The Department of Greek and Roman Studies presents a performance of “The Blues of Achilles”  by Joe Goodkin.

The Blues of Achilles is a set of original songs composed by Joe Goodkin for guitar and vocals that tell the story of the Iliad through the eyes of the characters: Achilles, Patroklus, Briseis, Helen, Priam, and more. The performance evokes the original oral tradition of epic bards that stretches back millennia and frames the poem in an accessible way (both musically and narratively) for modern audiences. A discussion will follow, more info at https://www.thebluesofachilles.com and https://www.joesodyssey.com

Date: March 1, 2024

Time: 2:30pm

Location: TSH 118

For more information, please email gkromst@mcmaster.ca

Image by Joe Goodkin.

Speakers

Joe Goodkin is a Chicago-based singer/songwriter with a BA in Classics from UW-Madison. He has performed his original song retellings of Homer’s Odyssey and Iliad over 450 times in all 50 US States, Canada, Greece, Italy, and The Netherlands. He has released 13 albums, most recently a collection called Consolations and Desolations produced by founding Wilco drummer Ken Coomer.