eight years pass...
two years pass...
Jimmy, you are a saint for upping this topic.
Colin, you are an arsehole for proclaiming his 1970 album destroy/dud. Here's proof:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Dx6Zdx2AJ4
Tom has become pretty much become an institution around my house over the past two years for the following long-winded reasons:
(good soundtrack for reading this)
I was recently divorced. It was a thirty minute walk to the thrift store. I wanted new (to me) anything. Clothes, furniture. . . especially records.
Fucking records.
Let me listen to anything I wanted because she wasn't there to critique it —and me— anymore.
As somebody into folk music in a very overview, generally speaking sort of way, I knew who Tom Rush was but had never been interested enough to buy any of his records.
Records were half off that day. Regular price was 30¢, so I purchased the 1970 album for a grand total of 15¢.
Get it home. Very moody, kind of all over the place. But that last song. What is that?
Played it again and again. Wasn't sure if I liked it or not.
But that last song. Again and again.
Looked original version up on YouTube. It's alright. Tom's version is way better.
Listening and listening. Learning to play guitar with all my new free time.
It hits me one day: he plays and sings like every performance was his last. He seemingly means it even more every time he sings 'Child's Song.' How?
Get more albums. They're even better. Those 70's records are cheesy at times, but this fucking guy means it, doesn't he?
A friend of mine discovers he has a rather large and rather aggressive carcinogenic tumor growing in his brain. I just assume he will make it. Treatments and things and deterioration and other unpleasant memories I'd rather not get into at this point and, well, you know, he doesn't.
"Why?", I ask, one evening to myself as I'm listening to Tom Rush (because, by that point, playing Tom Rush records was something that was happening daily). Somehow, a brilliant and hilarious seven year old senselessly losing a battle to brain cancer is rendered less vicious when I hear that song again.
That.
Fucking.
Song.
It's maybe silly to base your entire admiration of a musician based on one song, but the Tom Rush catalogue has revealed itself to be a very rewarding one over the past few years. He was hip to Joni before a lot of people were. He's a severely underrated fingerstyle guitarist. And an absolute blast to see play live (he will play requests).
I tried to play a version of that song myself. On the same guitar that my friend played shortly before he died. He played a C chord —capo @ 4, because that accommodated his small hands. Coincidentally, the same key that 'Child's Song' is in.
I fucking love Tom Rush.
Search and search and search some more.
― Austin, Monday, 15 July 2013 06:22 (twelve years ago)
eleven years pass...