speed of dark

New Orleans has always been a place of idiosynchratic charm and magical character. I lived there in the early 70's when I was single and could go to a concert on the whim of the moment. The best and most common venue was a huge place called simply The Warehouse, which was down in the industrial section of the city on Tchoupitoulas Street near the River. It was, in fact, just a warehouse, originally built in the 1850's to store cotton and coffee before it was shipped north or south. A bar and restrooms had been constructed across one corner of the otherwise open space, and a stage across the opposite corner. In lieu of seating, pieces of carpet were thrown down in the vast spaces between the wooden columns that supported the roof. Unairconditioned, unheated and without ventilation, it could hold as many as 3,500 people.

That's where I saw Elton John in his Tumbleweed Connection days, Rod Stewart and the Small Faces, and Cat Stevens, to name a few. This is the place that the Grateful Dead played just before the famous bust they documented in the song, "Truckin'." The last concert there was in 1982, and the building was demolished in 1989.

However of all these bands, my most memorable Warehouse experience was when I went with a couple of friends to see Captain Beefheart. I had a Beefheart album, although I was not a huge fan. I was just going because I had nothing else to do that night. The opening act turned out to be a handsome, dark-haired young man only a couple of years older than me. And man-oh-man, could he play that guitar. I was awestruck, watching him. He stood so tall and straight on the stage, tenderly holding the instrument, and when he stroked it--Wow! the sounds it made! The idea came into my mind that he was making love to it. To the guitar. And oh, how I wanted to BE that guitar. That is exactly the moment when guitar music and sex become bound together permanently for me, and so it remains.

The young man was Ry Cooder. Time has faded the details of that night. I have no idea what he played, except I'm pretty sure he played "Goin' to Brownsville," which is on his first album. What has lasted is the deep impression that it made in my musical taste. Very soon after that concert, I bought his second and third albums: Into the Purple Valley and Boomer's Story. I had spent my childhood in the South avoiding country music like it carried the germs of redneckedness. Now suddenly I was enthralled by music of the true country kind, the songs of dust-bowl farmers and the Depression era.

How Can You Keep On Moving unless you migrate too)?" and "Taxes on the Farmer Feeds Us All" (from Into the Purple Valley)--these are songs of dark times in United States history. They display the resilience and humor that enabled people to endure unimaginable wretchedness. Boomer's Story continues in a similar but bluesier vein and introduces "The Dark End of the Street," which Linda Ronstadt would cover on Heart Like a Wheel (1974).

There is no comparison in my experience for the mandolin plucking on "Billy the Kid," and the deepest bass note ever sung on "Crow Black Chicken" makes me laugh. But it's that exquisite blues slide on all three of these examples that really sucks me in. "Boomer's Story" epitomizes the ultimate hobo lament: "Just dig my grave beside the railroad so I can hear the trains go by." Many more talented writers than I am have dissected Cooder's skills and the origins of the music, and there are many sites with Cooder's complete biography. There is no point in my trying to repeat that information; all I can add to the story is how it has impacted me.

Billy the Kid from Into the Purple Valley (1971) -- lyrics

From Boomer's Story (1972)
Boomer's Story -- lyrics
Crow Black Chicken

Ry Cooder has had a long and illustrious career, releasing many albums and movie sound tracks that bear his unmistakable sound, and introducing the mainstream public to many fine musicians who would not otherwise be known. He seems to me like a man who has managed to do what so many of us have not--live his dream and allow what he loves best to lead him wherever it will. His latest release was 2005's Chavez Ravine, and he reportedly will release a new album in 2007 called My Name Is Buddy, the story of a cat who travels the world. I like cats.

For an excellent overview of Ry Cooder's music and career, I encourage you to read this scrupulously researched and well-written post from September 2005 on Jeff Ito's blog.

Buy at amazon and iTunes
Bios: wikipedia telecaster
Here is a website for learning some of Ry Cooder's easier guitar chords.