Random TX Blues Guitar

Music has an amazing way of bringing people together and “turning them on” to things you might not normally encounter in your day to day comfort zone. During my college days, the university allowed a non-student (“townie”) to do his own country music show on the campus radio station before I came on for my shift. I knew absolutely nothing about country music, but I remember talking with him about George Harrison’s “Chet Atkins Country Gentleman” model Gretsch electric guitar. Pretty random, right?

The same thing happened to me today while I was surfing YouTube for information on Texas blues guitarist Freddie King. King is probably best known for his instrumental called “Hideaway” and “I’m Tore Down.” Both songs were covered by Eric Clapton among others. King has some interesting covers out there including his take on the John Fogerty-penned “Lodi.” King called his version “Lowdown in Lodi.”

As I kept looking for other songs he’d covered, I found a familiar blues tune called “Yonder Wall.” I think the first time I heard this song was on a collection of slide guitarist Elmore James. As I kept digging, I found a version by The Steve Miller Band. (And, yes, Miller is a Texas guitarist.)

Apparently, Miller’s last two albums have been primarily blues covers, which is fine by me. I’m curious to hear more from the “Bingo!” album. It opens with a song written by fellow Texas blues guitarist Jimmie Vaughan.

Vaughan is the older brother of Mr. Texas Blues Guitar, Stevie Ray Vaughan. There are plenty of other blues-rock guitarists out of Texas like ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons and the pioneering T-Bone Walker. I didn’t actively try to connect King, Miller, and the Vaughans so I’m not going to consciously try to connect any additional songs, songwriters, or Texas blues guitarists today.

Incidentally, I used to recruit college students in Texas and think I visited high schools attended by Miller and Vaughan. I wish I’d known that at the time, but it’s all random.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Lemon Lizzy Pie

Question: What do these things have in common? The Arizona desert, a jail break, and Tennessee lemon pie.

Answer: Gary Tison. More specifically, the film called “Last Rampage.”

The film was directed by Dwight H. Little and stars Robert Patrick as convicted murderer Gary Tison. (Patrick is best known for his role as the T-1000 in Terminator II, but he’s been in any number of other films and even had a role in The X Files if memory serves me correctly.) The film starts as Tison’s three sons bring him lunch at the state pen, then pull out a small arsenal of weapons from the picnic basket to show the guards on duty who is the boss. Another inmate, Randy Greenawalt, tags along for the ride.

Tison is portrayed as the decisive, dominant, patriarchal type. His family, including Heather Graham as his wife, is portrayed as loyal, but definitely misguided. What I enjoyed most about the film is some of the power struggle-interactions between fellow lifer/escapee Randy Greenawalt (Chris Browning) and Tison’s son Donnie (Alex MacNicoll). I never watched the trailer before seeing this film, so instead I’m including Thin Lizzy’s “Jailbreak” in keeping with the macho vibe of this film.

The actual jailbreak happened in 1978 so Thin Lizzy may be appropriate. You’ll see some old cars and trucks in the film. (There’s a brown Maverick like our neighbor used to have, for example.) To me, here’s something about the desert that looks good on film so you get to see some nice scenery in between the scenes of bloodshed. Jailbreaks tend to get messy as this one did. In a random tribute to Tennessee lemon pie (his wife liked it in the film), I’m also including “The Lemon Song” by Led Zeppelin.

The film is based on a book written by James W. Clarke “Last Rampage: The Escape of Gary Tison.” Apparently there’s a 1983 made for TV movie called “A Killer in the Family” about Tison. I may have to check it out.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Baker Street

I woke up with this song in my head recently. If you were around in the 70s, you definitely heard this one on the radio. “Baker Street” was written and recorded by Gerry Rafferty. To my ears, it’s a unique piece of music. The saxophone plays the main melody/riff, but there’s also a great guitar solo in it as well.

I would describe this song as “musically patient” — the song sort of cascades into the catchy main riff as opposed to the intro of most Ramones songs. I can appreciate both. If I were trying to describe the “vibe” of the 70s, I would use “Baker Street” as an example. I’ve looked at YouTube for various versions and discussions on this song which brings me to the Foo Fighters’ version.

One of the discussions pointed out the Dave Grohl & Co. version doesn’t feature the sax, but instead has the main riff played on electric guitar. The point being you could play this melody on your instrument of choice. Foo Fighters weren’t the first to do this.

When I was looking at some of the mechanics on how this song is played, I searched for acoustic versions and came across a version by… Waylon Jennings?

I love this version because it’s a seemingly odd coupling of song and performer. Other musicians who have covered “Baker Street” include everyone from Rick Springfield to Ann Wilson. Hopefully, you can find a version you like.

Incidentally, the sax riff was played by Raphael Ravenscroft and the guitar solo was played by Hugh Burns. As a side note, I used to frequent a store called Record Reunion which had a painting of Gerry Rafferty’s “City to City” album cover hanging on the wall. (I believe the album cover was painted by John Byrne.) I wonder if it’s still there?

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Bacon, Eggs, and Catapults

Do you ever have what you think is a million dollar idea a la Kramer on Seinfeld? Occasionally, I think I do. (Ironically, I’ve been listening to Pink Floyd’s “Time” which features the lyric “plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines.”) I think it’s the follow-through phase where I run into problems. Here’s one of my ideas which will probably never come to fruition, but I think it’s a good one. It’s a short book entitled “The Yin and Yang of Trivia.”

The basic idea is a list of two things which are normally associated with one another, but are hard to remember the difference between them. Here are some examples:

alligators vs. crocodiles

jam vs. jelly

hook vs. slice

port vs. starboard

freeway vs. interstate

Vermont vs. New Hampshire

Maybe the last one is a stretch, but they look pretty similar on the map. Geography has always been my worst subject. Is it important to know the difference between these things in everyday life? Probably not, that’s what makes it trivia. I would love some more suggestions for this concept.

Another random idea I have is not unlike the As-Seen-On-TV Bacon Bowl. (That’s a pretty awesome idea. Was there ONE PERSON who was the driving force behind it? Was it a team? Now, THAT’S a great trivia question.) My idea is to create an all-purpose utensil made entirely out of bacon. In my mind, bacon goes hand in hand with eggs — usually scrambled. If you’re going to enjoy some thick, juicy bacon strips, you might as well be practical about it. It would be like a bacon “Spork” — another great idea. I’m not sure what catchy name to call it…. The Bacon-ator? Maybe Arnold Schwarzenegger would endorse it. It could rival the George Foreman Grill. Does the idea of less utensils to wash win over some people alone? Maybe the next phase of edible bacon-ware should be a catapult. It would take a little more assembly, but the Baco-pult or Bacon-pult has a wonderful ring to it. I mean, why shouldn’t you think about catapulting scrambled eggs into your mouth?

Obviously, some foods make better projectiles than others: jelly beans, popcorn, Sprees. Any sort of small pellet shaped food could work. Protective eye wear would be required, but it could be packaged with a napkin or apron made out of a Fruit Roll Up to keep with the whole edible kitchenware idea. The possibilities are endless! Bars could even catapult Jell-O shots.

So those are a couple of my ideas. As previously stated, they will most likely come to naught, but it’s fun to think about them.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

I Dreamed I Saw St. Sasquatch

In an effort to ward off “corona-tation” (the condition of vegetating in front of the TV while trying to avoid coronavirus), a friend of mine and I went for a stroll in the park Sunday afternoon. The weather was relatively mild with little wind. I would guess we walked maybe two miles on the county park trail when, all of a sudden, a moment of intense panic came over me. I had my wallet and keys in my pockets, but NO CELL PHONE!! I knew I brought it with me because I had just taken a pic of an unusual-looking-yet-artistic frog tree. My friend took my keys to the car to try calling from her phone while I trekked back in what can only be described as an angry Sherlock Holmes mode. I checked all along the trail, but it was nowhere to be found. The trail basically came to a dead end at a parks maintenance hub with dump trucks and junk like that. I thought that it HAD to be where it fell out of my pocket, but I had no such luck.

Next, I stopped along the trail where my friend showed me what “polk salad” looks like. (We had just watched “Ford vs. Ferrari” the previous night and they played parts of the song “Polk Salad Annie” throughout the film.) I’m sure I still couldn’t identify “polk salad” if it was right in front of me. Nevertheless, I was trying to “Keep Calm and Carry On” when I remembered a spot where I veered off the beaten path to skip a stone in the nearby lake. And there it was. My less than a month old cell phone in the blue protective case was lying face down in the grass with the little light glowing. It still had a charge and it still worked!! As I picked it up, I saw my friend dutifully tried to call me 26 times. Then I thought I saw something move in the distance.

I heard a faint noise and then saw something I couldn’t believe — It was a real, live Bigfoot or Sasquatch. I couldn’t believe my eyes! My jaw was probably on the ground. It was tall and hairy, but the hair on top of its head was pulled into a sort of top knot thing like Gene Simmons from KISS. What was even MORE shocking was it spoke to me.

Sasquatch: Look, I shouldn’t be talking to you, but I heard you make a remark about lake monsters so you seemed pretty cool to me. Don’t even think about asking me for a selfie either.

Author: (Gulp.) Ummm, no problem. I just wanted to find my phone. I didn’t know you guys could talk.

Sasquatch: Humans and their phones! Yeah, there’s plenty of things we can do. We’re not like those barking Wookies in the Star Wars movies. We just like to keep to ourselves.

Author: Yeah, I can relate. You’ve seen Star Wars?

Sasquatch: The first three. My “kind” think Lucas is pretty typical of humans. Innovative, but greedy. I mean how many “pre-quels” do we need anyway? Don’t get me started on the merchandising.

Author: Yeah, I hear you. Sorry, I’m a little freaked out….

Sasquatch: It’s cool. Who’s been trying to call you anyway? Let me guess…CVS Pharmacy?

Author: (Nervously laughing). Well they do call a lot, but my friend was helping me look for the phone. You guys are into movies?

Sasquatch: Yeah, it’s an interesting glimpse into your culture. Some are better than others.

Author: How do you stay so hidden? I mean, I can’t believe this is happening, but it’s daylight and you’re just out in the open…

Sasquatch: Have you seen “Predator”?

Author: Yes.

Sasquatch: Another good example…The first one was good. The spider-faced dude was creative, and Arnold was, too… but HOW MANY stinking sequels do you really need? Anyway, most of the time we have that sort of super camouflage force-field thing. You know what I mean?

Author: Yeah, that makes sense. Great blue herons have some serious camouflage, too. They’re large birds, but they just blend right into the background. I guess it’s like that.

Sasquatch: Yeah, herons are cool.

Author: So.. what’s your favorite movie?

Sasquatch: The Big Lebowski.

Author: Really? I love that movie.

Sasquatch: Somebody just left a bootleg VHS copy of it out by cousin’s place. I also found Bob Dylan’s “John Wesley Harding” on cassette out there. My cousin is one of those publicity hounds. You know that whole MoMo the Monster thing?

Author: Yeah, I remember that. I was just a kid then.

Sasquatch: Your media people are about as bad as ours. What kind of a name is MoMo? Pretty stupid. Anyway, I gotta get going, but I’m glad you found your phone. You’re lucky to have a friend who will call 26 times to help you and harass everyone walking down the path about your cell phone.

Author: Yeah, you’re right. Man, I can’t believe this is happening! You have media outlets?

Sasquatch: We do. They leave a lot to be desired. You know you’re also lucky you didn’t leave that empty energy drink can out here either. Looks like you were thinking about it.

Author: You saw that? Yeah, I was pissed at myself for losing the phone.

Sasquatch: Dude, it’s only a phone. I gotta jet.

Author: You’re right. Hey, are you guys affected by the virus?

Sasquatch: Not like you guys are, but you’re gonna be fine.

Author: Yeah?

Sasquatch: Yeah. Just tell them Sasquatch told you so. I’m sure that will go over. Peace!

…and just like that he vanished back into the woods, and I guess his camouflage force field. I still had so many questions… Why the Gene Simmons styled top knot? I mean, is he a KISS fan, too? What does he think about their merchandising? They have their own Sasquatch Media Network? Do they have digital? I mean he kept talking about cassettes and VHS tapes. I gotta say he wasn’t what I expected, but it was definitely cool. I wonder if I ‘ll see him again…St. Sasquatch, The Patron Saint of Cell Phones Lost in the Woods.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Dick, Dunst, & Williams

Ahhh, the glories of streaming TV. I can’t remember exactly where or when I become aware of the Nixon administration-themed comedy “Dick”, but I was pleasantly surprised by it. Kirsten Dunst and Michelle Williams star as two teenage girls who bake some delicious (albeit pot infused) cookies called “Hello Dollies” and, somehow stumble their way into the White House. They not only become the official White House dog walkers for President Nixon’s dog “Checkers”, but start rubbing elbows with staffers like Henry Kissinger, Bob Haldeman, John Dean, and G. Gordon Liddy.

As you might imagine, the Watergate scandal is also a big part of the film and its punchlines. Kirsten Dunst plays a giddy high schooler extremely well and her partner in crime Michelle Williams is hilarious, too. For example, there’s a scene where Williams’ character develops a crush on Nixon and decides to sing “I Honestly Love You” (made famous by Olivia Newton-John) onto his infamous reel to reel tape recorder in the oval office. There are a couple of songs I associate with the film. One is Redbone’s “Come and Get Your Love.”

Other musicians/bands featured in the film include David Essex, Yes, Bread, and more. As for the film itself, reporters Woodward and Bernstein are played by the likes of Will Ferrell and Bruce McCulloch. Other comedic actors involved are Dave Foley, Jim Breuer, and Harry Shearer. Teri Garr sneaks into the cast as a housewife and mother. Even Ryan Reynolds makes an appearance. Nixon is played by Dan Hedaya (Nick Tortelli on Cheers). If the cast and the music aren’t reason enough to check it out, the 70s outfits are pretty damn groovy. “Dick” was directed by Andrew Fleming.

Till next time keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

The Colorful and The Freaky

I don’t know what it is about certain lights and colors (or the combination of them), but I just like them. I never really buy or display Christmas lights, for example, but I enjoy looking at them. Once in awhile I’ll see something that catches my eye and think, “This is how the world should look ALL OF THE TIME.” Sound crazy? I don’t know if I explain it, but I’ll try.

For example, my friend was riding shotgun while I was driving down the street. It was nighttime so it was dark outside. As I drove down this particular street (which I’ve done numerous times), I noticed some sort of flashing lights (LEDs?) illuminating a car wash. I just said, “Man that’s awesome!” Maybe it’s the stark contrast of the bright lights and the darkness or the vivid colors themselves. I don’t know. I’ve always enjoyed a lot of the psychedelic art to come out of the Sixties, but am far from a hippie or a “doper” to use my cop friends’ terminology. The pop art of Roy Lichtenstein is up my alley. I had a pop art phone app on my old iPhone and enjoyed trying different color schemes with random pictures.

Just to clarify, I like looking at and experiencing color. I don’t dress like a middle-aged, male version of “Rainbow Brite.” I recently saw a segment with Conan O’Brien in Japan and his visit took him into a very colorful section of Tokyo.

The description of this video is a “kawaii makeover in Harajuku.” Not really my thing. Maybe I’ll just do this. I’m going to list some examples of things I like. Please feel free to weigh in on whether they’re psychedelic, colorific, freaky, or just plain weird. Maybe I’ll start a roadside attraction with all of them:

Lava lamps: They’re colorful and freaky. Good combo of both.
Ocean in a bottle: This is sort of like a DIY lava lamp. I made one in about 8th grade. The downside is they’re highly flammable.
Blacklights: I’ve never owned one, but this a good example of the colorful and the freaky as well. My cousins had one when I was kid. I can’t remember which posters they had.
Fish aquariums: OK, they don’t always explode with color, but some do. I’m also fascinated by GloFish. I’m sure PETA disapproves. Are they genetically altered to glow in the dark? Betta fish are pretty colorful, too.
Assorted children’s toys: Spirograph is definitely psychedelic. Lite Brite is pretty wicked, too. Is there a way to combine the two? Hmm.
Ferrofluid: Most of the time, this stuff is black and it’s kept inside a glass case. You move it around with a high powered magnet. I think you can find different colors, but you may have to look pretty hard. It’s on my bucket list.
Animation: Bugs Bunny isn’t too freaky, but Yellow Submarine is a pretty good example of explosive, vivid color. They might be edged out by the “hookah smoking caterpillar” of Alice in Wonderland/White Rabbit fame.

8. Claymation: I don’t think I’ve really seen a psychedelic instance of this, but it is colorful. The Peter Gabriel video for “Sledgehammer” is a good example of its potential.

9. Tibetan Sand Mandalas: Definitely have vivid colors, but a little less wind-and-sneeze-proof for my liking.

10. Thermochromic stuff: Sounds fancy, huh? This is like mood rings or coffee mugs that change color due to heat. Very freaky.

There are plenty of other examples/choices…a favorite album cover (Sgt. Pepper is pretty good), sugar skulls (definitely freaky and definitely colorful). I remember a scene in the comedy called “Best in Show” where this couple worships color. I haven’t gone that far. The world isn’t always colorful, but I enjoy it when it is.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

R.I.M. Vol. 2 – Random Irish Music

Still more Random Irish Music? Yes, there will be more! I’m not 100% sure, but I would guess I discovered this song and this particular version on an old record. Most likely I found it at a branch of the St. Louis County Public Library. The tune called “Pat Murphy of the Irish Brigade” is also known as “The Splintered Shillelagah.” He must have been a real badass to be called a “dashing young blade.” Great line. Wouldn’t it be cool to have a folk song like that with your name in the title?

YouTube never ceases to amaze me. I didn’t know if I’d be able to find this version by Ellen Stekert, but there it is. Another song associated with Ireland is one I heard at home. I’m pretty sure my grandfather had the Bing Crosby album “Shillelaghs and Shamrocks” on vinyl. This a fun, politically incorrect novelty song and this one about MRS. Murphy is no Civil War ballad.

Years later, in the VCR era, I taped a really good A & E documentary. It was about Van Morrison and it was called “One Irish Rover.” My favorite part was Van’s acoustic jam with Bob Dylan.

I’m not convinced Dylan had all of the lyrics down, but it’s great anyway. They also did versions of “Crazy Love” and “Foreign Window.” I’ll have to see if there are other blog-worthy tunes from the same documentary. It will be hard to top dashing young blades and Bing Crosby, but there could be R.I.M. Vol. 3!

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

R.I.M. Vol. 1- Random Irish Music

It’s ironic — Planet Earth is draped in the Corona Virus pandemic, but in a few days I still think many Irish and non-Irish alike with break out the green beer and party. Unfortunately, they cancelled most of the parades here, but I think people will rise to the occasion anyway. This got me thinking about Irish Music throughout the ages. I’m not expert, but I’ve encountered some good songs during my time.

One of my favorites is by a band called The Waterboys. If I remember correctly, I came across this during my college radio days in the late 80s. “Fisherman’s Blues” was the title cut on this 1988 release and is my personal favorite of theirs.

I actually still have a dubbed copy of this on cassette. I must have checked out the 33 RPM record from my local library. On the same album, The Waterboys also have a cover of Van Morrison’s “Sweet Thing” and a one minute version of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land.”

Waterboys band member/violinist Steve Wickham also played on the original studio version of U2’s “Sunday Bloody Sunday.” I’ve never been an enormous fan of fellow Irish band U2, but I like a handful of their songs. Ironically, my favorite of theirs is sung by guitarist “The Edge” and not lead singer “Bono.” “Van Diemen’s Land ” opened their film “Rattle and Hum.”

It’s really a powerful combo of music and film. If this song sounds eerily familiar, that’s because the melody is a variation of traditional song called “The Water Is Wide” — a great song in its own right. It’s been recorded by about half a billion different musicians and used in various movie soundtracks like everything from “The Bounty” to “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.” Getting back to U2’s take on it, the story is apparently about John Boyle O’Reilly. He was an Irish dude who led an uprising and was sent off to Australia. He probably also drank a lot of green beer, too. More R.I.M. to follow!

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

(Hypothetical) Funeral Songs

Have you ever thought about what songs you’d want to have at your own funeral? It’s a morbid idea, but it still begs the question. I should preface this by saying I have absolutely no intention of “checking out early”, but I’ve had more than one conversation about the music with a good friend of mine. I assume songs in the popular vernacular aren’t normally played in these conditions for fear the connection may “taint” them in some way. Bollocks!

I have some ideas on this matter. When I was a teenager my previously mentioned friend and I bantered back and forth about it. Which is a better choice? “My Sweet Lord” or “Let It Be.” Both are obviously nods to the songwriting of Beatles George Harrison and Paul McCartney. They both have spiritual themes of healing in them, but maybe those are too obvious. ( Not to mention Harrison was sued over the whole “My Sweet Lord” vs. “He’s So Fine” thing.) Plus, I think there’s an acoustic demo of the John Lennon-penned “Strawberry Fields Forever.” Further, if your song choice IS a widely known one which version do you choose — and, why?

One prime example is the tune “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood.” I would absolutely have to choose The Animals’ version. I’m a big fan of British rock and feel like they captured something of immense power and sentiment on this recording.

Others may disagree or even prefer the Nina Simone version. For me, this song is like a person summing him/herself up by saying, “I’m not perfect, but my intentions ARE good.” That speaks to me.

Another contender for me is the traditional folk song “Shenandoah” also known as “Across the Wide Missouri.” Why? Well, I’m a Missouri native and, to me, Dave Alvin’s version on his “Public Domain” album is amazing. As for the state song, “The Missouri Waltz”, I don’t even think I’d know it if I heard it.

Others may write this off as just another old, sad song, but I would wholeheartedly disagree with that. The guitar solo is great, too. You can read what you want into the lyrics about the river as a journey for a funeral setting.

My list wouldn’t be complete without something from Bob Dylan. He recorded a version of “Shenandoah” which doesn’t do it for me, but also recorded any number of other traditional songs. Then, of course, his catalog includes A LOT of material. For my money, “Forever Young” is the best one for a funeral. I prefer the demo version on his Biography box set. I think this one is close to it.

Does it matter if the deceased isn’t young? I don’t think so. The song is really quite prayer or wish-like.

“May you build a ladder to the stars and climb on every rung

And may you stay Forever Young.”

Forever Young was also the name of a music store where I bought some of my first guitar books.

Till next time, Keep your Mojo on the Horizon.