Okay. It's Thursday and, to be honest, I have nothing. What little creativity I have is wrapped up in a fiction idea, but I'll get to that in a minute. Otherwise, we'll just ramble on until we hit word count.
There's news, of course, but I'd rather save it for the News. That Marjorie Greene fruitcake got all her committee appointments taken away, but the GOP as a whole decided they were fine with being lamped in with the whole QAnon bunch, 9/11 trutherism, and the stroke that certain school shootings weren't anything but false flags to destroy the Second Amendment. I'm never sure who's supposed to do that, but there you go.
She's dangerous but she's tedious and dull. I wouldn't be surprised at all if she winds up shooting someone she works with, but she's just not that interesting. Conservatives have been indulging in dumbass conspiracy theories and muttering darkly about exercising their Second Amendment rights all over people who disagree with them. Hell, the first time in years they've acted in good faith in years was when that bunch of dipsticks tried to take over the Capitol.
Of course, them backing down when they weren't the conquering heroes is just as predictable as Greene pretending she really didn't mean it. Ideally, this would mean her fifteen minutes were up, but to repeat myself, this has been the GOP for years. They've just cut the bullshit.
Speaking of cutting the bullshit, Nashville is wrestling with the fallout of Morgen Wallen dropping the N-Bomb during a drunken tirade that got recorded and distributed by TMZ. He says he's "embarrassed" about it all but I'm he's more embarrassed he got busted. That boy's mullet and white-trash 'stache isn't helping his argument any. Helluva way to start off Black History Month, Nashville.
I really don't pay attention to recently released music, much less country music, and haven't in about a decade. That's not a comment on modern radio's quality because, quite frankly, the only thing more tedious than "bro country" is hipsters getting snooty about "real country music" or, even worse, "saving country music." You want to save country music, go out and make good music.
I wish I was more into it, though. I grew up in love with country radio and find it depressing I can't go back to that love. At the same time, it's no longer necessary since I can make the best country playlist you've ever heard thanks to iTunes and Apple Music. So, I don't feel getting shitty about the state of mainstream Nashville is worth the effort. Dig, y'all, Willie & Waylon just wanted to get paid as much as rock artists, they still wanted to make those bullets. Hank Williams was tickled shitless when his tunes were made into pop hits.
Every year I tell myself I'm going to write something about Black people and country music, and I'm sort of glad I'm so out of date that there are more Black folks in Nashville nowadays than there might've ever been. One of the kids in Brothers Osbourne came out as well, and that's a good step in the right direction. The peckerheads may be losing their shit over all this, but fuck 'em, they're the right people to be pissing off.
If you're a racist or a homophobe who happens to be a country music fan and this sort of change makes you mad, good. You suck and your life should be as miserable as legally possible. I hope it gets worse for you, pissant, and you never know joy.
Showing posts with label country music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label country music. Show all posts
Thursday, February 4, 2021
Tuesday, January 26, 2021
We had to be drunk when we said we'd stop drinkin'.
I'm near the end of that Hank Williams biography by Colin Escott. He's married to Billie Jean Jones, so about two months are left in his life. Pretty sure he's cut every song he's ever going to record and "Jambalaya" is his bullet right now. Legend goes "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive" was Number One when he died, but that's not so.
Swear before God, this may be the most depressing thing I've read in I don't know how long. I know a lot about Hank Williams. Indeed, I wrote a thesis on his impact on Southern culture and pop music way back when. Nevertheless, this book has plumbed some depths even I didn't know existed. That poor bastard was a mess by the time he left, and much of it had little to do with his alcoholism. His back problems, spina bifida occulta, can lead to incontinence, so Ol' Hank went out pissing and shitting himself. I knew that, but I thought it was due to being a drunk. Goddamn.
Don't get it twisted, he was a full-on drunk and had been since around 14 or so. My father and grandfather both were alcoholics, so what I'm reading is awfully familiar. He'd do just fine for weeks at a time but inevitably fell off the wagon. And when he drank, he drank himself into a coma, not just occasionally, but every time. He wasn't a fun drunk, either, and would get mean as a rattlesnake when he got plastered. Fortunately, he couldn't handle his liquor so it didn't take long.
His story is a pretty damn sad one. As a working musician, he only had maybe a half-dozen years and only just over four of those were recorded. He was a pain in the dick to work for and with, but if promoters or A&R men or whoever could take advantage of him, they did. Miss Audrey was a harridan and couldn't carry a tune in a bucket, but goddamn, she put up with a lot of shit. More shit than she deserved, that's for damn sure.
I didn't know he flirted with movies, either, but he did. He was signed to a contract with MGM but ducked the film, which was... well, I don't know. One of his undeniable strengths was his ability to hold an audience in the palm of his hand - when he was sober, anyway - so maybe it would've worked. Probably not, though.
It's often wondered how things would've been had Ol' Hank not been such a nightmarish drunk, but I don't know if you can separate that from him and he'd still be Hank Williams. His appeal was partly based on the pure misery and heartsick in his voice. Buddha's First Noble Truth in human form. Hank Jr. was, as my doctor said of me, disgustingly healthy and is a big bear of a man. Apparently, he was a 10-pound baby, so he was big from the start. Hank III is a healthy lad, too, though his vocal semblance to his grandfather is superficial and mostly a put-on. He sounds more like Wayne Cochran, in any event.
Anyhow. I don't know where to go from here except I'll be glad when I finish that damn book. I love me some Hank Williams and find his story fascinating, but it is depressing as hell. Video game-wise, I've been fooling with the Shadowrun computer games along with the Ultima series. For those who don't know, it's from a tabletop RPG where the sitting is a cyberpunk world after - and partly caused by - magic reentering the world, along with elves and dwarves and trolls and all that. A fun RPG in a rich world with turn-based combat and an isometric top-down view. Check it out.
That's a good place to twist it off, I think. As always, if I come up with something interesting, I'll come back. And, as always, it probably won't happen.
Swear before God, this may be the most depressing thing I've read in I don't know how long. I know a lot about Hank Williams. Indeed, I wrote a thesis on his impact on Southern culture and pop music way back when. Nevertheless, this book has plumbed some depths even I didn't know existed. That poor bastard was a mess by the time he left, and much of it had little to do with his alcoholism. His back problems, spina bifida occulta, can lead to incontinence, so Ol' Hank went out pissing and shitting himself. I knew that, but I thought it was due to being a drunk. Goddamn.
Don't get it twisted, he was a full-on drunk and had been since around 14 or so. My father and grandfather both were alcoholics, so what I'm reading is awfully familiar. He'd do just fine for weeks at a time but inevitably fell off the wagon. And when he drank, he drank himself into a coma, not just occasionally, but every time. He wasn't a fun drunk, either, and would get mean as a rattlesnake when he got plastered. Fortunately, he couldn't handle his liquor so it didn't take long.
His story is a pretty damn sad one. As a working musician, he only had maybe a half-dozen years and only just over four of those were recorded. He was a pain in the dick to work for and with, but if promoters or A&R men or whoever could take advantage of him, they did. Miss Audrey was a harridan and couldn't carry a tune in a bucket, but goddamn, she put up with a lot of shit. More shit than she deserved, that's for damn sure.
I didn't know he flirted with movies, either, but he did. He was signed to a contract with MGM but ducked the film, which was... well, I don't know. One of his undeniable strengths was his ability to hold an audience in the palm of his hand - when he was sober, anyway - so maybe it would've worked. Probably not, though.
It's often wondered how things would've been had Ol' Hank not been such a nightmarish drunk, but I don't know if you can separate that from him and he'd still be Hank Williams. His appeal was partly based on the pure misery and heartsick in his voice. Buddha's First Noble Truth in human form. Hank Jr. was, as my doctor said of me, disgustingly healthy and is a big bear of a man. Apparently, he was a 10-pound baby, so he was big from the start. Hank III is a healthy lad, too, though his vocal semblance to his grandfather is superficial and mostly a put-on. He sounds more like Wayne Cochran, in any event.
Anyhow. I don't know where to go from here except I'll be glad when I finish that damn book. I love me some Hank Williams and find his story fascinating, but it is depressing as hell. Video game-wise, I've been fooling with the Shadowrun computer games along with the Ultima series. For those who don't know, it's from a tabletop RPG where the sitting is a cyberpunk world after - and partly caused by - magic reentering the world, along with elves and dwarves and trolls and all that. A fun RPG in a rich world with turn-based combat and an isometric top-down view. Check it out.
That's a good place to twist it off, I think. As always, if I come up with something interesting, I'll come back. And, as always, it probably won't happen.
Saturday, December 12, 2020
Now I can see I've been away too long.
Man, Charley Pride died today. He was 86 and died from complications for COVID-19. So that's another one lost to a virus that conservatives are still calling a "hoax" or a "plan." Rotten bastards. Eighty-six is a respectable age, particularly for a country singer, and Charley was one of the best. I would've loved to hear a no-holds-bar interview or read a book about his experiences in country music and Nashville. Being one of the first Black superstars - and the only Black singer of any significance since DeFord Bailey since the '30s - is something else.
For me, one of country music's biggest shames, maybe the biggest, is the racism inherent in it. The fans would eventually give in like they did with Charley, but they're never cool about it. The business end almost refuses to believe that a black person could even like country music, much less want to sing it. I hope this comes out properly, but I've exposed a lot of black people of all ages to country music and never once have they come away without digging at least one song.
I didn't care for the tune so much but I'm glad Lil Nas X had such a hit with "Old Town Road." No doubt due to his initial popularity with Hootie & The Blowfish, Darius Rucker's consider a country music mainstay. That's good. It's different now and there are a lot more folks sneaking around the bottom of the mainstream and Americana charts, but I can't think of any. That's on me, though, but that's how it should be. Thanks, Charley. You were the greatest.
Well. Moving on, let's lay down some links to this week's News. It was a pretty good week overall, but there was a lot of good news going down. Monday we touched on the thuggery Florida governor Ron DeSanti launched against whistleblower Rebekah Jones. Again, for all the hooting and hollering conservatives do about "tyrannical government" and "free speech," they're pretty damn silent on this issue.
Wednesday we looked at that goofy as affidavit slimeball Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launched to get the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn voting results in four states that weren't Texas. Over two-thirds of House Republicans signed on and 18 attorney generals from Trump-supporting states signed on, even though it was poorly argued and completely nonsensical. Naturally, as we saw Friday, the Court slapped it down, pretty much killing any chance Trump had of peacefully staying in power.
And that should be that. Of course, the yay-hoos - made up of Alex Jones, the Proud Boys, and other groups of dingbats who're pissed off at reality - are having a "stop the steal" march in Washington, D.C. For the most part, they're being roundly and rightly mocked, but there is an air of unease. Jones, for example, is calling for President-Elect Joe Biden to be removed "one way or another." He's a clown but a lot of deluded assholes take him more seriously than anyone should.
Still, we live in a world where someone shooting someone else because that person's cell phone went off in a theater is seen as perfectly logical. We live in a culture where people still think a kid who shot up a black church after praying with them is seen as understandable. We live in a culture where folks think a teenager going to another town to "protect" someone else's business and his wind up shooting three people is considered admirable.
Don't get it twisted, The MAGA faithful are willing to do just about anything for Trump and all the results of the last month haven't made a dent. If someone disagrees with him or doesn't do automatically becomes part of the "Deep State" and in on the worldwide conspiracy to be mean to Trump. Even the three Supreme Court justices that he appointed are the Enemy.
Will they be violent? I wouldn't be surprised. Highland Park, Kyle Rittenhouse, the Proud Boys, the El Paso shooting, and the pipe-bomb guy show they have plenty of folks who don't have a problem with spilling a little blood in the name of their New Messiah. I'm not saying they will, I'm just saying watch yourself, friends and neighbors.
They consider you the Enemy. They see themselves as Warriors of God. They see Trump - Donald Trump, of all people - as worth killing you over. Don't trust in them just flapping their gums and swinging their dicks. Some of them are serious and the rest will be fine with it. Believe that.
For me, one of country music's biggest shames, maybe the biggest, is the racism inherent in it. The fans would eventually give in like they did with Charley, but they're never cool about it. The business end almost refuses to believe that a black person could even like country music, much less want to sing it. I hope this comes out properly, but I've exposed a lot of black people of all ages to country music and never once have they come away without digging at least one song.
I didn't care for the tune so much but I'm glad Lil Nas X had such a hit with "Old Town Road." No doubt due to his initial popularity with Hootie & The Blowfish, Darius Rucker's consider a country music mainstay. That's good. It's different now and there are a lot more folks sneaking around the bottom of the mainstream and Americana charts, but I can't think of any. That's on me, though, but that's how it should be. Thanks, Charley. You were the greatest.
Well. Moving on, let's lay down some links to this week's News. It was a pretty good week overall, but there was a lot of good news going down. Monday we touched on the thuggery Florida governor Ron DeSanti launched against whistleblower Rebekah Jones. Again, for all the hooting and hollering conservatives do about "tyrannical government" and "free speech," they're pretty damn silent on this issue.
Wednesday we looked at that goofy as affidavit slimeball Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launched to get the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn voting results in four states that weren't Texas. Over two-thirds of House Republicans signed on and 18 attorney generals from Trump-supporting states signed on, even though it was poorly argued and completely nonsensical. Naturally, as we saw Friday, the Court slapped it down, pretty much killing any chance Trump had of peacefully staying in power.
And that should be that. Of course, the yay-hoos - made up of Alex Jones, the Proud Boys, and other groups of dingbats who're pissed off at reality - are having a "stop the steal" march in Washington, D.C. For the most part, they're being roundly and rightly mocked, but there is an air of unease. Jones, for example, is calling for President-Elect Joe Biden to be removed "one way or another." He's a clown but a lot of deluded assholes take him more seriously than anyone should.
Still, we live in a world where someone shooting someone else because that person's cell phone went off in a theater is seen as perfectly logical. We live in a culture where people still think a kid who shot up a black church after praying with them is seen as understandable. We live in a culture where folks think a teenager going to another town to "protect" someone else's business and his wind up shooting three people is considered admirable.
Don't get it twisted, The MAGA faithful are willing to do just about anything for Trump and all the results of the last month haven't made a dent. If someone disagrees with him or doesn't do automatically becomes part of the "Deep State" and in on the worldwide conspiracy to be mean to Trump. Even the three Supreme Court justices that he appointed are the Enemy.
Will they be violent? I wouldn't be surprised. Highland Park, Kyle Rittenhouse, the Proud Boys, the El Paso shooting, and the pipe-bomb guy show they have plenty of folks who don't have a problem with spilling a little blood in the name of their New Messiah. I'm not saying they will, I'm just saying watch yourself, friends and neighbors.
They consider you the Enemy. They see themselves as Warriors of God. They see Trump - Donald Trump, of all people - as worth killing you over. Don't trust in them just flapping their gums and swinging their dicks. Some of them are serious and the rest will be fine with it. Believe that.
Sunday, February 16, 2020
Sunday, February 16, 2020
Okay, we're ready to do this. It's 8:15 p.m., Hillbilly Standard Time, and those were pretty good ribs. I just pounded out a thousand words on honky-tonk royalty, so I don't know if I'm even going to try hitting 500 words.
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Hank Williams - "Mind Your Own Business"
One of my proudest moments as a scholar was talking a teacher into letting me write a term paper on Hank Williams. I still think it's one of the best things I ever wrote.
"Move it on Over" - Hank Williams
This was Hank's first real big hit, reaching #4 in 1947. It's also the cover that turned me into a Hank Jr. fan.
Hank Williams - "Rockin' Chair Money"
This is another one that was fattened up & released after his death. However, since the original was a better quality recording, it doesn’t sound quite so weird.
Hank Williams - "Low Down Blues"
This was later released in 1952 with extra musical accompaniment added to it, but it sounds awful weird.
Hank Williams Sr... I Saw The Light - 1948
Maybe Hank Williams died for our sins. You ever think of that?
Hank Williams - "My Sweet Love Ain't Around"
It's Hank Williams' 96th birthday. This may be my favorite song of his that isn't "I Saw The Light".
Sunday, September 15, 2019
"Happy Hour" - Ted Hawkins
I played in a country band for a while & brought this song into the covers collection. Always went over well. Nothing like a good heartbroken waltz.
Ernest Tubb - "Drivin' Nails in my Coffin"
Ernest Tubb was great, man, even if he sort of favors my 6th grade math teacher.
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