RIP Dr. Gonzo

It was two years ago today that Hunter S. Thompson took his life. “Football season is over.” his suicide note stated matter of factly. In repect I am posting a note from his son:

It has been two years since my father, Hunter S. Thompson, ended his life. I still miss him very much. I have thought a lot about him over the past two years as I’ve written about him, talked about him, read old letters, and gone through a significant portion of his papers. I’ve been trying to understand him more clearly, as my father, a writer, and a man. Though there are many things about him I miss, there are three qualities especially: his idealism, his sense of fun, and the warmth of his love.

It may seem strange to many people to think of Hunter as an idealist, but that was one of his defining characteristics. He had strong and clear ideas about the promise of our political system, about the need to act rather than be a passive victim of the greedy and power-hungry, and about the need to vigorously defend individual freedom. The disparity between the ideal and reality made him angry, and he was a man of action, a warrior and a leader. In an earlier age perhaps he would have been taken up arms, but in this age he chose the written word as both his weapon and his art. It was part of Hunter’s gift to distort the actual facts of a situation to reveal its essential truth. He had the talent, skill and convictions to draw you into his moral vision, and that vision was stark and uncompromising. There was good and there was evil, and there were no bystanders. To those that agreed with him, he gave the chance to be part of something important, to do something meaningful with their time, money and talents. That kind of clear moral vision has tremendous power and appeal in our time of great moral confusion. When he called on his friends and acquaintances to help him with the Lisl Auman case, he was calling them to battle a great wrong. Lisl was not just an unfortunate legal mishap; what happened to her was Wrong, and we had the chance to make it Right. Nixon was not just one more crooked politician; he was the apotheosis of the arrogant, ruthless tyrant and the flagrant betrayer of the hope of the American political experiment. Our society in the age of so-called global terrorism is not a society somewhat more concerned with security than with civil rights; he called it ‘The Kingdom of Fear.”

And he was right. I miss his vision, and the boldness, humor and conviction with which he described it to us. There are never enough such people, and now there is one less.

I miss his sense of fun. Hunter liked to have fun. Having fun was serious business, because for him life without fun was no life at all. I remember the folder of fake fax forms which included insect extermination notices, international stock transactions, court summonses, lingerie order confirmations, and fake fax error sheets. Late at night he would fill out one of the forms and fax it to the home or office of a friend or acquaintance, and laugh as he imagined how they would explain it to their wives, bosses, or lawyers. I remember the story of a practical joke gone horribly wrong, that of Jack Nicholson and the bleeding Elk Heart, in which Jack cowered in the darkened house with his children, his phone cut off by awful coincidence, listening to the gunshots and the screams of a wounded pig played over and over through a megaphone outside the house. I remember the story of the time his Japanese publishers came to visit and were given a demonstration one night of what Hunter said were nuclear-tipped bullets. A friend secretly ignited a stick of dynamite under the target, a large aluminum beer keg, at the same moment Hunter fired the stainless-steel, scope-mounted, .454 Casull pistol at it. There was a tremendous explosion and the beer keg flew several hundred feet in the air, over the heads of the awestruck visitors who had never seen a gun before, much less nuclear-tipped bullets. He was a fine storyteller, and enjoyed recounting the tale as much as he enjoyed the prank itself. There are stories of fireworks, of bullets fired through the ceiling of the kitchen, of shotguns fired across the room. He loved masks, fireworks, fire, smoke bombs, hammers that screamed or made the sound of breaking glass when struck. Just about everyone who ever met Hunter has a story about his sense of fun, though not all of them laughed at the time.

I think for Hunter fun was also political, and therefore about more than just fun. His sense of humor often exceeded the boundaries of law, convention, and good taste, and his enjoyment came as much from breaking boundaries as from the reaction of his victims. It was fun for the hell of it, but it was also to shake people up, rock the boat, wake people from their routines, and make them uncomfortable or scared for a moment. That kind of fun requires a larger vision. He was a kind of mad trickster whose madness conveys wisdom. I think at bottom fun was a kind of practice for him that kept him in touch with the real and vibrant pulse of life, and to be in proximity to him was to be in proximity to that pulse. I miss that.

Finally and foremost I miss the warmth of his love. I miss sitting in the kitchen at Owl Farm watching a football game or an old Bogart movie, or talking to him on the phone about the latest political insanity, or driving up the Lenado road for a late-night swim. We didn’t talk about our relationship, we simply enjoyed being together. It took a long time to get to that point, a lot of hard and unspoken work on both our parts over many years, but we got there, so that by the time he died we knew where we stood with each other and we were satisfied.

He was a complex man with many, many facets. One of those aspects was his great tenderness. He had the capacity for tremendous generosity, compassion, and personal loyalty when it cost something to be loyal. When he gave his love it was intense and pure, and I felt blessed. God knows he was no saint, but his love was the real thing, not the cheap watered-down imitation most of us are familiar with. I miss the warmth of his love.

But these are just my recollections and opinions. Fortunately, Hunter S. Thompson was first a writer, and that is what how he wanted to be remembered — as a Great American Writer. He left a substantial body of work. Whatever you might think of the preceding paragraphs, I ask you to read what he wrote — start with Hell’s Angels — and decide for yourselves who he was, what was significant about his work, and what is worth emulating and carrying on. In my opinion his achievement and talent were considerable, but you will have to make up your own mind. He certainly did.

-Juan Thompson

June Carter Tribute Planned

Billboard reports that Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow, Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn, Emmylou Harris and Brad Paisley are among the stars appearing on the June Carter Cash tribute album “Anchored in Love,” due June 19 via Dualtone. The release will coincide with a biography of the same name penned by Cash’s son John.

With the exception of Ralph Stanley, who recorded “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” at the southwest Virginia home of the Carter Family, “Anchored in Love” was recorded throughout 2006 on the Cash family property in Hendersonville, Tenn.

On it, Costello tackles the iconic “Ring of Fire,” while Nelson and Crow team up for a duet on “If I Were a Carpenter.” Carter Cash’s stepdaughter Rosanne performs the spiritual “Wings of Angels” and Lynn offers a version of “Wildwood Flower.”

Carter Cash died May 15, 2003, after complications from heart surgery.

Here is the unsequenced song list for “Anchored in Love”:

“If I Were a Carpenter,” Sheryl Crow and Willie Nelson
“Jackson,” Carlene Carter and Ronnie Dunn
“Wildwood Flower,” Loretta Lynn
“Far Side Banks of Jordan,” Patty Loveless and Kris Kristofferson
“Keep On the Sunny Side,” Brad Paisley
“Wings of Angels,” Rosanne Cash
“Ring of Fire,” Elvis Costello
“Road to Kaintuck,” Billy Bob Thornton and the Peasall Sisters
“Big Yellow Peaches,” Grey De Lisle
“Kneeling Drunkard Plea,” Billy Joe Shaver
“Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” Ralph Stanley
“Song to John,” Emmylou Harris

Shake and bake!

Yeah I know I’m really late to this, bit I just watched Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and besides being a great parody of NASCAR and Southern culture it has a damn fine soundtrack. Things kick off with Roger Miller’s classic ” “King of the Road.” Then there’s Waylon Jenninings’ “Only Daddy That’ll Walk the Line.” Lot’s of Steve Earle, Classic Bon Scott AC DC, and the creidts run over a great cover of “Gentle on My Mind” by Lucinda Williams. The soundtrack doesn’t seem to be for sale. Drag!

Twang Nation – Acting Naturally

The fine folks at The 9513 have some good taste in country music blogs but somehow they’re also reading mine and for that I’m much obliged. They’ve put together a nice collection of blogs they read and assigned each a country hero personality. They’ve chosen some great site and assigned some true country pioneers so it’s hard to squabble with
Twang Nation being associated with Bakersfield hillbilly rocker  Buck Owens. It’s all just so…damn…give me a moment here folks.

Sites represented:

Big Rock Candy Mountain
Search for the Last of the Hard-core Troubadours
City Girl, Country Girl
Twangville

Go show ’em some love!

Dixie Chicks – The Wrong Way

Anybody that has read this blog for more than a half-hour knows I represent when it comes to my home-girls the Dixie Chicks. Since sisters Emily Robison and Martie Maguire formed the group in 1989 in Dallas they survived roster changes and playing little shitty dives from Texas to Nashville. These gals payed their dues.

Natalie Maines joined and a more mainstream sound struck gold and the rest is history. And then Bush decided to start an illegal war and Maines was tactless enough to call it like it is back before the tide had turned (as of this writing 31% support the war in Iraq, and these people work for Halliburton or are retarded.)

The Chicks made music history at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony on Sunday, February 11, when they became the first female group ever to take home the big top Grammy honors: Song Of The Year (for “Not Ready To Make Nice”), Record Of The Year (for “Not Ready To Make Nice”) and Album Of The Year (for Taking The Long Way).

But the girls weren’t done, they then snagged another Grammy when Taking The Long Way became the first Best Country Album ever to also win the coveted Album Of The Year trophy.

Now as much as I love the Chicks I have to admit, I don’t care for most of Taking The Long Way. I find the rock to light and the country, well, hardly there at all.

Maybe the Grammy judges wanted to put a stick in the eye of the Bushes and show support to the Chicks for all the crap they had to put up with when they spoke their mind (check out the excellentdocumentary “Shit Up and Sing” for all the sickening details) and I’m all for it. Give the girls song of the year for “Not Ready To Make Nice” (thes best soft rock punk song ever written) and let that be that. But Album Of The Year and Best Country Album? With all the great music (Dylan, Van Morrison, Solomon Burke, etc.) there were plenty of better records and the ladies themselves said that Taking The Long Way isn’t a country album. And they were right.

It’s a slap in the face to all the artists nominated (Alan Jackson, Willie Nelson) and those that should have been nominated (Hank Williams III, Vince Gill, Roseanne Cash) and show that the Grammy judges are willing to use a category to send a political message instead of rewarding the best music. It’s insulting and further discredits an already laughable award show.

The Chicks are still tops with me and I give them props for stretching their wings. But not all country fans turned their backs on them and they’re at their best doing country music. 4 undeserved Grammys sends all the wrong messages not least of all that now we might have to sit through Taking The Long Way 2.

Johnny Cash 75th Birthday Bash – Brooklyn

Calling all hillbillys and yankees that love the Man In Black, the Brooklyn Country Music in association with BAM Brooklyn Next presents The Johnny Cash 75th Birthday Bash featuring Alex Battles’ Whisky Rebellion, The Lonesome Prairie Dogs, Louisiana Emily, Eli Smith, Jessica Rose, The Dock Oscar Gospel Quartet & more

Saturday, February 24, 2007
Southpaw
125 5th Ave. (@ St. John’s Place)
Brooklyn, NY
$10
Doors, 730pm

Advance tickets available

Hating On Twang

I browsed the newsstand this morning before heading to my last day at my job in Jersey City and I scanned Rolling Stone (can’t suck all the time) and there was a positive review of the new Lucinda Williams CD “West” (Feb 13). But the tone the praise took the form of an attitude I’m finding more and more outside of No Depression. I’ve read it in reference to artists that have their past formally in country and roots but take the genre to new, interesting and sometimes odd places. Ryan Adams, Neko Case, the Dixie Chicks and Calexico that have taken chances in their sound to mixed success. What gets my goat is the condescending tone taken that the reason these artists are so much “better” in their cultural gatekeeper eyes is that they’ve finally shaken the unseemly twang thang. Bullshit!

When Miles Davis did Bitches Brew did the press say “Thank god he finally stopped that jazz garbage.” The twang hating reminds me of when Dylan went electric but in reverse. Instead of Dylan being ostracized by the folk purists the press would be yelling “Turn it to eleven for god sakes!”

Artists that do the same thing time after time can be dependably consistent or annoyingly boring. So for every Wayne Hancock there’s a Jim White. The roots are firmly planted in tradition but the branches move in many directions, but always to the sky.

It’s the yin and yang of twang.

New Releases This Week from Patty Griffin, Joe Ely

Releases this week: Singer-songwriter Patty Griffin released a new album, Children Running Through on ATO Records, a label founded by Dave Matthews. Her songs have been cut by the Dixie Chicks, Reba McEntire, Martina McBride, Joan
Osborne and the Wreckers,

The week of his 60th birthday, Joe Ely releases Happy Songs from Rattlesnake Gulch, his 12th album of new studio material in 30 years, to launch his own Rack ‘Em Records label.

MySpace Showcase Tuesday – Shitkickers

San Jose’s Shitkickers can be lonesome and somber or can rip it up and whip your ass. I’ll let their site say the rest: From the humble beginnings of a three-piece, three-song side show act, ShitKickers have blossomed into a six-piece, whiskey-bent, banjo-pluckin’ jamboree. Influences run the gamut from Buck Owens to the Beastie Boys, David Allan Coe to the Dead Kennedys, and all three Hanks. They have shared the stage with the likes of Mojo Nixon, Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers, Mr. T Experience, The Faction, Flogging Molly, The Real Mackenzies, X, Fang, and Dr. Know. Propelled from tracks included on several Thrasher Magazine DVD’s as well as recognition from radio and podcast play, Shitkickers hit the road in 2006, almost ten years after striking their first note. They toured the southwest and festival circuit leaving a trail of hung over fans in their wake. 2007 promises more of the same including Hootenanny with the Stray Cats and another North American tour of every juke-joint, honky-tonk, and living room floor they can point a van at.

Whiskey(mp3)

Burn It Down(mp3)

Backyard Tire Fire New CD and Tour Dates

Illinois bases Backyard Tire Fire have released thier fourth full-length CD “Vagabonds and Hooligans” and it brings to mind the roots-rock experimentalism of Neil Young, Whiskeytown and Gram Parker. Nice company to keep. You can hear the entire CD streaming at their site.

BTF tourdates coming up include a 2 week run with William Elliot Whitmore and dates with The Slip and MOFRO gigs at the bottom.

02-08 Carbondale, PA Hangar 9
02-09 Urbana, IL Canopy Club
w/ Will Hoge, The Drams, Matt Mays & El Torpedo
02-10 Iowa City, IA The Picador
w/ Death Ships
02-16 Normal, IL NV Ultra Lounge
Special Guests: Death Ships
02-17 Chicago, IL Double Door
Special Guests: Jay Bennett and Death Ships

Co-bill tour with William Elliot Whitmore:
02-19 Columbus, OH The Basement
02-20 Pittsburgh, PA Garfield Artworks
02-21 Syracuse, NY Funk n’ Waffles
02-22 Northampton, MA Iron Horse Music Hall
02-23 Mount Vernon, NY Bayou
02-24 Harrisburg, PA Appalachian Brewing Company
02-25 Baltimore, MD Sonar
02-26 Virginia Beach, VA Jewish Mother
02-27 Raleigh, NC Hideaway BBQ
02-28 Wilmington, NC Soapbox
03-01 Richmond, VA Empire

03-15 Indianapolis, IN The Music Mill
w/ The Slip
03-31 Moorhead, MN Broken Axe
04-13 Live Oak, FL Wanee Festival
w/ Allman Brothers Band, Gov’t Mule, The Derek Trucks Band, Nickel Creek, Phonograph
04-18 Newport, KY Southgate House
w/ MOFRO
04-19 Madison, WI High Noon Saloon
w/ MOFRO
06-08 Wakarusa Festival
w/ Alejandro Escovedo, Bobby Bare Jr., Ozomatli, Ben Harper, North Mississippi Allstars

BTF on MySpace