PART 7 YTN-Because I'd certainly say it's more politically incorrect to admit that you even  listen to this sort of thing today...but from my experience...what I've observed...more people listen to this today...I mean, what I keep getting on the website, basically, is...something like I said to you in a letter a while back...it's like every white man's 'dirty little secret'...they all listen to it, but none of them admit it...but you get in their pick-up truck, and they've ALL got it! Bootlegs, whatever...You know? Which I just find curious, because nowadays...nobody will even admit that...hell, they won't even joke about it. But it seems to be more popular than it ever was, and I can't help but wonder what the reason for that is. I guess it reflects the fact that your observations are correct. MJR-Bradley...If he plays a house party...somebody...before the night is over...somebody is gonna ask him to play it. JR-Hell, as long as I've been playing around the area, there's always been somebody after me to play it. And if I was sure there wasn't a black in the place...I mean, I'm not out to offend anybody that did nothing to me. But I'd play it. You know, my daughter almost lost her job behind this. YTN-Is that right? JR-Oh yeah. She works for -------. She was the -------- --------- over there. And I...I was also working with all of these people over there. Because I repaired their equipment at that time. I handled 17 parishes...24 offices...I'd go around...so they called me down one time, and told me ------, the manager...who is a black....had got a thing in the mail...someone sent that to her and said," This is Clifford Trahan. See what he thinks of your people?" YTN-And this supervisor was black? JR-HmMm. Black as the ace of spades. And, of course, my boss called me in there. They mentioned it to me...what they had gotten...called me from Baton Rouge. I said, "Yeah. That's me. That was me 20 some-odd years ago", at that time. And I said,"Yeah, it was me. Back in the 60's. I made money on it, and I ain't gonna lie. And if I thought there was a buck to be made on it, I'd probably do it again." So they started in, "Hey, I ain't got no problem with that. I just wanted you to know. ------- knows about it in ---------------" So I went straight to -------------, and sat down in her office. I sat down in her office, and said, "Look here. I wasn't doing that to try and hurt anybody. I was doing that because at the time, you know, with the racial tensions as they were...I wrote it...I made money on it...I don't necessarily think just exactly that way today, but that's me." And it got back to the bosses in Baton Rouge, where I p! lay for them every year...I entertain them...man, you should have heard it, "You mean to tell me Johnny Rebel is Clifford?!?!?" (Laughing loudly at memory.) Aw, shit! YTN-So they'd heard it? JR-Oh yeah! They'd sing the sonofabitches, you know?!? (Still laughing loudly at memory of busybody's effort's backfiring in their face.) So --------- didn't have a leg to shit on!...They didn't confront my daughter, needless to say, but I faced it square in the face. What's the use to lie about it? I'm not gonna say, "No, that wasn't me!" You know, I'm not a hypocrite. That was me. That's not exactly my thinking now...I was a young buck back then...like I said...I wasn't doing it to hurt anybody...I was just trying to make some money, doing what I do, addressing the feelings of the times. That's just the way it was, you know? But...now I'm gonna tell you the truth...The way it's getting right now....I don't know if I'm not ready to put some more of them sonofabitches out! You know...with some of these attitudes these niggers got now? YTN-Now, I don't want to ask you to pigeonhole yourself...and I don't even know if you get into the politics of it at all...but what do you think of yourself as? A racist? A seperatist? A segregationist? JR-I'm not a racist. And I wouldn't even say I'm a seperatist. I mean, I don't care about a black fella eating in the same restaurant as me, or a...that doesn't bother me. YTN-Well...but things like forced bussing...how do you feel about that? You white kids are going to an inner city school, and you black kids are coming to the suburbs. How does that strike you? JR-I don't like it. It's not good. It's good for the blacks, maybe...they might like that. But it ain't good for us. You're giving them some freedom by taking away some freedom from a white child. That ain't right. The civil rights bills were all about that. Giving the freedoms to one segment of society, and taking it away from another. I mean, we got signs that say, "We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone." But you refuse service to a black, and see what happens. It's alright to do it to a white guy. Throw a white guy out of there, and nothing will ever happen. And this affirmative action? Aw. That's terrible. It's terrible! Part 8