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Friends & Neighbors, this installment of BOTB's Battle Of The Booze is going to be a horse of a different color (don't worry, ladies, I'm not gay 😏), so hang on & pay attention. I'm adding a new wrinkle to my BOTB format here.
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If you don't like spiders & snakes, and if you've ever smoked a wildwood weed, then Jim Stafford needs no introduction. Stafford is a highly underrated guitarist (you can see that HERE).
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However, Todd Snider probably DOES need an introduction. I consider Snider to be one of the all-time great lyricists; he'd very likely be on my Top 5 list.
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NECESSARY BACKGROUND INFO:
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[link> 'Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)' was a MASSIVE (#1) Country music hit in 1977. The song was a duet featuring Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson. (Remember this, you'll need it later!)
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Waylon sang the chorus like this:
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Let's go to Luckenbach, Texas
With Waylon and Willie and the boys
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And when Willie took the lead vocal, he sang the chorus like this:
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Let's go to Luckenbach, Texas
Willie and Waylon and the boys
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(Ya gotta love their playful WayWil & WilWay senses of humor!)
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OK, now you know what you need to know in order to fully grasp the history behind Todd Snider's song 'Ballad Of The Devil's Backbone Tavern'. Two very different versions of that song will be battling against Jim Stafford's song 'Your Bulldog Drinks Champagne'.
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Here's the deal: Because they are so radically different from each other, I am using Snider's studio recording of '...Devil's Backbone Tavern' AND his live version of the song against Stafford's champagne-drinking bulldog.
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'Ballad Of The Devil's Backbone Tavern' studio version: It begins with Snider stating the song is "The story about a failed trip to Luckenbach". It's 3:11 long and has full instrumentation in a Dixieland-like style.
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The live version, titled 'The Story Of The Ballad Of The Devil's Backbone Tavern', is 10:42 long and it is just Todd Snider and his acoustic guitar. A lot of it is Snider talking to his audience and explaining the details of how he came to write the song about that "failed trip to Luckenbach". I'll tell you this: If Todd Snider ever gives up music, he could make a living as a standup comedian. Yes, THAT'S how funny his monologue is. I think he's hilarious, and no matter how many times I listen to it, I still wind up literally laughing out loud!
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So, the choice is yours: You can listen to Todd Snider's studio version of the song AND/OR his live version of the song (which does include a few f-bombs). If you have the time 'n' patience, I urge you to listen to BOTH and you'll get extra credit in the comment section. Either way, if you do vote for one of these Snider recordings over the Jim Stafford song, please let me know which version you are selecting, "studio" or "live". (And, remember, you can only vote one time for one recording only, no matter how long you've been dead in Chicago!)
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YOUR BULLDOG DRINKS CHAMPAGNE
by Jim Stafford
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BALLAD OF THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE TAVERN
by Todd Snider
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(Live) THE STORY OF THE
BALLAD OF THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE TAVERN
by Todd Snider
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After you've done your doo-ty here (*clean up after your bulldog!*), please visit the other BOTBers & do your duty there. I'll be back on or about Nov. 22nd to reveal my vote & announce the winner.
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~ STMcC
(w/ a shout-out to L.C.)
Todd Snider LIVE. Period. That was some funny stuffs right there! I liked all 3 selections in BOTB this week, but the live version of BALLAD OF THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE TAVERN is really fun. It got me researching.
ReplyDeleteI knew that you had used Snider in a couple of bits before so I searched your blog. Sure enough, he was there a couple times... vs Santana, vs The Who. AND ONE THAT I HAD MISSED!
https://stmccpresentsbattleofthebands.blogspot.com/2014/09/life-is-too-short-to-hate-or-i-aint-got.html#comment-form
With this very song! I wondered "why don't I remember this? What did I say in the comment section?" Well, you had posted about this mid-month (a non-BOTB day) and I must have missed it, so I never commented. DOH!
And I also checked Todd's website and found, sadly, that he has NO upcoming tour dates. I will keep watching and hope he visits the Northeast... or the Midwest, or the South, or the Northwest. If he plays in the Southwest, I ain't going!
Sixgun McSlightlyLessItchyfinger
SIR SIX-A-LOT ~
DeleteHey, really glad you enjoyed this one.
Yes, I also liked those 2 other Todd Snider BOTBs I did. It's kind of funny to think that 10 years ago I had NO IDEAR that there was a way to use this LIVE version of 'Devil's Backbone Tavern' in a BOTB installment. So, I just posted it as a "for your listening pleasure" type of thing.
But here we are a decade later and this live recording is part of an official BOTB contest. Turns out, all I needed to do was invent the "booze" theme, but I wasn't smart enough to think o' dat 10 years agone.
Thanks for bringing some club soda to the party, McBruhthuh!
~ D-FensDogG
I enjoyed the live version but I'll eliminate it just because.
ReplyDeleteI figured I'd be voting for Jim Stafford because I enjoyed his song okay, but Todd topped him and I switched my vote.
Give mine to Todd Snider ( we both seemed to come up with bit of Dixieland in our Battles today).
Lee
R. LEE BOID ~
DeleteIn this round of BOTB, you and I weren't just whistling Dixie!
So far, Stafford's bulldog hasn't gotten any love, but I'm pert-sure that'll change before this Battle concludes.
~ STMcC
Hmm...maybe it is the Dixieland sound, but I liked Todd Snider's cover best. His story was good (fun) too ;-)
ReplyDeletedIEDRE ~
DeleteOof! I kinda had you pegged as a champagne-drinking bulldog supporter. I was wrong on 4/24/83, and I knew I'd be wrong again someday, but I had no idea it would happen *THIS* soon!
~ Stephen
VOTE = TODD SNIDER
ReplyDeleteYep, Diedre. I already figgered I'd call out the Dixieland AND the hamboning, but even without that the song itself wins for me; and the story in the live version is a HOOT! I did like Jim Stafford's song, too. Tell Rover the Big Dog's Comin' Over! Cain't hardly beat the wonderfulness of country song lyrics, Red Rover. Great battle, Esteebie. ~Ed.
HERMANO EDUARDO ~
DeleteI'm pleased as spiked punch that you enjoyed this contest. First time (if memory serves me) that I've ever used a studio version AND a live version of the same song against a Jim Stafford song.
Now then... where's that margarita I ordered?! Where the hell's my server, Mr. Rot N. Memory?
~ D-FensDogG
Fil certainly does an amazing job of analyzing music, doesn't he? And he doesn't limit himself to just rock: he does blues, jazz, and pop as well. You can tell he really loves what he does...
ReplyDeleteAnyway... Jim Stafford is a fantastic guitar player and a funny, funny guy. I've seem him do his Malagueña/Classical Gas/Flight of the Bumblebee medley before, even tried it a time or two. I couldn't keep up...
As for the contest, no matter how excellent Jim is, I have to go with Todd, because I like the song better. It sounds like Hot Tuna's "Keep On Truckin'," an old favorite, and I like his sound better.
JOHN ~
DeleteYeah, I've watched a fair number of Fil's analysis videos over the years, and I love how open he is to older stuffs, despite his Millennial-ish age.
I remember being 14 or 15 and watching Jim Stafford's variety show on TV. That was good stuffs!
I went and listened to Hot Tuna's 'Keep On Truckin' and sho-nuff, I can definitely hear the similarity you mentioned. Huh! I learnt sumpin' new. (Nut'n really unusual 'bout that, though.)
~ D-FensDogG
Fil is good, but Rick Beato is way better. I enjoy them both but Beato covers this range of details beyond Fil. His interviews with the masters of writing, performance, and production are unsurpassed. I love that Fil seems on a rampage to shame everyone that uses autotune, however!
DeleteSix
GOL! :^D
DeleteWhat I CAN say for Fil which, unfortunately, I cannot say for Rick Beato, is this: He doesn't cut his own hair with a Swiss Army Knife while admiringly staring at himself in a broken mirror made in China.
There's a whole lot mo' I could say, as you well know. But I shall restrain myself and shan't mention the idolization of dead English communists & living, intensely jealous Canadian skulls what think too highly o'themselves {Jo-Jo}.
No amount of $ could entice me to say any more than I already has!
[We'll start the bidding at $665.00.
Do I hear $666.00?! Going once... Going twice...]
;^)
~ D-FensDogG
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l91ISfcuzDw
DeleteHot damn! According to AI, that's approximately... approximately... A LOT more money than the $7.17 I just paid for a 1962 American Thermos 'Farm Barn' metal lunch box (in order to relive my glorious yout).
Delete"Tha-aaa-t's right!" My parents couldn't afford to buy me high-top Converse sneakers nor The Monkees metal lunch box. I got sneakers from Thrifty Drug Store and a red barn lunch box. (It was akin to naming a boy "Sue".)
~ D-FensDogG
(the artist formerly known as "Sue")
Hey. I like Rick Beato.
DeleteMost of all, I like his haircut.
DeleteNobody - but NOBODY! - rocks that Geriatric Porcupine look quite like Rick Beato does! :^D
(I have always thought of my BOTB posts as secondary to the comment section convos. This is a good example of how come that.)
~ D-FensDogG
Roger on that score - Rick's haircut, I mean. Also, roger on the primariality of the comments section.
DeleteMaybe you should do a "Battle of the Bands' Analysts," featuring a 17 minute Wings of Pegasus vid of Karen Carpenter (just out, which you'd love) vs. a 2 hour interview with Pat Metheny (or Rick Wakeman, or Ron Carter, or Brian May... etc.)
DeleteBoth competitors would be fantastic. If voters want true depth, Beato would win going away. But the winner might depend upon how much time voters have to watch. And if they like their hair.
You think Fil's haircut is "cute." huh?
Sixgun
SIR SIXY ~
Delete>>... Maybe you should do a "Battle of the Bands' Analysts," featuring a 17 minute Wings of Pegasus vid of Karen Carpenter (just out, which you'd love) vs. a 2 hour interview with Pat Metheny (or Rick Wakeman, or Ron Carter, or Brian May... etc.)
That's a pretty original idear.
Kudos for that.
But...
Pat (which I've seen) & Ron Carter - yip!
Rick & Brian - eh. (Too pretentious.)
>>... You think Fil's haircut is "cute." huh?
Pilgrim, you better smile when you say that, and add "John Wayne! John Wayne!" ;^)
Truth be told...
(I'm going to be somewhere near "serious" for a moment, and I apologize in advance for that)
...I really do not care for many of these YouTube "content creators" and "influencers". And that's putting it pert-dern nicely.
Frankly, I wish 99.50% of them would go get *real* jobs (like, fixing my truck; fixing my house furnace; fixing me a margarita, etc.), because the vast majority of them have no real notable talent. They've become fourth-rate (America 2.0) celebrities, who would be doing *real* valuable work if (Screw)YouTube did not exist.
Off the top o' muh noggin' - in this late-night moment - I can only think of 4 (S)YT channels that I really like a great deal and pay a whole lotta attention to on a regular basis. And those 4 are these:
[Link> https://www.youtube.com/@thecivilrightslawyer
[Link> https://www.youtube.com/@HONORYOUROATH
[Link> https://www.youtube.com/@InstituteForJustice
[Link> https://www.youtube.com/@ONEFORISRAEL
Over the years, I have watched a number of videos by Rick "Geriatric Porcupine" Beato and Cute-Hair Fil, but I am not subscribed to either of their channels because...
[Link> "Ain't nobody got time for dat!"
~ D-FensDogG
POSTSCRIPT:
DeleteNot sure why that last link ain't workin', but you're protly familiar with it anyway.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydmPh4MXT3g
~ D'DogG
THE SIXGUN KID ~
DeleteThe prodigal DogG hath returned to remedy a very egregious oversight from one night agone.
When listing YouTube channels that I am a fan of, subscribed to, and regularly view, I neglected to mention The Bronze Cowboy (a.k.a. Keith). I know I told this story to Beer Boy Bryan some time ago, but I don't recall mentioning it to you, McBruhthuh. So, here goes...
In late 2018, I was experiencing some depression for a variety of reasons. During this DogGy-downer period, I somehow happened across this YT channel by this guy calling himself The Bronze Cowboy. I became so entertained by what he did that I started binge-watching all his old videos. It was purely about entertainment, which never failed to have me literally laughing-out-loud.
His videos became one of my (what I refer to as) Mr. Toad Manias. And by the time Christmas arrived, Keith - The Bronze Cowboy (God bless him!) - had helped greatly relieve the depression I'd been suffering from.
Sometime later, he suffered from some bad experiences of his own (his channel got hacked and his house was destroyed due to flooding). That's when I bought one the T-shirts from his store and made him the recipient of my tithing by sending him some much needed $.
He and I later exchanged a few Emails, and he seemed like a really nice & grateful ("mighty grateful") guy. Plus, we both had something in common: Keith works primarily as a comic cowboy (statue) entertainer in Scottsdale, Arizona. And once upon a time ago, I also worked as a comic cowboy entertainer for visitors / tourists at a Western theme park which was also located in Scottsdale.
I still greatly enjoy Keith's videos and I watch (and up-vote) every single one he posts. I even put together a playlist of his stuffs, in hopes that others will find & appreciate this guy who, unknowingly, helped me though a period of depression about 6 years ago.
If you're interested, below is what I think is the best of his best stuffs. I love this guy ("John Wayne! John Wayne!")
[Link> The BRONZE COWBOY's Greatest Hits
~ Prodigal D-FensDogG
I enjoyed the hell out of this battle, especially because of the extra credit. I like Jim Stafford. Always been a big fan of My Girl Bill. Also a big fan of Todd Snider. His ability to craft a song that's both enjoyable to listen to and a fun story is incredible.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure I don't have to tell you where this is going. Todd Snider, especially his acoustic storytelling version, easily gets my bote.
Btw, I really need to check out his new album. He described it as such on his website, and based on this, I'm hooked.
“The record is the story of a preacher who starts this church that is total bullshit,” Todd says. “People start giving him money anyway, but then they start asking him questions. So then he prays to God and God helps him. But the moral of the story is that God’s hilarious.”
JULIO 6-B* ~
Delete*Eggstra Credit 4 U!
I loves me some Jim Stafford. Of the living celebrities I've not met, Stafford would be high on my 'To Meet' list. (Sounds kinda silly, I know, but then... what am I?)
Some of my very favorite Stafford tunes are less well known, such as...
16 Little Red Noses And A Horse That Sweats
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTrFUYfyVtA&t=105s
I AIN'T SHARIN' SHARON
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbplOMrpeOo
I AIN'T WORKING
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoR1XAf1YZ4
NONE OF US ARE HERE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWl7TN7qCuM
If that last song made you think of this...
"We have fallen asleep in God's embrace,
Having a nightmare that we are elsewhere"
...well, then, there you have it.
>>... “...But the moral of the story is that God’s hilarious.”
I dunno, mang. That sounds kinda blasphemous to me. "Have you read the Old Testament? He can be ruthless!" The next thing I know, you'll be telling me that, in answer to 31 prayers, Jesus, with short hair & no beard, wearing a Hawaiian shirt & khaki pants, sent you to a Catholic mass delivered completely in Spanish.
C'mon, mang, get *real*.
McBruhthuh, methanx you for bringing 750 ml. of Cruzan Black Strap Rum to the BOTB par-TAY!
~ D-FensDogG (who brought the cola & coconut flavoring)
POSTSCRIPT:
Todd Snider's [Link> SOMEBODY'S COMING is, without the slightest bit o' doubt, one of my all-time TOP 3 favorite Christian songs!!!
Good battle my friend. I thought Jim Stafford was great as usual. But the live version with the stories reminded me a little of a road trip you and I might have taken so I will go with Snider's live and he was quite funny.
ReplyDeleteJW,
Poooh
...AND, POOH, THAT'S NOT ALL!...
DeleteYour comment made me COL! (Chuckle-Out-Loud!) How come that? B'CAUSE!... I'd had the same thought. There's a lot of "League-ness" in Snider's story.
I'm reminded of The 'Show No Emotion In A Big Way' Tour ('86); The 'Big Phuqing Deal' Tour ('87); and even The 'Blistering Bicker Brothers Reunion' Tour ('88).
Trog makes me think of "Jeff Joy-Boy", and someone sleeping on a couch always reminds me of... of... hmmm... who was that guy again? My memory ain't what it used to be (and it never was!)
The only thing missing from Snider's story was you getting 86ed from The Bucket Of Blood Saloon, and then showing up again the next morning with Muddy 'n' me (me, having semi-recovered from the worst hangover of my entire drinking career!)
General Poohregard, I thank you immensely for bringing some SoCo to this "Back Room" gathering!
~ D-FensDogG
Al Bondigas here. Very interesting battle here, and a lot of fun comments as well. I sure wish I could rule fer Jim Stafford because I've always enjoyed the humor in his songs, but with this particular battle I guess I'm makin' a rulin' fer Todd Snider's live version. They were all good, but, muh rulin's muh rulin'. That's it, that's muh rulin'. Am I gettin through to ya?
ReplyDelete>>... "Am I gettin through to ya?"
DeleteYeah. Yeah, for me you are.
I thank ya, fella, for making a rulin' in this court case. I'd have hated not getting a rulin' from ya, Judge. Because if I didn't, this case would be "as open as it ever was!"
~ D-FensDogG