The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #162741   Message #3877155
Posted By: Merritt
15-Sep-17 - 12:23 AM
Thread Name: Inappropriate Songs
Subject: RE: Inappropriate Songs
+1 sometimes songs are inappropriate for a particular reason with a particular group of people.

When I lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA I picked up occasional gigs at various clinics run by the Veterans Administration (VA) of the federal govt. It was pretty much plug & play - the staff would set up a mediocre but serviceable sound system (almost always a Yamaha StagePass 300), I'd bring in a couple of guitars, etc. Altho there was very little info ahead of each performance, the audiences were consistently groups of older guys, a few from WWII, many who fought in the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. I played songs from the 1920s-1970s.

One day I showed up for an afternoon gig and it was a different sort of group with about 50 guys I'm guessing in the 20-60 age range. Thinking little of it, I set up and launched into Ain't Nobody's Business, "Champagne don't make me lazy, whiskey it doesn't make me crazy. They say candy is candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker and if you drink all the liquor down Costa Rica,...." A guy wearing a tie, more of a formal outfit than the vets, came running out of the back of the room, shouting "No, no, no, no!", waving his arms. I immediately stopped playing/singing. Apparently, this was a group in recovery from alcoholism and a variety of drug addictions - lyrics to be limited accordingly. News to me, I pointed out - but was definitely shook up. I looked at my playlist mentally crossing out another 7 or 8 songs. So, let's see, Memphis Slim's Beer Drinking Woman definitely not happening... I got through the gig but thereafter always asked about my audience when the VA called.