heard "the last great american dynasty," I thought she was saying, "I had a marvelous time moving in everything," instead of "I had a marvelous time ruining everything."

One of the fun things about finally listening to this album is hearing the songs I've already heard in the context of the album and without commercial interruptions.

Hi to all! Hope y'all are doing well.

Much love,

Uncle Ned