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Thursday, March 03, 2005
Billy Joe Shaver . . .
Just when things seem to be going OK . . . you've heard it all before!
Anyways here's a story hot off the Tennessean's presses (sure to excite the vital organs of any 60+ year-old) and posted to the wonderful P2 list by the unquestioned country music "gonzo" writer hisself, Jeff Wall:
Things might get Kinky at Billy Joe's nuptials
Texas alt-country king Billy Joe Shaver, 65, has a new album, a new DVD, an upcoming 60 Minutes segment, a new book and a new wife?
Indeed. But let's start with the music.
You might recall half of Texas' musicians gathered for a 65th
birthday party for Billy Joe, so starting May 17, you'll be able to
hear Robert Earl Keen, Bruce Robison, Kelly Willis and others sing on A Tribute to Billy Joe Shaver - Live.
The DVD documentary, The Portrait of Billy Joe, directed by Robert Duvall, comes out soon, as does his University of Texas-published book, Honky Tonk Hero.
Billy Joe has had a rough six years, years that include losing his wife after a long bout with breast cancer, and losing a son to drugs. That will be part of an interview he did with Dan Rather for a 60 Minutes piece in April or May.
And then there's the new wife, a 30-something woman he met at a
restaurant, a woman who doesn't listen to country music, who had
never heard of Billy Joe Shaver.
The wedding happens April 8 in Texas, and though Billy Joe is very much a born-again Christian, Kinky Friedman, who once fronted a band called the Texas Jewboys, will very much be a part of the wedding.
By the way, Billy Joe met his intended bride, Joanne Gray, a hospice nurse, only two months ago.
He told me yesterday: 'Things need to happen in a hurry at my age.'
As Kinky might say, mazel tov!
Wall's footnote: She's actually 43. Her daddy is an ex-marine who won the Congressional Medal of Honor and is in the oil bidness. I talked to him twice yesterday and he's happier than I have EVER heard him.
. . . and here's a pic of Robert Duvall and Billy Joe at the recent launch of the abovementioned DVD:
PROMISES, PROMISES . . .
Yeah, I know is was gunner do this and gunner do that but a few things got in the way. If I remember right, I was heading off to see Corb Lund at a local Jazz venue almost two weeks ago. I made it but it was such a strange night I decided to thrill you both with a long and unnecessarily detailed description of the whole shebang. Suffice to say I became so bored with my own verbosity I lost interest just about the time I was about to review Lund's performance. In short, the evening was sponsored by the Canadian Consulate in Australia to promote Canadian music. I'm so impressed with the many Canadian singer/songwriters I've come up against in the past so I thought this guy would put on a good show. He did. BUT!! Note to the Canadian Consul: If you're going to throw these things for free, you could easily go the whole hog and throw in the booze for nothing as well - especially if the main act is not coming on until 11.30 at night and your faithful patrons have been indulging in drinks across the bar at $6.50 a pop for a good three hours!
Anyway, Lund is no doubt an accomplished honky tonker and a sweet singer with an edge . . . also a fine writer and he appears to have the ability to get a crowd going. So why wasn't this crowd dancin' in the aisles? Personally, I think it was a combination of the venue's sound system (not loud enough for a decent rockin' country band) and the seemingly endless support acts, ranging from a lovely young pianist/singer to a straight folk singer back to the lovely young thing with a couple of harmonisers (all Canadian, of course!). All this while we're consuming next week's rent! I'd go see Lund and his band anytime or anywhere as long as they were being true honky tonkers getting stuck into the booze with us but definitely NOT at the Side On Cafe.
Here's photo of Corb Lund (guitar/vocal) and his band at a gig somewhere in Texas a while back . . .
Anyways here's a story hot off the Tennessean's presses (sure to excite the vital organs of any 60+ year-old) and posted to the wonderful P2 list by the unquestioned country music "gonzo" writer hisself, Jeff Wall:
Things might get Kinky at Billy Joe's nuptials
Texas alt-country king Billy Joe Shaver, 65, has a new album, a new DVD, an upcoming 60 Minutes segment, a new book and a new wife?
Indeed. But let's start with the music.
You might recall half of Texas' musicians gathered for a 65th
birthday party for Billy Joe, so starting May 17, you'll be able to
hear Robert Earl Keen, Bruce Robison, Kelly Willis and others sing on A Tribute to Billy Joe Shaver - Live.
The DVD documentary, The Portrait of Billy Joe, directed by Robert Duvall, comes out soon, as does his University of Texas-published book, Honky Tonk Hero.
Billy Joe has had a rough six years, years that include losing his wife after a long bout with breast cancer, and losing a son to drugs. That will be part of an interview he did with Dan Rather for a 60 Minutes piece in April or May.
And then there's the new wife, a 30-something woman he met at a
restaurant, a woman who doesn't listen to country music, who had
never heard of Billy Joe Shaver.
The wedding happens April 8 in Texas, and though Billy Joe is very much a born-again Christian, Kinky Friedman, who once fronted a band called the Texas Jewboys, will very much be a part of the wedding.
By the way, Billy Joe met his intended bride, Joanne Gray, a hospice nurse, only two months ago.
He told me yesterday: 'Things need to happen in a hurry at my age.'
As Kinky might say, mazel tov!
Wall's footnote: She's actually 43. Her daddy is an ex-marine who won the Congressional Medal of Honor and is in the oil bidness. I talked to him twice yesterday and he's happier than I have EVER heard him.
. . . and here's a pic of Robert Duvall and Billy Joe at the recent launch of the abovementioned DVD:
PROMISES, PROMISES . . .
Yeah, I know is was gunner do this and gunner do that but a few things got in the way. If I remember right, I was heading off to see Corb Lund at a local Jazz venue almost two weeks ago. I made it but it was such a strange night I decided to thrill you both with a long and unnecessarily detailed description of the whole shebang. Suffice to say I became so bored with my own verbosity I lost interest just about the time I was about to review Lund's performance. In short, the evening was sponsored by the Canadian Consulate in Australia to promote Canadian music. I'm so impressed with the many Canadian singer/songwriters I've come up against in the past so I thought this guy would put on a good show. He did. BUT!! Note to the Canadian Consul: If you're going to throw these things for free, you could easily go the whole hog and throw in the booze for nothing as well - especially if the main act is not coming on until 11.30 at night and your faithful patrons have been indulging in drinks across the bar at $6.50 a pop for a good three hours!
Anyway, Lund is no doubt an accomplished honky tonker and a sweet singer with an edge . . . also a fine writer and he appears to have the ability to get a crowd going. So why wasn't this crowd dancin' in the aisles? Personally, I think it was a combination of the venue's sound system (not loud enough for a decent rockin' country band) and the seemingly endless support acts, ranging from a lovely young pianist/singer to a straight folk singer back to the lovely young thing with a couple of harmonisers (all Canadian, of course!). All this while we're consuming next week's rent! I'd go see Lund and his band anytime or anywhere as long as they were being true honky tonkers getting stuck into the booze with us but definitely NOT at the Side On Cafe.
Here's photo of Corb Lund (guitar/vocal) and his band at a gig somewhere in Texas a while back . . .
