Daily Archives: May 30, 2009

My mother said, even when I was in high school, that I liked to listen to dirges.  Sad songs.  As this flood of music comes back to my brain and to my heart I hear a lot of ladies’ names: Angie (Rolling Stones): Sara (Dylan); and happier ones like Amie (Pure Prairie League).

Then there are the war tunes, including Brothers in Arms (Joan Baez) and spirituals (Let Us Break Bread Together).

And we can’t forget when the levee ran dry, and the three men I admired most took the last train for the coast.  That must have been the day the music died.

When I bought my new guitar, bad purchase – a dreadnaught – but it sounds nice, I asked for a  beginner book and was steered towards the Carpenters. I told Doc that’s a slippery slope and I don’t want to go there so started with Dylan and a country song book.

We spent a few months in Scotland and our favorite restaurant was right down the block, Italian, run by Rocco, formerly an Italian Carabinieri (cop).  Our last evening we exchanged gifts.  Rocco gave us little pastries in limoncello from Sicily.  We gave him a classic Sinatra CD “Come Fly With Me” and ended the night with the entire restaurant singing “Deep in the Heart of Texas” after Jim sang the first few verses of “El Paso.” [Marty Robbins]

That led to a much more slippery slope.  Our last evening in Scotland was memorable, even though we had to get up at 3:00 to get on the road to London and home.

Perhaps the” London Homesick Blues” got to us and we had to go home to the Armadillo, sweet country music from Amarillo to Abilene….”  I think Jerry Jeff should change it to Aberdeen. Perhaps if he wasn’t in England, he’d like the countryside more, especially from Scotland, an ornery bunch if there ever was one.  Sign me up!

I do like anthems, dirges, songs that mean something so Mom was correct.  I’d ask her to listen to a song, even early Beatles, and she didn’t understand.  Then came a lot of rock, plus James Taylor, Dave Mason, Carole King, Dan Fogelberg, Art Garfunkel, young Jimmy Buffett, Kenny Loggins et al.

I think people who write, perform and listen to this music must not eat, bring own veg food or chomp on the local grub.  There’s an idea, follow a band to find out what they eat, then go out as an advance person and make it healthier.  Not me, I’ve never been a Band Aid.  But if you’re hurt I probably have something in my car to fix it.

Please know I’m going to use what I’ve made of your songs to play to put babies to sleep and for family and friends to sing a song or two over the holidays.  Thank you songwriters and singers, nautical wheelers, Dee