IkoStar

“Always do sober what you said you’d do drunk” (said Hemingway to me, (and not for the first time), waggling his most under-control finger in front of his main focusing-eye). So to the best of my ability, I do. Well, I try to.

So um… in exchange (I think) for a cigarette, or nine, I said I’d recommend some music - which is not much of a sacrifice because I am quite attached to the stuff, but where to start? It’s a conundrum.

In the middle then.

The best gig I’ve seen in my life (and I’ve seen literally thousands of them) was Neil Young at Finsbury Park in London in the early 90s. The manager of my band at the time (who also managed Oasis and various Mancunian gliteratti) said it was the best gig he’d seen since The Doors in 1970. It was at the height of the Grunge thing and Neil played heavy metal guitar like the fucking wind. It was wild - and he’s got a back catalogue of absolute classics going back forever.

Can’t find footage of that gig, but I was once driving from Nashville to this party in Green-County Kentucky with a (nother) grunge band who were unaccountably invited to play. I was 25 and drunk and utterly indestructable. There were clouds of crows in the sky - beer and fireworks-stores along the way, and this was on the stereo:

Which cannot possibly be played loud enough. It was one of “those” ultimate moments. Forgive the fan-video.

Which kindof falls naturally on several different levels into the next : The Doors, fictional presidents, drunkenness (Martin Sheen wasn’t acting in this bit) and violence and so on. I never saw The Doors but I’ve seen this movie about 20 times.

And don’t I know it. I still have a scar on my wrist from a drunken window-punching spree in the 80s. Don’t try this at home kids. That old thing about “I wouldn’t recommed alcohol, drugs or insanity to everyone - but they’ve always worked for me” eventually wears a little thin.

Anyway, to go straight from that to the next is kindof an injustice to both… but I think they’re kindof related in some ways - they certainly sound similar at the beginning, but the Jeff Buckley one is like some rarified sublimation of the Doors version. Related too in various ways - that whole fallen angel thing, droney start, twangy bits - but Dream Brother is like Paradise Lost compressed into about 5 minutes. Does my head in - and the chorus comes of of fucking nowhere man… gives me goose bumps - then there’s the final line which is also as chilly as fuck given that the guy did actually drown.

A foot in both worlds.

All of which is a bit kindof heavy and serious etc, so here’s this:

Same droney start, but gone a bit clinky clonky etc.

What’s good about this one is that John Lydon managed to persuade Steve Vai to play on his album and wouldn’t let kick-off on lead guitar on any songs except the end bit of this one - so he tries to fit as many notes as he possibly can into the last 2 minutes. Christ, if that doesn’t give you tinnitus, nothing will. I haven’t heard this in years. Youtube is fucking great.

But actually the main reason for that one is that I think mental guitar solos are hilarious… not a fav song or anything, so I’d best find another one.

Ok - same droney start etc, but completely different from the others. This does my head in a bit as well - she plays her voice like a rhythm instrument - and she’s really good at it, and the lyrics fit and the tune is excellent as well. And she does it in one take, on her own. Incredibly clever.