[from
Iowa] I had conflicts this night, in all sorts of ways. A Goner Records band
was playing in Portland but this was the first Doverlaff House Concert with an
artist I actually know, Dan Bern. By “know,” I mean I am aware of one song from
him, “American Language,” and I really like that song. So I was double-booked…
torn between two worlds … : old people, punk people. And then Music&Ducks
was trying to lure me to some other show (King Kahn, I believe). We went our
ways. Dan Bern was not at all what I expected. First, his voice (especially his
spoken voice) is seriously unusual, sort of cutesy/weird/nasally, a cross
between an average farmer guy & Pee Wee Herman. But, if it’s a persona, he
never loses it. But then his singing voice is pleasing. Although Dylan’s voice
on most albums irritates me to no end, he’s got some Dylan. He had Dar Williams’
sense of humor (her song, “The Pointless Yet Poignant Crisis of a Co-Ed” is extremely
and enduringly hilarious). He did a Hanukah song that made me think of Adam
Sandler. Jonathan Richman. But all of these are artists I only have a low
tolerance for. He sings with a lot of face movement. Lots of his singing is
more speak-singing. A lot of his songs had this trick of up-going phrasing. His songs are super literal, sometimes poetic
or referential. He could be imaginative and tangential. “I speak later in the
day lately.” “There’s a black tornado spinning in my body” He sings about
average man stuff: sports, clothes. He likes being cynical. He likes evoking
cultural history (“got to make love to my babe in the Chelsea Hotel” “Marilyn
Monroe didn’t marry Henry Miller, but if she did he would have taken her to
Paris” “it was me and Leonard Cohen in a dark room”). There wasn’t really a
point to these references. His between-song stories were the same. He had this
terrible incident with a snow blower that messed up his hands so it was his
first time back on guitar. He sometimes played a 12-string. He sometimes played
a harmonica. I was in an exceedingly bitter mood, but I found him sort of
internally young, class clownish, insecure. He did receive money for doing the
theme song for the Stinky and Dirty Show, something about a garbage truce and
backhoe loaders. He is clever. To counter my bitter mood on this night, here
are my favorite lyrics from “American Language”:
She said, "Love,
love, love is everything."I said, "Ok, I guess, whatever."
She said, "What does that mean?"
I said, "Nothin. It's just good to have a backup plan."
She said, "I guess that means you don't got love."
I said, "Maybe I love everyone."
She said, "That's the same as lovin no one."
I said, "Ok, I guess, whatever."
And I have a dream of a New American Language
One with a little bit more Spanish
I have a dream of a new pop music
That tells the truth, with a good beat and some nice harmonies
I have a dream
I have a dream
Tourist towns are a drag sometimes
But in non-tourist towns you can get beat up
Just for lookin a little different
I guess the thing to do is just stay at home”
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