Category: Music

A Coen Brothers Movie About Dave Van Ronk?

Dave Von Ronk Mayor of MacDougal Street
Reports are going around, including from the Los Angeles Times, that the Coen Brothers plan to make a movie loosely based on 1950s-1960s folk-singer Dave Van Ronk and the New York folk scene. It will be great to see the Coens creating another movie based around great music like O Brother Where Art Thou?

If you watched Martin Sorsese’s documentary about Bob Dylan, No Direction Home, you might recall that one of the most interesting interviewees in the movie was Dave Van Ronk. Van Ronk was a folk singer in Greenwich Village during the 1960s, and he was a friend and supporter to many of the singers who would go on to more fame than he achieved, such as Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott. Van Ronk passed away in 2002 while he was working on a memoir, which was then completed by his collaborator Elijah Wald. The book, which will be used by the Coens, is titled after one of Van Ronk’s nicknames, The Mayor Of MacDougal Street.

One of Van Ronk’s classic recordings is of the song ‘Green Rocky Road.”

When I go by Baltimore,
Ain’t no carpet on the floor.
Come along and follow me;
Must go down to Galilee,
Singin’ green, green rocky road,
Promenade in’ green;
Tell me who ya love,
Tell me who ya love.

[UPDATE:  The movie became Inside Llewyn Davis (2013).]

What do you think about the plans of the Coen Brothers? Who should play the Van Ronk character in the movie? Leave a comment.

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    Jimmy Soul on Happiness

    On June 25 in 1988, singer Jimmy Soul died of a heart attack at the age of 45. Who was Jimmy Soul, you ask? He had a short career in music, starting off as a gospel singer as a teenager and then had a huge hit with a calypso-sounding song rejected by Gary U.S. Bonds. The song, “If You Wanna Be Happy” went on to become a number one song in 1963. Unfortunately, he never had a hit song again, and he gave up his music career to join the army.

    Jimmy Soul In case the title does not ring any bells for you, the lyrics go:

    If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life,
    Never make a pretty woman your wife;
    So from my personal point of view,
    Get an ugly girl to marry you.

    The hit song was a version of a previously recorded Calypso song, “Ugly Woman.” I doubt the song is politically correct these days. But I’m not sure how anyone can hear it without smiling at least a little and wanting to get up and dance. You can see it here in this final scene from the movie Mermaids (1990), starring Cher, Winona Ryder, and a very young Christina Ricci in her first movie role. So, if you wanna be happy, just put on Soul’s one big hit song.

    Bonus “If You Wanna Be Happy” Information: Although nobody tops Jimmy Soul’s version of the song, actor Robert Mitchum did an interesting take on the song, entitled “From a Logical Point of View.” Yes, I actually own Robert Mitchum’s calypso CD. On several places around the Internet, several people incorrectly list the singer of Jimmy Soul’s version as The Coasters, including on some YouTube clips. Although The Coasters did not record the hit “If You Wanna Be Happy,” they had several other big hits, including “Yakety Yak” and “Charlie Brown.” The lead singer of the Coasters, Carl Gardner, passed away less than two weeks ago on June 13. Rest in peace.

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    Somebody to Love

    Writer Christopher Hitchens tells a great story about the playwright and activist Lillian Hellman. Late in her life, she was speaking at a college and someone asked her why, considering all of her activist work, she had not been a vocal advocate for gay rights. As the elderly Hellman leaned on her cane and looked through her thick glasses, she explained, “The forms of f**king do not require my endorsement.”

    Tonight, though, the New York Senate considered whether to endorse gay marriage, moments ago passing a bill that allows it. The New York Assembly had already passed the bill, which will now go to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo who announced he will sign the bill. So, it appears New York will become the sixth and largest state to legalize gay marriage. The law, of course, is landmark legislation considering the history of discrimination, including the Stonewall Rebellion that began in New York City forty-two years ago this coming Monday when police raided a gay nightclub.

    I realize that people are divided on the issue, and many of us have views on gay marriage that have changed over time, just like Republican NY Sen. Mark Grisanti, who talked about his change on the NY Senate floor. But whatever you think about whether such things should require approval, you cannot deny that everyone needs somebody to love.


    In the above video, Freddie Mercury and Queen perform “Somebody to Love” off of A Day at the Races (1976). Mercury was recently voted the second greatest singer of all time in an NME Magazine poll and voted the best in a radio poll.

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    Glen Campbell: Gentle On Our Minds

    Today, Glen Campbell’s representative announced that the singer has Alzheimer’s disease and will be making his final tour later this year. Campbell’s wife Kim explained that they wanted fans to know about the illness in case it affected his performances on stage.

    Glen Campbell Gentle On My Mind

    On August 30, Campbell is releasing a new album, Ghost On The Canvas, featuring Jakob Dylan, Paul Westerberg, Chris Isaak, and Billy Corgan. While it has been a long time since I listened to new music by him, I am still fond of several of his classic songs from earlier in his career. I remember watching his television show, and of course, he was in the original True Grit. So, our wishes and prayers go out to him and his family through this time in his life.

    My favorite Glen Campbell song used to be “Rhinestone Cowboy,” but as I have aged, I have grown more fond of “Gentle on My Mind.” Maybe you prefer “Wichita Lineman” or “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” or another song. But in later years as I have listened more closely to the lyrics of “Gentle on My Mind,” I have discovered an unusual poetry in their words (“I dip my cup of soup back from a gurglin’ cracklin’ cauldron”). Although the song was written by John Hartford (who was inspired by the film Doctor Zhivago), Campbell’s delivery of the song about a wandering man’s memories of a lost or abandoned love reveals a true talent conveying complex emotions in a pop song.

    Though the wheat fields and the clothes lines,
    And the junkyards and the highways come between us;
    And some other woman’s cryin’ to her mother
    ’cause she turned and I was gone;
    I still might run in silence,
    Tears of joy might stain my face,
    And the summer sun might burn me till I’m blind;
    But not to where I cannot see
    You walkin’ on the back roads
    By the rivers flowin’ gentle on my mind.

    “Gentle on My Mind” was the title song off Campbell’s sixth album, which was also his first hit album. The single, though, was not a hit at the time, but it has earned a classic status over the years. The song has been recorded by greats like Elvis Presley, Lucinda Williams, and Dean Martin. But Campbell’s recording will always be what we associate with the song. His version keeps me ever smiling and remains gentle on my mind.

    What is your favorite Glen Campbell song? Leave a comment.

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    New Clarence Clemons Video Featuring Lady Gaga

    Lady Gaga While recently talking to my mom on the phone, she blurted out, “I really like that Lady Gaga.” After recovering from the surprise that my mom even had heard of Lady Gaga, I listened to my mom’s explanation. My mom had seen Lady Gaga on several talk shows and was impressed with her as a person and her devotion to her fans, i.e., Little Monsters.

    Regular readers of Chimesfreedom have probably already figured out that we are fans of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Considering some of the music featured in this blog so far, one might think we turn up our nose at current popular music. But while E Street Band member Clarence Clemons has been in the news, we also have been listening to some of Clemons’s recent work on Lady Gaga’s new album, Born This Way.

    Last week, Lady Gaga released a new video for “Edge of Glory,” and it is great to see Clemons playing in the video. We are excited that Lady Gaga gave Clemons a new fan base, and we are touched that Lady Gaga and her Little Monsters made a sincere video for the ailing Big Man before he passed away.

    I recently suggested “Edge of Glory” to a musician friend who is a Springsteen fan, but he immediately rejected the song without listening to it because it was by Lady Gaga. A number of people have written nasty comments under the video on YouTube too. But sometimes popular music is popular for a reason. Ever since I first heard Lady Gaga and Clarence Clemons perform “Edge of Glory” on American Idol, I have had the song on repeat play on my iPod. It is an excellent song, reminding us how much we will miss Clemons. While I have enjoyed Lady Gaga’s music in the past, her work with Clarence Clemons and the thoughtfulness of the get-well video increased my respect for her. I guess sometimes one’s 70+ year-old mom knows more than one’s hip young friends.

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