WHILE
WHILE PROMOTING THE NEW EIGHT- PART SERIES TO CHAT WITH ME.
>> THANK YOU.
IT'S AN HONOR.
>>
>> HERE
>> HERE WE HAVE KEN BURNS AND JULIE DUNNFY.
JULIE DUNNFY. DO YOU CALL IT A FILM, A
DOCUMENTARY?
DOCUMENTARY? HOW DO YOU DESCRIBE A 16-HOUR
PROJECT?
PROJECT?
PROJECT? >> DOCUMENTARY FILM SERIES
USUALLY DOES IT.
>>
>> YOU
>> YOU CAN DANCE TO IT. YOU CAN MAKE LOVE TO IT.
YOU CAN PLAY IT AT A FUNERAL.
>> THEY GET TO SEE INCREDIBLE
STORIES ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO
MADE COUNTRY MUSIC, WHETHER
THEY'RE SONGWRITERS OR SINGERS.
THEY GET TO HEAR STORIES ABOUT
THE SONGS THEMSELVES, WHICH IS
I THINK REALLY WONDERFUL.
YOU GET TO UNDERSTAND WHY DOLLY
PARTON WROTE I WILL ALWAYS LOVE
YOU AND IT MAKES THE SONG THAT
MUCH RICHER WHEN YOU'VE HEARD
THAT STORY FROM DOLLY HERSELF.
>> DO YOU THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE
WHO MAYBE SAY I DON'T LISTEN TO
COUNTRY MUSIC WILL START
LISTENING TO COUNTRY MUSIC
AFTER THEY SEE THIS?
>> THEY KNOW IT BECAUSE WE
SPENT THE LAST FEW YEARS AS THE
FILM WAS COMING TOGETHER
INVITING PEOPLE INTO OUR
STUDIO.
STUDIO.
STUDIO. THEY'RE REALLY DIVIDED, OH, I
DON'T LIKE COUNTRY MUSIC AND
THEY COME IN AND GO WOW, I
REALLY DO LIKE IT.
THIS IS SO MOVING OR I ONLY
KNOW A LITTLE BIT ABOUT COUNTRY
MUSIC AND THEY GO I DIDN'T KNOW
HOW MUCH I DID KNOW AND HOW
MUCH I LOVE IT.
>> IF YOU WANT TO LOOK FOR
SUPER STRONG WOMEN TELLING
AMAZING STORIES, YOU WENT TO
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. >> IN ADDITION, GET TO KNOW 60
OR 70 PEOPLE AND MAYBE 40 OF
THEM YOU'LL FEEL LIKE AT THE
END THEY'RE YOUR FAMILY
MEMBERS, SOMEBODY YOU WOULDN'T
MIND SEEING AT THANKSGIVING OR
THE 4th OF JULY PICNIC.
>> I WOULD SAY PROBABLY ALL OF
THOSE 101 PEOPLE I WOULD LOVE
TO SEE THEM AT THANKSGIVING,
FOURTH OF JULY PICNIC.
>> I BELIEVE YOU CAN LOOK AND
FIND A COUNTRY SONG THAT WILL
HELP YOU FEEL BETTER.
SOMETIMES IT MIGHT MAKE YOU
CRY, BUT YOU'LL FEEL BETTER.
>> COUNTRY MUSIC, THERE'S BEEN
A LOT OF DIFFERENT ITERATIONS
OF IT.
OF IT.
OF IT. IT
OF IT. IT STARTED IN ONE WAY AND
CHANGED AND KEEPS CHANGING AND
NOW THERE'S THESE SONGS ON THE
RADIO LIKE OLD TOWN ROAD AND
THE GET-UP.
THE GET-UP. DO THOSE KIND OF THINGS THAT
ARE MORE HIP-HOPPY OR KIND OF
COMBINING DIFFERENT MUSIC
SOMETIMES INTO COUNTRY MUSIC
COME UP IN YOUR SERIES?
>> WE'RE HISTORIANS, SO WE END
AT THE MILLENNIUM, HEIGHT OF
GARTH BROOKS' POPULARITY, BILL
MONROE, THE GREAT BLUEGRASS
FOUNDER DIES AND JOHNNY CASH
DIES IN 2003, BUT THE STORY
THAT'S GOING ON NOW WITH OLD
TOWN ROAD AND SORT OF THE IDEA
OF THAT IS COUNTRY MUSIC NARROW
DEFINITION OR IS IT BROAD?
IT'S ALWAYS BEEN BROAD FROM THE
BEGINNING.
BEGINNING. IT'S NEVER BEEN ONE THING FROM
THE VERY BEGINNING.
AFTER IT STARTED OFF NOT BEING
ONE THING IT STARTED ADDING
LOTS OF OTHER THINGS TO IT.
SO IT'S THIS WONDERFUL AMALGUM
THAT BUMPS INTO AND OVERLAPS
WITH THE BLUES AND JAZZ AND
WITH R AND B AND ROCK AND ALL
SORTS OF DIFFERENT OTHER FORMS
WHERE WE TEND TO FOR OUR
CONVENIENCE OR OUR COMMERCE
SEGREGATE THEM INTO DIFFERENT
SILOS.
SILOS.
SILOS. THERE'S NO BORDERS HERE.
MOST OF THE COUNTRY SINGERS
WERE ORDINARY FOLKS, STILL FEEL
THEY ARE AND LOOK SO-CALLED
ORDINARY FOLKS.
ORDINARY FOLKS. OF COURSE, THERE IS NO SUCH
THING AS ORDINARY FOLKS IN THE
EYE AND RELATE TO THEM, ALL OF
THEIR CAREER NO MATTER HOW BIG
THEY ARE, HOW SMALL, HOW FAST
THEY'RE RISING OR FALLING AND
THAT'S A REALLY GREAT TRIBUTE
TO THE MUSIC AND THE PEOPLE WHO
ARE PART OF IT.
>> WHAT IS THE FEELING AFTER
PEOPLE WATCH 16 HOURS OF
COUNTRY MUSIC?
COUNTRY MUSIC? WHAT KIND OF FEELING ARE YOU
HOPING THAT THEY'RE LEFT WITH?
>> WE KNOW A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
HOW EPISODE WORKS ON US.
WE'VE WATCHED IT WORK ON A LOT
OF PEOPLE.
OF PEOPLE. WE HAD TO START DISTRIBUTING
HANKIES IN OUR OWN EDITING ROOM
WHEN WE WERE WORKING ON IT AND
THE WATERWORKS REALLY START
WHEN WE INVITE VISITORS IN.
SO I THINK IT WILL BE
EMOTIONALLY CATHARTIC IN A GOOD
WAY.
WAY.
WAY. AS
WAY. AS CHARLEY PRIDE SAYS IN OUR
FILM, THERE'S SONGS THAT WILL
MAKE YOU CRY AND MAKE YOU FEEL
BETTER BECAUSE OF IT.
THIS FILM REALLY ADDRESSES
THAT.
THAT.
THAT. THE
THAT. THE ARC OF LIFE, NONE OF US GET
OUT OF HERE ALIVE.
THERE'S A COUNTRY MUSIC SONG
FOR EVERY MOMENT OF THAT
COMPLICATED LIFE.
COMPLICATED LIFE. >> THAT'S AMAZING.
♪ ♪ AS SURE AS NIGHT IS DARK
♪ ♪.
♪ ♪.
♪ ♪. >>
♪ ♪. >> WHAT'S SO GREAT ABOUT
COUNTRY MUSIC, THREE CHORDS OF
THE TRUTH IS WHAT THE
SONGWRITER HARLAN HOWARD CALLED
IT.
IT.
IT. THE
IT. THE MUSIC ISN'T COMPLICATED THE
WAY CLASSICAL MUSIC AND SOME
FORMS OF JAZZ IS, BUT IT'S
ABOUT UNIVERSAL TRUTHS ALL OF
US ARE ENGAGED IN, THE JOY OF
BIRTH, SADNESS AT DEATH,
FALLING IN LOVE, FALLING OUT OF
LOVE, BEING LONELY, SEEKING
REDEMPTION.
REDEMPTION. ALL OF THESE ARE THE MAIN
THEMES OF COUNTRY MUSIC AND
THERE'S A SONG