Seeing Ryan Adams him tonight at the Enmore and things are boding well for a full on rawk star prima donna experience. He played Splendour in the Grass on the weekend, threw a tantrum because his earpiece wasn't working or something, railed at the lead guitarist (JP Browerstock I think) and stormed off stage, never to return. Excellent! I missed all that 60s/70s stuff, singers are usually so damn professional and annoyingly sober these days.

Check out this trailer for the Johnny Cash biopic, due out in November. The inside word on the production has been encouraging all along.

That's Joaquin Phoenix himself doing the singing.

I have confirmed two FANTASTIC bands to play on the night:

1. KB Band (Kevin Bennett, Sam Hawsley, Doug Bligh and (hopefully) James Gillard)

2. Astro Tabasco

There are prizes from ABC, Wileys Publishing, and General Motors (Holden). There will be masses of fantastic food.

Hope you can make it and support Daniels incredible team at the hospital in their efforts to finding a cure for CF.

Vale

Off topic, but us Trekkers/ies cannot be contained.


I read Jimmy Doohan's autobiography last year, I hadn't known about his war service before.

On June 6, 1944, Lieutenant Doohan of the Winnipeg Rifles, 13th Field Regiment, took part in D Company’s landing on Juno beach. The company disembarked from landing craft at 7.30am, and dashed through rifle and machinegun fire to reach the shelter of the sand dunes. Doohan silenced a German machinegun post with a few shots but was wounded later that day. He was hit eight times, four times in his left leg, and one round hit him in the chest — only the cigarette case in his breast pocket saved him from a mortal wound.

Otherwise, his company came off fairly lightly. The middle finger from his right hand had to be amputated, and whenever there were close-up shots of Scotty operating the transporter in Star Trek, a “stunt hand” was employed.

Apparently you can see the missing finger in The Trouble with Tribbles.

Pictured here with my favourite ever, the also late DeForest Kelley.

Beautiful Despair

A review of a Rodney Crowell gig from a mailing list I'm on reported lyrics to a song from an upcoming album.

Beautiful despair is hearing Dylan when you're drunk at 3 a.m.
Knowing that the chances are
No matter what, you'll never write like him
Oh brother.

I think we've all been there.

Also, I wouldn't mind being about to write like him. Greatests lists have their critics, but top ones like this should send you back to the source.


Oh, and today is the 1st birthday of this blog. This is the 268th post. Thanks for stopping by.

I am 42% White Trash.

The white trash in my blood will not keep me from becoming a doctor or a lawyer, but it will keep me from a good haircut and any sort of fashion sense.

Take the
White Trash Test
@ FualiDotCom

Marty "Bad Hair, Sublime Voice" Stuart has a personal list of Music You Should Hear at Amazon.com. No arguments from me.

Woot

Details and track listing for the double CD soundtrack to No Direction Home, the Bob doco by Martin Scorsese which also makes up installment 7 of the Bootleg Series. Also see Expecting Rain.

Now she ain't too good on gasoline, she burns a little oil
But she was built by union labor on American soil
Sweet little '66
So when your Subaru is over and your Honda's history
I'll be blastin' down some back road with my baby next to me
In my sweet little 66

Steve Earle's "The Revolution Starts Now" has been used in an ad for General Motors. Now, I'm on the record in many forums defending Dylan against "sell-out" claims and I'm not outraged by this either but I think it's an interesting case. Dylan of course has spent most of his career attempting to distance himself -- unsuccessfully where clueless journos are concerned -- from the finger pointing songs and the political Spokesman of a Generation baggage that goes along with it. The Victoria's Secret/Starbucks deals are not out of the box when taken in the whole context of his career. On the other hand, Steve has put out a couple of highly political albums, calls himself a borderline Maoist and it sounds like the kind of thing he might sound off negatively about. I don't have a problem with it, but I'd be interested in hearing his comments.

In the meantime, a SE song about a car.

Listen: Sweet Little '66 (Live in Austin)

Picture: picks snaffled by me at Steve gig at the the Metro last year.

When Crooners Attack

This made me laugh. Alot. Via Thursday Night Fever, Paul Anka redefines the word integrity in a meeting with his crew. I have no idea where it comes from, but I want it to be real.

Language warning: this ain't Puppy Love.

Update: Tonight (Thurs) I flicked through the channels one last time before going off to waste my night reading a book or something and .. and ... who did I spy? I spied PAUL ANKA! Explain that, skeptics! I go literally years without giving a single thought to Paul Anka and here he is - slithering into my life twice in the space of days. It was an experience alot less amusing than the audio above. I swear he must find it impossible to close his eyes, but hey, all that plastic surgery was clearly worth it -- he doesn't look a day over 70. Anyway, this is a show called Las Vegas. In the very next scene, some character found it necessary to use the charming phrase (at 7.56pm, mind) "forced oral copulation." Geez, sounds like a script The Ank could've written himself.

And who better to demonstrate this essential hillbilly paradox than everyone's favourite irresponsible drunk, the ol' Possum himself.

Sat. Night: Must've Been Drunk -- George Jones and Merle Haggard

Sun. Morn: Choices -- George Jones
Family Bible -- George Jones

One more to blogroll: Hickory Wind.

Sale time at Yesterday and Today in Parramatta

We are pleased to advise our next big sale will begin Saturday 23rd July. As usual with our big sales we will also be open Sunday (24th July). Saturdays tend to be a bit frantic so if you like things a little more leisurely Sunday is the go.

For those not familiar with our sales let me say again you miss them only if you dare. We get everything in for the sales; we don’t just mark things down we can’t sell or do a Sanity Music and get in a bunch of crap label stuff which wouldn’t be a bargain even if we literally gave it away. This is a novel sale...a GENUINE sale!!

What we have is choice quality stuff and there is always something for everybody. Virtually all the Billboard charting cds will be on sale at $18, with just a few select titles at $20. For $18 you will get the new Buddy Jewell cd “Times Like These”, Miranda Lambert’s “Kerosene”, The Wrights’ “Down the Road” (in line for album of the year), Keith Anderson’s “Three Chord Country” and for $20 JoDee Messina’s “Delicious Surprise”, Dwight’s “Blame the Vain”etc. These are just a few random examples.

All the latest Americana and bluegrass releases will we available and not surprisingly most will never ever be released locally. We will have the entire Ronny Elliott range on sale. For those who like something a little different Ronny has no peer and you certainly won’t find him elsewhere. There will be lot of blues and specialist label reissues.

Our popular $10 or 3 for $25 section will have more in it than ever before. There will be some deletions you will not see ever again as well as some of the very latest releases. The range in this section will astound you. We will have cds from a mere $2 and a range of bluegrass cds from $5 including some Rebel and Pinecastle product. We will have cd box sets, dvds and some excellent books.

For the early birds we will have some cd advances and collectables. As many of you know some of these titles never even get released....can there be anything more collectable than something that is never released?? There will be many highly sought cds in very limited quantities. We don’t even know when we will get another copy of some of these... maybe never.

We should also mention there is a great vibe at one of these sales. Everyone seems to get on well and just get into it.

The success of our sales depends on the people who participate and we really need a great turnout to enable them to continue. Please, tell your friends; bring your friends. Everyone will be have a good time. That is assured. There is just nothing even remotely like it, anywhere.

Today is, apparently, What Women Want Blog Day. I want you to listen to more Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton.

Loretta -- Definitive Collection to be released. Not really definitive, but a good start.

Dolly -- The Essential Collection A recent chat on Saturday Night Country. Latho (Peace Be Upon Him) is gone , but Dolly abides:

Created in 1996 by Dolly Parton in her hometown of Sevierville, the Imagination Library provides a new, age-appropriate, hardcover book each month to children from birth to age 5 at no cost to the family, regardless of income.

So many more. Tammy! Emmy! Connie! Bobbie! Lacy! I might update this post later when I have some time.

Who are your favourite girl singers?

Allons A Mule à Oreilles d'effondrement

It would be seriously amiss of a country music blog not to note July 4th. If not for our Seppo cousins I'd be forced to blog about something inconsequential like politics and all we'd have is -- ugh -- Celtic music. Don't even think about it. So ... Good for you, Seppos!

In particular, today let's shout out to a singular group of Seppos called Arcadiens. After the Le Grand Dérangement of 1755 -- 1763 (no love for you today, Poms) they found themselves among cotton mouthed Anglais speakers (or the Native Americans, depending on your source) who mangled their names and called them Cajuns. And headline writers realised that rhymed with Ragin' and saw that it was good.

I listen to three net radio channels: our own Dig, Ram Radio and the jaw droppingly awesome KBON-- Louisiana Proud. Cajun, zydeco, soul, swamp pop, classic country. Do it.

Not much in the "world music" bins really holds my interest, on account of my frequently stated devotions to lyrics above all which kinda doesn't work if it's in another langauge. There is a certain sound though to a voice, an instrument that cuts through for me, and just cuts through me. The classic cajun voice is wiry and robust, turned to the serious matters of dancing, mourning , loving and losing. All at the same time often.

Difficult to choose a few songs. Of course one has to be the "Cajun national anthem", here from one of it's greatest ambassadors.

Listen: Clifton Chenier -- Jolie Blon

The other, just a random song I love. Another classic from three greats, including D.L Menard, known as the Hank Williams of Cajun for his high lonesome sound.

Listen: J'Ai Fait Un Gros Erreur -- Dewey Balfa, Marc Savoy & D.L. Menard

And another, a more upbeat one. Two-step away!

Listen: Allons A Tepatate -- Balfa Toujours

For the geekly minded: is Cajun in the genes?

Mainstreaming

I read the other day that George Strait has sold more records than Madonna. FEM's taste in modern country isn't often represented on the Hot Country Top 10 but there are some superstars keeping it real. Don't get used to it, though.


Listen: George Strait I Hate Everything
Listen: Alan Jackson Tall Tall Trees

Manufactured Outrage Alert

From Peter Cox, one of our Dylan Tragics:

Tomorrow, Saturday 2 July, on Radio National's breakfast show between 8 am and 8.30, Geraldine Doogue will be looking into Bob Dylan's decision to release the Gaslight Tapes through Starbucks. Shock, horror! She will interview Mike Marqusee, who apparently disapproves.[I assume this is him --FEM] The producer asked for my view and I hope they quote me in Bob's defence. I gave them a Gaslight bootleg but they are nervous about playing unreleased tracks, so we will probably get a snippet of the previously released 'No More Auction Block', 'Handsome Molly' or 'The Cuckoo'.

I will also be appearing on Stateline tonight talking about the indestructible Smoky Dawson (NSW only).

Yes, a 60-odd year old creative legend making decisions in his own interest which puts his music in front of the mass audience of sheeple who otherwise wouldn't have a clue. I can see how that would annoy people.


Yawn. (except for Pete's bit of course which will rock.)

PS: Don't forget about Smoky.