Here's a great road trip playlist for you. Most of these are songs we sang drunkenly at the top of our lungs late one night when Vance, Ginny and I decided to drive to Amarillo in 1977 in his Chevy LUV. There was no radio reception East or Moriarty, NM, so we had to entertain ourselves. Ginny fell asleep, though I can't imagine how with that caterwauling racket. As with our trip to Memphis, we never made it to our destination.We've discussed this trip elsewhere.
I'm old now, memory fails at time (or just makes life sweeter) and it's possible some of these songs were not sung, but I'm pretty sure at least three quarters of them were. London Homesick Blues was the themesong from Austin City Limits, so I'm pretty sure that was in the mix. Up Against the Wall Redneck Mother, Willin, and Cosmic Cowboy were also pretty surely on our set list. Note that the names in parentheses after the artist's names indicate the original artist who wrote/performed the song. Jerry Jeff Walker was a great proponent of his fellow Texas Singer-Songwriters.
Late 70's Roadtrip to Amarillo____________________
London Homesick Blues - Jerry Jeff Walker (Gary P. Nunn)
Drop Kick Me Jesus - Bobby Bare
Third Rate Romance - Amazing Rhythm Aces
Up Against The Wall Redneck Mother - Jerry Jeff Walker (Ray Wylie Hubbard)
Lyin' Eyes - Eagles
Coming into Los Angeles - Arlo Guthrie
Margaritaville - Jimmy Buffett
Why Don't We Get Drunk and Screw? - Jimmy Buffett
Can't You See - Marshall Tucker
Cosmic Cowboy - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (Michael Martin Murphy)
L.A. Freeway - Jerry Jeff Walker (Guy Clark)
Willin' - Little Feet
Panama Red - New Riders of the Purple Sage
Rocky Top - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Luckenbach Texas (Back to the Basics)- Waylon Jennings
I'm going to see if I can't get all these set up as links to Grooveshark at some point so you can get the true experience.
"Can't you see" was most definiatly on the list. As Ginny slept, I kept looking at Rick, singing, 'can't you see what this woman is doing to me?'.And "Why don't we get drunk and screw" was there for sure. (No, I wasn't singing to Rick.) The best road trip is NEVER planned; it happens on a whim. *See previous post: What a Drag, I think. All road trips are great, it's just you sometimes don't understand why until much later.And when you do a road trip on the fly from Albuquerque, Amarillo just seems a natural. Another road trip that Rick was not present on was a trip to El Paso with Tom and Randy. We left the HILL at 9:30 pm or so and went our seperate ways to get supplies for the weekend. We reconviened and set out for El Paso in Toms land barge. We were ladened with several types of 'smoke' and beverages. When we arrived in El Paso the first hotel desk clerk at the Hoilday Inn refused service to us. At 5:00am and us looking like death warmed over, I was appalled. Imagin, someone actually used the little sign behind the counter that says, "we reserve the right to refuse service." I flashed my wad of folding money saying, "this ain't good enough for you?" I guess is wasn't. The Travel Lodge became our lair for the weekend. Aside from the room table being thrown from our 6th story balcony into the pool and a couple of .22 cal. rounds shot into the side of the building, I'd say it was a nice stay. Oh, except for being ripped off by a nine fingered man who sold us fake blotter and being pulled over at the Boarder and having the car searched by a Mexican police dog, no problems. If road trips were a drag back then, why do I remember every detail like it was yesterday?
ReplyDeleteOne of my funner ones was actually solo in around 1984 or so. It was when Skip and Danny who owned the Hofbrau had bought a bar in Telluride (The Crystal Palace?) and shipped a bunch of employees up there to work and live. I was drinking in the Hofbrau and decided to drive up there. Left about 8:30 pm and got to Telluride with plenty of drinking time to go. Crashed at the ex-wife's crib.
ReplyDeleteF... me! Telluride! I only wanted to go there my whole life! I never knew you went there.
ReplyDeleteWriters note*
Tellurides name derived and was shortened when early miners and such would ride to this camp so far up in the mountains they said the trip was "to hell you ride." Fact or fiction, I don't know. But for Moonpie, the story tells well.
And for Rick to get there with plenty of time to drink, he had to be hauling ass.
Well, it WAS in the fall. Not like I went skiing there. It is a pretty town, especially driving into it at night. It's like You are looking DOWN at the stars.
ReplyDeleteYou know what? It WASN'T Telluride. It was Durango. I just remembered.
ReplyDeleteLast night I was at a Superbowl party up the street. We all got a little into our cups. I got a little more in mine than I have in several years.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, the hostess's step-dad, who is probably close to my age, was there. Toward the end of the evening,when we should have been watching the exciting finish of the game he whips out his iPod, hands me an earplug, and puts on Jerry Jeff Walker. Yes, JERRY FUCKING JEFF WALKER. And we're singing along at the top of our lungs to "Up Against the Wall Redneck Mother," and "London Homesick Blues."
It was a little surreal because I had pulled out my iPod (but without earphones) and I kept looking up songs and I'd press play, but they wouldn't. Or then they'd be playing, but I hadn't selected them. It was like a dream.
Anyway, I told him all about the roadtrip and singing the songs.
Bravo, 'ol chap! Bravo!
ReplyDelete