Image: Wiki Commons
The scene:
An exercise physiology gym class attended by us of a certain age, in various stages of physical declination yet apparently displaying decidedly little diminishment of mental facilities. Supported by a committed, well credentialled group of young staff who know their stuff.
Clanks and groans from both the gym equipment and the clientele.
Some extremely ordinary country music is playing over the speakers. And I mean Very Ordinary. Not classic country, not vibrant alt. country but very ordinary modern country music.
Twanging guitars and tortured tonsils.
Phil (attendee): Hey Tom, what’s that you’re playing? Is your horse out the back?
Young Tom (excellent exercise physio): Just a playlist I’m trying out.
A chorus of disparaging remarks then follows from the assembled multitude. Well, there were about ten of us. The retorts fly – “lost yer dog”, “truck got stolen” and “his girl’s run off”.
Tom: OK then, what do you want to hear?
PC (me): How about some Blues?
Tom: Give me a name.
PC: Muddy.
Now, I know it may be difficult to relate Muddy Waters to gym exercise music but I love Muddy and it will give us all a break from the usual playlist of very ordinary country music or elevator music or pop schmaltzy dross or golden oldies that once sounded great but have now lost much appeal, having been played on constant rotation. You know the ones.
There followed several blissful minutes from Muddy Waters and his band. Two tracks from the Hard Again album, ‘Mannish Boy’ and then ‘I Can’t Be Satisfied’. The album features Muddy’s rich voice and wonderful slide guitar plus James Cotton on harp as well as more guitar and miscellaneous shouting from Johnny Winter. The band having a great time. Hardly in a state of declination, although both Muddy and pianist Pinetop Perkins were well into their sixties at the time of recording.
The gym equipment and clientele were humming.
But all too soon. The sound of dead air … followed by a sheepish look from Tom followed by ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice’ from The Beach Boys. Yet again. Good song, don’t get me wrong, but wouldn’t it be nice not to have to listen to it every bloody gym session? And the rest of them.
Young Tom, plays hard-wicket cricket, good gym instructor but obviously requiring further musical education.
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About Peter Crossing
Peter Crossing loves the pure 'n natch'l blues. He is a member of the silver fox faction of the Adelaide Uni Greys. He is something of a cricket tragic although admitting to little interest in the IPL or Big Bash forms of the game.
Yes. Public music choices are always FWD. 20 mins of Muddy wouldn’t be a problem, but not much more. Maybe as a compromise, and to enhance young Tom’s musical development, Jimmy Buffett’s Radio Margaritaville should be given a go.
I hear you, Peter.
Mannish Boy is one of the great songs from last century and works in most contexts. I was in a Singaporean bar one Friday with a colleague and it was the US Navy’s last day in town before they sailed. To keep the sailors engaged all the big screens were playing awful country music and every last performer had on a cowboy hat. That singular image and the plodding, dullard music are forever connected. It was not endearing.
Love Johnny Winter’s ‘ miscellaneous shouting!’
Lovely work, Peter. I’d tread carefully though, given your initials, lest Tom describe you as ‘PC gone mad’.
Muddy Waters fronting The Band doing Mannish Boy at The Last Waltz is one of the greatest performances in the greatest concert film of all time. Immensely powerful song and performance.
We are very lucky to have the recording. Scorsese filmed it on 7 35mm movie cameras that got really hot and had to be rested to allow them to cool and reload film (ask your parents, kids). There was only one camera working for the Muddy Waters performance.
Thanks for the comments. The gym classes are good, and I’ll keep plugging away at the playlists.
Daryl: Jimmy Buffett worthy of inclusion in a tutorial. So too an excess of 20 mins of Muddy Waters for your good self in order to get your mojo working.
Gigs: Not sure of just which particular personal indulgence would have encouraged Tom to make that comment!
Mickey and PeterB: Mannish Boy is exceptional. Love the energy and passion in his voice. Yes, hard to think of a better live performance, particularly given the circumstances you describe Peter. With the added bonus of Paul Butterfield’s insistent harp and those guitar trills from Robbie Robertson.
In a similar boat PC – this morning at my EP class on came Keith Urban, which was at the behest of one of my regular classmates. (long sigh)
I might put in a request for Stephen Cummings’ “Gymnasium” but the accompanying video might not be a good idea. Lucky that ours is audio only.