maybe


If it's Monday, it must be a new music post comin' down from the Mountain.

Remember how in High School or Junior High, kids would wear Led Zeppelin or Doors or some "classic rock" type t-shirt? I always wodered what people who actually grew up with that music thought about it. The other day a 15 year old kid walked into my place of business wearing a brand spankin' new Pixies t-shirt. I don't believe (and i'd have to check my math) that he had been born yet when I purchased the debut ep by this interesting new band called the Pixies, merely because they were on 4AD rekkids. What followed, of course, was years of obsessive worship, waiting expectantly for the each new album, then crying in my beer when they broke up, only to buy up each new Frank Black record. We fight age, and we fight the inevitable march towards personal obscurity. And then comes that "moment of clarity", as it were, when we realize how irrelevant and "uncool" we've become. Yep, I'm now my parents.

Speaking of irrelevant, apparently there's some kind of important event occurring tomorrow. I'll be participating, of course. Hell, it's one of the few rights we have left. I'm just not real enthused, to be honest. All of my shouting about 3rd party candidates seems hollow. It's my vote, and I'm going to use it the way I see fit, but it doesn't matter. Whoever we vote for, the bad guys still get in. America's a fucked up mess, and I thinks it's astoundingly naive to think Kerry's going to make it any better. He supports the Patriot Act, suggesting only a few "minor changes." He's against gay marriage. He has no idea what it's like to be poor. Bush, of course, is Satan. We are so fucked. I'm not sure we can still call ourselves the United States of America. Sorry to be so cynical. For those voting for the first time, or who are genuinely enthused about this election, i say good on ya. Keep it up, we need people like you. Maybe change'll come, and you'll be the ones to bring it about. I hope so.

And so. I was going to post some political songs, maybe some Woody Guthrie or Chambers Brothers, get all fired up. But, really, this election makes me want to drink. Heavily. So, in honor of Bush, Kerry, the Pixies, and Shane Macgowan, I give you a 5-pack of drinkin' songs. It would have been a six pack, but I drank one already.

Dean Martin: Little Ole Wine Drinker Me (mp3) - I've been a touch obsessed with Dino lately. This may very well be my favorite song of all time. It's Dean, cool as shit, drinking away his days in Chicago. Sounds familiar.

Hobart Smith: Drunken Hiccups (mp3) - I've posted about Hobart before. This tune has a great drunken fiddle part, weaving and staggering all around a voice born of the Appalachians.

Arlo Guthrie: Lightnin' Bar Blues (mp3) - Well, I managed to get one Guthrie on the list. I think Arlo gets a bad rap because of Alice's Restraunt, and he is a bit of a tool these days. But early on, he put out some great records. This is from one of his first albums, Hobo's Lullaby. It's all jug band blues and harmonica goodness. The song was orignally written and performed by the mighty Hoyt Axton.

American Music Club: Gary's Song (mp3) - One of my favorite AMC songs. Contains the greatest drunk in the middle of the afternoon lines ever: "If we sit here, and drink enough beer, we'll be two inflatable doll's in a hooker's bad dream."

Laura Cantrell: The Whiskey Makes You Sweeter (mp3) - From one of (RIP)John Peel's fave raves, comes my tribute to John Kerry. Hope it works. Read more about the fantastic Laura Cantrell here.

(Click on song...go to Briefcase...The club is open, so drink up from there)

Now that the playoffs are over, look for BigRockCandyMountain posts more often. Probably.

More on Dean Martin here.