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James McMurtry — Off And Running
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lily34
(GTFO)
Posted: Apr 30, 2013 - 13:46
 
this guy's voice has always been nails on chalkboard for me.

Imkirok
(The Arctic Hinter Land)
Posted: Feb 11, 2013 - 18:33
 
 TerryS wrote:
now with this track, I won't have the relentless melody of Choctaw Bingo off and running through my mind for days
 
Choctaw Bingo was the song that turned me on to JM, here on RP.  Love that song.  It's a great story, but I agree the tune is a little monotonous.  First time I've heard this song.  Like it already.



cc_rider
(Austin Texas. Y'all.)
Posted: Oct 24, 2012 - 15:24
 
 TerryS wrote:
now with this track, I won't have the relentless melody of Choctaw Bingo off and running through my mind for days
 
You say that like it's a bad thing...

TerryS
(Another SW)
Posted: Feb 14, 2012 - 17:52
 
now with this track, I won't have the relentless melody of Choctaw Bingo off and running through my mind for days

Cynaera
(In a hammock under my own vine and fig tree.)
Posted: Sep 25, 2011 - 11:27
 
Weird..... I woke up this morning with the lyrics to this song going through my mind... McMurtry has been doing a series of "flash-concerts" all over the place. He posts to Facebook with a location and time and about a day's notice.  It's really cool, except so far, he hasn't ventured over to the west coast.  If I see him post that he'll be performing in Wendover, I'll make the drive.{#Mrgreen}

d-don
(Oregon)
Posted: Sep 09, 2011 - 11:58
 
I like McMurtrey's storytelling quality to his songwriting. The lyrics are loaded with Americana and I like that in my music.

Byronape
(Snorkeling in the River Styx)
Posted: Jul 24, 2011 - 17:44
 
 jdorn1 wrote:
He might be famous if he could clean up and loose the crazy man persona.

 Lostfreight wrote:
One of the greats: great songwriter, great singer, great guitarist. This guy should be famous. Suggest you check out the album, "St. Mary of the Woods", as well.
 
 
I thought the crazy man persona was part of his charm?  Would anyone give a crap about The Nuge if he wasn't so wild-eyed bat shit crazy?


(former member)
Posted: May 22, 2011 - 12:44
 
"Explain to me the rules of love
Tell me what I'm so guilty of..
I didn't know that I was blind.
Repeat it real slow so I get it this time..."

ptooey
Posted: May 06, 2011 - 12:59
 
 radioparadisehead wrote:

I met him in Oxford, Mississippi.  He was so unbelievably disheveled/dirty, both physically and personally, that it made his concert less enjoyable.  It wasn't the "hipster-Dylan-wannabe" messiness, either.  It was the, "I have thirty-two cats, and I don't bathe because I'm sort of angry" type of dirty.

 
Y'know, it's funny.  I met him a few years back in Lander, Wyoming, of all places.  He actually seemed to be a nice enough guy, if a little socially awkward. But so am I, so...

He didn't strike me as being overly filthy, but now that I recall the conversation, he did mention that the band had stopped at the laundromat that day. 



Cynaera
(South of Neanderthal)
Posted: Mar 04, 2011 - 10:24
 
This whole album inspires me to write.  And "Too Long in the Wasteland" is excellent, too.  I love James McMurtry's music and lyrics.  Bumping this up to a 10.

(former member)
Posted: Dec 16, 2010 - 10:29
 
 Pyro wrote:
He speaks to me much in the same way as Jackson Browne did in the 70's.
 
Pretty good comparison, although Jackson spoke of loneliness and despair and James seems to hate the stuff around him. Jackson has love and James has disdain.

But man, his ability to write evocative and accurate lyrics...
I grew up in that southern Louisiana/Texas thing and he's so absolutely right on. 

jdorn1
(Land o' Milk & Cheese)
Posted: Nov 14, 2010 - 16:46
 
He might be famous if he could clean up and loose the crazy man persona.

 Lostfreight wrote:
One of the greats: great songwriter, great singer, great guitarist. This guy should be famous. Suggest you check out the album, "St. Mary of the Woods", as well.
 



Rooney
(Near Paradise)
Posted: Oct 29, 2010 - 14:13
 
 meadowwoods wrote:
Don't like anything about this guy. Sorry.

 

makes two of us...or maybe even a few more.  {#Sick}

Fiji5555
(Over The River And Through The Woods)
Posted: Oct 29, 2010 - 11:27
 
 meadowwoods wrote:
Don't like anything about this guy. Sorry.

 
{#Nyah} {#Beat}  {#Moon}

meadowwoods
(Madison environs)
Posted: Oct 29, 2010 - 11:24
 
Don't like anything about this guy. Sorry.


Rooney
(Near Paradise)
Posted: Sep 27, 2010 - 20:21
 
I really can't dance to it, so I'll give it a 6.

/sarcasm off. {#Shifty}

digizone
Posted: Oct 14, 2009 - 11:35
 
Wow. Actully his best works of late are St Mary's of the Woods and his live CD. Doubt anyone here's really taken the time - gums a flappin though - typical.

iscoot4peace
Posted: Oct 14, 2009 - 11:29
 
 Montyontherun wrote:

Skanky bloke. We should put together and buy him some soap... and a bath

 

Oh good...like I needed another reason not to like this guy. 

Pyro
Posted: Apr 23, 2009 - 20:30
 
He speaks to me much in the same way as Jackson Browne did in the 70's.

nigelr
(Coffs Harbour, Australia)
Posted: Jan 02, 2009 - 23:17
 
What's to dislike? Easy on the ear.

nate917
(2,815 miles from home)
Posted: Dec 02, 2008 - 09:20
 
 petelincandjulie wrote:
Brilliant? I think Bob Seger beat him to the punch . . .
A gypsy wind is blowing warm tonight
the sky is starlit and the time is right
 
Yeah, really brilliant.  See also:

   I'm not talkin' 'bout movin' in,
   And I don't wanna change your life
   But there's a warm wind blowin' the stars around
   And I'd really love to see you tonight.

But compare:

   Gonna find my baby; gonna hold her tight
   Gonna grab some afternoon delight
   My motto's always been When it's right, it's right
   Why wait until the middle of a cold dark night

When trite passes for brilliant, it's time to return to instrumental music.



Montyontherun
(Stratford Upon Avon, UK)
Posted: Dec 02, 2008 - 09:10
 
 radioparadisehead wrote:

I met him in Oxford, Mississippi.  He was so unbelievably disheveled/dirty, both physically and personally, that it made his concert less enjoyable.  It wasn't the "hipster-Dylan-wannabe" messiness, either.  It was the, "I have thirty-two cats, and I don't bathe because I'm sort of angry" type of dirty.

 
Skanky bloke. We should put together and buy him some soap... and a bath


TobyRush
(Greeley, Colorado)
Posted: Nov 16, 2008 - 21:03
 
 radioparadisehead wrote:

It was the, "I have thirty-two cats, and I don't bathe because I'm sort of angry" type of dirty.
 
{#Roflol}

radioparadisehead
(The Dirty Dirty)
Posted: Oct 16, 2008 - 09:07
 
 Odyzzeuz wrote:
Bumped into McMurtry at a little French Bistro off Sixth Street here in Austin the other night. He was dining alone. He's quite the eccentric fellow. He's known to have a spectacularly messy home, like scary messy. Excellent songwriter, interesting stylist.
 
I met him in Oxford, Mississippi.  He was so unbelievably disheveled/dirty, both physically and personally, that it made his concert less enjoyable.  It wasn't the "hipster-Dylan-wannabe" messiness, either.  It was the, "I have thirty-two cats, and I don't bathe because I'm sort of angry" type of dirty.


jeffratte
(Seattle, WA - USA)
Posted: Oct 16, 2008 - 09:04
 
What a song writer...& performer.  Have seen him in Seattle a few times at a small tavern, not recently though, miss his visits up here.

ptooey
Posted: Sep 30, 2008 - 08:20
 
I think this is my favorite McMurtry song, and I KNOW it's from my favorite McMurtry album.  I think it's time to put this one back in the disc player for a couple of spins.  Amazing stuff.

lophrequa
(the very edge of the land)
Posted: Aug 29, 2008 - 19:13
 
love this guy. so there.

DoctorHooey
(/etc)
Posted: Jun 27, 2008 - 14:12
 
The arrangement at the beginning of this song reminds me of "Crazy for You" by Madonna. I'm sure that makes me evil or something.
petelincandjulie
Posted: May 11, 2008 - 13:36
 
Brilliant? I think Bob Seger beat him to the punch . . .
A gypsy wind is blowing warm tonight
the sky is starlit and the time is right
(former member)
(Something like a circus or a sewer)
Posted: Dec 21, 2007 - 18:51
 
Damn this is a brilliant song.

What'd you do with my ball and chain?

I'm so lost without it. It was such a part of me. I guess I'll get along. how hard can it be?
doctec
(Northeastern U.S.)
Posted: Dec 06, 2007 - 06:12
 
I happen to like abrupt shifts in gear - keep one on one's toes.
rocco1207
("the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat")
Posted: Nov 20, 2007 - 08:54
 
Sonic Youth to this??
Xeric
(Up on the Roof)
Posted: Nov 04, 2007 - 21:03
 
slartibart_O wrote:


A more ridiculous statement I've never read on RP. Comparing a few repetitive and nasally 3 minute songs (ok 20 minutes in the case of choctaw bingo) to a lifetime's treasure trove of Pulitzer prize winning novels is just vapid.
A Pulitzer, indeed--for a half-baked rehashing of the cowboy myth, and every other sentence containing a comma splice, to boot. I speak of Loathsome Duck, of course--but it was the Pulitzer made mockery of, and little better since (case in point, the idiotic story in the New Yorker a year or so ago about the Gallatin Canyon). McMurtry the Elder is a hack.

/further vapidity

EDIT: further proof of vapidity--the referenced New Yorker story was actually McGuane. But it was awful.
Kaisersosay
Posted: Aug 02, 2007 - 14:18
 
hmmm thought it was bruce coburn
drictor
(Victor, ID)
Posted: Aug 02, 2007 - 14:17
 
Interesting, I was just on his website when this tune came up. Nice job Bill!

slartibart_O
(N29°57'-W97°34')
Posted: Jul 17, 2007 - 16:40
 
Xeric wrote:


That's debatable. I don't know where McMurtry the younger got his literary talent, but it SO FAR exceeds his father's that one doubts any connection at all. . . .


A more ridiculous statement I've never read on RP. Comparing a few repetitive and nasally 3 minute songs (ok 20 minutes in the case of choctaw bingo) to a lifetime's treasure trove of Pulitzer prize winning novels is just vapid.
coccyx
(mosquitoes rising)
Posted: May 31, 2007 - 18:06
 
Xeric wrote:


That's debatable. I don't know where McMurtry the younger got his literary talent, but it SO FAR exceeds his father's that one doubts any connection at all. . . .


loo-hoo
sserr - herrrr
lmic
(Uniondale, NY)
Posted: Apr 14, 2007 - 10:00
 
Huh - though it was Bruce Cockburn in an upbeat mood!
plaid
(Tech nexxus o' my house)
Posted: Mar 29, 2007 - 17:07
 
I tried to introduce my wife to JM via Choctaw Bingo. I don't think she really got it. I may try this one instead.
jdorn1
(Land of Milk and Cheese)
Posted: Oct 02, 2006 - 11:50
 
and you and I don't talk alot
we don't really have to
we spent many years
reading each other's mind
we used up the lightning
now we don't bother fighting
such things will happen in time
jdorn1
(Land of Milk and Cheese)
Posted: Oct 02, 2006 - 11:40
 
Well said.

But...he didn't slip through my crack...sorrry for the pun. James hit me square between the eyes and I couldn't get get Too Long in The Wasteland out of the tape deck for nearly a year. Simply Amazing storytelling, understated with a tight band!

joek wrote:
If anyone likes this you should really check out his first record "Too Long In The Wasteland". It was produced by John Cougar Mellencamp and John Cougar's band was used for all the tracks....I'm not a huge JCM fan but James McMurtry's songs on that record are totally amazing and the band's playing is crazy good. I really think it's a hidden gem of the 1990's that slipped between the cracks because of grunge and the alt-country movement.

Odyzzeuz
(Austin, Texas)
Posted: Jul 06, 2006 - 14:51
 
Bumped into McMurtry at a little French Bistro off Sixth Street here in Austin the other night. He was dining alone. He's quite the eccentric fellow. He's known to have a spectacularly messy home, like scary messy. Excellent songwriter, interesting stylist.
gradys_kitchen
(Royal Oak, MI)
Posted: Jun 07, 2006 - 10:27
 
The soundtrack to a life in retrospect.
joek
Posted: Jun 07, 2006 - 09:12
 
If anyone likes this you should really check out his first record "Too Long In The Wasteland". It was produced by John Cougar Mellencamp and John Cougar's band was used for all the tracks....I'm not a huge JCM fan but James McMurtry's songs on that record are totally amazing and the band's playing is crazy good. I really think it's a hidden gem of the 1990's that slipped between the cracks because of grunge and the alt-country movement.
cutterjudd
(smackdabinthemiddle)
Posted: Jun 07, 2006 - 09:10
 
What a great "wordsmith"..IMHO
Mari
(www.broomecam.com)
Posted: May 23, 2006 - 18:52
 
Moak wrote:
What a road tune, never heard that one...ridin' the 2-lane into Arizona...
... ... Hi Moak, what you do with my ball and chain? ... ...
............................ I can't do a thing without it! ................
Moak
(Reading, PA)
Posted: May 09, 2006 - 05:07
 
What a road tune, never heard that one...ridin' the 2-lane into Arizona...
Xeric
(Various Strata)
Posted: Apr 24, 2006 - 15:19
 
jdorn1 wrote:
Ghost of the mooon in the afternoon....bullet holes in the mailbox...
Time sure flies when you're havin' fun
Wasn't it just yesterday you turned twenty-one?
jdorn1
(The land of Cheese and Milk)
Posted: Jan 26, 2006 - 12:30
 
I've got most of JM's stuff. I'd be lost without it...;-)

Lostfreight wrote:
One of the greats: great songwriter, great singer, great guitarist. This guy should be famous. Suggest you check out the album, "St. Mary of the Woods", as well.




Lostfreight
(Canada)
Posted: Dec 28, 2005 - 10:41
 
One of the greats: great songwriter, great singer, great guitarist. This guy should be famous. Suggest you check out the album, "St. Mary of the Woods", as well.

jdorn1 wrote:
Ghost of the mooon in the afternoon....bullet holes in the mailbox...