Merle Haggard

[poliphilo]

I hadn't listened to Merle Haggard before today but my friend Judy loves the guy and I felt duty bound...

Wishing these Old things Were New is a great song about growing old

And that Townes Van Zandt song he does with Willy Nelson- Pancho and Lefty- is essence of Peckinpah boiled down to four minutes of mystery and compassion.

So much more listening to do.

I need to say I like old Merle better than young Merle. Young Merle is wired, a bit thuggish and you wouldn't want to walk on his fighting side. Old Merle isn't like that at all. Old Merle is mellow and wise- and few folk get to travel quite so far in a single lifetime. I love how Okie from Muskogee started off as this prickly thing which was written out of anxiety about identity and fear of the new but by the time he played it in old age had become sweet and playful ...

Comments

[halfmoon-mollie.livejournal.com]

The world changed so in between the time he wrote that song and when Old Merle performed it. I saw him live WAY back in the early 70's, and when he started singing that song someone jumped on the stage and attempted to ...stop the song, let's say. I think Merle lived a lot of lifetimes in the time he got out of jail and began writing songs, and yesterday when he died. I heard him say, in an interview my friend Jeff did, that he never spent more than a couple hours writing a song, if that, because if you did "it sounded like it."

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

That's a good line. If the inspiration's there a thing will come quickly- and if it doesn't come quickly it's probably because it's not inspired.

And he's right- laboured work usually looks and feels laboured.

[halfmoon-mollie.livejournal.com]

I found this on the web, and thought you might enjoy reading it.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/dwight-yoakam-on-the-genius-and-tragedy-of-merle-haggard-20160407?page=2

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Thanks. That's a great tribute.

I love it that he turned down the chance to be a pop star. Not many would have refused that betrayal.

[halfmoon-mollie.livejournal.com]

I was besotted with Dwight for a long time - from the first time I saw him on Austin City Limits. Part of it is ...yes, he's intelligent. This tribute touched me, I find there is a lot of Merle in my memory

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I don't know Dwight at all. I'll go look for some vids.