Rod Campbell and Intertextuality

Bonnie Wade discusses the theme of intertextuality in her book Music in Japan.  Wade states “Intertextuality is at the heart of the Japanese performing arts, as familiar themes and musical material, sounds, and structures are maintained but transformed in ever fresh ways serving to keep cultural memory alive” (xiv). An example of intertextuality in her book is the noh play Ataka, the kabuki play Kanjincho, and the film Men who Stepped on Tiger’s Tale.  These are both based on The Tale of the Heike, the Japanese epic describing the Heike – Genji Civil War of 1180-1185. Each of these pieces of art displays elements of the same story, but each portrays some aspects differently. Kanjincho was influenced by Ataka, and Men who Stepped on Tiger’s Tale was influenced by both Ataka and Kanjincho. The purpose of each is to continue to tell the story first told in the Tales of the Heike. Each does so, keeping the same character names, and scenes described, but each expresses the character and the situations in which they find themselves differently.  Similarly, Celtic music is a tool used to tell stories, and continue traditions.  The music Rod Campbell performs may not be written by him, but does not necessarily play each piece the same way the original performers would have. Because of the life he has lived, and the experiences he has had, the pieces Campbell sings are influenced by him, and he in turn influences the way the music is heard by his audiences.  When asked about the pieces he enjoys performing most, a second piece Campbell mentioned was “Fairytale of New York” by Shane McGowan.  His comment about this song was “it’s funny, poignant, vulgar, lyrical, with a great melody and story to go with it. It’s really a conversation, fittingly a duet”.  Listening to the piece, one will find that Campbell’s description is definitely fitting.  This song tells the story of a couple dreaming of what could have been, and poking fun at each other.  In performing this song, Campbell is continuing the story told by McGowan, who was influenced to write the song based on experiences in his own life. Intertextuality is important to consider when looking at music, literature, theatre and other art forms. In the case of Ataka, Kanjincho, and Men who Stepped on Tiger’s Tale, each descended from the same story, and each one was influenced by those which came before it.  The same can be said of Rod Campbell.  The music he performs, and the ways in which he chooses to perform them are influenced by the sources of the music, as well as by his own life.