Back among my old dusty LPs I have Ray Wylie singing the original version of Up Against the Wall Redneck Mother. I suppose I could post it, but most of you have probably heard Jerry Jeff Walker's take on it anyway ... and frankly it was a throwaway song and Ray Wylie has written and sung so many better tunes that it seems a waste. The tale is better than the tune anyway, but it was a rallying cry for all of us cowboy hippies anyway. When he described himself with "knee-high moccasins and a cowboy hat with a feather" it could have been me. Margadant, always a truer cowboy than I, used to cringe when I walked in the door. But then again, he never saw Willie at Red Rocks either, so how could he know.
And who the hell is the stiff with the Santa Claus beard in the audience who doesn't even sing or clap? Stiff.
Try Delirium Tremolos
3 comments:
Quit baiting me. I had a tough enough time following Thomas around trying to keep him from getting punched out. Our most notable adventure with "Up Against the Wall" was at the Ore House in Lead when Thomas, being drunk and in full voice, took over the stage and let loose with "a ballad by Ray Wylie Hubbard." The joint was full of hard-rock gold miners, also drunk, who hadn't heard U-A-T-W yet, and sat gapped mouth at the performance. Our little group backed Thomas on the chorus as best we could, then dragged him out of the place before the miners could decide whether to react or Thomas could triffle with any of their women. I was relieved to get back to the Bodega Bar down in Deadwood where only a marginally more sophisticated, but decidedly less violent crowd hung out.
I've been to the Ore House with you. I remember being disappointed, as I thought I heard you say we were going to the Whore House.
We really need to run down Thomas to get him to comment. Though I'm not sure I'm ready for a 65 year old Thomas. He's frozen in time at 25.
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