Come On Baby The Laugh’s On Me

Dunno ‘bout you, but I always find a song with a bit of humour in it refreshing.  Not comedy.  Just songs that have a humourous line or two, maybe a bit of self-deprecation, something that says, ”Hey! Don’t take this too seriously.”

The Kinks were pretty good that way.  Ditto Steve Miller, Dire Straits, Ian Thomas and Joe Walsh (The Eagles, not so much).  Tom Petty excels at it.  George Harrison was a master.

Then there are the Stones doing country.  They seem to be screaming, “This is a joke!” to the point where it borders on comedy.  But they’re so darn good at it you’re not sure whether the joke is on you.

Anyway, even though rock ‘n’ roll itself – as Mark Shipper says – is a joke, it can cover some pretty heavy ground, so a little comic relief here and there is welcome.

Like a Chimpanzee

Seriously, though, aren’t all those drummer jokes deserved?  I mean, just a little?

Last of the Brooklyn Cowboys

I saw Arlo Guthrie in concert a while back.  What a treat.

He is still a hippy.  Self-deprecating, but not apologetic.  Sincere, but not cynical.  Kind of like, “ya I guess we were kinda naïve, but we were on the right track, don’t you think?”

It can’t be easy being Arlo Guthrie.  A legendary father, a luminous host of friends and mentors.  A past he can’t walk away from, even as he moves steadily forward.

Well, he did a fine job.  Great tunes, funny stories, honesty and integrity all wrapped up in a real nice vibe.

Attaboy, Arlo.  Keep chasing that happy feeling all over the world.

The Fabbest of the Four

Question:  Who’s the best Beatle?  Not your favourite.  Not the most talented, or successful, or revered.  The best Beatle.  The one who has the best blend of Beatles attributes.  The most Beatleness.

Answer:  George Harrison

George would be dismayed, I’m sure, but it’s true.  Here’s why.

1. He was the funniest one. Yes, they were all witty, and Ringo and John could be terrific clowns, but George’s sense of humour was relentless.  Listen to the last verse of Cockamamie Business.
2. He was the most reserved.  One of the hallmarks of Beatlemania was the Beatles themselves saying, “look, we don’t know what’s going on, we’re just trying to make music.”  George maintained that posture until the day he died.
3. He was the boldest.  Yes, John did all the grandstanding and Paul was the mouthpiece, but who explored further afield?  Who took the biggest risks that his fans might not get it?  Sitars?  Hare Krishna?  George.
4. He was all about excellence.  First and foremost, The Beatles were the best band in the history of rock.  George never strayed, never compromised.  He didn’t make records with Pattie or Olivia.  He made them with John, Paul, Ringo, Billy, Eric, Bob, Tom and Jeff.
5. He was wise.  John ran away from being a Beatle.  Paul went into denial for 20 years, then reversed himself to become chief curator of Beatles Memories Inc..  Ringo, because only he could, just carried on being Ringo.  George didn’t try to deny his past even though it made him uncomfortable.  He had other priorities (see points 1-4).

Like most people, I adore(d) them all.  But, if we’re honest with ourselves, all of them occasionally put us in a “I-wish-he-hadn’t-done-that” space.  Easily done when you’re a brave, clever, witty, inventive, curious, smart, cheeky, talented, idolized musical genius blamed for creating a hitherto unknown form of mass hysteria.  George had his moments, but he didn’t generate uneasiness as frequently – or as severely – as the others.  He was the best at being fab.

If you’d ask him the question, George would probably have said, “oh I don’t know, I suppose the obvious answer is John, isn’t it?”  Then he would have laughed and said, “but don’t tell Paul.”  Fab.

Make Me Smile

Song writing was easy for John Lennon, who famously said, "Just say what it is, simple English, make it rhyme, and put a backbeat on it."

He might have also added, "A bit of a sense of humour always helps too."

It's not universally so, but I find many of my favourite songs don't take themselves too seriously, even when they are expressing anger, pain and fear.

One of the masters of this was Warren Zevon.  Just a few random samples:

Put me through some changes, Lord
Sort of like a Waring Blender

Send lawyers, guns and money
Dad, get me out of this

Accidently like a martyr
The hurt gets worse and the heart gets harder

Zevon must have studied Shakespeare, because he was a master at comic relief.  Dark situations all, but he gives you an out.  He's not taking it seriously, so you don't have to either.

On the other hand, if you identify with the pain, go ahead and feel lousy.

Your call:  rock on or crap out.  Backbeats, rhymes - and user choice.  Cool.