Southpaw Jones

Southpaw Jones presents
Is This Interesting?
Thoughts/feelings that just might not matter:
Good times at Café Mundi last night. Thanks to those who came out, listened, and tipped. Matt the Electrician and I both debuted our fresh “Box of Anvils” compositions. Matt’s rocks. Mine needs work.

Buddy Holly would have turned 70 today, had the music not died in 1959. Here are a few things I know about him:

He died when he was just 22.
He revolutionized music.
He was a bespectacled Texan.
The percussion on “Not Fade Away” was a cardboard box.
The percussion on “Everyday” was knee slapping.
The Beatles chose an insect name because Buddy’s band was The Crickets.
He was the first artist to use orchestral strings in a rock song.

Lots of folks speculate about what he would have accomplished had he lived longer. That’s a scary road to explore, because honestly, he might be performing 5 times a week at “The Peggy Sue Palace” in Branson. Not everyone ages as gracefully as Bob Dylan, and I can’t think of one living 50s rock icon who revels in respect and relevance today.

Buddy Holly gave the world a great deal in a very short time. I’m comfortable simply saying “wow” and “thanks.”

Southpaw Jones presents
Lazy Links
Something way more entertaining that I can offer:Reprinted from http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=979603:

When Los Angeles music journalist Jim Dawson wrote to ex-Beatle John Lennon in 1974, he included a short questionnaire along with his letter asking about the influence that singer-songwriter Buddy Holly and his backing band The Crickets had had on Lennon and other British musicians of that era.

Somewhat uncharacteristically, the often sarcastic and irreverent Lennon returned the questionnaire complete with factual and informative answers, revealing that Holly had greatly influenced him and his writing partner Paul McCartney. To fans of both The Beatles and Buddy Holly, news of this influence will probably come as no surprise, but as a casual listener I had absolutely no idea that Holly had made such an impact on the British music scene.

I have reproduced the completed questionnaire below, and have preserved Lennon’s somewhat erratic capitalization and punctuation.

1. How did you personally react to the Crickets’ tour of England in 1958?

i only saw them on the london palladium (on T.V.) he was great! it was the first time i saw a fender guitar! being played!! while the singer sang!!! also the ’secret’ of the drumming on Peggy Sue was revealed…live…

2. What effect do you think it had on British musicians?

i only know its effect on me. but i reckon the records had the biggest effect on all of us. EVERY GROUP TRIED TO BE THE CRICKETS.
the name BEATLES was directly inspired by CRICKETS (DOUBLE ENTENDRE / INSECTS etc…)
i think the greatest effect was on THE SONG WRITING (ESPECIALLY MINE AND PAULS)

3. What do you think of Buddy Holly, musically and historically?

he was a great and innovative musician. he was a ‘MASTER’. his influence continues. i often wonder what his music would be like now, had he lived…

4. Do you think his music had any effect on the style of the Beatles? On your own feelings towards music?

see above. we did practically everything he put out. I.E. at the cavern etc, etc. what he did with ‘3′ chords made a songwriter out of me!!

5. Other remarks?

he was the first guy i ever saw with a capo. he made it O.K. to wear glasses! i WAS buddy holly.

The questionnaire is signed, “love, John Lennon”.
There’s a bespectacled smiley in the bottom right hand corner.

Southpaw Jones presents
Paw Prints
Pics of Southpaw, his environ, and his interweb:
An artist’s rendering of what Buddy Holly might look like at 70.

Southpaw Jones presents
And Another Thing…
More verbosity with velocity and viscosity:
The best evidence that Buddy Holly was headed in very interesting artistic directions, lyrics from Learning the Game:

Hearts that are broken and love that’s untrue
These go with learning the game

Feeling so sad and you’re all alone and blue
That’s when you’re learning the game
That’s when you’re learning the game

Southpaw Jones presents
Quotopia
Freshly-picked quotes from the ol’ reference collection:
In spite of the cost of living, it’s still popular.
Kathleen Norris

Thank you, come again!
www.southpawjones.net
E-mail southpaw@southpawjones.com
©2006 Southpaw Jones. All rights reserved.