Comment by Richard William Ineson on September 12, 2012 at 7:56

This was part of a Bolshevik plot to infiltrate British Society, with whom the banjo was very popular at the time. Bolshevik agents were expected, in order to establish their bona fides, to assume all of the affectations of the English ruling class, monocles, brogues, tweeds, hunting, shooting, fishing, polo, speaking unintelligibly, pretending to be even more stupid than they really were, etc. The plot was rumbled when a Bolshevik agent was arrested and found to be in possession of five hundred copies of 'Comical Coons' which he was attempting to send back to Russia, so that fellow agents could master this popular banjo solo and thus, on arrival in England, gain membership of the London Banjo Club, whose members were all eminent members of Society. There was a ludicrous attempt, on the part of the Secret Services, to implicate Clifford Essex in this plot, but this was quickly quashed by the Prime Minister of the time, Campbell-Bannerman, himself a keen banjo player and close friend of both Alfred Cammeyer and Essex and who realised that a scandal involving the London Banjo Club, could well bring the government down. Queen Victoria would not have been amused but fortunately, she was already dead.

Comment by Mike Moss on September 12, 2012 at 8:16

It is said that after the plot was foiled, the Bolsheviks, having a warehouse full of banjo sheet music, decided to re-issue "You and a Canoe" as "You and a Tractor" -- a very popular number with young men courting Soviet farm girls, who, was we know, were exceedingly fond of tractors.

Comment by Richard William Ineson on September 12, 2012 at 9:24

It is well known that many banjo solos were subject to being retitled by the Bolsheviks, after the revolution, 'Drowsy Dempsey' became 'All Shirkers will be Shot', 'Mighty America' became 'Catch up and Overtake America' 'Man the Guns' became 'Political Power Grows out of the Barrel of a Gun' 'At A Colored Tea Party' became 'Revolution is not a Tea Party' 'Tender Glances' became 'An Ally has to be Watched just like an Enemy' 'Leisure Moments' became 'Abolish the Wages System'. A truly fascinating insight into Russian revolutionary thinking, at the time.

Comment by Mike Moss on September 12, 2012 at 11:11

One may only surmise that "Beat the System Rag" was a part of a more recent attempt to revive their banjo strategy.

Comment by marc dalmasso on September 12, 2012 at 13:25

" you and a tractor " played here , may be by sons of Bolsheviks ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1ThSi1wbqU&feature=plcp

Comment by Trapdoor2 on September 12, 2012 at 19:55

Ah, a Soviet Russian-built diesel metronome. I understand that a German invented it, the Russians made it bulletproof and the Japanese have a new hybrid version that is the size of an aspirin tablet (fully bluetooth), burns only 0.000001ml/hr of DERV @ moderato.

Comment by Mike Moss on September 12, 2012 at 20:01

Ah, there's nothing like strumming along to the People's Metronome after a day of hard Stakhanovite labour -- very much like in Grimshaw's solo, Tired Tim, which was published as "Comrade Timothy After Fulfilling his Yearly Work Quota"

Comment by marc dalmasso on September 12, 2012 at 21:06

For your information , all the ex bolsheviks or sons of Bolsheviks have at least one place in the cote d 'azur or Monaco ; they could have gold plated banjos grade 6 ; they all were political fat cats when they leaved  Russia..

Comment by Ray Jones on September 12, 2012 at 21:58

Now I understand why all these members play the banjo.   They are completely zaney, wonderfully scatterbrained,  and once let loose on a website such as this, mentally uncontrolable.    A bit like me really, but Mums the word.

 

Comment by Richard William Ineson on September 13, 2012 at 7:46

Stalin was quite a good banjoist in his own right - he won the Vera Nubbins Trophy, awarded for the best performance, of a newly composed banjo solo at the Federation Rally in 1924. Stalin had instructed Stravinsky to come up with a jolly number, which Stalin entitled 'Fun in the Gulag', Stravinsky came up with a winner, fortunately for him.

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