Wood Panelling vs. Billy Joel
In defense of Billy Joel.
(Previously titled, "Don Will Never Write for Pitchfork")
i don't entirely get it, to be honest. I mean, I DO get it...but not entirely.
Among musicians, it's fairly if not ENTIRELY uncommon to hear any kind words directed towards the music created by Mr. Joel. Honestly, now that I am thinking about it, no musician friends of mine wax poetically or even muse kindly towards the aforementioned "piano man." And perhaps that's it right there, that he wrote, "Piano Man." More on that later.
Thing is, I don't believe them. At least not all of them. Sure, it's way waaayy easier to say, for example. that "hey, wasn't listening to that AM radio crap at the time. Had my head wrapped around the Sex Pistols, the New York art-punk scene and all that. Couldn't give a crap about what that dude had to say about eating in an Italian Restaurant." Well, something like that.
You see, admitting to liking Billy Joel has become akin to admitting you favor, say, wood panelling. Thing is, with the right coat of paint, wood panelling ain't all that bad. Might actually rock with the right select furniture. Maybe it's the fact that he's a "piano rocker." Perhaps the indie rocker inside all of us struggling musicians cannot coalesce around any sense of praise for a piano-playing Long Island crooner. But I submit to you that this is way more punk rock at the time than the Sex Pistols ladies and gentlemen. Seriously, think about this. I mean, the Sex Pistols are great. And I'm just using them as an example, for there is really no feud here between Mr. Joel and the SP crew. But outwardly spitting on shit and tearing the world around you apart is overtly more easy than sitting behind a piano and singing songs about your Long Island (see suburbs) upbringing during the heart of the punk movement.
I'm not even claiming to be that much of a Billy Joel fan. But what I do like is an underdog. And despite him being a billion some odd selling artist, the guy gets no respect, and that makes him an artistic underdog. It's much easier to say you are REALLY into say, The Arcade Fire, or MGMT, or even Tom Waits. But Billy Joel? NO ONE ever claims this...in public. And the words I submit to you here will likely do little to change that. But despite not being a self-proclaimed Billy Joel fan, I will now offer a few facts that may lead to be finding an old Billy Joel concert tee and cueing up to defend my wearing it in public.
1. "The Stranger" - don't care what you have to say. The guitar riff is a little square, but those flat-ass thin sounding drums are awesome and I would kill to have them on my record. Also, these lyrics aren't have bad.
Once I used to believe
I was such a great romancer
Then I came home to a woman
That I could not recognize
When I pressed her for a reason
She refused to even answer
It was then I felt the stranger
Kick me right between the eye
Ouch Billy. This ain't no "Smokin' in the Boys Room."
2. The recording of "It's still rock and Roll to me." Again, I'm, not listening to the naysayers. Okay, so I am an analogue recording junkie. But this remains, to me, one of the most incredible sonic pop recording of it's era. Perhaps Billy purposely keeping any piano from this track was his subconscious reacting to the critical silence of his previous albums. But despite what you may feel of this song, this recording represents the era of the late 70's and early early 80's (before what we would consider the "early 80's) in it's finest technical form. Like wood panelling. A great vocal performance too. Almost unrecognizable as Joel.
3. "Uptown Girl" doesn't count
4. "Allentown" does.
5. Me am drunk.
6. I've only really experienced writers block (and I hope I am not jinxing myself) once in my life. It was about 1998 or 99. Had gone about 6 months or so without really writing anything or even having an idea as to what to write about. SO one night I am up about 3 in the morning listening to a radio station in New York City. And believe it or not, radio in NYC is not all that great. ESPECIALLY in the late 90's.
So a Billy Joel tune comes on...of course. I think it may have been "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant." I may have even sung a lyric or two. But the thing that really struck me, was that as a songwriter, he must be pretty psyched that he has so many songs that people know. That they actually PAY to see him perform them. I mean, at the end of the day, that's a very very amazing feat for a guy from the suburbs of Long Island. Actually for anyone from anywhere. And he just has hit after hit after hit, artistic merits aside, which are of course always just a subjective ideology.
I sat there in my room murmuring about how this guy, Billy Joel, has all these songs that everybody knows all the words to and sing along with. It made me both admire and loathe him. And here I couldn't write anything. But them it came out, almost in an instant. A song. A new idea. A new thought. In about 15 minutes I wrote a complete thought. A complete song. A song about how I knew all the words to songs by an artist I wasn't even that much a fan of. How oddly impressive that was. And I just need to write even ONE SONG. So there it came out.
"I know all the words to songs by Billy Joel
He knows me much better than you
I wish I could write songs like Billy Joel
Maybe I will."
And the thing is, I credit that song, perpetually unreleased, as turning my songwriting fortunes around. Such as they may be. After writing that, I haven't experienced writers block since. Maybe I don't exactly write ye old "hits" like Billy, but I could probably match him for sheer volume of tunage written. And I'd tell him "thanks" for the kick in the butt, if only for hearing his songs one too many times.
When I was about seven or so, I remember my dad's handyman coming by the house to install some wood panelling in our living room. It was decidedly hideous. Undebateably so.
I truly miss it now.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?
"THUMBS UP!"
(A True Story)
Act 1
Scene One
It's late on a stormy and steamy Fourth of July of this year. A group of 4 semi-revelrous adults step into a sparsely crowded West Village bar in Manhattan for a refreshing margarita.
Kristi: "Yeaahhhhhhh!!!"
And with that, the foursome step inside the bar and order their cold drinks.
Bree: "So, how about 'Antartica?'"
Don: "I still like The Meltdowns."
You see, the conversation has been about what would make a good band name. Thus far it has been concluded that the answer is none. There are none good band names.
Waitress walks over to table to take our order, slightly distracted, but mostly tired. Don decides to bring in an outside opinion.
Don: (to waitress) "Let me ask you a question here. I'm gonna give you some band names, and you tell me what you like with a Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down. Ok?"
Don turns to glance over at his company to show he has a master plan. And the true and greatest name of what's been suggested so far, will now be chosen by our unassuming waitress. Just as he's turning back to said waitress with the first band name option, she says...
Waitress: "Ummm...I think I like...Thumbs Up."
Dumbfounded look on all faces concerned.
Waitress: "Yeah. Because Thumbs Down sounds too negative. So I like Thumbs Up."
Don: Ok then. Thank you.
This happened. And I will be thankful for all eternity.
(A True Story)
Act 1
Scene One
It's late on a stormy and steamy Fourth of July of this year. A group of 4 semi-revelrous adults step into a sparsely crowded West Village bar in Manhattan for a refreshing margarita.
Kristi: "Yeaahhhhhhh!!!"
And with that, the foursome step inside the bar and order their cold drinks.
Bree: "So, how about 'Antartica?'"
Don: "I still like The Meltdowns."
You see, the conversation has been about what would make a good band name. Thus far it has been concluded that the answer is none. There are none good band names.
Waitress walks over to table to take our order, slightly distracted, but mostly tired. Don decides to bring in an outside opinion.
Don: (to waitress) "Let me ask you a question here. I'm gonna give you some band names, and you tell me what you like with a Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down. Ok?"
Don turns to glance over at his company to show he has a master plan. And the true and greatest name of what's been suggested so far, will now be chosen by our unassuming waitress. Just as he's turning back to said waitress with the first band name option, she says...
Waitress: "Ummm...I think I like...Thumbs Up."
Dumbfounded look on all faces concerned.
Waitress: "Yeah. Because Thumbs Down sounds too negative. So I like Thumbs Up."
Don: Ok then. Thank you.
This happened. And I will be thankful for all eternity.
The "Billie Jean" Argument
The story goes like this...
We're at the zany and remote Velvet Elk Studio working on a song, and the song "Billie Jean" gets brought up. Now, this happens more often than you think. It's one of the most simple and brilliant bass and drum intros to a song. I give it tint fragmential adge over Queens' "Another One Bites the Dust." An edge that will most likely switch sides as soon as I next hear "aNother One..."
Anyway, we're discussing the brilliance of the "Billie Jean" bass line and stuffing our faces at the same time. Whilst I am in mid-bite, Paul "Eagle Feather" Garisto decides to chime in with his rendition of the aforementioned bass line. However, he does this incorrectly, or so I believe. An argument, of sorts, ensues. Additionally, I believe I may have won this battle, but Eagle still claims otherwise.
Let's go to the videotape.
We're at the zany and remote Velvet Elk Studio working on a song, and the song "Billie Jean" gets brought up. Now, this happens more often than you think. It's one of the most simple and brilliant bass and drum intros to a song. I give it tint fragmential adge over Queens' "Another One Bites the Dust." An edge that will most likely switch sides as soon as I next hear "aNother One..."
Anyway, we're discussing the brilliance of the "Billie Jean" bass line and stuffing our faces at the same time. Whilst I am in mid-bite, Paul "Eagle Feather" Garisto decides to chime in with his rendition of the aforementioned bass line. However, he does this incorrectly, or so I believe. An argument, of sorts, ensues. Additionally, I believe I may have won this battle, but Eagle still claims otherwise.
Let's go to the videotape.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Life as a slugfest.
What a crazy weekend, physically AND emotionally.
I'll start with the good. Ventured out to the Steel Bridge Songfest in Sturgeon Bay, WI, where I performed a few of the songs I wrote there the previous year. The fellow songwriters that I was involved with were all truly talented and even magical artists. So here's the thing, they've put out a 2-cd compilation of those songs for Steel Bridge. You'd be wise to pick one up. Now, I know...compilations can be a sketchy promise, at best. I'm usually if not always weary of them. So I'd be hard-pressed to recommend one fully. But, yet here I am about to do JUST THAT. This compilation has some INCREDIBLE songs. Obviously I am more attached having been there during their writing process, but you should check them out. K?
Go here for that.
Saturday night was the "big" show on the main stage, featuring Jackson Browne. Jackson has been great about lending his name and time to the cause and supporting this festival. Not to mention the fact that he is an amazing performer as well. The show ended around 10:30pm, with about 100 of us on stage singing the final song. It was somewhere during that song that I was convinced the stage was about to collapse. But I continued to bang the drum sticks instead.
12:30am - I begin my drive to Milwaukee for my 5am flight to Nashville. Sad to leave my friends behind.
3:30am - arrive in Nashville at airport. Return car. Walk to airline ticket counter. Not open. Stand there for half hour.
4:05am - someone from Continental shows up...finally. After 10 minutes of her "getting ready", we get our tickets.
4:10am - security line. again, NOT open yet. Stand for 20 minutes. Curiously, about 15 security workers are all standing at their posts waiting for it to turn 4:30am.
5:00am-ish - we're off to Nashville! oops. not yet. first leg is to, Houston, TX?!
8:15am - we're off to Nashville!
11:15am - I'm confused by all the time-zone changes I'll flip-flopping through, but we've made it to NAshville. Miraculously, my whole band on their own individual flights have arrived at airport around the same time. This will be the single-most impressive feature of our day. Well, for musicians that is.
1:00pm - check in to hotel in Murfreesboro. I can see the letters of that town quite plainly, but I STILL can't seem to say it correctly. I jump in shower. Johnny and I have effective not slept since 10am yesterday. Feels pretty cool.
2:30pm - arrive at Bonnaroo. We get our artist passes. Feel semi-important.
3:00pm - pull into parking lot. it's about 95 degrees under a blistering sun. I am a pale white singer-songwriter. Very sexy.
We are met by, Griper Nugent. That was correct. He picks us up in golf cart and escorts us onto the grounds to the Sonic Stage area where we will perform. Star treatment. I distinctly recall having perhaps read a few folks lips saying something like.."who are those assholes?"
3:15pm - backstage at Sonic. meet the peeps at OurStage who helped pull all this together for us. Very grateful. Watch Susan Tedeschi go on before us and she kills! The audience eats it up.
3:30pm - Don DiLego and band rehearse for Bonnaroo. Colin Killalea, who played guitar with me for the FIRST TIME last week in NYC, is standing nect to a giant blue octopus, playing saxophone to "Nicotine Prom Queen." Where am I? Mom?
4:30pm - Onstage at Bonnaroo! The crowd has thinned, but we are undeterred. The sun is directly in our faces. I think my bassist Johnny has melted a couple inches. We are un-phazed! We bust into "The Vegas Man" and I do my Elvis intro. Perhaps good for adding 10 folks to the audience. (all claims are unverified and maybe only in Don's head)
4:40pm - we're cookin' now. we get a half dozen or so new folks with each tune. The reality is, nary a soul knows who the hell we even are. And we're sandwiched between some incredibly loud bluegrass band and Aimme Mann. We are not winning the battle, but we are managing to take a few prisoners along the way. The band sounds good.
4:50pm - To Paul chagrin, I take a tom-tom solo during "Falling Into Space." I try to extend this "solo", but Paul indicated that I sounds like an empty water bottle. I head back to microphone
4:55pm - After a monumental white raggae jam with Colin wailing away on tenor sax, our set concludes. I have a gigantic smile on my face to be honest. The grand journey all weekend and all the stress of making the travel arrangements work out to make this happen, just washes away in the glow of the afternoon Bonnaroo sun. We played well, got some festival-goers to listen to us play, and made some new fans. What's not to be happy about?
5:10pm - interview with Alyssa Jayne Hale from OurStage in from of giant blue octopus. I attempt to be a wise-ass during my on camera interview. Turns out she's even more of one. I think I fall in love.
5:12pm - Occurs to me that everything I just said was not just a conversation in my head and will actually be aired.
5:20pm - a guy named Benjamin from Roving Festivals wants to interview me as well. Oh, so this is what the big guys do, eh?
Answer a few questions, including..."name some other great underground New York Artists."...when Ian Thomas walks by. Ian is a great folk singer-songwriter, who I played with a Jack's in NYC a bunch. Just happens to not only be coincidentally playing Bonnaroo, but also walking right past me doing the interview right then.
6:18pm - walking around Bonnaroo grounds. Everyone looks blitzed. I start playing the "I wonder what they're on" game.
7:15pm - get ride back to parking lot to load back up. Stay there for an hour playing frisbee in the setting sun with the guys. Sometimes these simple things are grand.
8:30pm - back at hotel. I know I'm exhausted but can't sleep.
9:05pm - find out that Sadie Loo, one of the cats I dearly love, only 2 years old, had to be put to sleep while I am away. Feel like I just got punched in gut, but am too tired to process it. She was family. She really was.
10:30pm? - blankly watch Celtics lose to Lakers, even though I'm not that upset about it. Kinda want to seem them win in Boston anyway. A nice divergence.
11:15pm-ish - somehow fall asleep
6:30am - someone knocks on our door, making me jump out of bed. No answer. Thanks for that.
7:11am - a louder knock. This time I realize that there are 2 buses of Jesus Camp parked outside and they are rounding each other up this morning for departure. Somehow, they keep mistaking Room 310 as fellow members.
8:30am - Target. Why am I here? No, seriously. Why?
9:30am - my friend Marwan texts me to congratulate my Bonnaroo performance as seen on internet. What?@!
9:35am - OurStage has posted video of my performance and interview. I am clown-like. But it's wonderful how much exposure they are giving me. Glad I am wearing pants.
*** Well, now I'm drinking my coffee and laying out my timeline for you because I know there is nothing else on the internet for you to read. So I am filling your void. I feel relieved, saddened, and somewhat rested. I am about to drive all the guys into Nashville to the airport for their respective afternoon flights back home. As for me, it just so worked out that my flight is tomorrow morning. So I will hole up in Nashville tonight, and wander Music Row on my own looking for some sad country music and a bit of whiskey. And that sounds just about right to me.
I'll start with the good. Ventured out to the Steel Bridge Songfest in Sturgeon Bay, WI, where I performed a few of the songs I wrote there the previous year. The fellow songwriters that I was involved with were all truly talented and even magical artists. So here's the thing, they've put out a 2-cd compilation of those songs for Steel Bridge. You'd be wise to pick one up. Now, I know...compilations can be a sketchy promise, at best. I'm usually if not always weary of them. So I'd be hard-pressed to recommend one fully. But, yet here I am about to do JUST THAT. This compilation has some INCREDIBLE songs. Obviously I am more attached having been there during their writing process, but you should check them out. K?
Go here for that.
Saturday night was the "big" show on the main stage, featuring Jackson Browne. Jackson has been great about lending his name and time to the cause and supporting this festival. Not to mention the fact that he is an amazing performer as well. The show ended around 10:30pm, with about 100 of us on stage singing the final song. It was somewhere during that song that I was convinced the stage was about to collapse. But I continued to bang the drum sticks instead.
12:30am - I begin my drive to Milwaukee for my 5am flight to Nashville. Sad to leave my friends behind.
3:30am - arrive in Nashville at airport. Return car. Walk to airline ticket counter. Not open. Stand there for half hour.
4:05am - someone from Continental shows up...finally. After 10 minutes of her "getting ready", we get our tickets.
4:10am - security line. again, NOT open yet. Stand for 20 minutes. Curiously, about 15 security workers are all standing at their posts waiting for it to turn 4:30am.
5:00am-ish - we're off to Nashville! oops. not yet. first leg is to, Houston, TX?!
8:15am - we're off to Nashville!
11:15am - I'm confused by all the time-zone changes I'll flip-flopping through, but we've made it to NAshville. Miraculously, my whole band on their own individual flights have arrived at airport around the same time. This will be the single-most impressive feature of our day. Well, for musicians that is.
1:00pm - check in to hotel in Murfreesboro. I can see the letters of that town quite plainly, but I STILL can't seem to say it correctly. I jump in shower. Johnny and I have effective not slept since 10am yesterday. Feels pretty cool.
2:30pm - arrive at Bonnaroo. We get our artist passes. Feel semi-important.
3:00pm - pull into parking lot. it's about 95 degrees under a blistering sun. I am a pale white singer-songwriter. Very sexy.
We are met by, Griper Nugent. That was correct. He picks us up in golf cart and escorts us onto the grounds to the Sonic Stage area where we will perform. Star treatment. I distinctly recall having perhaps read a few folks lips saying something like.."who are those assholes?"
3:15pm - backstage at Sonic. meet the peeps at OurStage who helped pull all this together for us. Very grateful. Watch Susan Tedeschi go on before us and she kills! The audience eats it up.
3:30pm - Don DiLego and band rehearse for Bonnaroo. Colin Killalea, who played guitar with me for the FIRST TIME last week in NYC, is standing nect to a giant blue octopus, playing saxophone to "Nicotine Prom Queen." Where am I? Mom?
4:30pm - Onstage at Bonnaroo! The crowd has thinned, but we are undeterred. The sun is directly in our faces. I think my bassist Johnny has melted a couple inches. We are un-phazed! We bust into "The Vegas Man" and I do my Elvis intro. Perhaps good for adding 10 folks to the audience. (all claims are unverified and maybe only in Don's head)
4:40pm - we're cookin' now. we get a half dozen or so new folks with each tune. The reality is, nary a soul knows who the hell we even are. And we're sandwiched between some incredibly loud bluegrass band and Aimme Mann. We are not winning the battle, but we are managing to take a few prisoners along the way. The band sounds good.
4:50pm - To Paul chagrin, I take a tom-tom solo during "Falling Into Space." I try to extend this "solo", but Paul indicated that I sounds like an empty water bottle. I head back to microphone
4:55pm - After a monumental white raggae jam with Colin wailing away on tenor sax, our set concludes. I have a gigantic smile on my face to be honest. The grand journey all weekend and all the stress of making the travel arrangements work out to make this happen, just washes away in the glow of the afternoon Bonnaroo sun. We played well, got some festival-goers to listen to us play, and made some new fans. What's not to be happy about?
5:10pm - interview with Alyssa Jayne Hale from OurStage in from of giant blue octopus. I attempt to be a wise-ass during my on camera interview. Turns out she's even more of one. I think I fall in love.
5:12pm - Occurs to me that everything I just said was not just a conversation in my head and will actually be aired.
5:20pm - a guy named Benjamin from Roving Festivals wants to interview me as well. Oh, so this is what the big guys do, eh?
Answer a few questions, including..."name some other great underground New York Artists."...when Ian Thomas walks by. Ian is a great folk singer-songwriter, who I played with a Jack's in NYC a bunch. Just happens to not only be coincidentally playing Bonnaroo, but also walking right past me doing the interview right then.
6:18pm - walking around Bonnaroo grounds. Everyone looks blitzed. I start playing the "I wonder what they're on" game.
7:15pm - get ride back to parking lot to load back up. Stay there for an hour playing frisbee in the setting sun with the guys. Sometimes these simple things are grand.
8:30pm - back at hotel. I know I'm exhausted but can't sleep.
9:05pm - find out that Sadie Loo, one of the cats I dearly love, only 2 years old, had to be put to sleep while I am away. Feel like I just got punched in gut, but am too tired to process it. She was family. She really was.
10:30pm? - blankly watch Celtics lose to Lakers, even though I'm not that upset about it. Kinda want to seem them win in Boston anyway. A nice divergence.
11:15pm-ish - somehow fall asleep
6:30am - someone knocks on our door, making me jump out of bed. No answer. Thanks for that.
7:11am - a louder knock. This time I realize that there are 2 buses of Jesus Camp parked outside and they are rounding each other up this morning for departure. Somehow, they keep mistaking Room 310 as fellow members.
8:30am - Target. Why am I here? No, seriously. Why?
9:30am - my friend Marwan texts me to congratulate my Bonnaroo performance as seen on internet. What?@!
9:35am - OurStage has posted video of my performance and interview. I am clown-like. But it's wonderful how much exposure they are giving me. Glad I am wearing pants.
*** Well, now I'm drinking my coffee and laying out my timeline for you because I know there is nothing else on the internet for you to read. So I am filling your void. I feel relieved, saddened, and somewhat rested. I am about to drive all the guys into Nashville to the airport for their respective afternoon flights back home. As for me, it just so worked out that my flight is tomorrow morning. So I will hole up in Nashville tonight, and wander Music Row on my own looking for some sad country music and a bit of whiskey. And that sounds just about right to me.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Bonnaroo Festival and more
Couldn't be more excited about this weekend. Headed out to Wisconsin for a return to the Steel Bridge Music Festival in Sturgeon Bay, WI with Pat MacDonald, Jackson Browne, et al.
Then, then then...
Straight down to Manchester, TN to play a set at the Bonnaroo Music Festival.
So those of you that may be attending this year, I'll be on the Sonic Stage at 4:30.
Hope to see you there!
Fest out,
DD
Bonnaroo Music Festival
Steel Bridge Music Festival
Then, then then...
Straight down to Manchester, TN to play a set at the Bonnaroo Music Festival.
So those of you that may be attending this year, I'll be on the Sonic Stage at 4:30.
Hope to see you there!
Fest out,
DD
Bonnaroo Music Festival
Steel Bridge Music Festival
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