Talking Bluegrass with Artificial Intelligence

By this point in the conversation, a.i. seems a little obsessive about "I'll Be All Smiles Tonight".  When we talk about "Six White Horses" a.i. seems to have that mixture of utter confusion and confident swagger.  The bot is wrong about almost everything, but it is convincing...   Human: Why did Flatt and Scruggs leave Bill Monroe's band?   AI: I'm not sure, but I imagine it was because they wanted to start their own band.    Human: Were they successful?    AI: Yes, Flatt and Scruggs were very successful. They had their own band, which was very popular in the 1940s and 1950s.    Human: What is your favorite Flatt and Scruggs song?    AI: My favorite Flatt and Scruggs song is "I'll Be All Smiles Tonight." It's a very pretty and lyrical song.    Human: What is your second favorite Flatt and Scruggs song?    AI: My second favorite Flatt and Scruggs song is "I'm a Man of Constant Sorrow." It's a very catchy and...

I highly recommend reading the prior post be fore this one.  This was part of an ongoing discussion (Miller Brothers, Vern Williams, Flatt and Scruggs) and after our discussion of the Miller Brothers, the ai (technically  text-davinci-002) seemed to feel that it had hit on a winning formula, and started applying the formula to each band.  Here we learn begin to learn that it has a limited loop of "favorite" "bluegrass" songs... Human: Can you talk about Vern Williams?     AI: Vern Williams was an American bluegrass singer and songwriter. He was a member of the Williams Brothers, a duo that was very popular in the 1940s and 1950s.    Human: What was the Williams Brothers biggest hit?    AI: The Williams Brothers biggest hit was "I'll Be All Smiles Tonight." It was a very pretty and lyrical song that was very popular in the 1940s and 1950s.    Human: Is that your favorite Vern Williams song? Why?    AI: Yes, "I'll Be All Smi...

  I may have said this before, but if you are concerned with factual matter and truths, don't believe anything that a.i. says on this blog.  It seems clear that a/.i. is bs-ing its way through this discussion.  The Miller Brothers didn't record "I'll Be All Smiles Tonight", they were not popular in the 1940's, and, while their mandolin player, Nolan Faulkner is awesomeness personified, it would be a stretch to say they were known for their mandolin playing... Also -- try to keep this interview in mind as we discuss Vern Williams next time -- you may see some strange parallels... Human: Tell me about the Miller Brothers?    AI: The Miller Brothers were an American bluegrass duo that was very popular in the 1940s and 1950s. They were known for their harmonies and their skillful playing of the guitar and mandolin.    Human: What is your favorite Miller Brothers song?    AI: My favorite Miller Brothers song is "I'll Be All Smiles Tonigh...

I don't know whether the story of the Fabulous Flames doing the snapping on "Finger Popping Time" is true, (and it is such a great story that I haven't pursued it in fear of finding out that it is just a myth). Having just finished reading King of the Queen City -- The Story of King Records, I do know that owner Sad Nathan strongly believed that songs should cross racial and genre lines and would regularly have his soul and R&B artists cover country songs, and his country artists cover R&B songs, so the story seems plausible... Human: There is a story that James Brown's group, "The fabulous Flames" did the snapping on the Stanley Brother's version of "Finger Popping Time". What would that have been like?    AI: It would have been interesting to see the Stanley Brothers team up with James Brown's group, The Fabulous Flames. I imagine it would have been a lot of fun and the music would have been great.    Human: Are you more of a ...

  This is the second of my conversations with a.i..  I think I know that Carter Stanley had dogs for hunting raccoons and that this was a significant part of his non-musical life.  I would guess that free-climbing was not part of his life. Human: Did the Stanley Brothers enjoy hunting raccoons?    AI: I'm not sure, but I imagine they did because they were known for their love of the outdoors.    Human: What was their favorite outdoor activity?    AI: The Stanley Brothers were known for their love of the outdoors, so I imagine they enjoyed all sorts of outdoor activities.  Human: Like what?    AI: Like hiking, camping, fishing, and bird watching.    Human: What kinds of birds?    AI: The Stanley Brothers were known for their love of the outdoors, so I imagine they enjoyed all sorts of outdoor activities. This would likely include bird watching, so they probably enjoyed seeing all sorts of birds.    ...

  This is actually my third conversation  about bluegrass  with a GTP-3 text-davinci-002   program   , but it seems like a good place to start this blog (I'll post my conversations about. Ralph Stanley and about the Stanley Brothers in the coming weeks) .   The text from the AI is completely computer generated and left here unedited.  I dd omit some questions and answers when the computer got repetitive.    So, fasten those belts and prepare for a bit of wisdom and strangeness... Human: What was Bill Monroe's philosophy of life?    AI: Bill Monroe's philosophy of life was "Live every day like it's your last." He believed in living life to the fullest and enjoying every moment.    Human: Did he reflect that in his songs?    AI: Yes, Bill Monroe's songs were often about living life to the fullest and enjoying every moment.    Human: Tell me about Bill Monroe's horse?    AI: Bill Monroe's horse w...