Arts
“Readers of this blog and listeners to this podcast will know that I made a dramatic change in geographical address in the year of 2017, from Boston to Weaverville, North Carolina. In the interest of full honesty, I was and remain ambivalent about this move as it was made for reasons of unforeseen circumstance and not for any I would call personal choice - by any definition of the word choice. One of the unequivocal positives of this move is that I am able to record this podcast out of my home; equally I am able to work from my favorite instrument, Steinway. And then there are the personal connections that are most positive. I think I first met out guest Jim McCoy at the weekly music open mic they used to have here at Blue Mountain Pizza. I did not know who he was but heard him sing an old anti- Vietnam War Phil Ochs song! Needless to say this was not the usual repertoire I was used to hearing at this open mic. Well it tuns out that the singer was none other than Jim McCoy, who, until his retirement, was the pastor at the Weaverville Baptist Church here just one block away from the pizzeria. He is part of what can only be called a thoroughly musical family (his daughter is a pianist with her own rock group, his wife has been a Minister Of Music at the church, music teacher and choral conductor). I want to say that Jim McCoy's all around friendliness, intelligence, even integrity has been an invaluable boon to me as a displaced yankee. I also thought that this episode would make a most appropriate one for December. The question of religious affiliation and tradition is one of the most complicated ones in human society. It happens to be a subject on which I happen to be widely read, as it so happens as a side effect of my intense interest in intellectual history and philosophy, but I won't go into all that here. I think there is both good and bad religion in human life and that this situation is no different from any other field or human endeavor. I really appreciated this conversation with Jim McCoy; he is representative of all that is best in Christianity, but I hope that the subjects we cover - vast, considering his erudition - will be relevant for all our listeners.” Jim’s Bio I was born in Salisbury, NC into a musical family. My Dad played guitar in bands prior to World War II, and Mother was a church pianist/organist. At home they played everything from 'St. Louis Blues' to hymns. I received my first guitar in the eighth grade during the British invasion and played in Beatle bands. In 1973, I was selected to be a member of a summer folk group. The other guitarist chosen for the five-member ensemble would become my wife three years later. Jane is a vocalist and voice teacher, having taught privately and at several universities. She is also a church musician. Our two grown daughters are Claire and Sarah. Both are married, and both are piano teachers. I have been in several ministry positions: campus minister, hospice chaplain, and pastor. Currently, I am a chaplain at a state prison unit in Asheville, NC. I help facilitate religious practices and services, and try to offer honest conversation with those who seek it. I also strongly encourage any expression of creativity - reading, writing, drawing, singing, etc. In his memoir Wrestling with the Devil, Ngugi wa Thiong'o writes, “ I offer...my experience of survival in a maximum-security prison as a testimony to the magic of imagination. The power of imagination to help humans break free of confinement is truly the story of all art." I blog occasionally at my word press site 'Borrowed Language' and at the Ekklesia Project website (ekklesiaproject.org). Organizations dear to me are: "The Ekklesia Project has become a gateway into some wonderful ecumenical conversations and friendships. *Baptist Ministers Union in Asheville is an African- American group of pastors. They have welcomed me into their fellowship. and the newspaper in new ways. *Jubilee Partners --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mitch-hampton/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/mitch-hampton/support