Hey, Remember that I mentioned a day or so ago about finding out that Jim Steinman died?
"Yeah, seems that was on some website that tracks such things for musicians. That's where you saw two of Elvis's buddies, Ronnie Tutt and Bob Moore, but that was no surprise. DMX and Tawny Kitaen were, though."
Both of those took themselves out, having drug-induced heart attacks.
"But not Bunny Wailer; he had a stroke at 73. And Les McKeown had a heart attack, too, and he was just 65. Then there were those dead of cancer: Chick Corea, who was here in Savannah for one of the SMF events a few years back; Michael Stanley, lung cancer at 72; and B.J. Thomas, also claimed by lung cancer, but the "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" singer was close to 80 when he passed."
Yeah, not like my middle brother. He just missed getting to 59 years old. His ex, my outlaw Melinda, just had her 60th last week.
"Yep, she did."
Yes, and because of this pandemic, we didn't have a big celebration. She had a COVID encounter two weeks ago, but it seems to have just been a glancing blow. What a miracle! She has emphysema, has had it for about ten years.
"She really was very fortunate!"
Agreed. Anyway, back to that list of dead musicians... Dusty Hill was on it.
"Well, that's one-third of ZZ Top gone, then. He was pretty old, though, wasn't he? I kow he was the oldest one in the band."
Hahahaha! That was sorta kinda an inside joke for those three fellows! They were all born in 1949, with Joe Michael (aka "Dusty") in May, Frank Beard in June, and Billy Gibbons in December. That made him the "youngest" of the trio. They were all 21 - just 21 years old! - when they formed the band and had their first album in 1971.
"So they've been together half a century?!"
So they had, until July of last year. No cause of death was given, but the bass player had a bad case of bursitis, so pain medication may have been a contributing factor. He had just turned 72 when he died.
"I have to wonder how the other two are holding up. Fifty years is a long time to be a band of brothers and suddenly have one gone."
"So, you're just going to leave me hanging, much like the laundry on this line?"
Don't you get it? As soon as I saw this on Danny Beam's fb page last weekend, the line "and my gold tooth displayed" popped into my head and I laughed out loud!
"You're saying ZZ Top had a song with that phrase? That sounds more like a rapper lyric."
Yeah, it does, but get this: that song came out on their album "Degüello", in 1979, the year they were all going to turn 30 years old. Seriously! Those Texas rock'n'roll guys, approaching their third decade of life, were popping out words like that long before any slick young rappers did! The rest of the verse is pretty jammin', too. In fact, here's the video of them doing it in concert in 1982. As for this image, I like it so much that it's my fb profile pic now. I finally had to clue folks in to the source of the reference I made.
"I can see you're on a roll, so I'll continue to be patient until you share that with me."
Okay, just a few more secs, I promise! First, though, I want to tell you about when I saw them here in Savannah, at the Civic Center. That was February 4, 2000, and I think it was to promote their 30-year anniversary album, "XXX". My ticket from that long-ago concert has been upcycled as a magnet on my refrigerator ever since.
"Very nice! Hard to believe they were the opening act on that bill."
The boys from the Lone Star State were the main attraction for me!
"Do you remember anything about it?"
"Hahahaha! So, rather like the DoomBox on "That's My Jam", but with dancing women where Jimmy Fallon has the contestants?"
Exactly! Maybe that hearkening back to the big radios is part of the draw for me with show.
"I wouldn't be at all surprised."
And guess what else? About the 2000 concert, I mean. I found the setlist!!! Well, the site actually cautioned that it might not be quite right, but should be close to that used for that album tour. It sure looks right to me! It even has the song that's been playing on my mental jukebox for almost a week now... "I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide".
"Okay, I'm starting to see why folks might have missed what you were talking about with that 'gold tooth displayed' reference. I don't recall that song getting much airplay."
Hey, it did in my head... it did in my head.
*****
Well I was rollin' down the road in some cold blue steel
I had a blues man on the back, and a beautician at the wheel
We going downtown in the middle of the night
We laughing and I'm jokin' and we feelin' alright
Oh I'm bad,
I'm nationwide
Yes I'm bad,
I'm nationwide
Easin' down the highway in a new Cadillac
I had a fine fox in front, I had three more in the back
They sportin' short dresses, wearin' spike-heel shoes
They smokin' Lucky Strikes, and wearing nylons too
'Cause we bad,
we nationwide
Yeah, we bad,
we nationwide
Well I was movin' down the road in my V8 Ford
I had a shine on my boots, I had my sideburns lowered
With my New York brim and my gold tooth displayed
Nobody give me trouble 'cause they know I got it made
I'm bad,
I'm nationwide
Well I'm bad,
bad,
bad,
bad,
bad,
I'm nationwide
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