In 1998, Guy Clark, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Eric Taylor appeared on David Letterman’s stage to support a new release from Nanci Griffith.
There are not many times there has been such a collection of talent onstage together since July 21, 1998, when Nanci Griffith, Guy Clark, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell, Jerry Jeff Walker and Eric Taylor appeared together on the Late Show With David Letterman. Griffith had just released the excellent album Other Voices, Too (A Trip Back to Bountiful). And the album featured an all-star version of Guy Clark’s song “Desperados Waiting For a Train.”
Only such an outstanding talent as Griffith could shine even while ceding so much of the song to these other legends of music. On both the album and the Letterman performance, she does not even sing solo until late in the song.
The songwriter Guy Clark starts off the song, and it is clear that the beautiful performance is all about respect. There is Griffith’s respect for Clark’s song and the legendary talent of the other singers. But there is also an amazing amount of respect from those legends for Griffith, coming together for this performance on both the album and on Letterman’s show.
Most who love music of this genre will recognize the big names here for their work as singers and songwriters: Guy Clark, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell, and Jerry Jeff Walker. But you might or might not recognize Eric Taylor, who is probably the least well-known of the group. Taylor also was a well-respected Texas singer-songwriter, and his songs have been covered by people such as Lyle Lovett and Nanci Griffith. He also was married to Griffith for 1976-1982. So it is also cool to see Griffith invite her ex for this amazing performance. Taylor passed away less than two years after this performance from liver disease.
Of the group on stage that night, we have also lost Nanci Griffith, Guy Clark, and Jerry Jeff Walker. Letterman clearly knew he was hosting a special gathering on his show at the time, but many may have missed it. We were certainly lucky to have the music of these folks, and extra lucky to have them together for this song.
Kevin Costner’s new epic “Horizon: An American Saga,” set in the American West, will initially appear in theaters in two parts.
I am a big fan of Westerns, and have loved Kevin Costner’s work in Westerns. Nobody wears a cowboy hat and mustache like him. So I’m looking forward to his latest adventure in Horizon: An American Saga. Costner co-wrote and directed the film, which also stars Sienna Miller, Jena Malone, Sam Worthington, Kathleen Quinlan, Luke Wilson, Giovanni Ribisi, and others, including Costner’s 15-year-old son, Hayes Costner.
Notably, Costner also brings back some co-stars from his previous projects set in the American West: Will Patton (The Postman) and Jeff Fahey (Silverado). And although there is no sign of his Open Range co-star Robert Duvall, Horizon does include Thomas Haden Church, who had starred with Robert Duvall in Broken Trail.
The trailer for Horizon: An American Saga was recently released. If you love epics, the trailer should get you excited. But be forewarned that this year’s saga is a two-parter, apparently with one part being released June 28, 2024 and the second part being released August 16, 2024. And Costner apparently has plans for two more films in the series. Check it out.
What do you think of the trailer? Leave your two cents in the comments.
Many used Toby Keith’s death to make political statements, but the man and the reality were complicated, best summed up by Willie Nelson.
Not long after I joined Twitter (which is now “X”) in 2010, a lot of folks were tweeting about Charlie Sheen. In early 2011, Sheen was in rehab and fired from his role on the TV show Two and a Half Men. Sheen appeared to have some type of breakdown, making claims about his “tiger blood” and about “winning.” The Internet had a field day.
While enjoying the Internet humor, I came across a Tweet that changed my perspective. I don’t recall who sent it, but the person basically said in a kind way, “I understand why everyone is saying what they are saying, but it might be good to remember that Charlie Sheen is a real person with a substance abuse problem and that his family, including his dad Martin Sheen, are also real people seeing what we are saying.”
And then I understood something that should have been obvious. It was s0mething many of us lose sight of in the excitement of an Internet flurry. Famous people are real people and maybe we should not say things about people that we would not say to their face in real life.
I have tried to maintain that philosophy in my Internet presence, although I’m sure I’ve failed at various points.
Internet Comments On Toby Keith’s Death
I thought back to Charlie Sheen the morning we got the news that Toby Keith had died. I had last seen him, his once powerful figure now frail from cancer, performing “Don’t Let the Old Man In” at the 2023 People’s Choice Country Awards. After his death, I went to Twitter/X as a resource to find out more about his passing, but was surprised mainly to see a lot of hostility. And even though I sympathized with some of the criticisms on other days, I was taken aback at how harsh it was at the time of his death. It made me think of Keith and his family.
So, on the day his death was announced, Twitter was divided about Toby Keith’s legacy. Although in subsequent days the discussions about Keith were more balanced, on the day where his death was news, I found that trending more than “Toby Keith” was “Dixie Chicks” and “Kris Kristofferson.” In the initial response to Keith’s death, there seemed to be mostly Tweets indirectly and directly celebrating his death and making jokes, referencing some combination of real and made-up history about his career.
The real history was that in the wake of 9/11, after Toby Keith released the song “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue (The Angry American),” he engaged in some back-and-forth with the Dixie Chicks’ Natalie Maines, who had criticized President Bush and the Iraq War. The feud started when Maines also criticized Keith’s song as “ignorant” and making country music sound “ignorant.” Keith responded by criticizing Maines’s songwriting skills, and then began using a doctored photo of her with Saddam Hussein on his tour. Maines then wore a t-shirt at an awards show with the letters, “F.U.T.K.” thought by many to be a message of “F You Toby Keith.”
But made-up history on Twitter also added to Keith’s transgressions, including claims that he had threated Natalie Maines (confusing the real horrible fact that she had actually been threatened by music fans for her statements). And it also ignored that later Toby Keith regretted the whole feud.
The made-up history also included a lot of references to a Rolling Stoneessay by actor Ethan Hawke, who had claimed that at an event celebrating Willie Nelson’s birthday he heard Toby Keith warn Kris Kristofferson not to say any “lefty shit.” And then Kristofferson responded by dressing down and humiliating Keith, who had not served in the military as Kristofferson had. Keith angrily disputed the story at the time. And even though most involved (except Hawke) questioned Hawke’s account, it again became a major story again in light of Keith’s death. (Personally, I think what is most likely is that if there were any truth to the tale, Keith most likely said something in jest and Kristofferson responded in jest too. Or maybe there was some alcohol involved.)
Now, before you think I’m a Toby Keith apologist, I should reveal that from the start I’ve always been Team Dixie Chicks (now Chicks). And I love the music and respectd the life of Kris Kristofferson, a legend. I also never liked the endorsement of violence and boots-in-asses in Keith’s song “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue” as well as to a lesser extent his duet with Willie Nelson on “Beer for My Horses” (“Take all the rope in Texas, find a tall oak tree, / Round up all of them bad boys, hang them high in the street”).
But, even though I bought Dixie Chicks albums and never owned a Toby Keith album, I do think Keith was a talented songwriter and singer from the hits I’ve heard. Many of his hits songs expressed a delightful sense of humor. And while like many others, I have my problems with the message of “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue,” I also recognize that it captured a feeling among many in America after the humiliation and tragedy of 9/11. Along those lines, it is helpful to know that Keith initially did not intend to release the song but only use it in concert. And he had written the song with the subtitle “Angry American” reflecting it was a tribute to his late father’s perspective as an old veteran.
Further complicating the anger directed at Keith is that Keith’s politics were always more complicated than portrayed. Yes, he supported the military and took pro-America stances. But one may imply too much from that information. He had been a registered Democrat at the time of his “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue” song until 2008, later changing to be an Independent (i.e., never a Republican). And while he did perform at a pre-inauguration event for President Donald Trump, he explained it not in terms of support for Trump but in terms of helping any U.S. President who asked. He earlier had voted for Bill Clinton for president and had given a lot of praise to President Barack Obama.
But still, a lot of folks used the opportunity of Keith’s death to show how funny and cool they were by oversimplifying the history.
Willie’s Wisdom
Which all brings me to Willie Nelson. As discussed above, following Keith’s death from cancer, which must have been very difficult for both him and his family, there was the initial dueling outpouring on Twitter of the critics using his death for their jokes and others praising Keith as an “American,” including his songs and his work helping soldiers.
But in the midst of it all was a Tweet from Willie Nelson, who knew Keith, did a hit song with him, and was allegedly present during the Kristofferson encounter. Willie said simply “Rest in Peace Toby” and “I’ve had a lot of fun singing with Toby. He’s one of us…”
“I’ve had a lot of fun singing with Toby. He’s one of us…” Rest in peace, Toby. pic.twitter.com/7FI45X5W7V
One may read it as Willie merely saying Toby Keith was a fellow singer or fellow country musician. But I think his point was broader than that. Toby Keith was human, just like us. And like us, he made mistakes, regretted some of his mistakes, lived his life, and had loved ones.
And like all of us humans do eventually, often with some suffering, he died.
And because we all struggle through this life with our own ups and downs and challenges, maybe we should try to avoid delighting in the pain of others, whether it be death or drug addiction and talking about “tiger blood.” Maybe we should err on the side of trying to understand others.
It is a difficult message these days as we face a country that is very divided politically. But Willie has been around a long time, and maybe we should give some weight to his advice. He is not the first one to say such a thing, but he gave us a timely reminder of what we used to call the Golden Rule.
Many moons I have lived; My body’s weathered and worn; Ask yourself how would you be, If you didn’t know the day you were born.
Try to love on your wife; And stay close to your friends; Toast each sundown with wine; Don’t let the old man in.
Billy Joel is releasing his first new song since 2007, “Turn the Lights Back On.” A teaser trailer references one of his songs from his last album in 1993.
One of the most popular singer-songwriters of the twentieth century is releasing his first new song since a 2007 single “All My Life” and his last album from 1993, River of Dreams. the 74-year-old Billy Joel has announced a new song, “Turn the Lights Back On,” will be released February 1, 2024.
Joel, of course, has not been in retirement all this time, doing other projects, including his performances as part of a residency at Madison Square Garden in recent years. Seeing one of those performances takes one back in time as Joel puts on a great show with his deep catalog of popular hit songs.
So many are excited to see him releasing a new song. Although Joel usually wrote alone, the new song was co-written by Arthur Bacon, Wayne Hector and Freddy Wexler. “Turn the Lights Back On” is being initially promoted with a teaser trailer.
The trailer appears to provide some piano chords from the new song but not much more. But if you look closely, the trailer opens with Joel turning the page on a music book page with the song “Famous Last Words.” That song appeared on his last album, 1993’sRiver of Dreams, and included images of the end of a party with words about “And these are the last words I have to say / Before another age goes by.”
And so Billy Joel “returns” with a little flash of humor, referencing his lyrics from more than thirty years about about ending his run after not having more to say. But even that song let us know that the pop songwriter with so many hit songs might return another day, another time.
These are the last words I have to say, That’s why it took so long to write; There will be other words some other day, But that’s the story of my life.
At this point, we do not know if there will be additional music forthcoming (might we wish for an album?) or if this release will just be the one song. Either way, it is a nice treat to look forward to from one of the great American pop songwriters. We’re all in the mood for a melody, and this piano man has us feelin’ alright.
The documentary “Little Richard: I Am Everything” tells the story of rock and roll legend Richard Penniman, embracing the contradictions of a complicated person.
LITTLE RICHARD at Wrigley Fields, Los Angeles, 2 September 1956
Surprisingly, director Lisa Cortés’ documentary Little Richard: I Am Everything (2023) was recently passed over by Oscar voters, failing to make the shortlist of contenders for best documentary feature. One may speculate as to a number of reasons it may have failed to garner more support — ranging from early appearances on co-producer CNN’s channel to the challenges of covering such a well-known person. But the important thing is that you should watch the film, available streaming on sources such as Amazon Prime.
Little Richard: I Am Everything in the time provided does an excellent job of telling the story of Richard Penniman, one of the most important figures in the history of Rock and Roll. The film does not attempt to tell a linear story of every event in Little Richard’s life, but it puts together the story in an interesting fashion to help convey Little Richard’s talents and the contradictions throughout his life.
The movie features famous musicians, family members, and Black and queer scholars to piece together the ups and downs of Little Richard’s life and career. The tale shows Little Richard not only as a musical icon, but as an important figure in Black and queer history, even as Little Richard himself struggled with his own sexuality and his music at various times in his life.
As director Cortés states in the press kit for the film, “Tracing Richard Wayne Penniman’s path from 1930s Macon, Georgia through underground Black drag clubs to segregated concert halls and international fame, the film rejects simplification, giving Little Richard his due both as a revolutionary and as a deeply conflicted artist navigating tensions of race and sexuality more heated today than during his rise.”
At various points, including near the end of his life, Little Richard chose a faith that he felt required him to renounce the music and sexuality he had embraced. Watching clips of Little Richard so full of life on stage during his rock and roll years, it can be difficult to see him near the end of his life when he no longer appreciated what he had accomplished. When asked about the turn of events in Little Richard’s life, one of the commentators profoundly replies that an ending does not dictate the full significance of a person’s life.
That is true for all of us, but especially true in the case of someone like Little Richard, whose life continues to resonate and whose music still brings great joy.
Photo courtesy via Magnolia Pictures.What did you think of Little Richard: I Am Everything? Leave your two cents in the comments.
