From Steve Young-Burns
Hey Steve,
Well, I hope you enjoyed the show with Richard Thompson. The whole tour was
a kick in the butt for me. What a great band he has and what an
incredible talent. I'm sorry to hear that Thompson damaged your hearing
in the past but, as I often say, theres two kinds of folk music, loud
and quiet. I'm glad you seem to still enjoy both.
Sincerely,
Nick Banche
Hey Nick,
How're things in Murrieta? I always wondered if they named the town after
Joaquin Murrietta, the Robin Hood of the Gold fields. Anyway, thanks
for liking the songs. As far as Jack and Mary Weaver, I can't say that
I remember them from high school. I can't say I remember much of high
school. I was pretty shy and more interested in collecting old records
and sneaking into bars to hear music than being a good student. Maybe
if I saw them I'd remember. Well, tell 'em I said hello anyway.
You could easily fulfill one of my fantasies (you see, they get tamer
as I age) and do a tour with the Derailers. I've never written a "fan"
letter before so I apologize for being goofy. Home cooked meal for
y'all if you can get here.
XXOO Hallie
Dear Hallie,
You're not the first person I've met who had Ray Campi for a teacher
but I still have trouble picturing Ray giving a lecture on Kafka. Did
he deliver it standing on top of his stand-up bass? He's a wonderful
musician and a great guy (but then again I never had him for a teacher)
and both The Blasters and myself have a lot to thank him for. I don't
think we'd ever have made it out the bars of Long Beach if it weren't
for Ray's help in the early days. As far as touring with The Derailers,
we've done some gigs together over the past couple of years and it's
always been great. Hopefully it'll happen in Tucson and you can cook
for everybody. That is if you want a bunch of musicians in your house
stinking up the joint. By the way, whats your best dish?
I have a goofy question for Dave, and actually it's kind of a survey-type thing that I am posing to likely parties, so you can answer it, too, if you have an answer -
WHAT'S THAT LITTLE TUFT UNDER DAVE'S (AND MANY OTHER PEOPLES') BOTTOM LIP CALLED?
Take care -
Monica
Dear Monica (and everyone else),
Please forgive me for taking close to two years to answer your
question. I've been kind of busy. Okay, enough excuses. [Ed:
It's not all Daves' fault, I was late in getting some of these questions to
him. Thanks, Dave, though for keeping them and bothering to respond!]
There is no one official name for the hair under my lip. The most
common term, though, is "soul patch." I've also heard it called "a Ray
Charles," "a jazzbo" and "a chivo." I've always called mine "a
cheater." I can't believe it took me two years to answer that. Wow.
Hey Nick,
I think that particular in-store was the best one The Blasters ever
did. Although, my brother and I were a little embarassed at being
pointed out and announced from the stage of a topless joint, I guess
that meant we were starting to get a little famous. Well, at least in
Bellflower anyway. As far as upcoming gigs in Long Beach, seeing how
I'm answering this a year and a half after you wrote, all I can say is
I played some gigs in Long Beach since then and look forward to playing
more. By the way, is Fritz's still there?
Yeah, Steve, I'll certainly accept that Bud if the offer is still there. My dad was (among many things) an organizer for the Steelworkers Union. My brother and I learned a lot from him about people, life, and what's good and bad about the world. Anyway, what kind of chef are you? See you in Houston at The Satellite or The Mucky Duck or Anderson Fair or . . .
Mike, I'm the world's WORST golfer but thanks for the offer. By the way, what city are you referring to?
Dear Paul,
Seeing how I'm answering your question close to two years after you
wrote it, all I can say is, I played two great shows in Tucson in that
time. My favorite being the show at the Rialto with Chris gaffney
opening up and Tom Russell joing us in the encore. I hope you were
there. It was a good one.
Dear John,
Well, the story of how The Blasters first recorded for Ronnie Weiser
was told in the liner notes of the American Music CD reissue. That
about says it all. I'm forever in the debt of Ronnie, Ray Campi, Johnny
Legend etc. for all they did to help us in the early days of our
career. If you want to set up an in depth interview the best thing to
do is contact Hightone Records who are reissuing most of the Rollin'
Rock catalouge. Good luck on your book, Ronnie's story needs to be
told.
Thanks and I can't wait to hear the new album. If it's half as good as
King of California I'll be happy. Keep writing and singing our
American stories.
Kirby Hutto
Hey Kirby,
Jubilee Train is a term I think I made up but it was meant to evocative
of the Roosevelt era and the Great Depression. It's possible I read it
somewhere and it sank into my subconscious to be retrieved at a later
date, I don't know. But, yeah, it's supposed to make you think it's an
old Guthrie song or a Wobblie song or a New Deal song. It's a song
about hope. It's a song about finding the strength to get out of bed in
the morning and not let the world, or the big boys or the economy or
whatever, beat you down.
Well, wanted to make sure it ever got to you. If not, let me know and we'll send you another copy.
Also, I love your new CD. You really capture the spirit of rural, blue-collar America, a spirit that is often ignored or glossed over with cliches. Keep up the great work, and know it's appreciated. And look for a very positive review sometime soon on the pages of my column, Rootin' Around.
Keep the faith,
Kevin Roe
Kansas City, Missouri
Got the book, it was great but I don't think I ever got the tape. I haven't been home very much and things have a tendency to disappear. If you feel the urge to send another off to me, feel free. And thanks for the kind words about the CD. I guess I'll see you out on the highway.
A long-time fan who knows that King Of California is one of the 5 best
albums (yes, I still say album) ever made and enjoys all references to
the 605 Freeway.
Robyn Farmer
Wow, Harvey's Broiler! Man, thats amazing. Do you remember The Beer Barons? I was too young to be part of that scene but my cousin Donna, who gave my brother and I our first real education, was a "cruiser chick" who made the Harvey's and Tweedy boulevard (Blue Boulevard) scene. Wow. I'm glad the music moves you. That means an awful lot to a guy who'd sit in the backseat of his cousin's old Ford, when I was just a kid, as she flirted with the guys she called "hair boys" because of their pompadours. I could go on and on about her and those memories of Firestone Boulevard. Wow. Anyway, I try to play Santa Cruz as often as possible, but The Catalyst is too damm big and it's hard to take the loud band into the Cuumba. The Cuumba is GREAT for an acoustic show but I've been mainly touring with the Guilty Men these days but, hopefully, I'll be there soon and we can swap stories. Maybe you knew my cousin.
Hey Les in Glasgow,
I don't believe there's a record available of Willem Dafoe's version of
Marie Marie. I wish there were because some people don't believe me when
I tell them about it. All in all, it's a pretty funny version. I think
James Intveld is playing on it. Now, the Honey Bears original recording
of One Bad Stud was on a small west coast r+b label called Spark. It
was owned by Lieber and Stoller before their big success with The
Coasters and Elvis and everyone else. They also wrote the song. To my
knowledge, it has never been reissued except, maybe, on some doowop
bootleg. I'd check Goldmine magazine. Phil and I found our copy of the
old 45 in thrift store in Long Beach or Compton, California. All I can
say is good luck finding that one. See ya in Scotland someday, I hope.
Last modified 29Jan00
Dave Alvin Q&A/Questions/Comments
