When I first saw the movie, “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” about a dozen years ago, I was enchanted by one scene in particular: it is where the “outlaws” (three white prison escapees and their African-American guitar-playing compatriot) who are also the artists (the “Soggy Bottom Boys”) behind a popular radio hit in Depression-era Mississippi, make a surprise appearance at a local campaign event.

They are there because “Everett,” the George Clooney character, is trying to get the attention of his estranged wife. Here is the scene:

Many commentators have remarked on the ingenious way that the film re-tells The Odyssey. That re-telling is riven with Christian theological backgrounds from start to finish, as is only fitting for a story set in the early 20th century American South.

Over the course of a few posts, I would like to offer some brief theological notes on the scene.

As the scene opens, the performers are costumed in fake beards. (They have just recently escaped from a Ku Klux Klan rally, where the white chaps (Everett, Pete and Delmar) have just saved their guitarist friend’s (Tommy’s) life.) They find themselves on stage and forced to play music. When they launch into “I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow,” the crowd cheers with delight

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As a followup to my brief report on the “Ecclesiology and Ethnography” conference I attended at Durham University, England last week, here are some more perspectives: Dr. Eileen Campbell-Reed (Luther Seminary, USA) has posted her reflections here, along with a picture of me playing music with two other conference folks, and being converted — to bluegrass music. I was invited to play bass one evening while Dr. Pete Ward (Kings College London) played the mandolin and Rev. Dr. James Harding (University of Chester, UK) the acoustic guitar.

Despite growing up in Missouri, I confess that my first “real” exposure to bluegrass music was in the film “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” Pete and James were tolerant of my limited rock-and-roll bassist skill-set, and we made it through an hour’s worth of tunes, and I’m ready for more.

And speaking of theology and music, how about “Man of Constant Sorrow” as theologically indebted–at least in its lyrics? I’ll try to post a followup soon giving my impressions of some of the theological “background” of the lyrics, unless others do it first. Meantime, take a look/listen:

Another brief take on the conference has just come up, I see – Doctoral fellow Timothy K. Snyder (Boston University, USA) has reflections here. More before long…

Tommy Beaudoin, Hastings-on-Hudson, New York