It was bound to happen. Statistically, if I did enough Random Tens, it was going to happen. I got outed. I, Johnny Yen, am a Parrothead. I like Jimmy Buffett. There, it's out.
It all started on a trip in 1980 to Salt Lake City, Utah to see an old friend. One of her roommates was playing the Jimmy Buffett album "Living and Dying in 3/4 Time," and this achingly beautiful song, "The Ballad of Spider John" came on. It quickly became one of my favorite songs. It's a sad, sweet song with a country feel (and y'all knows I loves me the sad, sweet songs with a country feel) about an outlaw who falls in love, and is ready to change for her, but she finds out about his profession and leaves. He spends the rest of his life riding the rails, searching for her.
If you play it backward, she comes back, his dog comes back to life, he gets his trailer back.....
Anyway, I'd pretty much ignored Buffett until that point-- his monster hit "Margaritaville" had registered a "zero" on the Johnny Yen Musical Scale. I had been busy getting into punk rock and the Who. I started working my way back through his music. And came to like most of it. He's funny, he's a good tunester. And for god's sake, the guy's an environmentalist. So sue me. There's nothing wrong with a little stupid fun once in a while.
BTW, my favorite of his songs, "The Ballad of Spider John" was written by Willis Alan Ramsey. A few years ago, the New York Times had an article about him. Apparently, he's a legend in country music, partly because he only put out one album his whole life. Then I found out the ying for the yang-- on that same album was another one of his compositions, "Muskrat Love." I was speechless. I consider the Captain and Tenille's cover of that song a cultural crime along the lines of Rick Dees' "Disco Duck," naughahyde, avocado-colored appliances and Michael Bolton.
I guess we gotta take the good with the bad.
1. I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better When You’re Gone- The Byrds2. Waitress in the Sky- The Replacements
3. I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend- The Ramones
4. Forbidden City- Joe Strummer and the Mescaleroes
5. Bent Out of Shape- The Replacements
6. Goody Two-Shoes- Adam Ant
7. Good-Time Charlie’s Got the Blues- Danny O’Keefe
8. Some White People Can Dance- Jimmy Buffett
9. Dancing on the Jetty- INXS
10. Mellow Down Easy- The Paul Butterfield Blues Band
7 comments:
Do you know how many baby seals I'm going to have to club to get over this disclosure Johnny Yen? :-)
I always play the country tunes backwards to see what happens, haha.
Joe Strummer came up in Barbara's post on her random ten today.
There's no shame in it Johnny. Especially if you've ever spent any time drunk in Florida. It happens.
Ouch, Muskrat Love? Well, I guess we all have our indiscretions from time to time.
But there is naught a thing wrong with embracing the goofiness in music. Hell, I loves me some Violent Femmes now and then.
Besides any list that has TWO Replacements songs on it is worth its salt.
(Yo, Dale - thanks for the shout.)
Dale-
Well be careful, Dale-- remember that it's all fun and games until someone loses an eye...
Bubs-
"Especially if you've ever spent any time drunk in Florida..."
You know, I think there's a hit country song somewhere in that phrase.
Barbara-
We were playing the Femmes at work yesterday!
Adam Ant!!! I love him...although not so much now that he's nutso. I saw him on his Viva La Rock tour. It was the first concert I chose to go to (after being dragged to Anne Murray, the Mama's and the Papa's, and Air Supply...twice).
BTW: I've seen Jimmy in concert seven times ::shame::
Flannery-- if your parents ever threaten to bring you to an Air Supply concert again, I'm reporting them to the authorities for child abuse.
If you heard Willis Alan Ramsey's own version of Muskrat Candlelight, you might change your mind. The rest of his one and only CD is nothing short of genius. He's about to release a new one and most all lovers of Texas music are really excited about it. Eric Clapton, Lyle Lovett, Jerry Jeff and Buffett have covered WAR's tunes.
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