Journal Entries
Motel Blues - The work of Loudon Wainwright III
Posted Jan 12, 2000
Although many people believe that the era of true folk-rock singer-songwriters is over, there are some gems left. One of these, and most probably the greatest of them all, is Loudon Wainwright III from Westchester County New York.
Loudon started singing in the mid-sixties and was regarded as somewhat of a sex-symbol 
When he went solo a year or so later he sang a lot of Bob Dylan songs and even won some Dylan imitation shows... Although Loudon has been compared to Bob Dylan numerous times there is no real similarity at all.
Consider this : Dylan's voice is very unclear whereas Loudon can be heard and understood in the whole concerthall.
Furthermore Bob Dylan used to write very cryptic lyrics while Loudon's greatest strength lies in the fact that he writes about everyday-life(although it is usually a bit of a twisted everyday-life).
Loudon was married several times. Amongst others he was married to Kate MacGarrigle, perhaps best known for the monster-hit she scored with her sister (Complainte pour St. Catharine).
His oldest son Rufus is now also steadily on the way of becoming a well-respected artist. He released his first album in 1998 and it was met with great critical acclaim.
___________________________________________________________________
Loudon has written songs about babies, drunks, drugs, airports, sex, Hippies, Golfers, Grammy-winners, etcetera etcetera...
And yes, he can write brilliant serious songs as well :
"Long ago I hit you, we were in the car"
"You went crazy in the backseat, it had gone too far"
"And I pulled the auto over, hit you with all my might"
"And I knew right away that it was too hard, I'd never make it right"
Of course culminating in the final confession :
"These days things are awful between me and you"
"All we do is argue like two people who are through"
"I blame you, your friends, your school, your mother and MTV"
"Last night I almost hit you, that blame belongs to me"
(- Hitting You)
Of course to be really clear : Loudon usually works on the tearducts, mostly because you can't stop laughing...!
"Well it's three a.m., and so I creep"
"Around the house 'cause you're asleep"
"I can't sleep, I gotta smoke"
"I think I left some in my coat"
"No they're not there, but there's a chance"
"I left some in a packet in my pants"
"Bumped down the table, just below the belt"
"If you were a man baby you'd know how that felt"
"Just one thing I don't want to do"
"And that one thing is to wake up you"
"My hands are shaking, my brow it is damp"
"Bumped into the chair, knocked over the lamp"
"Bumped into the chair, knocked over the lamp..."
"Sure I know where some cigarettes are"
"But it's too cold outside to go to the car"
"I know this habit of mine, it's gotta be fed"
"I'm gonna get down I'm gonna scrounge around under the bed"
"Under the bed, down on the floor"
"Up on top baby I can hear you snore"
"Snore baby.....ooooooh"
"Snore baby.....ooooooh"
"Eureka ! I'm in luck"
"I found some matches and a crumpled butt"
"And just to show I love you"
"I'm not gonna look for an ashtray baby, I'm gonna use your shoe!"
"Well it's three a.m., and so I creep"
"Around the house 'cause you're asleep"
(-Nocturnal Stumblebutt)
After years of working the road around the clock Loudon has finally come to be recognized by more than the handfull who bought all of his records and went to every concert. Nowadays he performs at - for instance - The Paradiso in Amsterdam, he is a regular guest on BBC-television. Yes that's right, he is At Least as popular here as he is in the U.S.A. Not all artists have to die to be recognized...
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Recommended listening :
- Album I
- Album II
- A Live One
- Fame and Wealth
- Career Moves (live)
- History
____________________________________________________________________
"And I'd like to thank my producer, and Jesus Christ..."
Discuss this Journal entry [5]
Latest reply: Jan 12, 2000
Not An Official Entry Page !!!
Posted Jan 12, 2000
I wonder what has happened to all the official entries I sent to H2G2.... Maybe they have a Total Perspective Vortex at the office in London because they seem to disappear in a black hole...
And don't say I'm not patient because the first entry(which still has to be approved) is now 29 weeks old ! That is 7 months and 1 week !
I wonder why lots of entries have been accepted that were just weeks old and mine have not even been rejected ! Is there a conspiracy going on here...?
As I can't find an email-address to ask about this at H2G2 I hope to hear other peoples experiences. Maybe we can set up a list of the oldest not-yet-approved entries on H2G2 ?
Guide Entries by TowelMaster
Note : only more serious entries have been included, the first entries are usually no good and should be rejected.
A228278 My 2 cents worth...A Tought for Christmas... (4 weeks ago)
A223840 Into the third millennium...we still have a lot to learn...
A218369 www.h2g2.com : It's life Jim but not as we know it...
A187346 Peter Gabriel - The Garanteed Eternal Sanctuary Man
A126884 FTL and I'm stuck here. (24 weeks ago)
A93502 Stuck on an insignificant planet... (29 weeks ago)
Fortunately several of them were picked up by the H2G2-Post so they were not written entirely for nothing...
TM.
Discuss this Journal entry [37]
Latest reply: Jan 12, 2000
My two cents worth...A though for Christmas
Posted Dec 14, 1999
As Christmas is drawing near we may be reminded of the dark side of the world we live in. The charities are fully functional and collecting money for their good causes as fast as they can because they will either see a human who doesn't care, a human who 'already gave' or a human who empties his pocket right there on the spot.
I want to confess here that I have a personal favourite good charity and that's what I want to talk about : UNICEF. You've heard of it and if not : UNICEF is THE good charity for kids. That's right : children.
I admit it is one charity that does not pass by my door without my attention. If only to give a couple of bucks, you know : my 2 cents worth...
Now why you may ask would anyone who doesn't have any kids care about them ? This is where my self-interest kicks in.
I believe that only our next generations will be able to solve not only the problems that we have caused, but also the problems which are going to occur in the next millennium. Over-population, pollution, well you know, the works...
What we need is a new Einstein, maybe a political Einstein, maybe a new Messias in the form of a new Einstein, or a Leonardo Da Vinci, any genius will do for me.
Now we all know that the more children get a good education, a good healthcare, etcetera the more this will improve their chances of making it through their childhood. So what inevitably follows it this : the more children survive, the bigger the chance of finding one day that our new Einstein has arrived.
Now I know that my donation to UNICEF,l how great or small it be, will not go to one child...But what if that little bit of extra food that that child somewehere in the world received made just the difference between life and death ? What if that kid turns out to be the One ?
Maybe the only thing that saved him or her was my 2 cents worth....
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,
TowelMaster.
Discuss this Journal entry [8]
Latest reply: Dec 14, 1999
Into the third millennium...We still have a lot to learn...
Posted Dec 7, 1999
Ladies and Gentlemen I would like to take this opprtunity to focus on the new millenium-craze.
Although a lot is being said about the 2nd millennium perhaps we should pause and think about it. Doing so I must say that it has been crap from start to finish. O.K. we may have done a little better that the first millennium but hey, that's probably because we don't really know a lot about that one.
I would like to take the opportunity to 'quote' Eugene Debs Hartke, a character in Hocus Pocus by Kurt Vonnegut :
"As long as there is a lower-class I am in it,
as long as there is an upper-class I will oppose it,
As long as there is one innocent soul in jail I am not free..."
So being a writer of lyrics myself here are what I consider to be the best lyrics I have ever heard about oppression, or rather in general.
And remember : there's still lots of it about. We have a long way to go...let's do something about it...please ?
TowelMaster.
Wallflower
6x6 from wall to wall
Shutters on the windows, no light at all
Damp on the floor you got damp on the bed
They're trying to get you crazy - get you out of your head
They feed you scraps and they feed you lies
To lower your defences, no compromise
Nothing you can do, the day can be long
You mind is working overtime, you body's not too strong
Hold on, hold on
They put you in a box so you can't be heard
Let your spirit stay unbroken, may you not be deterred
Hold on, you have gambled with your own life
And you face the night alone
While the builders of the cages
Sleep with bullets, bars and stone
They do not see your road to freedom
That you build with flesh and bone
They take you out - the light burns your eyes
To the talking room - it's no surprise
Loaded questions from clean white coats
Their eyes are all as hidden as their Hippocratic Oath
They tell you how to behave, behave as their guest
You want to resist them, you do your best
They take you to your limits, they take you beyond
For all that they are doing there's no way to respond
Hold on, hold on
They put you in a box so you can't be heard
Let your spirit stay unbroken, may you not be deterred
Hold on, you have gambled with your own life
And you face the night alone
While the builders of the cages
Sleep with bullets, bars and stone
They do not see your road to freedom
That you build with flesh and bone
Though you may disappear, you're not forgotten here
And I will say to you, I will do what I can do
You may disappear, you're not forgotten here
And I will say you you, I will do what I can do
And I will do what I can do
And I will do what I can do
PG.
Discuss this Journal entry [2]
Latest reply: Dec 7, 1999
To Shazz
Posted Nov 24, 1999
To Shazz
Easy
It ain't always so that the right guy wins
It ain't always so that he comes out on top
But every now and then we know just what to do
break the old ways and start something new
A hazy shade of evening my baby by my side
and we make love until we cry
'cause you know lady
With you It's easy, oh so easy
Acting crazy, feeling like a kid
hesitating, is this what we seek
I was never much for searching, something I never did
but now I'm ready baby to commit myself to you
A hazy shade of evening my baby by my side
and we make love until we cry
'cause you know lady,
With you It's easy, with you I'm easy
Can't help but wonder
is it really worth the while
But every morning, every night
I see your smile....
With you I'm easy, with you it's easy...
Discuss this Journal entry [136]
Latest reply: Nov 24, 1999
TowelMaster
Researcher U45152
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