While driving around the San Antonio area of Texas, caught some excellent radio play -- a rare thing in the 21st century unless you have Sirius or whatnot. Lightnin' Hopkins, for instance. Also a dude speaking in a tongue that sounded like some tribal language -- turns out he was speaking in some tribal language (I understood only one word outright: "Canada;" but the cadences sounded like American Indian). Eventually another dude broke into English and reminded pow wow vendors to call Arby Little Soldier. Also some Robert Johnson blues reminded me of the time a few years back having brunch with B & G in the Gunter Hotel in downtown San Antonio, where Johnson recorded "I Believe I'll Dust My Broom" and a bunch of other tracks in 1936. There's a display there noting the sessions, in fact. On the radio around San Antonio driving around New Year's, also some Dwight Yoakam. As for Elvis Costello, he was mentioned in the toast after B & G's wedding on New Year's Eve.
Today's Rune: The Self.
6 comments:
Uhhh how much did you have to drink before said toast, or was it Elvis Costello who got married?
San Antonio has been unexpectedly musically cool for a long time. A couple of weeks ago in my Joe Strummer post I mentioned wandering around downtown San Antonio during a bus layover on a Sunday afternoon in June, 1983 and coming across a group of teenagers hanging around a car with "Combat Rock" blasting out of the speakers.
I am, of course, as a sometimes musician, greatly in awe of Robert Johnson. I so like to steal his riffs from time to time, but they are so fine, sometimes even when he uses steel, as to be almost encyclopaedic..I think I need to have more talent if not more soul.
Everybody copies Robert Johnson or tries to, even the Stones.
I have been to San Antonio, that lovely city which, for some reason, with the river, boats and all, reminded me of Venice, but I missed visiting Lightnin' Hopkins' grave...It would have been a pilgrimage! Lightnin' easier to copy on his licks, but Lightnin was Lightnin' Yeah!
Lightnin' strikes!
"Canada" is actually the Iriquois word for village or settlement, so the Native American intonation may very well have been intentional & is probably fitting, at least.
Erik, Dwight is gonna be playing at Casino Windsor. He rocks!
Hey thanks all for the great comments, which are all uniquely interesting! Mark, luckily others had been drinking, so the toast was bit more relaxed in the giving (and hearing) -- Ivan, I will get to Lightnin's grave at some point, I vow, and take a photo. And Lana -- that's really cool. And Jodi -- also cool! Dwight is like the best at what he does, and he's a good actor, too . . .
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