Folk Bands With Enemies

Posted by Brett Hooton Dec 4, 2006

For all of you out there who think folk musicians are nothing but tea-drinking, tree-hugging, guitar-caressing hippies, this might change your minds. It's good to see some of our own standing up--even it is in a fake feud.

Something of a feud has developed between Folk101 favorites The Decemberists and famed Comedy Central’s über-cool political satirist, Stephen Colbert.

It all started over a new contest being held by those wintry guys and gals to finish a video for their song “O Valencia!” by adding a new background to the band’s performance. Currently, there is just a green screen.

Colbert took offense to this, saying he had invented this genre of user-generated content for his “Green Screen Challenge.” His contest asked viewers to finish a film for some light-saber wielding antics of his own. Now he is accusing the Decems of "riding his coattails." Harsh, man…Harsh.

In response, Colbert created the “Second Green Screen Challenge” asking fans to edit him into the new video.

Well, when there are Star Wars references involved in a feud between hipsters and a fake right-wing political commentator, you know things are going to get ugly. Some early entries are already starting to pop up.

The gang from Portland, has since offered a witty retort via those likeminded, hyper-literary commentators at Pitch Fork. (A quick footnote here, I like the fine lads and lasses at the ole Fork, but half the time I can’t understand what they’re saying… and I have an M.A. in English Lit.)

The icy gauntlet has been thrown down and the blogosphere is reeling. We’ll keep you posted as this gut-wrenching story unfolds.

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