From: owner-jangle-poets-digest@smoe.org (jangle-poets-digest) To: jangle-poets-digest@smoe.org Subject: jangle-poets-digest V5 #71 Reply-To: jangle-poets@smoe.org Sender: owner-jangle-poets-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-jangle-poets-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk jangle-poets-digest Wednesday, October 1 2003 Volume 05 : Number 071 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: [JP] Stand [Jay Votel ] Re: [JP] Stand [Bn2Synthsz@aol.com] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2003 12:01:37 -0400 From: Jay Votel Subject: Re: [JP] Stand Don Semmens wrote: > > Allah, Buddha, Yahweh, Jesus, Brahma > People get ready there's a train that's coming > Many different legends, just one story > All aboard the train that's bound for glory > > Powerful words and dangerous words. I imagine The Kennedys will take > flack for this song. From people who believe THEIRS is the only > legend, to people who don't think they should be talking about > religion at all, to people who don't like it that their legend was > left out of the song. But, there are those of us who believe they > should sing this song at the top of their lungs! > That group includes more than just the Kennedys and their fans. People are surprising sometimes. For example: my band was playing Saturday night in a little bar in Shepherdstown, W.Va. Unbelieveably to us, the crowd demanded an encore. They had had quite a lot to drink, apparently. We launched into a song I had played at rehearsal earlier in the week as a sort of inside joke with the band -- a song we had played together in the '70s, John Prine's "Your Flag Decal Won't Get You into Heaven, Anymore." Right as we started, my bandmate Betty Jo leaned over and whispered to me "we're gonna be lucky to get out of here alive." I introduced it the way I had joked about it in rehearsal: "It's incredible to me that we still need to sing this song 30 years after it was written.Who'da thunk it?" People actually stood up and cheered when we were done. A few were singing along, too. Now I'm not saying that everybody who heard that song agreed with the sentiment. Heck, I put a flag decal on my car two years ago and just took it off a couple of weeks ago when I gave the car to my daughter. Didn't think she needed it or wanted it. Not everyone who heard John Prine in the '70s agreed with him, either. People gave me grief when I sang political original songs back then, too. Well, one guy did. He went to the manager of the lodge I was playing in and the manager came back to me. The manager never said I had to lay off, but he did say I had to be aware that some people disagreed with the song. Those people "didn't get" the song, and the manager knew it because he had heard the song and knew what it was about. (It was a topical song called "The Bicentennial Minuet," about free speech and how people only hear what they want to hear). That was the only complaint I had in three summers. I sang that song up there almost every summer night from 1975 through 1977. Now TK get around a lot more than I do and play for a whole lot more people than I ever have or ever will. I agree that they're likely to get some grief from some people who disagree with them. They are in some pretty good company, then. I applaud them for having the courage to speak up, regardless. And the people who can't take it, who will take offense -- well, they are displaying the kind of intolerance that is utterly foreign to everything TKs music stands for. And it's not just TKs, but it's just about every artist I can think of with the certain exception of Toby Keith. But, hey, I'm preaching to the choir here and I know it. Y'all have a good day and Don -- more power to you, no pun intended. - -- Jay Votel Check out the Kennedys' Official Home Page: http://www.KennedysMusic.com/ Fab photos, the Official tour diary, dashboard Buddha haiku, groovy merchandise...what more could you ask for? ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2003 12:37:40 EDT From: Bn2Synthsz@aol.com Subject: Re: [JP] Stand In a message dated 9/30/2003 12:07:47 PM Eastern Daylight Time, jay.votel@verizon.net writes: We launched into a song I had played at rehearsal earlier in the week as a sort of inside joke with the band -- a song we had played together in the '70s, John Prine's "Your Flag Decal Won't Get You into Heaven, Anymore." Love the story, Jay! More power to you! I applaud you for your courage and for your politics. I'm driving around with a Dean bumper sticker---hey, I've never committed to a candidate this early in the game. But I like most of what Howard has to say so I'm trying to advertise the word. Here in Kerry Country I haven't gotten one middle finger yet! That's encouraging. Kath Check out the Kennedys' Official Home Page: http://www.KennedysMusic.com/ Fab photos, the Official tour diary, dashboard Buddha haiku, groovy merchandise...what more could you ask for? ------------------------------ End of jangle-poets-digest V5 #71 *********************************