Dewey Balfa (54):

-Importing culture via television/radio. French culture from France and Canada. Dewey would've like to have seen Cajun French recognized as a completely feasible language. If you don't speak -Parisian French, you didn't speak French at all. Writing down Cajun French;
-Corrupted words and phrases because of oral languages;
-Je vas aller chez Barry vs. Je vas y aller;
-Writing and teaching both Cajun and Parisian French. Being capable of speaking both. Speaking Parisian French takes away the Cajun-ness;
-Singing Jolie Blonde in Parisian French;

Respecting all types of French;
-Lafayette poet--exchanging rights. Not imposing culture upon anyone;
-Barry's anthology since 1969, writing Cajun French. Cajun French wasn't able to write, so they couldn't write their language. Dewey agrees 100% with Barry;
-Everyone has a different/specific job to do;
-Nothing but chanky-chank, only an oral language. The music wasn't real because he only learned it from his father;
-Father wasn't a person because he couldn't read or write? Dewey is a musician, but can't read or write music;
-Playing music by ear. Learning to talk before being able to write. Dewey always depended on his ear;
-Dewey gets a lot of good questions. Dewey was stressing Cajun music too much. He needed to promote all cultural expression/music;
-Playing for an audience, Dewey's in a different world. Marc Savoy and Dewey playing a soundtrack for a movie. Ry Cooder sat in the studio, Dewey felt like he was floating and there was nothing he could do wrong with that rhythm. He hadn't felt like that since playing with Rodney;
-Rodney and Dewey wrote songs and planned to do an album. Dewey would like to have Ry, Marc, and Tony to record, even songs in English. Tribute to the culture;
-Culture has to change, it's a living thing. When it stops changing, it dies;
-Staying within the guidelines of the culture (eating a gumbo from someone out of the area). Alice Gerard (Mike Seeger's wife) can cook a gumbo just like a Cajun;
-Young musicians playing traditional and new musics;
-Dewey can listen to Camey Doucet, Ralph Richard, and Robert Jardell, who is in the guidelines. Respecting what they are doing;
-Michael Doucet doesn't know what he would like to do, he can stay within the guidelines if he wants but he can also go really wild and tear it up;
-Doc Guidry's Over the Waves;
-Fine lines. Tracy Schwarz playing Cajun music. People not of this culture playing this 'chanky-chank' music. Playing it not to become popular or rich, but because it's from the heart;
-Direct line from Dewey's heart to his fingers, no mind. Dewey's in tune when his strings please his ears, it feels right;
-Dennis McGee said he can tell if he's in tune when he's no longer out of tune;
-The Folk Process. Knowing the questions. Dewey vs. Dennis. Dewey can answer the question unlike the others that Barry has mentioned. They loved the culture just as much as Dewey, they just cannot explain themselves;
-David Marcantel--people who think about their culture too much change;
-Nathan Abshire and Dennis McGee don't think about what they do, they just do it. Thinking about it sets Dewey apart?;

-Dewey has a mission to do while also driving a schoolbus, owning a furniture store, etc. Cajun music has found its place. Dewey wouldn't change a thing in his life, no regrets;
-Trip to France and realizing how fortunate to have the little schooling he had and the travels and experiences he had. People are the best education. How unfortunate his ancestors were;
-1977-Dewey gave the first lecture on Cajun music at USL. The prophet in his own land, people are finally listening. Dewey sees he has a special gift. If he would've had a college degree, he would've never have done what he did. He had enough education, understanding, knowledge that someone had to do this work. Feeling uneasy about talking about the culture at home. Easier to talk about it outside of the area. The hardest lecture he's ever given (recorded);
-Nobody is going to support you even if you think they should. Get a tape recorder, give up beer. Win the pot with a trump. Barry feels privileged to work with Dewey;
-The importance of this program. Dewey would dare any elected official that this program is not important in the schools;

-Politics of culture;
-Barry's students doing fieldwork projects with their grandfathers. Hilda in the hospital in New Orleans, oldest daughter from Breaux Bridge got into religious discussion and she couldn't believe that Dewey could answer all of these things. Taking it for granted that her father didn't have the faith that he did;
-Generations coming together, realizing who her father really was. She never saw him as a faithful man, only as a musician;
-Dewey hitting a lot of the 12,000 people in the audience too, not just the people in power. Only listening just to dance. The first Festival Acadiens et Créoles made people actually listen to their own music, it was beautiful;
-Marc Boudreau who played with Octa Clark in 1977. Going to the first festival and picking up his father's accordion;
-Fiddle workshop with Jules Losier?;
-Effect from the outside and the inside. Newport vs. Lafayette;
-Dewey always saw himself and his brothers/group as not very popular because they played the old style of playing. Thinking about going to the 'nightclub sound' like with the record with Sonnet. Sticking to the traditional sounds even when people may have like more modern sounds;
-History at the first festival in 1974. No other musician could do what they did. Harder at home than away from home;

Dewey Balfa (54)
***Either 1981 or 1982, date unknown***
Comes after AN1-193