New Tradition - Old Attitudes

Many people who, like me, are big fans of old British traditions and crafts, were delighted to see Wet Leg's performance of Chaise Longue at The Brit Awards last weekend. 

I like Wet Leg. 

But I like Boss Morris even more.

   

I've always loved Morris Dancing and I've been a fan of Boss Morris for some time now. They're exciting, dynamic, genre-busting and they're bringing Morris into the 21st century. Their costumes and make-up are fantastic.

It wasn't so long ago that Morris was in crisis - much of it self-created. It was seen as the preserve of 'beardy older men' - as one observer put it - who resisted any attempts to modernise. And part of that meant excluding women from joining established Morris 'sides'.

The problem with that kind of entrenched attitude is that, over a period of time, things start to stagnate and lose their relevance. Folk music and traditions are created by the people for the people and need to attract new blood. Without it, they die or they become musty and static like museum exhibits. 

It's the same with fairy stories - the most popular stories are the ones that have mutated over time and stayed relevant to their audiences. Little Red Riding Hood began life as a cautionary tale about getting into bed with strangers and, over time, the story morphed into a warning to ladies at court about predatory men. Then the Brothers Grimm added a woodcutter to save the day and to uphold the misogynist idea that women always need rescuing by a man. And then, in the 20th century, Roald Dahl created an entirely emancipated Red who shoots the wolf and turns him into a fur coat. 

(Illustration by me)

But now compare Red Riding Hood to many British folk tales like the Lambton Worm or Bolster the Giant or Long Lankin. Do you know them? Do your kids or grandkids know them? Probably not. And the reason why is that archivists and traditionalists have insisted that they never change. As the result, they've lost their currency. They're full of dubious morality and they reflect the attitudes and mores of the times in which they were created. We can't relate to them any more. 

But fairy stories and folk traditions should be living, breathing things. They should be representative of the communities who first created them. And communities constantly change.

Traditional festivals can keep their original purpose - which is to bring people together and/or to celebrate a particular time of the year - but still modernise. Do we really need blackface any more? And why shouldn't 50% of the population be allowed to take part in Morris? Change can be positive and inclusive and respectful.

Just before Covid, Richard Macer made an excellent documentary called For Folk’s Sake: Morris Dancing and Me that was shown on BBC4 (it was shown again last year). Annoyingly, it isn't available on BBC iPlayer any more but you can watch it here at Archive.Org. It follows the debate about 'allowing' women to join all-male Morris sides and covers an all-important vote that was being put to members of the largest Morris Dancing organisation in the UK. It's a great film which shows that, while some old-fashioned viewpoints remained entrenched, the world of Morris was finally moving forward. 

Meanwhile, Boss Morris and other all-female and mixed gender sides are sticking it to the old curmudgeons. 

They're showing the world that Morris is relevant, joyous, and respectful of the past while celebrating the present. And I don't doubt that Morris sides all over the UK will start to see a flood of new members following last week's performance at The Brits. 

That makes me a very happy 'beardy older man'. 

Boss Morris's website is here.