Tuesday, October 20, 2009

The Wiener Is...

Rimpy Rimpington won this round of WTFIC. I was in Austin with my son.

The dude we went to see in concert was Buddy Guy. If you even mildly like blues, but have never seen him, you’re depriving yourself of one of the best blues shows you’ll ever see. Not only is he a great bluesman and showman, he’s a superb guitarist. He’s seventy-three years old, but you’d never know it hearing him play and sing.

Rolling Stone Magazine rated him #30 in their top 100 guitar players of all time. I looked through the list and saw more than a few who belong below Mr. Guy: Jerry Garcia, Keith Richards, Jack White, Kurt Cobain, Johnny Ramone, John Frusciante, George Harrison, Mike Bloomfield, The Edge, and Stephen Stills.

Eric Clapton said of Buddy Guy: "Buddy Guy is by far and without a doubt the best guitar player alive...if you see him in person, the way he plays is beyond anyone. Total freedom of spirit, I guess… He really changed the course of rock and roll blues.”
Stevie Ray Vaughan said Buddy Guy: "Plays from a place that I've never heard anyone play.”
Jimmy Page: “Buddy Guy is an absolute monster.”

And what do I say?

Carlos says:
“Buddy Guy plays a powerful, soulful guitar that elicits such strong and varied emotions you’re not quite sure how to feel. You feel joyous and happy, yet he hits certain notes with such power and feeling that it commands tears from one’s eyes.”

Some of my favorite memories of the show:
- At one point, in the middle of a song, Buddy stopped and let the audience sing the verse. He stopped after they/we sang and said, “Whoa, whoa whoa. Hang on a second. I didn’t come all the way out here to have you fuck that up.”
- Before starting a portion of the Muddy Waters classic Hoochie Coochie Man he said, “I’m gonna play something so funky you can smell it.”
- Watching my son, a guitar player and a huge fan of guitar players, enjoy the show.

Here’s his site. Follow his schedule and go see him. You won’t regret it.

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Sunday I was out cleaning up the garden when I took a little mental trip somewhere, not unlike the trip I took a few years ago. After doing a lot of weeding, I started picking basil for pesto sauce later in the day. I worked the plant carefully, as there were a number of bees dining on the basil blossom nectar. If a bee came nearby, I’d move to a different part of the bush. It was a delicate ballet during which I expected a sting at any moment. They left me alone, as I left them alone.

At one point, I was plucking some nice specimens off the side of the plant when I noticed a dead bee. He was lying on his side, right in the middle of a basil leaf. I wondered how the bee ended up dying right there in that spot. Was it just dumb luck that he ended up there? How did he die? Heart attack? Disease? Did a bird accidentally drop him after a sting to the tongue? Or was it old age? Did he suddenly get the feeling that it was time and then make a beeline for his favorite leaf on his favorite plant, then lie down and die? Poor little fella.

4 comments:

TC said...

That's pretty philosophical about a bee :)

Sounds like you and your son had a great day!

reneegrrrrrrrr said...

Yeah, I'd say pretty philosophical about the bee to. If I ever catch a armadillo I'm feeling rather psychopathical. :)zzzzzzzzzzz

WOW, your review of Buddy Guy was just fucking fabulous and I soooooooo need to see him now!!!!

Love you buddy!!!! Hope your weekend is groovy and stay safe of the mall ninjas, let them do their job ;).

Deech said...

Buddy Guy! Yeah, I saw him open for Clapton when they were here in SA about a year ago. Great blues player...no doubt.

The thing with the Bee? Carlos, that's God's way of telling you that you are in a rental...we all are. Make the most of it while you are here and of course, thank Him for the ride....

Anonymous said...

Buddy Guy ROCKS! Killer show.
Miz Hairy Pitz