Music

This one is for anyone who's still reading my blog after my books post. I don't listen to a lot of music, mostly because at home I tend to be reading or doing schoolwork or chores and when I'm walking or driving alone my ipod is reading me a book. My taste in music runs to old-timey, appalachian, scots-irish, mountain music. Lots of names for a broad category. I also like bluegrass and old-time country music, Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn, etc. I got hooked on the music in high school in New Jersey, when we used to drive around at night and listen to the radio. We would pick up DJ's like Wolfman Jack, broadcasting rock and roll from a pirate radio station just over the Mexican border, and a black DJ on a local NYC station who played great stuff from groups like the Drifters. We also listened to another powerful AM station, WWVA, out of Wheeling, West Virginia. It played a mix of old-time music, gospel, country and bluegrass. Only my friend Al, and I, got hooked on the music. Al is a musician and can actually sit in with a group and play the music. When we get together we listen to music, and even managed to attend a great old-timey and bluegrass music festival in Minneapolis, his adopted home. So here are my favorite singers (for anyone who's eyes haven't glazed over yet). My all-time favorite singer is Iris Dement. She has an amazing voice and writes all her own songs, often introspective and/or spiritual, but she can surprise you too, as in her duet with John Prine, "In Spite of Ourselves". I'm going to try to insert a video of them doing the song in concert if I can figure out how to do it. Warning, this song may not be appropriate for young children to listen to. John Prine is another of my favorite singers. He also writes his own songs mostly, and like Iris, has great arrangements and backup musicians. Nancy and I were lucky to catch them in concert together at the Calvin Theater in Northampton a couple of years ago (she likes some of my music live, but not recorded). I don't care for most folk singers, the ones with just their guitar and their songs full of existential angst. They put me to sleep. The exception is the early Bob Dylan. Everything he did is great. My other favorite singer is Steve Earle. He's a combination Texas redneck, former drug addict and hard rocker, and old-time lefty, who also writes his own stuff. We saw him in concert in Albany, right after his Washington Square Serenade album came out. It's his tribute to his recently adopted hometown of New York City.

Here's Iris, doing one of my favorite songs, "Sweet is the Melody", on a Scottish TV show.

Here are Iris and John Prine doing "In Spite of Ourselves". Better shoo the kids away.

And finally, Steve Earle doing "City of Immigrants" (The lady singing with him is his seventh wife, Allison Moorer), and a younger Steve Earle doing "Copperhead Road". Moonshine anyone?

If you've made it this far, just a progress report - I feel fine after the chemo yesterday, had a slight bit of nausea this morning but better now. We took a nice walk this morning - it's a beautiful, sunny day on the Cape.