re-assessing, Texas style

Lately I've been so incredibly indecisive. Unable to research without this knot building up in my stomach. Even the previous post (where I said I found comfort in the topic) led to great anxiety. I didn't end up submitting an abstract. I couldn't bring myself to write anything out- say definitively my stance on things. I'm happy with researching turn of 20th century musical women, but I couldn't get a foothold in the material. I couldn't find a focus that I was incredibly happy

So I punted. And didn't think about it for the last month. And have simply lived life without the thought of a dissertation on the horizon or conferences that I should present at. And a host of things have suggested to me to start down the path of an entirely new topic. Where it leads or if it goes anywhere, who knows. Sadly, this blog might quickly turn into a "look at this shiny new nook of musical history.... well onto the next one." But maybe there's something here.

First, the precepitating influences:
- this blog post about the self-identity of Texans
- finding out that my family's ranch is in fact 105 years old this August. there's no escaping it, I'm a proud Texan. so perhaps I should try to understand this state and what it means.
- an estate sale that led me to recordings of Bob Wills and other ensembles singing songs with themes of Texas and cowboys
- my previous post about dissertation topics (including Indians and a woman that wrote for a Texas stage show in 1936)
- the need for a topic that I can "get away" with working on during work (especially the idea of collecting new materials for the archive while researching at the same time)
- a specific collection we are processing that has old recordings of a vocal quartet of "ranch boys" from the 1940s


Now the themes:
-romanticizations of identity
- regionalism
-stereotypes and overt-characterizations
- popular music and culture, sheet music and promulgation
- staging, costuming, touring
- musical semiotic cues

As to not be quite so vague, something about the identity of Texas, Cowboys, and Indians in the first part of the 20th century that was built out of wild west shows and vaudeville. Not accurate portrayals but exaggerated depictions of the sentimentalized west as it was beginning to disappear in the technological 1900s. Looking also at how this state's musical performers have embraced this culture. Possible offshoots might get into country music, mascot selections, themes of musical reviews (this production started in 1938), and the WPA's works with folk music and art. This revelation of new topics happened last night. Background research and primary source hunting to commence as soon as work allows.