True Love Is The Devil's Crowbar

Occasionally I consider the importance to leave the boys with the impression that their Dad has a lot of thoughtful concerns and spends much of his time finding ways to make the world better.
It's not always sarcasm, bad jokes (well, my jokes are never bad) and reporting on recent events.
Unfortunately, I don't have many deep thoughts, and besides trying to remember where the cookies are, I don't go much further than that.

However for the purpose of this blog, for setting a historical record for my boys, it's important that I make the effort. But first I'll go see a show.

X with Ray Manzarek. 28 years ago I went to a show at the Concord Pavilion on Friday the 13th. On December 29, Manzarek plays with them again.
In 1982 it was supposed to be a show where X, recently signed from a tiny independent label, Slash Records to Elektra/Warner- would be making it to the commercial big time. It didn't happen.
The place was only 1/2 full, it was a cold night but the band, despite an obvious disappointment played hard. I always wished I had a picture of the bill on the marquee as one half was X Friday/13 and the other, Sat/14 Englebert Humperdinck. While mainstream radio would never accept X, their work and influence has made it possible for them to continually regroup and tour. Their first four albums, Los Angeles, Wild Gift, Under the Big Black Sun, More Fun in the New World are all excellent albums. For a good essay and reviews of their work, see allmusic.com.
And a good interview by Terry Gross with John Doe, Fresh Air archives on Npr.org.



Rockabilly? Rock? Punk rock? I always thought of the band as a blues band who wrote about the darker themes of love and relationships but with a sense of humor. Music that went bang, with the distinctively unique harmonies of John Doe and Exene Cervenka. The killer rhythm of DJ Bonebrake's heavy precision and Billy Zoom's mythic guitar playing; legs spread 3 feet apart, silver jacket, wicked smile, piercing glare and winks for the audience, even if he thought much of the adulation was idiotic.

Any art is distinctive by its own composition and craft but also serves as comfort for us in our time of need. A friend. The blues we can relate to, sharing the pain of others and their weathering of life's difficulties connecting us with the possibility to do the same. We are not alone. Headphones at midnight and driving to X shows all over the bay area were tops on my agenda from '82-'87. It will be important for myself as a parent to not disregard the choices the boys make- I might encourage or attempt to steer them in some directions but whatever they listen to will have its own validity, even if it supercedes my understanding of the choice. Please remind me that i wrote that five years from now.

As solo artists or as the Knitters, the members of X perform at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass but tonight, back for an annual concert in SF (always have a big following here) and with Ray Manzarek, keyboardist for the Doors, and producer of their first four albums. I look forward to his extended solo on The World's A Mess (It's In My Kiss). Tonight, I won't be breaking up any fights, avoiding a 300 pound drunk man as he plows through the crowd, watching Bill Graham's security people pound on fans jumping on the stage, running up to the balcony at the theater in Petulama to guzzle whatever bottle of liquor Diane had (because you couldn't drink downstairs)...no, i'll be relaxed, looking for a seat, enjoying the show as I did when the Kabuki had live music, and maybe thinking about what was, what isn't, and thankful for what is.