This is just a short post. Think of it as a musical interlude.
“I Wanna Be Adored” feels like a cold winter evening, a cool spring morning, ice crystals, fresh green grass.
It feels like a clear, beautiful moment. I want to savor it, so I listen to it over and over and over again.
Oh, man. I wish I’d been at Spike Island. At the concert, I mean — not at the chemical factory.
Bob Wills did for country music what Joe Strummer did for punk rock.
A blend of genres, styles, flavors — the process of amalgamation and unending blending defined the work of both musicians. Strummer and The Clash made reggae-punk-ska-world-disco hits, and western swing was a honky-tonk heaven with pianos, big-band trumpets, and quirky, silly ad-libs. (The same way that Young Thug uses his voice as an instrument, Bob Wills did something innovative with his corny (but fun!) quips.)
These artists both tried something fresh and different, something fun and enduring. Is Western swing the punk rock of country? That’s a question for a musicologist or a music theorist. In the meantime, I’m just enjoying some really, really great songs.
Jamais Mayville