I've been on a Ry Cooder kick lately. These kicks happen, like it just did with John Cale, when I hear something wonderful and new by a favorite artist. I get sucked in like dirt under an Electro-Lux. Fellow Ry Cooder fanatic and old Brooklyn pal Mike Saccoliti, shared this video and this story with me.
Jazz Fest, last day, first weekend, looking like rain all day. Was there with my friend Joan. It's about 4.30, it's looking really dark. Staple Singers are at the gospel tent at 5. We make an early beeline for the tent just as the skies open up. We are in the gospel tent for an amazing Staples set and stay dry. The rain stops. Many people bail. Cooder and Lindley are on at 6 at the big stage. We walk over in the mud, right to the front of the stage and hear this. Check out Cooder at about the 5 min. mark. He seems to be having an out of body experience.
I remember going to Tipitina's that night to see The Meters and meeting some young kids who kept on buying me drinks. Trying to keep up with them, I got REALLY drunk. Early flight out the next day, and there at the airport was Cooder, Lindley and the rest of the band at my terminal. I was so hung over I couldn't say a word. Just looked at them while I groaned into my coffee cup.
11 comments:
Cooder and Lindley both are national treasures and have been for a long time. How much incredible music can two dudes make? It's endless with them. I've been hoping for some kind of remastered Ry box set for years, assembled by Cooder himself. Maybe some day. Gracias for the video.
thanks
Wow. That could make a believer out of me (almost).
And I second what stu said: A Ry box set would be a must-buy.
Anyone know what instruments they're playing in the video... Cooder's: 12 strings and about mandolin size; Lindley's is 8 strings and bigger (maybe an electric mando-cello?)
Cooder is Playing a Vox Mando Guitar and Lindley is playing something he made or had made . A Bouzouki neck on a Vox guitar body. Mike Saccoliti
A complete Cooder concert from 1987 originally on UK Channel 4:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRxW3zj4mcg&feature=player_embedded
Could it be an octave mandolin?
Ry Cooder's first three albums were as big an influence on me as the Beatles. Well, not quite, but you get the idea.
So, both Cooder and Lindley not only dye their hair but also their eyebrows? Don't even try and tell me that shit ain't grey after 60 years.
I had a really lousy day and this made it all go away. Really awesome stuff that I wouldn't normally get to on my own.
Thanks.
too bad (you were hungover) - don't know about ry but lindley is REAL approachable (having met him several times out here) - super nice and showed me some lap steel "tricks" (and told me to swear to keep them to myself!!!! ha ha!)....i love these guys PLUS they're WAY better than "Angel"!!
GMB
Seems like someone really doesn't like Angel.
Yea , it really was too bad I was hungover, But I actually did end up meeting Ry at the Fairgrounds a couple of years later when he was there with Ali Farka Toure. He was sitting and eating with his wife and was very nice.I kept the conversation short and sweet . He semed like he was okay with talking for a couple of minutes and let me take a photo of him and then was off to see some music. I sa him the next day at a tent where Otha Turner was playing and sad hello and it seemed like he he didn't want to talk at all.Never had the occasion to talk to Lindley although I've seen him many times. A good friend of mine who's a DJ in Pittsburgh had a great talk with him at a show there and he gave her a bunch of CD's for her to play on her show.
Who's Angel?
Mike Saccoliti
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