Monday, June 24, 2013

I AIN’T LIVING LONG LIKE THIS! (CAN'T LIVE AT ALL LIKE THIS, CAN I, BABY?)



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No, this isn’t the political blog bit(s) I alluded to in my last post. Nor is it a post about my (semi-)impending move to Reno. This is really just a quick little ‘Product Review’ that I’ve thrown together on the fly in order to stall for time.

I probably won’t get back into the political scene until next weekend and I knew I was past due to post something here, so... HERE it is:

Some of you already know that the legendary Country music “Outlaw” WAYLON JENNINGS is one of my all-time very favorite musicians. He passed away in 2002, but I was very fortunate to have seen him perform live on stage with his band four times in the late 1980s / very early ‘90s. He was the most charismatic entertainer I ever saw and his concert performances were second to none.

I went to perhaps four Bruce Springsteen concerts in the mid-1980s. They were tremendous. I saw Brenda Lee on a little casino stage. She was great. I saw Blue Oyster Cult in the 1970s when lasers were still a big part of their stage production. Highly memorable.

But Waylon was the best!

In 1978, Waylon released his album ‘I’VE ALWAYS BEEN CRAZY’. My FM Rock radio station of choice (it wasn’t called “Classic” Rock back then) began playing the title track from Waylon’s new album. The song instantly became my personal theme and I quickly purchased my first ever Country-Western music album. Also on that LP was a song titled ‘A LONG TIME AGO’ (more about that below).

Lately I’ve been playing some of my Waylon CDs and DVDs and decided to stall for time by writing a little blog entry about him. I liked that Ol’ Outlaw so much that I even read his autobiography which – just like the man himself – was funny, exciting, and at times disappointing. Below are three things that a lot of people don’t know about Waylon Jennings:
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#1: He was “expelled from music class in high school for ‘lack of musical ability’.”

#2: Waylon was the bass player for his buddy Buddy Holly. That’s right, Waylon was one of the traveling Crickets (that’s before there was a Traveling Wilburys). On “the day the music died” in 1959, Buddy Holly chartered a plane to fly through bad weather to the next gig, but there weren’t enough seats for everyone; some would take a bus there. Those who flew didn’t get there.

Ritchie Valens flipped a coin with a member of Holly’s band for a seat on the plane and won. Or lost. The plane went down, killing all the passengers. Waylon Jennings voluntarily gave up his seat to The Big Bopper, best remembered for one of my favorite early Rock ‘N’ Roll hits ‘Chantilly Lace’. (I can’t hear that song without thinking of a certain girl named Lisa.)

When Buddy Holly learned that Waylon had given his seat to The Big Bopper, he jokingly said, “Well, I hope your damned bus freezes up again.” Waylon replied in jest, “Well, I hope your ol’ plane crashes.”

Waylon writes in his autobiography:

That took me a lot of years to get over. I was just a kid, barely twenty-one. I was about halfway superstitious, like all Southern people, scared of the devil and scared of God equally.

I was afraid somebody was going to find out I said that, and blame me. I knew I said that. I remember Buddy laughing and then heading out for the airport after the show. I was certain I caused it.

In the song ‘A LONG TIME AGO’, Waylon references that fateful day when he offered his seat on that plane to The Big Bopper.

#3: Waylon was asked to write the theme song for a new TV series, ‘The Dukes Of Hazzard’. When the producers heard what Waylon had come up with, ‘Good Ol’ Boys’, they had a suggestion. Waylon, take it away...

“They thought that was good but said all it needed was something about two modern-day Robin Hoods, fighting the system. So I wrote ‘Fighting the system, like two modern-day Robin Hoods’, and they didn’t even know they wrote the damn line. It was my first million-selling single, and one of the easiest records I ever cut.”

Waylon was a very funny man and a clever songwriter. He was also the founder of the ‘Country Outlaw’ movement; a true maverick, and one hell of a masculine looking man’s man! If I could look and sound like anyone, I’d choose Waylon.

Alright, let’s hear a couple Outlaw tunes. This first one is from ‘85, featuring a little older and heavier Waylon, but this stuffs rocks! (The video will begin after the fifteen-second dog food commercial. At least that’s the commercial I got)...

Waylon Jennings - I Ain't Living Long Like This
(Live at Farm Aid 1985)



Next up is ‘A LONG TIME AGO’ from the first Waylon album I ever owned. I had no idea who he “gave his seat to on that plane” when I got my vinyl album home, peeled off the shrink-wrap and plopped it down on my turntable for the first time in 1978...

I don’t look the way the average cowboy singer looks.
I’ll admit I’ve taken things I never shoulda took.
You can read a different story in a lot of different books.
But even then you won’t really know,
How it was a long time ago.

Women have been my trouble since I found out they weren’t men.
In spite of that I stopped and took a wife now and then.
They built their fences high but they couldn’t hold me in.
I was born with a fire down below,
And I learned to fly a long time ago.

Don’t ask me about the years I spent out in the rain.
About the ones I spent in love, or the ones I spent insane.
And don’t ask me who I gave my seat to on that plane.
I think you already know.
I told you that a long time ago.

Me and ol’ Willie, Lordy, we’ve been sold and bought.
I guess you all heard about some kind of system that we fought.
We ain’t the only outlaws, just the only ones they caught.
They tried to run us off but Willie’s slow.
And I quit runnin’ a long time ago.

Waylon Jennings- "A Long Time Ago"


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If you dig those two tunes, then you might want to think about obtaining the two-CD set ‘THE ESSENTIAL WAYLON JENNINGS’. It contains every song mentioned in this blog bit and 38 more. Truly some of the best tracks in Country music history.

Rock And Roll's been going downhill ever since Carl Wilson died, and I saw Satan laughing with delight the day the Outlaw died.

~ Stephen T. McCarthy

YE OLDE COMMENT POLICY: All comments, pro and con, are welcome. However, ad hominem attacks and disrespectful epithets will not be tolerated (read: "posted"). After all, this isn’t Amazon.com, so I don’t have to put up with that kind of bovine excrement.
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32 comments:

  1. Drinkin' and dreamin', knowing damn well I can't go... I'll never see Texas, LA or old Mexico...


    #s 1 and three did not surprise me though I didn't actually know them. #2 I knew.

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  2. BROTHER MARTIN ~
    Excellent song reference ('Drinkin' And Dreamin': Disc 2; Track 21 - 'The Essential Waylon Jennings).

    Texas, L.A., and old Mexico. I've seen all three. But that hasn't kept me from drinkin' and dreamin'.

    ~ D-FensDogg
    'Loyal American Underground'

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  3. I'm partial to a tune he did on a movie soundtrack....here's the link. Sadly, the soundtrack is out of print, and I cannot find my copy (I had some discs stolen back in 1998-this may have been one of the casualties).

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_lDu6zRE8M

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    Replies
    1. Sad tune. I remember you telling me about this one years ago. Who woulda thunk you'd know a Waylon song that I didn't know?

      I thought about adding the movie to my NetFlix queue, but then I looked it up in a movie guide book I have. Graded and described as B-B-B-Bad.

      ~ D-FensDogg
      'Loyal American Underground'

      POSTSCRIPT: I didn't steal the soundtrack.

      Delete
    2. It's a typical action 'buddy" movie, and while it had a few scenes I liked a lot, it is not something I think you would like...except for that song.

      There was also a song by Peter Frampton and Steve Marriot recorded just before Marriot's death-not as good a song as "Hardline" but it showed what the two of them could do together even after a twenty year hiatus from their Humble Pie days.

      I wish I still had that disc...

      Delete
    3. DISC DUDE ~
      Well, based on the two primary actors in the movie, I'm pretty sure it would not be my cup o' bourbon.

      The soundtrack I REALLY want to (re)acquire is for the movie 'RUSTLER'S RHAPSODY'. I absolutely loved that soundtrack and would buy it again if I could. I had it on LP, but I sold it when I sold my stereo system and went Compact Disc.

      I don't believe it has ever been released on CD (a friggin' CRIME, man!) but if I'm wrong, and if you ever run across it in your journey's, would you please let me know? I want that soundtrack on CD in the worst way, and I'd even be willing to pay "too much" for it.

      Thanks, Bro!

      ~ D-FensDogg
      'Loyal American Underground'

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  4. No, no, Satan was laughing because rock and roll is the devil's music...

    Kidding aside, I'm sure you've noticed on our little music tags at the end of our posts that both of us listen to Waylon Jennings here and there. Great man, great music. I had no idea he said that to Buddy Holly. Even as a joke, something like that would definitely haunt me for the rest of my life.

    What takes you to Reno? I'll tell you, fellow Beer Bruddah, I may not have much experience with Airheadzona (only passing through), but I've been to Reno and I just couldn't stand it. As you know, my wife's family is from Vegas, so we have to visit them all the time. Vegas lost its charm to me long ago. Well, having been to Vegas and then going to Reno (for business), it's like the Vegas Retirement Home. Old casinos full of chain smoking 70 year olds. The wife (who came with me on the company dime) and I were single handedly the youngest people there at any given time. Everything was old, run down, and the people were all very unfriendly. Like a very small, neglected Vegas. Maybe it was just the specific area I was in, but it was not my cup of tea.

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    1. 4-B ~

      >>... Even as a joke, something like that would definitely haunt me for the rest of my life.

      Me too.

      >>... What takes you to Reno?

      The first thing smokin'!

      Actually, I have some logistics to work out, but I will get myself there ASAP. What takes me there is the deadly 3-strike combo: Hate the city I live in; dislike my job; and find my circumstances at home to be unsatisfactory (I feel like a wheel... the fourth one on a tricycle).

      >>... I've been to Reno and I just couldn't stand it.

      Yeah, yeah, I know. The cops chased you outta town after you shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die! (All that stuff about never having fired a gun... Pshaw!)

      >>... it's like the Vegas Retirement Home. Old casinos full of chain smoking 70 year olds. ... Everything was old, run down, and the people were all very unfriendly.

      Hey, watch it, man! Those are my peeps you're runnin' down there!

      Seriously, it sounds as if you never got out of the downtown area, which is largely as you described (except that I have never found the people to be unfriendly - somewhat the reverse, once I get the yakversation going).

      I was first in Reno and environs at the age of about 13, on a family vacation. I instantly fell in love with that whole triangular area from Reno to Virginia City to Carson City to Tahoe to Reno.

      A lot of years ago I lost track of how many times I had gone back to that area on vacations, but I've wanted to live there for most of my life.

      And then maybe that past life that I lived there in the Nineteenth Century has something to do with this longing.

      Bryan, I don't actually recall seeing Waylon used as a "music" tag at the bottom of any ABFTS blog bits, and I'm sure I would have noticed (and applauded) that. Maybe they were before I started 'Following' the blog, eh?

      What did MacCATver build today?
      ;-)

      ~ D-FensDogg
      'Loyal American Underground'

      Delete
    2. There's nothing worse than being the 4th wheel on a tricycle. And you're right, I didn't get out of downtown to explore... at least in Reno. Also, I'd like to think I'm a pretty friendly guy, but even so, all the people I dealt with were very surly. Not sure why.

      I DID, however, get to explore outside of Reno. You see, once upon a time ago I worked for a voting machine company. I got sent out during presidential elections to man the polls and make sure our machines ran smoothly (they didn't, they're garbage), and one of those cities was Minden, NV, population 3,000. Small town but very pretty, the people were all exceptionally friendly, and even though I was there from 8 in the morning until 1 AM, I had a blast. The next day to celebrate a successful election they took us to Carson City, which I really enjoyed, and then Lake Tahoe. Not a lot of water here in Colorado, so it was awesome to see. Almost felt like a vacation.

      So that triangular area you speak of - heavenly. Reno downtown - not so much.

      Also, I think maybe the last time we put up that music tag was before you started following us, but we definitely have used it. And I've definitely listened to him since, but I guess just haven't put it up as a music tag recently. In fact, just reading this post today inspired me to dig up and listen to I've Always Been Crazy. I love that album.

      What did MacCATver build today?

      Apparently a man came over this morning and fixed the AC condenser unit by replacing its internal battery, but I'm not entirely sure it wasn't just MacCATver's doing. Also, I just found out the battery died in my Mustang, and the fridge stopped dispensing water, so I'll probably have MacCATver fix both of those tomorrow. Good thing she's handy. Otherwise, I would be incredibly busy this week fixing stuff that just seems to keep breaking around the house. Whew!

      Yeah, yeah, I know. The cops chased you outta town after you shot a >
      man in Reno, just to watch him die!


      "I once shot a man just to watch him die... but then I got distracted and missed it. Oh, my friends tried to describe it to me, but it just isn't the same." - Kids in the Hall

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    3. Part 1:

      BROTHER BEER BOY BRYAN ~

      >>... Also, I'd like to think I'm a pretty friendly guy, but even so, all the people I dealt with were very surly. Not sure why.

      How was your breath?

      If it didn't smell of ACME cigarettes and ACME whiskey, you were probably making them all feel self-conscious about their own ACME breath.

      No, really, you sure strike me as a friendly guy. You probably just had the misfortune to encounter a passel o' poopy people.

      [Did you ever read the blog bit about a vacation my Brother and I took together in Reno?]

      >>... I got sent out during presidential elections to man the polls and make sure our machines ran smoothly (they didn't, they're garbage)

      That literally made me Laugh Out Loud. I appreciate the objectivity of your analysis and the honesty of fingers.

      >>... and one of those cities was Minden, NV, population 3,000. Small town but very pretty, the people were all exceptionally friendly

      Oh, I know right where it is; I've been through Minden several times. In fact, I think I had a beer there once and stole one of the bar's ashtrays. (My Pa put me up to it; he was collecting ashtrays for awhile. I'd steal 'em and he'd collect 'em.)

      I remember a time I was in The Heavenly Triangle (Wait! That doesn’t sound right!) in the Fall and drove Route 395 from Reno to Carson City, and it was simply gorgeous - all the leaves changing color and a slight breeze flipping and swaying them. I thought I'd died and gone to "Willoughby".

      >>... So that triangular area you speak of - heavenly. Reno downtown - not so much.

      Believe it or not, I even like downtown Reno. Yeah, it's scuzzy, but it reminds me of downtown Vegas of old (not the Vegas Strip, but downtown, and decades ago).

      According to my Ma, I was conceived on her wedding night at the El Cortez Hotel / Casino (formerly controlled by Bugsy Siegel) in downtown. So I guess there's a little ‘scuzzy downtown gambling center’ in my soul. I'm kinda comfortable anywhere you can find men in hats, smoking cigars, coughing up a lung, and trying to pick a 12 to 1 long shot from a Racing Form.

      I guess what I'm saying is... I'm Tom Waits before he got married.

      Continued Below...

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    4. Part 2:

      >>... just reading this post today inspired me to dig up and listen to I've Always Been Crazy. I love that album.

      Funny thing is I haven't heard that particular album since I sold my "Licorice Pizza" copy when I switched from LPs to CDs. I have 3 of that album's tracks on various compilations, but haven't heard the others since probably 1988. Maybe I should reacquire it on CD.

      That line from the Kids In The Hall skit was really funny! I've only seen little bits and pieces of that show - never an entire episode. I heard it was good stuffs though.

      On you own blog, you responded to someone's comment with this:

      Seriously, it was 70-80 throughout the entire beginning of June, and then suddenly when we reach 95-100, BAM, the AC dies instantly. It's like a cruel joke.

      For years, my brother Nappy worked here in Phoenix as an air conditioner repairman. He was good. I can tell you that it wasn't "a cruel joke". You may already know this, but here's what happens...

      Some parts in an A/C unit may have deteriorated to a point where they can just barely function in lower heat. But as soon as it gets really hot and those parts are required to work harder and for longer durations, they conk out.

      Before my Brother got into the A/C repair business, I used to wonder why my unit always seemed to go belly up right around July 4th. Now I know why: it was already on its last legs by June 4th. Here in Phoenix, we’re pretty much in the bowels of Hell on The Fourth Of July (e.g., they’re saying we’ll hit 116 this coming Friday).

      Bryan, I’ve been meaning to axe you sumpin’: I’m curious about the photo on the back cover of your book ‘DEMETRI & THE BANANA FLAVORED ROCKETSHIP’. Is that you? Because it’s definitely not a standard, formal kind of author photo. And it doesn’t really look like you to me, in comparison to other pictures I’ve seen of you on your blog.

      I even wondered if it was you sort of ‘playing the part of’ your main character, Demetri. Anyway, I’ve been wondering about that photo ever since I bought the book and received it in the mail. What’s up with that, 4-B?

      ~ D-FensDogg
      ‘Loyal American Underground’

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    5. During my trip I did not reek of ACME cigarettes or whiskey, though I wish I did (the booze, not the smoke, anyway). In fact, I don't think I had a single drink the whole time I was there... because I was swamped, not because I was on a work trip. I was also dressed in very yuppie work clothes (our company's dress code, not mine), so I'm sure I probably just came across as being one of those uppity tourists.

      Maybe one day I can go to Reno and actually enjoy it. Old Vegas definitely has its charm, and come to think of it, taking a trip down Fremont is about the only joy I get out of Vegas whenever I go. With the exception of getting hit on by old Cupid. He's... uh, a regular there if you've never seen him, and a bit famous. Or I guess infamous. And he also really liked me. He hassles people to take pictures with him and give him tips.

      Old Cupid

      Kids In The Hall was a bit hit or miss, but when they hit, it hit hard. One of my favorite shows of all time, and I think it was definitely way ahead of its time.

      For years, my brother Nappy worked here in Phoenix as an air conditioner repairman. He was good. I can tell you that it wasn't "a cruel joke".

      Funny you mention it, because come to turn out it was exactly as Nappy said. There's a battery in the condenser unit that had weakened, and as the repairman said, it probably worked on its last legs until the day we finally hit 95 (went from 70 to 95 just overnight), and then kapow, it was just too much and it died.

      Oh well. At least it was fixed, and for cheap! MacCATver's AC works okay, but it's still no fully air conditioned room, especially as today might hit 100. And I know, I know, it's no Nevada or Airheadzona, but anything triple digits is still pretty miserable no matter where you are.

      Delete
    6. Part Two, The Sequel

      So rather than putting up some cliched author picture, I just put up a silly picture of myself in my blue suit with a flashlight that I had from about a year ago. I thought it was quirky enough, and truthfully didn't put a ton of thought into it. Basically I just didn't want to take it SO seriously that I ended up looking like this:

      Serious business author

      AKA the "My brain is so huge I need to hold up my own head while I stare thoughtfully into the distance and ponder my own existence" picture. AKA the pretentious jerk.

      It's actually funny you mention playing the part of Demetri though, because in a way I did. That job I told you about, the election one, I held that for 5 years and it was not pleasant. From the very start I was screwed over on money. The other two guys I worked with did not have a college education and the boss didn't want to "hurt their feelings," so she couldn't pay me more than them, even though I had a bachelors degree and commanded more. This, of course, came with a stipulation that if I stuck with the job for a year and excelled, I'd get my due pay. Well, a year later and I rocked the socks off of everyone... except, by then she had left, and everything just got brushed under the rug. I went to my next boss and explained this to her, and she said that I'd be given what I was owed. This was right around the time our CEO started making very, very dumb decisions. So before that could even happen, everyone in the company had their paycheck slashed 20% just so the company wouldn't go under. So I was already making 20% of what I should have been in the first place, and then they took 20% off of THAT. I was literally making less money than a friend who worked at Home Depot as a floor manager.

      It left me pretty frugal, so I started doing Internet surveys and finding savvy ways to get free stuff (complaining about beer, free samplers, etc) so I could stay one step ahead of the game and keep paying my bills without falling into debt (I had just graduated college, and those school loans were about as much as a damn house payment).

      Anyways, at a certain point I caught myself and noticed I was starting to sacrifice my enjoyment in life at the expense of frugality, so I turned the experience into a novel by adding some harsh extremes. Personality wise, though, I can assure you I am no Demetri.

      Delete
    7. BBBB ~

      No, I am pleased to announce that I never saw Old Cupid in Vegas before. (And I'm quite certain that if I had, I'd remember it!) He must have come along after the time that I was averaging a couple trips to Vegas every year (and that was a long time ago).

      Funny thing... apparently his shtick has made him a little famous (or infamous) in Vegas. But if he took it to Venice Beach, he'd blend right in and go mostly unnoticed.

      Now they're predicting 118 as tomorrow's high. Oh, joy! This city is going to kill me so bad I'll wish I was dead. (A line stolen from Jim Stafford.)

      Yeah, the flashlight in your author photo threw me, along with the background and partially visible framed artwork. I figured it MUST be you, and thought maybe you were representing Demetri himself, or something like that.

      And, yes, I thought maybe the Internet surveys and all the ways of getting free stuffs might have had some basis in truth.

      It's interesting how little slices of our real lives slip into the fiction we write. I don't think I've ever written any piece of fiction that did not include some snippets of truth from my life or the life of someone close to me.

      I once did the "Complain To Get Free Stuffs" bit, too. Only I did it just as a joke. I eventually turned it into a blog bit over at 'STUFFS'. I think it was the Nabisco company I complained to. I had been inspired by the book 'The Lazlo Letters' which I read in the late 1970s. If you've never read that book, I'm pretty sure you'd enjoy it, Bro.

      ~ D-FensDogg
      'Loyal American Underground'

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  5. This post is different from what you usually write, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I must confess, even though we've lived in Georgia since '71, I've never been a huge country music fan. (Blasphemy around these here parts.) We DO listen to some, and Waylon is one of the ones we listen to. Still, I didn't know most of what you had to say about him. The most touching thing is the tale of how he gave up his seat on that airplane to the Big Bopper... and worse, his parting jibe about hoping the plane crashed. On some level, that must have kicked his psyche in the tush until the day he died.

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    1. SUSAN ~
      Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the blog bit.

      Hard to believe, but I'm really not a huge fan of Country-Western music in general. BUT... the Country artists I DO listen to, I LOVE!

      Waylon tops the list and always will. Some others I love are Hank Williams Junior, Brenda Lee, Roger Miller (you already knew about that one), and Jim Stafford (if you consider him "Country"). I also really dig some (but not all) Willie Nelson (his non-Country album 'Stardust', produced by Booker T. is simply stupendous), some Kathy Mattea and Dwight Yoakam (sp?).

      And, hey, Roy Rogers And The Sons Of The Pioneers... anyone who don't dig that is just a commie like Obamy.

      ~ D-FensDogg
      'Loyal American Underground'

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    2. HA! I didn't think you were old enough to remember the Sons of the Pioneers.

      How about Charlie Daniels and Alabama? We like them, too.

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    3. Oh, yeah... Roy Rogers was a boyhood hero of mine (my heroes have always been cowboys), and I even got to meet him once.

      And of course Roy was a founding member of the Sons Of The Pioneers, who appeared in a number of his movies. They were great (I've always liked groups that could harmonize really well).

      Alabama and Charlie Daniels I certainly know, although I don't consider myself a fan of theirs generally. I do, however, like 'The Devil Went Down To Georgia' and the funny 'Uneasy Rider'. But by far my favorite Charlie Daniels song is 'HEAVEN CAN BE ANYWHERE (Twin Pines Theme)' which appeared on his 'Midnight Wind' album.

      Do you know that one? I think it's one of the prettiest love songs ever recorded.

      ~ D-FensDogg
      'Loyal American Underground'

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    4. No, I don't believe I've heard that song. I'll have to check it out. The CD we listen to most often has "Simple Man" and "What This World Needs is a Few More Rednecks". Two of my hubby's faves.

      Delete
  6. You know I like me some Waylon.

    I went to a Willie Nelson concert at the Colorado State Fair (in who knows what year) and it was crashed by Waylon and his wife Jessi. they only made it about 300 times better. Near the end Willie actually backed off the stage and gave it completely over to Waylon and wife.

    Bryan better be careful. I tend to be fiercely loyal to the 'home state' and 'area', wherever that might be at the time.

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    1. FAE ~

      >>... You know I like me some Waylon.

      Sure. That's why I like me some you.

      >>... I went to a Willie Nelson concert at the Colorado State Fair (in who knows what year) and it was crashed by Waylon and his wife Jessi. they only made it about 300 times better.

      Jessi is one of the most darling women I've ever seen. If Waylon hadn't snagged her first, I would have tried. When I get to thinking that there was no chance of me ever getting married, I remember Jessi, and change my tune to: "Very little chance."

      All four Waylon shows I saw, I was with 'The Countess'. I have yet to find a Waylon concert DVD that really represents, even in a general way, the shows we saw. Between some songs, he'd go off on these extremely comedic monologues, telling stories from his past. Waylon was two shows in one: The Ultimate Example of 'Outlaw Country Music', and An A-list Comedian.

      I remember one time, many years later, The Countess asked me, "How come none of these DVDs show all the funny stuff he'd say during his concerts?"

      And in every show, the comedy monologues were different; it's not like he was just repeating the same stories show after show. He was being totally spontaneous, and funny as hell!

      The only thing I ever heard him repeat (and he said it during EVERY show) was that he strongly disliked the song 'Luckenbach, Texas (Back To The Basics Of Love)' and he was only playing it because he knew we'd be mad at him if he didn't.

      >>... Bryan better be careful. I tend to be fiercely loyal to the 'home state' and 'area', wherever that might be at the time.

      Ha! Go get 'im, Tigress.

      ~ D-FensDogg
      'Loyal American Underground'

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  7. I never had anything good to say about country music when I was young and dumb, except now I realize that the best part of "The Dukes of Hazzard" was the theme song...and Katherine Bach. And as far as I was concerned, I couldn't understand why anyone would listen to that stuff when Foghat and Three Dog Night had so much more to offer.

    Anyway, I was somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean on a 133' buoy tender being tossed around like a toy, and so seasick that death was welcome. One of my shipmates ( a southern boy) decided to play his Waylon Jennings cassette, to my dismay. Long story short, that music really took the edge off and needless to say, my attitude toward country music changed from that day on.

    Never knew about the Buddy Holly connection. Here's my favorite Steve Buschemi role...

    What about you, Peggy Sue

    It's strange how the human mind can get all tied up in knots with guilt. I can only guess how many time Jennings wished he hadn't made that comment about a plane crashing.

    I remember when David Bloom was riding in a tank as a war correspondent during the Gulf War. That "Wag the Dog" coverage of the war was annoying me and I remember jokingly asking my wife, "I wonder when a sniper is going to put a bullet in "pretty boy's" azz?" The next day he died of DVT. I felt bad about that.

    When a temp agency sent a kid named Jason to my company to help out I didn't really like the looks of him so I kept him late for a half hour to help me with a couple of things. I didn't really have anything to do, I just wanted to talk to him so I could get a better idea about whether or not to keep him around. Turns out he was back from college and was homesick, missed his girlfriend. My first impression was totally wrong. I said I'd see him tomorrow and he left to meet up with some friends, and girlfriend.

    Thrill Killers

    He never made it back for a second day. It still makes me wonder if his history might have been different if I hadn't held him back for that half hour. It's irrational, but still haunts. I guess everyone including Jennings would like to have their own "wayback machine" err, "WABAC" machine. (You know that reference.)


    Reno? Changes in latitude, changes in attitude?

    SigToo

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    1. TWO SIG NIGHT ~
      When I was a teenager, ("Classic") Rock was all I liked. I never owned a Three Dog Night album, but I did ask for, and received from my parents, the album 'FOGHAT LIVE' for Christmas in 1977. That LP went round and round many times on my turntable.

      To my surprise, by 1985, I was more interested in hearing the original Blues artists' versions of those songs than in hearing Foghat reinterpret them. (Since "Foghat" is a word with no real meaning, do you suppose they intentionally transposed the letters F and H? Were they cryptically saying "Hog Fat"?)

      I still like maybe 25% of the Classic Rock I was raised on, but Jazz is to me now what Classic Rock was to me in the 1970s through the early '80s.

      Your story about Jason is... WHOA!

      I remember that just before John Lennon was killed (maybe in the same month), he was featured in and on Esquire magazine. I purchased the magazine for some reason (can't remember now WHY, but it wouldn't have been for the Lennon article).

      After reading the Lennon piece, I took a big, black marker and wrote across the magazine cover, "Why is this man still alive?" I admit it, I did not like John Lennon. About a week or two later, I showed up at the M*A*S*H compound in Malibu for a day of external shooting, and I saw an L.A. newspaper on one of the benches in the Wardrobe Department. The headline stated that Lennon had been shot and killed in N.Y. All I could think about were those words I had written across the magazine cover.

      Your connection with Jason, however, is even more personal. And this is where faith in an Ultimate, Supervising Supreme Being comes in. I have always said, and always truly believed, that no person on this planet could take my life without God's permission.

      It's like when Jesus said to Pilate, "You could have no authority over me without it being granted to you by My Father". Jesus also said that not so much as a sparrow dies without God's knowledge, and we human beings are of much greater value to God than is a sparrow.

      Although I strongly disagree with author Michael Ruppert on a number of points, in his book 'CROSSING THE RUBICON' he essentially said that he did not believe anyone could take his life without God's permission. That is one point I strongly agree with him on.

      Any comment that references 'Rocky & Bullwinkle' gets an automatic grade of "A" in my book.

      >>... Reno? Changes in latitude, changes in attitude?

      How she got there, I haven't a clue.

      Started reading the Lizzie newspaper today. Will finish the whole thing tomorrow... in 118 degree heat. That's enough to make anyone hack everyone to pieces, eh?

      ~ Stephen

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    2. >(Since "Foghat" is a word with no real meaning, do you suppose they intentionally transposed the letters F and H? Were they cryptically saying "Hog Fat"?)

      It does have a nice ring to it.

      >All I could think about were those words I had written across the magazine cover.

      Must be that "sixth sense" creepin' in. Waylon's off-the-cuff remark could have been more than just an off-the cuff-remark. I remember that I had a weird occurance something like your magazine cover "episode" back on October 17, 1989. I still believe in coincidences, but less than I used to.

      <It's like when Jesus said to Pilate, "You could have no authority over me without it being granted to you by My Father".

      Nice words. It takes much faith to believe that, more than I have, but comforting nonetheless.

      That reminds me, I was in a hotel room in South Carolina a month or so ago and found myself reading through Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39. I caught myself, and uttered the following words aloud, "STM, look what you have done!"

      >Started reading the Lizzie newspaper today. Will finish the whole thing tomorrow... in 118 degree heat. That's enough to make anyone hack everyone to pieces, eh?

      How appropriate. The temperature in Fall River on August 4th 1892 was pushing 100 degrees before noon. Lizzy was crazy from the heat...or just crazy.

      Sig3:16


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    3. JOHN 3:1... er, I mean, SIG 3:16 ~

      Ha! Now you're referring to the most commonly seen Biblical passage at sporting events. Are you becoming a sports fan?

      >>... I remember that I had a weird occurance something like your magazine cover "episode" back on October 17, 1989.

      What? You gonna leave me hangin' like that?

      >>... I still believe in coincidences, but less than I used to.

      For the record, I also believe in coincidences. I have experienced many. But I also think that a lot of people mistakenly chalk some experiences up to coincidence that would be more appropriately described as a working of The Spirit. And I have experienced many of those, too.

      >>... Nice words. It takes much faith to believe that, more than I have, but comforting nonetheless.

      I totally agree with you. Jesus was certainly beyond anyone else in the Faith department.

      However, I was referring specifically to my eventual death. I do have that level of faith where I can say and sincerely believe that no one could bring about my death unless God Himself permitted it to occur.

      Unfortunately, my faith is not so strong when it comes to some other facets of my life. Although I should, I do not feel that no one can harm me in other ways unless God permitted it. Like my last boss who so totally screwed me over and brought about my resignation... If my faith was full, I would be able to look at that as just God's way of guiding me through some other door that He knows would be more beneficial to me in the long run. But right now, all I feel is anger about the way I was mistreated.

      So, despite decades of deep Bible study, prayer and meditation, my faith is strong only in some ways, and still weak in others. In short, life is hard (and my former boss was an a-hole).

      >>... reading through Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39. I caught myself, and uttered the following words aloud, "STM, look what you have done!"

      Ha! Sig, I feel totally honored. I thank you for telling me that (and I thank the Gideons for making that possible). Any reason why you were reading those chapters? Or did you just open The Book at random and start reading?

      Now the next time you're in a hotel room, I suggest you open the Gideon's Bible to Isaiah and read chapter 53. That's known as "The Suffering Servant" passage, and it was a prophecy about the coming Messiah (Jesus), written hundreds of years before the birth of Christ.

      http://www.chaim.org/isaiah53.htm

      Later, you might want to see what The Bible Code researchers have found in the Isaiah 53 passage. A good source is the book 'Bible Code Bombshell' by R. Edwin Sherman. Or you could just do some Internet searches. A good site is...

      http://www.biblecodedigest.com/

      Merely coincidental? I don't think so.

      >>... Lizzy was crazy from the heat...or just crazy.

      Yeah, I remembered that it was especially hot that day. I did finish the newspaper today, and I thank you again for sending it. I will save them, unless you'd like them back. (I mean, you did keep them since 1992. You sure you don't want 'em back?)

      The article I found most interesting in this paper was the one devoted to handwriting analysis. For years I have found that "science" (?) fascinating, and I have even entertained the thought of studying it seriously. With my attention to detail, I think it is something I might excel at.

      But I'm a little long in the tooth to be thinking about beginning a career from scratch at this point.

      ~ D-FensDogg
      'Loyal American Underground'

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    4. I don't mean to butt in...but then you know me. Can't you make those references work as a clicky thing. Considering how adept I am at Itechnology, I need all the help I can get, especially when I'm eavesdropping. K

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    5. FAE ~
      You won’t let me get away with bein’ a little bit lazy, will ya?

      OK, these R 4 U:

      ISAIAH 53


      BIBLE CODE DIGEST

      ~ D-FensDogg
      ‘Loyal American Underground’

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  8. Waylon was cool...

    Way Cool...

    He was SO much cooler than those people he used to hang with as friends. Willie... Kris...

    I'll take Waylon any day of the week. I can't believe he has been gone THAT long!!!

    ~shoes~

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    1. SHOES ~
      I certainly agree with you. I think he was also way cooler than Cash.

      In fact, the only one from his group (which I used to refer to as the AKC - Ass-Kicking Committee) that I really dug a lot, aside from Waylon himself, was Hank Jr., with his "hat and beard, shades and all".

      But Waylon was probably the coolest dude since James Dean.

      ~ D-FensDogg
      'Loyal American Underground'

      Delete
  9. Ha! Now you're referring to the most commonly seen Biblical passage at sporting events. Are you becoming a sports fan?

    And here I sit with my multi-colored afro wig and cardboard "John 3:16" sign in hand wishing I had prayed a little harder for the Boston Bruins.

    >>... I remember that I had a weird occurance something like your magazine cover "episode" back on October 17, 1989.

    What? You gonna leave me hangin' like that?


    Better that way. It's not very interesting. You shared an interesting occurance that happened years ago, and it will probably always be an unresolved issue. Nothing worse than someone else jumping in and saying, "Yeah, you think that's good? Wait to you hear this!" My point is that both "occurances", or whatever they are, fall under the same "coincidence or something else" category.

    I can understand why you wrote that sentence on the cover if Lennon had said, "I'll be standing outside my apartment on such and such a date and time, if someone would like to take a shot at me, be my guest." Then it makes perfect sense why you would write, "Why is this man still alive?" on the cover. What was in the article that would make you write that? If there was something in there, did the other readers feel the same way? Did Mark David Chapman read that article too? If there was nothing in the article that would make you write that then it gets more interesting, because then you read an article about John Lennon and then something else occurred.

    >So, despite decades of deep Bible study, prayer and meditation, my faith is strong only in some ways, and still weak in others. In short, life is hard (and my former boss was an a-hole).

    That last sentence made me laugh. Glad to hear that you're human. I can totally relate to the "former boss issue" although I've had a little more time (3 years) to regain a more passive attitude when recalling former ass-clowns like that; just bugs on my windshield now.

    Even Kwai Chang Caine after years of study in the monastery lashed out in anger and put a spear in the back of the Emperor's nephew after Master Po was killed. On the bright side, it made for a good Season 1. Just adding a little real-life example here.

    > Any reason why you were reading those chapters? Or did you just open The Book at random and start reading?

    The Bible...written by man, inspired by God. I always had a problem with the "written by man" part. I had just finished reading Epicenter by Joel Rosenberg. That's another book I would never had read if I didn't visit F-FFF's occasionally. Those Ezekiel chapters were the focus of the book. It was a good education for me although I can't help but wonder how much of Biblical prophecy is actually Biblical self-fulfilling prophecy. I'm referring more specifically to events involving Israel. It's also apparent that no two people interpret the Bible that same way. (A little exaggeration but you know what I mean.)

    >I did finish the newspaper today, and I thank you again for sending it. I will save them, unless you'd like them back.

    No please keep or whatever. They need a nice warm, dry climate. Plus, maybe someday someone will say, "How did that Yankee paper get over here?"

    >But I'm a little long in the tooth to be thinking about beginning a career from scratch at this point.

    I say that if you have an interest, run with it. I can see it now...STM's Handwriting Analysis and Pizza Shop. (Pizza's always a good fall back.) You could be the expert witness for the local ambulance chaser, for profit of course.

    And, you know God's sense of humor...he'll make you live for 100 years with good health, and then ask you how you spent the 2nd half of your life.

    SigToo

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    1. Part 1:

      ROCKY RACCOON TOO (Or, JUNIOR) ~

      And now Rocky Raccoon, he fell back in his room
      Only to find Gideon's Bible
      Gideon checked out and he left it no doubt
      To help with good Rocky's revival
      Ah, Oh yeah, yeah!


      >>... What was in the article that would make you write that?...

      I have had a number of "psychic" experiences in my life, but that wasn't one of them. Never did I feel that I had in any way brought about Lennon's death, nor did I feel that writing what I did on that cover was any sort of psychic prophecy about what soon awaited Lennon.

      That's one I chalk up simply to a coincidence, but a fairly wild one.

      I can no longer remember much about what was in that article, but I'd like to reacquire that magazine, or just find that specific article online somewhere (I did a search once about 3 years ago but came up empty) to relearn what inspired my act with the Marks-A-Lot marker.

      In general I recall that the article did not show Lennon in a positive light and kind of focused on aspects of his hypocrisy. I believe that is where I learned that for tax purposes Lennon owned a large, valuable herd of Hereford cattle that he had never even seen.

      I recall thinking how materialistic that hypocrite was; this being the same guy who told us to imagine no possessions, nothing to kill or die for... but he owned things that he'd never even seen (even cattle he could have fed some starving people with) just to get a tax break.

      I don't mind the cattle or the tax write-off, but don't be lecturing me about your communistic ideals when you yourself have no intention of living by them.

      I already disliked Lennon quite a bit, and that article only served to reinforce my feelings about him. When I wrote what I did on the cover of Esquire magazine, I was essentially just saying: "We don't need you here. Why don't you go away?"

      >>... Even Kwai Chang Caine after years of study in the monastery lashed out in anger and put a spear in the back of the Emperor's nephew after Master Po was killed.

      Ha! Good POint.

      Recently my Brother's best friend sent him several TV shows on DVD - namely, 'ALIAS SMITH AND JONES', 'THE FUGITIVE', and 'KUNG FU'. And we have been watching 'Kung Fu' in between episodes of 'All In The Family'. So, I just saw a few weeks ago the scene you described.

      Continued Below...

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    2. Part 2:

      >>... I can't help but wonder how much of Biblical prophecy is actually Biblical self-fulfilling prophecy. I'm referring more specifically to events involving Israel.

      I have always referred to The Bible as God's "Word", and the Divine inspiration behind it is simply incontrovertible, but I do not take the position that every word in the text came by the direction of God. I have always maintained that some errors and additions have crept in after thousands of years of copying and recopying.

      I was recently debating an agnostic in the comment section of my blog bit 'The End Is Near (Or, Sorry To Burst Yer Secular Bubble But...)' and I made the same point there, even telling him that I used to keep a list of discrepancies I'd found in The Bible... until the list got too long and I quit.

      Based on my (I believe...) Holy Spirit-inspired understanding of Scripture, I always had trouble accepting the verse that had Jesus sweating blood in the garden the night of His betrayal. Later (in the massive tome 'ONE GOD & ONE LORD', I think) I encountered an argument for believing that an ancient, 1st Century Christian scribe had added that bit about Jesus sweating blood to highlight The Lord's humanity. I wasn't surprised, because that verse never did fit in with my understanding of Jesus and His Mission.

      Some Biblical prophecies COULD have been consciously, deliberately fulfilled - like Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. He knew what the prophecies said, so He could have deliberately fulfilled that one by His own hand. But then there are others that He couldn't control, such as where He was born; and how He wound up in Egypt, etc.

      The same with Israel - there were some things the nation could manipulate, but being regathered as a sovereign nation, according to the Word of God, and not once but twice... those are things that can't really be self-fulfilling.

      Interesting discussion, and I'm glad you're investigating some of these matters, Brother.

      >>... No please keep or whatever. They need a nice warm, dry climate.

      Thanks! If you ever change your mind and want them back, don't hesitate to say so. Until then, I'll save 'em.

      >>... STM's Handwriting Analysis and Pizza Shop. (Pizza's always a good fall back.)

      Can we make it 'STM's Handwriting Analysis And Craft Beer Brewery' and just call for a pizza delivery from time to time?

      ~ D-FensDogg
      'Loyal American Underground'

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