Anonymous…

I bought a new truck. It’s a pick up 4 wheel drive crew cab and all the fixings. I traded the wrangler and got the SR5. It’s not the sport or extreme version I think my days of off roading are over but the winters can be rough.

I got tired of the noise and the leaks and the wind but most of all the noise. Yeah it was nice to take the doors and roof off and ride around like a hooligan, but then the heat or cold would get to you, well me. My mid-life crises vehicle days are over and now I have the sensible truck.

So I’ve had it less than a week. We’ve been the dump and hauled a lot of blocks to build a retaining wall around the downslope side of the pool we put up last week. We should’ve built the retaining wall first I think but last week we did not have a pick up.

It’s grey. A color that used to be called gunmetal grey before the desire not to be associated with guns grew. Now it’s called magnetic grey which makes no sense as magnetic in no way describes a color.

It’s a fine vehicle better gas mileage but I fade into the background and nobody waves at the Toyota I’ve left the jeep wave club and am now one of the anonymous grey pick ups that has such bright lights they blind the cars they are behind at night.

at least you are a has been and not just a never was…

This was my introduction to old Loudo in the mid 80‘s. I remember picking it up because of the litany of musicians playing on it. Richard Thompson, Danny Thompson, Martin Carthy, Dave Mattacks and others a who’s who of English folk musicians. All playing on an album by a yank.

On playing it I was confronted by a different type of songwriting. Both beautiful and ugly, comedic and tragic, protest and celebratory and totally compelling.

The two songs that stuck with me were Hard Day on the Planet and I Eat Alone. One a timeless song of how we have managed to screw with the planet in so many ways and the other a song of sadness and loneliness.

I know where you are…

The swimming song is the most summer of all summer songs.

Here we have Loudo covering the navy, drinking, fighting and falling over and mustaches and dehydration as well as relationships, life and all things in between.

I remember hearing Johnny Cash covering The Man Who Couldn’t Cry and finally knowing that country musicians really did get irony after all.

What’s not to love?

I am a full fledged grown up adult…

The Loudon trail continues with T-Shirt.

More confessional songwriting. Sometimes a bit too brutal and honest.

I’ve been trying to quantify the attraction to his songwriting. I really think it is the bravery of being so honest about what is going on in that noggin of his. He’s often disinterring the things we often think without saying out loud. This can I suppose backfire as who wants their dirty laundry out on an album?

I didn’t cry I tried to be brave…

I’ve been on a Loudon Wainwright journey the last couple of days.

His records have been popping up wherever I go over the last couple of days. So I’ve been buying them. Funnily enough he’s one of this songwriters that is unknown enough that you can still get records in decent shape for 2-10 dollars a shot. I have not cracked double figures once.

I’ve always thought of Loudon’s songwriting as either the ultimate in confessional songwriter or a version of method acting. He’s also somewhat of the topical/protest specialist through observational lyrics commenting on the moment. I remember seeing him on Wall St. during the 1% protests supporting those camped out and his savage topical songs.

So this is Album II. So an album full of the human condition at the time for Loudon.

I bet we will find out his thoughts on today eventually.

I never hear my record on the radio…

Pastiche, homage or part of the best series of “f” you’s to the record company ever.

It’s been a particularly difficult couple of days as the march to intolerance continues and the inability to be nuanced in america continues.

I think Neil Young on some level may simultaneously be the most authentic and pig headed musician on the planet. You have to admire the single minded attitude that allows you to alienate your base so frequently with no worry for the fall out.

Neil and the Shocking Pinks is a lot of fun every now and then when you want to snap out of whatever funk you’ve gotten in. It’s also really short so if like me this week you are determined to play records all the way through to the pain is over relatively quickly.

However I defy anyone not to enjoy. Kinda Fonda Wanda, Wonderin and Everybody’s Rockin with an ironic smirk.

please remember my song…

It’s not often a good reason that you are woken up in the middle of the night. Apart from the obvious.

Midnight I get a drunk text asking if I want to go see Loudon Wainwright III. Sure I fumble out and forget about it.

I guess I’m going to see Loudo in October. Sometimes good things happen after midnight.

In celebration I am going with this as it’s the only one I have on vinyl. The CDs being ensconced in a box in the shed.

It’s the one with the skunk song on and Red Guitar. One of these is one of the best songs written by anyone and the other well it’s fun. You pick.

I see you…

Live albums they are hit and miss for sure. When they are bad they are awful but when they hit the mark they can become some of our collective favorites. Even if we often know there may be an overdub somewhere in the mix.

Gong Live In Sheffield 1974 gives us the chance to hear the “classic” lineup in full flight. Sax solos, glissando guitar and bubbling synths and the wackiest of lyrics.

RSD has occasionally fulfilled its purpose by being the excuse for a band such as Gong to release vinyl. This one’s been around since the 90s on CD but got it’s vinyl release so that hipsters the world over can become confused by psychedelicized fairy tale telling.

This is my panacea for the Jan 6 committee. I think if we had played Gong subliminally to the sad orange one we could’ve had a better outcome all together.

this is a new song…

Two days earlier January 30th 1971.

Almost the same set list totally different feel. I’m sounding like a Grateful Dead fan now.

More bootlegs.

when you’re old enough to repay…

It’s a strange old moment when you realize you’ve become a fanatic. It’s maybe when you start buying all the Neil Young albums. I think this is a reaction to not buying Psychedelic Pill because I thought $35 was too much. How crazy/deluded was that?

So I’ve been buying the bootleg albums as they came out. Up to four now and they all cover a fairly similar period of time right now 1970 to 1974. It’s a classic period of time. Pre ditch, and I am fairly convinced Neil never wrote a bad song in that time period.

So I forked out for “I’m Happy That Y’All Came Down.” An official release of an old bootleg. The sleeve is a faithful reflection of the bootleg ringwear included apart from Neil took the time to correct the song titles and placed it all on one disc instead of two. I’ve never heard the boot so I can’t compare sound quality

So songs from After the Goldrush and Harvest what’s not to love.

These early versions of A Man Needs A Maid are so much different from the released version. He should’ve kept the “a man is afraid” line in there.

I’m hoping for some raucous rock and roll in the future though.

I’ve forgiven Neil for leaving Spotify. I seldom found myself listening to the old fart there anyway.