Townes Van Zandt - 66th birthday

Subject: Townes Van Zandt
From: GUEST,David E.
Date: 07 Mar 10 - 09:30 PM

Today would have been Townes' 66th birthday and I don't recall him getting a lot of buzz around Mudcat, not that I've been around here that long myself, but there must be Townes fans here. Townes is my absolute favorite songwriter and the mark I always aim for. "Nah... Townes wouldn't settle for a rhyme like that." Keeps one humble. Anyway, anyone here have a Townes story to share?

David E.

PS-This is the first time I have started a thread, hope it works out okay.

Subject: RE: Townes Van Zandt
From: catspaw49
Date: 07 Mar 10 - 09:36 PM

Hi David......CLICK HERE for a TVZ thread and then note all the others linked at the top. We have talked about him a time or two but he's always a good topic!

Spaw {;<))

Subject: RE: Townes Van Zandt
From: GUEST,Russ
Date: 07 Mar 10 - 09:45 PM

A great songwriter indeed.

I mostly do old time, but a couple of his songs have snuck into my repertoire.

Russ (Permanent GUEST)

Subject: RE: Townes Van Zandt
From: olddude
Date: 07 Mar 10 - 10:03 PM

RAKE   - oh my gosh goes right to the soul

Subject: RE: Townes Van Zandt
From: Janie
Date: 07 Mar 10 - 10:14 PM

I was recently gifted with a DVD of Heartworn Highway.   Some very good early documentary footage of him and his cohorts.

Subject: RE: Townes Van Zandt
From: GUEST,David E.
Date: 07 Mar 10 - 11:11 PM

Thanks so much for the link to the past posts. I knew there had to be something 'round these parts.

David E.

Subject: RE: Townes Van Zandt
From: open mike
Date: 07 Mar 10 - 11:38 PM

as i recall his son did a documentary movie on him not long ago..
http://www.townesvanzandt.com/
http://www.townesvanzandt.com/documentary.html

and just yesterday i was watching a video of nanci griffith that
had a clip of him saying he like her cover of his song...i think
i found the you tube link connected to a yodeling thread on here
(where Don Edwards and Nanci were singing Night Rider's Lament)
I will see if i can re-locate it.

she starts out "my middle name is Caroline" Tecumseh Valley here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXMTq9hJ3Ow&feature=channel

here is Townes singing that song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rq5GsZHd0Y

(did you know that Lupe and Lil from the song If I Needed You
were parakeets?)

Subject: RE: Townes Van Zandt - 66th birthday
From: GUEST,bankley
Date: 08 Mar 10 - 09:10 AM

I love his songs... man he influenced a lot of writers esp. from Texas,
Clark, Earle, Ely, Gilmour... Steve did a tribute album for him last year which earned a Grammy...

"For each exquisite beauty there is strangeness in the proportion" A.Pope

Subject: RE: Townes Van Zandt - 66th birthday
From: Dan Schatz
Date: 08 Mar 10 - 12:06 PM

Townes had a huge influence on my writing - I'm the one who added what Townes songs there are to the Digital Tradition. I saw him a few times in concert - once when he was just perfect, and once when he collapsed a few songs into the second set. This was a man who did not treat himself well, emotionally or physically.

Hard to believe he'd be 66 today.

Dan

Subject: RE: Townes Van Zandt - 66th birthday
From: catspaw49
Date: 08 Mar 10 - 12:23 PM

My favorite part of the docu is where Townes explains that he has no idea of how or why he wrote "Pancho and Lefty" and then goes on to say he also has no idea what it means!   My kind of guy. I did find a website where they were parsing the song and explaining the meaning of each line.

I was able to copy the first verse with detailed explanations for each line from that website where they seem to be doing research on the song. Here's the first verse I copied and the website with a blue clicky hot link provided:

Livin' on the road, my friend was gonna keep you free and clean
TVZ believed that a life without soap wasn't worth living and since the best soaps came from many far away places, a life on the road would be needed to avail oneself of all the possibilities. There is also some reasonably certain probability that the mention of "free" had something to do with TVZ's fear of living in houses. His boyhood home was destroyed when the neighboring condom factory exploded and coated the whole place in latex.
But now you wear your skin like iron
Van Zandt now alleges that his central character failed miserably in finding any soap at all and now after years of weathering his skin was in pretty bad shape.
And your breath's as hard as kerosene
Plus he was in dire need of toothpaste and a dentist as well
You weren't your mama's only boy
While this was true, he was the only one born with balls the size of cantelopes which required immediate surgery
But her favorite one, it seems
This was because the baby had a willie to match which they didn't operate on
She began to cry when you said goodbye
Mom had been long into the incestuous relationship which would prove to be very detrimental to her son's mental health. While she dreamed of a porn star future for him, all he could think of was how great it would be taking a piss without stepping on his dick. His dream was surgery
And sank into your dreams
He vowed to save all he could for that glorious day when penis reduction surgery would be possible.


For more info click the link and go to www.tvzwuzzadoofusandurallfucktup.com


Spaw

Subject: RE: Townes Van Zandt - 66th birthday
From: olddude
Date: 08 Mar 10 - 01:31 PM

SPAW !!!! PRICELESS!!!! LOL


I also read he was one abusive SOB ..... but that takes nothing away from his writing or performance for sure

Subject: RE: Townes Van Zandt - 66th birthday
From: mkebenn
Date: 08 Mar 10 - 05:16 PM

"Whiskey is my death bed
tell's me where to lay my head.
not with me is all she said