Tagged: stephen king

October 29, 2010

Every Song Tells A Story: The Walking Man

The Story

I’m a big fan of the blues. It doesn’t matter to me what kind of blues it is. I just love the raw emotion and honesty mixed with mostly simple progressions. Most rock is derived somehow from the blues, when you look back and analyze things. It’s also as American as apple pie and all that jazz.

Odd as it sounds, this straight-up blues song is a story about a story. Well, it isn’t its own story with its own narrative, but I think you get the idea. If you read the lyrics, you’ll find it’s plain to see that this song is based on Stephen King’s opus, The Stand.

I moonlight with cover bands. There was a time when I was fronting one a few years ago. Usually when we warmed up or had time for a sound-check, I’d lead the guys into some sort of blues number. Sometimes it would be The Replacements’ “Hootenanny”. Other times it might just be some sort of blues in E since I’m a fan of the E-A-B progression. If we just broke out into slow E blues, I’d start to make up lyrics on the fly.

During this time, I was reading The Stand so the characters and plot were fresh in my mind. On more than one occasion, while we were playing some blues, I just started singing about The Walking Dude, the Trashcan Man and whatever else came to mind. I didn’t write any of it down right away but tried to repeat it each time we played.

Then one day as I was recording drum tracks for my original stuff, I decided to lay down two blues tracks knowing one of them would be this homage to The Stand. After that, I wrote down as much of the lyrics I could remember and polished up the rest.

If you’re a King fan you’ll know right away that the title of the song refers to Randall Flagg, the chief antagonist in the novel. He’s one of those villains you love to hate and shows up in many of King’s works. “I saw the Walking Man/Dude in the city of sin” refers to Flagg in Las Vegas, which is his de facto headquarters of sorts in the book. That verse is repeated at the end for emphasis and to create a “bookend” feeling, lyrically.

“Baby, Can You Dig Your Man?” is a song in the book by one of the principle characters, Larry Underwood. This poor guy was probably just about to make it as a musician when the crippling Super-Flu (nicknamed Captain Trips) hits and wipes out most of civilization. Since the song is mentioned in the book many times and since Larry is a musician, it stuck in my head. I felt I had to include it somehow.

The line about “your sister can” is a take on the traditional blues line where the jilted lover asks his girl for something (probably sex) and says that if she won’t, her sister will. It’s fairly common in blues songs. Initially, I wanted to include Larry’s name in the verse to enforce that the lyric was part of his song. At first, the line read, “If you don’t, my man Larry can.” I realized that made no sense though. That would make Larry gay and while that’s not a bad thing in itself, it diverts from the novel where Larry is clearly not gay at all (that we know of). So I changed the line to refer to “your sister” instead. Larry’s name didn’t make the lyrics.

The Trashcan Man verse was made up on the fly and one of the verses I remembered fully. Trash is a crazy pyromaniac in the book. The bit about desire at the end is just vague enough to be cool. I’m not 100% sure what it refers to but it rhymes and can be interpreted a few ways.

I wanted to get Mother Abagail in there somewhere since she was also a musician. I love that visual of the old woman playing her spirituals on the front porch with a guitar. That image stayed with me, just like Larry’s song. Of course, the “Hand of God” is an important reference, especially at the end of the book. I liked the notion that she could foresee things.

The song is mainly in first person to give people the impression that the singer is just another character in the book, watching the events unfold. It’s a very long book but if you get the chance to read it, I highly recommend it. Just be patient with it, especially in the middle. I know a lot of people who say they just couldn’t get through it and I admit that the middle drags at times but almost everything that happens is essential and connected in some way. It’s a fascinating read with lots of characters and some great imagery. Without it, this song might just be about some guy bitching about his girlfriend.

So thanks, Steve. Please don’t sue me.

The Recording

I recorded the drums for this song first, and on the same day I recorded the drum track for another blues shuffle I wrote called “Did You Tell Your Man”. These types of songs are very easy to play for me, so while I don’t remember how many takes I did, I can assure you it was only one or two. I just sang along in my head to make sure I was in the right place. I played loudly or quietly where I felt certain parts were happening. It all fell into place and felt natural.

The bass is very direct and to the point. There isn’t a lot of walking or moving around. Looking back now, I think I should have played a bit more, but at the time I was trying to finish the basic tracks in one big session (for both blues songs) because I wanted a friend to come in and play lead guitar for me. I wanted the tracks to be ready.

The song is very stripped down and for rhythm guitar, I only played an acoustic. If you listen closely in the background, you’ll hear it drift in and out between the vocals.

The great lead guitar on the track is played by my old friend Tommy Hayes. We used to work together at a local music store when he was just a kid and I was in my early 20’s. He was always a big blues guy and after reconnecting, I heard some of his playing and thought he’d really be great. He agreed to come down and play on the two blues tracks for me.

All the electric guitars you hear on this track are by Tommy. He does some great lead work and I especially love the little fills that decorate the song here and there. There’s one I really love at around 2:45 (right after the first Trashcan line).

The vocals are pretty subdued at first but pick up a little before the solos for some emotional weight. “She’s a bad girl” was just ad libbed on the fly. The “Hand of God” stuff was intentionally big to lead into the more powerful guitar solo. The first guitar solo was on the mellow side but I asked Tommy to really kick it in for the second one. I kicked the vocals up a little at the end, also, just to have some fun and try to get a big ending out of the tune.

While it’s really just a plain, traditional blues romp, there’s something I like about the song. I don’t know if it’s just nostalgia or whatever, but it’s got something I like. I believe it’s the fact that it’s not over-produced. It’s very simple and has a live sound to it. It’s raw and honest, as the blues should be.

The Lyrics

I saw the Walking Man in the city of sin
I saw the Walking Dude in the city of sin
Looked in his eyes; what a mess I was in

Tell me baby, can you dig your man
Tell me baby, can you dig your man
Because if you don’t, I know your sister can
She’s a bad girl

The Trashcan Man likes to play with fire
The Trashcan Man likes to play with fire
Little did he know her name was desire

I dreamt about that woman strumming her guitar
I dreamt about that woman strumming her guitar
She said, “You better take care children. Here come the Hand of God.”

I saw the Walking Man in the city of sin
I saw the Walking Man in the city of sin
Looked in his eyes; Lord, what a mess I was in

Lou's News / Music / Writing

April 15, 2010

Can We Ever Be Genre Free?

I was thinking about music during my commute to NYC today, as I often do, and the notion of genres came to mind. When you tell someone you write music, the next question is almost always something about what genre or what kind of music you play. Music is music to me. It’s a hard question to answer. More on that in a bit.

Let me just say that I think genres are (for the most part) pretty lame. I mean, what exactly is “Americana” or “Indie” anyhow? What’s “Alternative” or “Grunge?” I’ve heard the term “Progressive” attached to anything from Todd Rundgren to Genesis to Rush to King’s X. The “Country” genre is almost anything but country these days. All you need is a little twang in your voice. It seems that as times change, new genres come and go. What was once “disco” moved on to “dance” and then eventually into things like “freestyle”, “trance” and “electronica” and what not. Before Disco, the term “dance” would have probably referred to something akin to Ballroom Dancing. Then there’s the whole “World Music” thing which I’m not sure what to make of, genre-wise.

Who can keep track of all this? The whole thing confuses the hell out of me and while I reluctantly attach a “Rock” genre to my material, you’ll definitely hear other elements in there. I guess this is the real problem I have with genre, actually. Once you’re pigeon-holed into one of those categories, the moment you stray outside of one, you might get attacked or looked at with a cocked eyebrow as if to say, “What are you trying to pull, buddy? How dare you!?”

That’s partly why, as I’m writing new songs, I’m trying to be as diverse as I possibly can. While I sit comfortably in the “Rock” genre (or some might call it “retro rock” or whatever), I stretch out into other areas as well. I don’t do this consciously, for the most part. I do it because I like many different kinds of music and they all influence me and my writing. There are times when I say, “Hmmm. I’d really like to write a reggae-influenced thing…” but this is not because I’m thinking about being pigeon-holed into a Rock genre. It’s just that old reggae-induced rock tunes by bands like The Police and early Joe Jackson influence me. It’s the kind of music I love and whatever chemicals are released into my brain that make that music attractive to me are also swimming around in my skull when I’m writing or thinking about writing something. It’s influence. It’s inspiration, and it doesn’t have to come from any given genre. It can come from anywhere, anytime.

Now anyone who knows me knows that I like to cross these so-called genres. Songs like “Tonight I Ride” and “Number Two” are a little like something the Foo Fighters might put out. I guess you’d call it “Hard Rock” or something. “Corporate Robot” has a slow funk vibe. “Hello Blue Sky” is very “Beatle-ish” for lack of a better term. “The Walking Man” and “Did You Tell Your Man” are straight up blues. Songs like “Mall Girl” and “Crackberry” are stabs at humor with a bit of Lenny Kravitz thrown in for good measure. “The Luckiest Man Alive” even has a twinge of (dare I say) country in there. If you like that 70’s classic rock thing, then “Will We All Be Friends at the End of the World?” is for you.

Future songs that I conjure will definitely keep moving against the genre grain. As I mentioned previously, the reggae-rock fusion thing has been on my mind lately. A genuine funkified Prince-like jam has been rolling around in my noggin for a few weeks now. I definitely need some more acoustic-based ditties to round out the sound. My buddy Doug and I have been talking about a larger piece that we might work on together some time. It’s a bit of a concept piece. Filling out the space in between all this are countless other songs I’ll put together when time allows. Nothing can be forced; it just has to come.

Answering that dreaded “genre” question (when people ask what kind of music you make) is sort of like when a woman asks you if she “looks fat in this outfit.” What do you say? The truth isn’t what the person wants to hear. The lie makes you feel like you’ve done a disservice, in a way. I usually default to the lesser of the two evils and say, “You know… rock stuff.” It’s sort of a non-answer and a little vague but what else can I say? “A little of everything” might work. I don’t know. I despise that word eclectic for some reason. There are too many C’s in that damn word and it just seems overused to me when referring to people’s taste in music. It’s become the standard answer these days. “I have eclectic taste.” That’s actually a good thing but I can’t stop myself from thinking that most of the time when people say this, they’re really just full of shit and listen to top 40 radio all day mistakenly thinking that it’s eclectic because it goes from the latest Rap artist with a hyphenated name to some pop chick that plays piano.

I suppose the big problem I have with the whole thing is that people feel you “have to” fall into some predefined genre to be legit at all. I don’t agree. Where does someone like Prince fall? Is he Rock? R&B? Funk? Easy Listening? Soul? One of the things that initially drew me to Prince (and this was before Purple Rain, kids) was that he was so diverse. 1999 and Controversy were my first two Prince records and they were both heavy in funk but rich enough to include many other styles of music. That was something I could wrap my head around, even as an early teen.

I suppose genres can be helpful for some people and there’s really no way to avoid them entirely. Hell, I’ve utilized them in this very article numerous times, making myself sound hypocritical in a way. I worked in record stores for years and sure, it’s nice to know all the “classical” stuff is “over there” somewhere. I don’t know how many times a day I was asked, “Where’s the _____ section?” People are used to genres. They like to browse by genre. Maybe by doing that, they’ll discover something else they like. That’s cool. I guess it’s all in the context.

Books and other media can also be applied to this line of reasoning. Stephen King is known as a “horror” writer. What is horror, though? In film, you think of Freddy and Jason ripping limbs off terrified kids and slashing their way through 2 hours, which is very fun! King does not write like this (most of the time) and he’s written well outside the “horror” genre, so to speak. I’m not a betting man and I don’t know Stephen King at all, but I’m guessing he’s not thrilled (no pun intended) about being called a “horror” guy all the time.

I will not condemn genres. They just don’t interest me anymore and I certainly don’t want to be dropped into one. But it’s unavoidable, I suppose. People like to throw labels on everything. It’s human nature. We even do it to each other. Black, white, gay, straight, asian, indian, redneck, etc. I’m just as guilty in that aspect but it’s so hard to break out of that habit when you’ve grown up with it in your face every day. I’m not talking about racism, here. I’m just talking about how people tend to put people or things into categories, which can sometimes be different. Don’t misread me. I’m simply making an analogy.

Wouldn’t it be nice to all be known as just human beings? Yes, that would be very nice! Will it happen? Probably not. But it’s nice to think about, isn’t it?

🙂