Why would a musician go to bed with Wal-Mart? Movie maker maybe, but musician?

By Todd on Nov 8, 2007

Oh yeah, I recently saw the Eagles open up the new Nokia theater in LA and it was a pretty good show. Too pricey for tickets though. Wayyy too pricey.

By Todd on Nov 8, 2007

The Eagles have always made me want to puke. Handservants to mediocrity. Blow-dry ratbastards. The suburbia of american roots music. Christ, my toes are curling just writing this.

I’m a musician. At my friends’ low-key, older&wiser wedding reception (everyone had done this kind of thing before) I pulled out my guitar and started playing their favorite songs. This is late at night, summertime, West Virginia provincial goodness, a genuinely fine time being had by all.

Sure enough, the fella who’d drunk the most wanted me to play an Eagles song. I hate the Eagles. Do I play the song to keep the peace? Do I keep a semblance of self-respect and refuse?

I claim ignorance. He is unstoppable. He is waving a $20 in front of me. I laugh. $20 is going to make me suddenly know all the lyrics I’ve studiously avoided having imprinted on my brain? He’s waving 2 twenties in front of me.

Months later, I tell all this to my brother. My brother is big in Europe, an avant garde jazz musician regarded for his contribution to this scrappy, iconaclastic field, and unrecognized and underpaid in the mainstream world.

He can’t believe it: “In two minutes, you coulda had $40?! What were you thinking!?”

By Kelly on Jun 28, 2008