Drinkin' Thing

Been ignoring the Country, haven't we?

Well, in acknowledgment of this weekend, what could be more 'Merican than songs about drinking and cheating? Particularly if they take place in the same tune?

Gary Stewart, while beginning his arc in the 60's, really got his honky tonk ball rolling in the 70's, when Country became more explicit with it's demons. The decade of swingers, the Rhinestone Cowboy (the song and culture, not the movie) and Countrypolitan produced some of the most hedonistic music available. And all from the "family values" arm of Nashville, and dripped in saccharine instrumentation. (Someone should really write a book or essay on the whole 70's Country culture).

Into all this relativism Gary Stewart dropped some records of hardwood honky tonk, while still winking and nodding to the changing culture. Not quite an "Outlaw" alongside Willie, Johnny, Waylon, et al, Stewart still hewed to a traditional style, his voice sharing similarities with George Jones. Stewart got his start, like many in Nashville, as a songwriter, penning tunes for Stonewall Jackson, Billy Walker, and Cal Smith, among others. He's one of the last greats of the Music Row production line, penning classic songs that last beyond a three-month chart trajectory. Of course we have to deal with the label-mandated production and arrangement, which can get a bit much at times (much the way 80's pop suffered from a tin-eared flatness), but Stewart imposes his hardwood sensibility to each song imbuing his records with a classic sound and lyrical phrasing of a bygone time.


Loneliness is a recurring theme, even couched in the "good time" stompers, which makes Stewart's suicide less than a month after his losing his wife to pneumonia all the more telling.

It's his broad range of drinking songs that Stewart is most remembered for these days (and there's alot of them). "Drinkin' Thing" and "She's Actin' Single (I'm Drinking Doubles)" are acknowledged classics of the genre. Our favorite song by Stewart, though, is "In Some Room Above the Street", which borders on pure honky tonk poetry.

So how about letting Gary Stewart help you through your Holiday weekend. It's as American as apple pie, cheap beer, and infidelity.



Gary Stewart: Drinkin' Thing (mp3)

Gary Stewart: She's Actin' Single (I'm Drinkin' Doubles) (mp3)

Gary Stewart: In Some Room Above The Street (mp3)

Gary Stewart: Your Place Or Mine (mp3)

Please support your local, independent swingers bar and no-tell motel.

A Thirst That Would Make The Ocean Proud

Well. At long last.

Presented here for your amusement, befuddlement, irritation, or resentment: the first installment in The Big Rock Candy Mountain Top 100 Drinking Songs. The list was voted on by myself and a jury of your peers, and they did a damn fine job. Please extend a hearty toast to Kip, Kyle, Sean, Andy, and the Right Reverend Frost.

Whenever some magazine or another put out some defining "Best of" list, I would eagerly snatch up a copy, and then proceed to bitch and moan about the selections. Great things were left out, crappy albums, bands, or songs were included, the writers were obviously on drugs, etc. The point being that every list is subjective. It's one of the main reasons I requested outside help, solicited recommendations, and enlisted a panel of judges. I didn't want this list to reflect my taste only. I think we did a pretty good job of getting as fair a representation of great drinking songs as could be managed. As expected, certain styles and genres placed more songs than others. I have some thoughts about that which I'll address in subsequent posts, as we work our way through the list.

I not only encourage folks to disagree with the list, but I'd love to hear your reasons why. I'd only request that insults and death threats be aimed at me and not the judges, who worked their asses off and brought a lot of great tunes to the table. I made the parameters, and had final say over certain issues, so any blame or omissions lies squarely on me. We listened to over 400 songs, and 286 tunes got votes. That's a hell of alot of drinkin', and we've probably only scratched the surface.

With all that in mind, we are pleased, proud, and nervous to announce a new site, hosted by yours truly: Barstool Mountain. For the next two weeks, Barstool Mountain will be counting down all the songs that got votes, but didn't make the Top 100. After that, it will become the official home of the Big Rock Candy Mountain Top 100 Drinking Songs, with individual posts about each song on the list. Sprinkled throughout will be posts on songs we missed, or didn't make the cut. It'll be your one-stop shop for all things drinking song related. And here's the catch: you can contribute. Disgruntled with the list? Was your favorite song left out in the cold? Not enough jake leg blues in the list? Well, you get to put your bottle where your mouth is, and test out your dt's with your typing skills. Anyone can contribute to Barstool Mountain. All you have to do is email me at barstoolmountain@gmail.com, or leave a comment. I'll even host the mp3's. You just have to write the post.

More analysis and observations tomorrow, including a sneak peek at what artists placed the most songs on the list. And numbers 81-90.

Thanks for stopping by. We hope you enjoy.

The Big Rock Candy Mountain Top 100 Drinking Songs

100. "Green Beer" - Scrawl
(Sean says: "Though it's likely lesser known than many of the tunes featured here, Scrawl's "Green Beer" is an essential part of the canon. Alone among our Top 100, it depicts a key facet of contemporary American drinking -- the disorientation and frustration of "outsiders" who wind up at high school / college keg parties. (Not that we'd endorse underage drinking through this exercise, but...)")

99. "Too Drunk To Fuck" - The Dead Kennedys
(Typically hilarious preaching from the notoriously straight-edge Mr. Biafra. What should be a scathing commentary on drinking and frat culture ends up making me want to reach for a pint and test my, ahem, abilities.)

98. "Stomp Them Grapes" - Mel Tillis

97. "Blues Plus Booze (Means I Lose)" - Stonewall Jackson (Our first Country weeper (The Tillis song is a little more upbeat). Jackson visits the pathos of loss and forgetting, in a theme that has become synonymous with drinking songs of all genres)

96. "The Wild Rover" - Traditional

95. "Little Stream Of Whiskey(aka The Dying Hobo)" - Traditional

94. "Two More Bottles of Wine" - Delbert McClinton

93. "Wasted" - Black Flag

92. "Alligator Wine" - Screamin' Jay Hawkins
(Hawkins gives us a recipe for a brew so toxic it gives me the shakes just thinking about it. Forget moonshine and Everclear, this stuff is dangerous. Hawkins' spooky delivery only confirms my fears.)

91. "Kiss Me I'm Shitfaced" - Dropkick Murphys