Songs That You Wish You Wrote
”After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.”
Aldous Huxley
Summer is fading fast. You find yourself tooling down the highway hoping to catch the last rays of the season with the top down on your spiffy new ride; that uber-cool little roadster which your family calls the mid-life-crisis-mobile. Forget the naysayers! They’re just jealous. But, before the flakes fly and old man winter freezes your flabby posterior into something closely resembling the backside of Frosty the Snowman, ya just gotta have one more cruise down that long lonesome highway….. (Clever reference to the late 60’s TV show “Then Came Bronson”)
The wind is whipping through your hair …….or what little hair you have left. Monsieur Soleil is beating down on your follicly challenged melon and you ask yourself…. “What the hell possessed me to buy a convertible?”
To take your mind off of your incinerated balding dome, you pop a disc into that overpriced Blaupunkt mounted in that ultra-fancy, walnut burl paneled dashboard. Ya gotta catch a few tunes. Song after song plays and it all just seems to be ambient noise laying down a rhythm as you negotiate in and around the seemingly endless parade of knuckleheaded drivers. That long lonesome highway just ain’t all that lonesome. It is all a matter of self-preservation. Then something in a song, which only seconds before was background noise, catches your ear and you say to yourself, “Damn! This is a great song. I wish I wrote that.”
So, I decided to compile my list of songs that I wish I wrote. If I was a better songwriter, I’d be scribbling down a few lyrics at this very moment on an old sandwich wrapper or a cocktail napkin rather than writing about them on a blog. After all, I’m not the word-smithiest wordsmith that ever smithed a word!
Songs tell stories and trigger emotions. Music stimulates memories of time, place, and people. Great songs are composed of hope, love and dreams by utilizing metaphors, symbolism and mental imagery. Lyrics and melody are the songwriter’s brushes and paints. Great songs are works of art caressed onto a canvas of harmony.
My list will be very different from anyone else’s list. The criteria for my choices are usually based upon something that I, as a musician, relate to within the song. A certain complicated chord progression, clever lyrics with double entendre, or simply just a song that impacts my emotions in a variety of ways. Music is personal; it is not a competition.
Although my best playin’ days are behind me, I’m still a I-IV-V, turn-it-up-to-10, former rock’n’roll guitar hero that just happens to be properly schooled in music theory and composition, most of which has long since been forgotten. Some may find it interesting that my list includes more than a few dark songs in minor keys and deeply introspective lyrics. BTW……..Nigel Tufnel was wrong to believe that D minor is the saddest of all keys….F# minor is really the saddest……(Note the thinly veiled Spinal Tap reference)……And a few of the songs on my list are just plain fun.
Songs with powerful dynamics grab my attention; the sort of tunes that seem to explode from subtle, soft moments into Everest-like peaks of pure intensity and power…..I love voices that are pushed to the breaking point with passion which cannot come from anywhere but somewhere deep inside the soul.
Many of the tunes that I wished that I wrote are Country songs from the early 90’s, which was a time that produced some great songs in Nashville. Disappointingly, much of today’s country has become homogenized template-based pop music with a fiddle and steel guitar added to the mix……It ain’t the style, kids…..It’s the substance.
Remember………Songwriters Rule!
I can’t list every song that I wished I had written, but this is my partial list……(in no particular order)
- It Feels Like Rain…………..John Hiatt
- Passionate Kisses……Mary Chapin-Carpenter…….Lucinda Williams
- Wichita Lineman….Glen Campbell……..Jimmy Webb 1968
- Gentle on My Mind…..John Hartford
- Drive South….Suzy Bogguss……John Hiatt
- Slow Turnin’….John Hiatt
- I Fall to Pieces…….Patsy Cline……Harlan Howard
- Take Five……….Dave Brubeck
- Carved in Stone…..The SubDudes
- Wild Horses…..Rolling Stones
- Outbound Plane…..Suzy Bogguss….Nanci Griffin…..Tom Russell
- All Over But the Cryin’….Georgia Satellites….Dan Baird
- North Dakota ….Lyle Lovett
- Straight Tequila Night…….John Anderson…….Debbie Hupp/Kent Robbins
- Maybe It Was Memphis….Pam Tillis….. Michael Anderson
- Heads Carolina, Tails California…..Jo Dee Messina….Tim Nichols/Mark D Sanders
- When You Say Nothing At All……Keith Whitley
- Almost Goodbye….Mark Chesnutt ….Billy Livsey
- Pocket Full of Gold…….Vince Gill
- Crazy….. Patsy Cline……..Willie Nelson
“It Feels Like Rain”
“It Feels Like Rain” is truly a great composition. It was written and performed by master song-smith John Hiatt and was showcased in the HBO series “Treme”. In the scene where “Rain” was featured, Harley (played by Steve Earle) is mentoring Annie T (Lucia Micarelli) in songwriting 101. Annie is trying to hone “her chops” to take her budding music career to the next level. In an earlier episode, Annie complains to Harley that songwriting is hard. Harley responds by saying…
”Yeah….. That’s why the world is full of players.”
Harley and Annie take a “field trip” to a John Hiatt show at the House of Blues to expose Annie to the brilliant songwriter. A quiz follows the show…….
SCENE:
ANNIE: That’s a good song
HARLEY: It’s a GREAT song…What’s great about it?
ANNIE: OK…For starters…..The melody is cool…..It’s simple, like the blues. It’s not locked into those chord changes.
HARLEY: Yeah, the music gives you what it can. Keep goin’.
ANNIE: The lyrics…..not so simple. I mean it starts off and he’s singing about the weather, the river, the sea and you realize its New Orleans. But then he isn’t singing about New Orleans. It’s really love he’s got on his mind.
HARLEY: Okay.
ANNIE: And love is not simple. It’s a little dark sometimes and a little dangerous…..like New Orleans.
HARLEY: (laughs)
ANNIE: And he’s riding it out, no matter how rough it gets. He’s like us, now, after the storm.
HARLEY: Hiatt wrote that song 20 years ago darlin’. You still had training wheels on your bike and nobody had ever heard the name Katrina.
ANNIE: Really?
HARLEY: That is what makes it a great song.
Treme version:
Full Version:
“Passionate Kisses”
Mary Chapin-Carpenter’s version of Lucinda William’s masterfully crafted song is an up-tempo and “happy” number, not to mention it possesses a most infectious chorus, which is where and how the song “grabs” you. It also has that 12 string Rickenbacher thing “goin’ on”….(guitar guys will know)……This guitar riff meanders just beneath the surface throughout the song, weaving a smooth rhythmic “undercurrent” which perfectly highlights and compliments the vocals………..You’ll be hummin’ this one all day!Is it too much to demand?
I wanna full house and a rock’n’roll band.
Pens that won’t run out of ink
And cool quiet and time to thinkI met Mary Chapin-Carpenter at the Country Radio Seminar in Nashville years ago at about the time this song was high on the charts. Being a Western Pennsylvania dude, I’ve always had a theory that, somehow, everything leads back to Pittsburgh. At some point during our conversation, Mary asked where I was from and I said Pittsburgh……She then, candidly asked me if I knew her sister, Mackenzie Carpenter…….I couldn’t believe it! I’ve known Mackenzie for about 10 years and she never once mentioned that she had a famous sibling! Mackenzie Carpenter writes for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette!….All roads do indeed lead to Pittsburgh!
“Drive South”
“Drive South” is another Hiatt composition. Suzy Bogguss brings it to life with a crystal clear voice of unparalleled purity. During the Country Music Seminar of 1991, Suzy and I kept passing each other in the hallways at the Opryland Hotel, just sayin’ “Hi”……Her album “Aces” was just released. We finally got a few minutes to chat at a “meet’n’greet” in the Opryland Ballroom one evening. I gotta tell ya…..If Suzy wasn’t married, I would have been takin’ her home to meet Mom!We were always lookin’ for true north
With our heads in the clouds
Just a little off course
But I left that motor runnin’
Now, if you’re feelin’ down and out
C’mon, baby, drive south
“Maybe It Was Memphis”
This is one of those songs that never really got my attention until I heard the line….”Read about you in a Faulkner novel”. I mean really! Who makes reference to William Faulkner in a country song? ….I guess Michael Anderson does! Once it was on my radar, I wished I wrote it.Read about you in a Faulkner novel
Met you once in a Williams play
Heard about you in a country love song,
Summer night beauty took my breath away
“Almost Goodbye”
“Almost Goodbye” is an incredibly powerful song. Billy Livsey wrote it and Mark Chesnutt delivered a brilliant interpretation. “Almost Goodbye” is old school country at its best….They ain’t writin’ ‘em like this in today’s Nashville. What sold me on this song was the video. Gorgeous footage! I was told that Mark Chesnutt’s wife, Tracie, is the woman riding the horse in the video….I can’t be for certain of that, but what I can be certain of is the fact that Calamity Jane can ride just as well and is pretty damned handy with a “shootin’ iron”.Sometimes the most important words
Are the ones that you leave unspoken
So…..What’s on your list?
1965 Fiesta Red Stratocaster
60th Anniversary of the Stratocaster
Has it been 60 years already? Break out the Cristal and pop the cork! Better idea! Grab that bottle of Don Julio 1942 that you’ve had squirreled away and pour yourself a snort. This is an occasion to celebrate. Well, I don’t actually need a landmark anniversary to give me a reason to drink fine beverages, but 2014 marks 60 years since Leo Fender introduced to the world that most iconic of iconic “stuff”……The Fender Stratocaster.
I would be difficult to imagine the complexion of today’s rock’n’roll and most music in general sans the Strat (as us guitar aficionados like to call it). It has stood the test of time, not only for its unique single coil sound, but for its classic design which has only had a few cosmetic changes over the decades. It is almost unbelievable that, in fact, Leo Fender could not play a guitar himself.
1965 (pre-CBS) Stratocaster Headstock
Originally, Fender had intended his Stratocaster for use as an electric guitar for country/western music. But some lanky, horn-rimmed spectacle wearin’ dude from Lubbock, Texas took a fancy to Leo’s guitar and almost instantly turned the Stratocaster into the weapon of choice for every up‘n’comin’ rock’n’roll guitar slinger. How did he accomplish this? He simply appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1957 with a 2-toned sunburst Fender Stratocaster playin’ a couple songs he wrote………. “That’ll be the Day” and “Peggy Sue”.
Guitarists playing in nearly every genre of music have used Stratocasters since Buddy Holly helped shine a spotlight on this truly versatile instrument. Strats provide a unique sound to surf music, rock, soul, heavy metal, and most definitely blues. Try to imagine Jimi Hendrix playing “The Star Spangled Banner” at Woodstock with any other guitar other than a Strat……Stevie Ray would torture his “Number 1” Strat on “Texas Flood”. Imagine him playing a Gibson SG instead.…….It can’t be done. And furthermore, IT JUST AIN’T RIGHT!
Dick Dale’s Pipeline wouldn’t sound like Dick Dale’s Pipeline with a Gibson Les Paul or a Mosrite guitar, would it? Dale’s guitar HAD to be an Aztec Gold Stratocaster!
1960 Olympic White Strat Detail
The Ventures, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, Richie Blackmore, Jeff Beck, Robin Trower, Ike Turner, Coco Montoya, Bonnie Raitt, Rory Gallagher, and Stevie Ray all bent more than their share of strings on Stratocasters.
Hank Marvin helped popularize the Stratocaster in the UK in the late 50’s and early 60’s with his custom colored Fiesta Red Strat. Most of the red Strats at that time were shipped to England because red guitars were difficult to sell in the United States. Many players in the states shied away from purchasing a Fiesta Red Stratocaster so they would not be remotely associated with a “communist” color. It was not unusual for Fender to repaint unsold Fiesta Red Strats another color. This is evident when you see instruments from that era that have had the topcoat of finish worn away revealing a Fiesta Red under layer.
1959 Surf Green/Fiesta Red Stratocaster
Some Fender Stratocasters even took on a life of their own. Jimi set a few of his Strats on fire! The Strat that he used at Monterey Pop is one “burning” example. David Gilmore owns the Fender Stratocaster bearing serial #0001. Eric Clapton’s treasured Strat, “Blackie”, was actually pieced together from the best parts of 3 different Strats. “Blackie” was sold at a 2004 Christie’s auction to benefit Clapton’s Crossroads Center for a fat $959,500!
I actually had the rare opportunity to get up close and personal with SRV’s #1…….I gotta say, that Strat was beat to death! There was NEXT TO NOTHING left of the fret board and how the frets were able to remain seated in what was left of the rosewood is a mystery to me. I DO NOT understand how this Strat was remotely playable; never mind how it was able to hold a tuning! But, it surely was one remarkable “tone monster”!!!!!
When #1 was in Stevie’s hands, it was magical!
FYI……Stevie told me that #1’s body was a 1959 with a ’62 or ’63 neck (he could not remember!) He bought that guitar used from a shop in Austin for a few hundred dollars.
I can’t imagine existing in a world without those scrumptious Stratocaster tones pumped through a stack of Marshalls. Strats were the tools that helped achieve musical nirvana in soaring, classic guitar solos such as those that Jimi laid down in “All Along the Watchtower” or “Foxy Lady”. It was rock legends like Jimi who gave us such great music. But it was Leo Fender who designed and produced the vehicle that made this musical journey possible.
So, Happy 60th Anniversary rock’n’roll fans! Raise your glasses! Let’s drink to Leo!
Joe Jackson – Right and Wrong
Big World, 1986
Everyone has a different definition as to what constitutes “Music That Doesn’t Suck”. In my case, there is a long list of criteria. The Requirements…. (some of them, anyway!)
- Well written (lyrics, melody, arrangement)
- Infectious “hook” (guitar riff, bass line, or rhythm)
- Cool chord progressions and structure
- Fantastic musicianship
- Great recording
- Local interest (to me)
- KICKS ASS!!!!
I wanted to find one song that would illustrate, in a most excellent way, the “must-have” qualities that Savage Guitar deems necessary to place a tune squarely into the category of “Music That Doesn’t Suck”.
Enter Joe Jackson’s 1986 release “Right and Wrong”. This song has all of these above mentioned desirable qualities, not to mention political implications and Cold War ramifications.
“Right and Wrong” is a track from Jackson’s “Big World” album. “Big World” was recorded live at the Roundabout Theatre in New York on January 22-25, 1986. The vinyl version of this recording was unique in the fact that it was a double album, but only 3 sides contained music. The 4th side was blank. I bought the original release on CD and was amazed at the clarity of the recording. This album was the first commercially released live digital recording. The stage mix was fed directly into a 2 track (stereo) digital recorder…..No multi-tracking……No overdubs…..No post-production…..No BS!……JUST PURE MUSIC!
In my estimation, “Big World” was THE pluperfect recording of a live performance.
As I researched background info on “Right and Wrong”, I spied a name contained within the liner notes. Listed amongst all the credits printed in microscopic 3 point type, as a backing vocalist, is Pete Hewlett. Stop Everything!…. (Subtle lyric reference cleverly inserted)…… I know that dude! He’s a Pittsburgh guy. Our paths crossed many years ago when he was playing in the local ‘Burgh (Pittsburgh) band Sweet Lightning with Sid McGinnis of David Letterman/Paul Schaffer and the CBS Orchestra fame.
Along with Joe Jackson, Pete has toured with Billy Joel, Carly Simon, and many other monster names in the recording industry. This dude has a resume that most musicians only dream about.
Hewlett and I share a few mutual friends, through his work at WQED hosting “Live in Studio A”. I gave him a call to gather the necessary background intel on the very special “Big World” recording.
Pete tells me that the goal of this landmark record was to create a studio quality recording in front of a live audience. This would allow the band to feed off of their ambience and presence. Also, this would permit the folks in the theatre to feel as though they were sitting in on a live studio session. The audience was instructed not to applaud or make any noise until well after the music stopped, although, according to Pete, sometimes the performance was interrupted by the producer and engineer for various technical and musically aesthetic reasons.
To prepare for this recording, Joe Jackson and the band played what Pete called “spot dates”. According to Pete, there were 4 or 5 un-announced shows at a handful of local small clubs in towns such as Wilkes-Barre, PA and Hoboken, New Jersey. Hewlett tells me that these live “bar gig” rehearsals were intended to prepare the musicians for their upcoming recordings at the Roundabout Theatre, by giving them a “local band feel”…….I gotta say…..That is one HELLUVA local band!
Let’s get to “Right and Wrong” itself. Joe Jackson’s post-punk, Perestroika era masterpiece was inspired by a speech President Ronald Reagan delivered in which he was defending his administration’s policies. (Remember when we had a real President in the White House?) Reagan’s message was that the issues at hand should not be clouded by partisan politics, ideology, or Cold War posturing. Differences and disagreements should and could be settled solely on what is right and wrong.
The live performance is counted off by the southpaw, wrong-handed, Gary Burke at the drum kit. This guy is a machine!…… A human metronome!…. He is as solid a drummer as you will find anywhere on the planet and possibly beyond. Nothing fancy, but Burke hammers out a solid foundation on which to build.
After a few swats on the snare, Rick Ford starts laying down a killer bass line dowsed with attitude and delivering nothing short of a sophisticated swagger. A few bars later, Vinnie Zummo starts adding the guitar layer……Very tasty stuff! Zummo is playing a Steinberger guitar. This guitar is the brainchild of Ned Steinberger and was one of the first guitars to utilize a headless design and incorporate carbon fiber and graphite as the body material of the guitar itself. These were odd instruments to play, in my opinion. They were like playing a 2 x 4 or a canoe paddle with strings on it…..There just wasn’t much to grab on to!
As Joe Jackson adds the main vocals, the 3 piece group is backing him with an astonishingly full sound. You must remember, this is a 3 piece group on a live recording with no post production or overdubs….AMAZING! …..The background vocalists serve not only as singers, but as the 4th instrument of the group by adding their ultra-precise harmonies. This also contributes tremendously to the fullness of the recording/performance. By the way, Pete Hewlett is the guy wearing the red jacket.
Dynamically, “Right and Wrong” has exceedingly soft moments contrasted by massive crescendos which all are perfectly placed and balanced. The intricately delicate backing vocals give way to Jackson’s explosive raspy tones. The arrangement then mellows as Jackson caresses the ivories on the grand piano for a short, but oh-so-tasteful solo.
Jackson guides this extremely tight ensemble through many dynamic changes en route to a climactic finish. After one last hard hitting chorus, the accelerant is squelched…..The throttle is dialed back…… “Right and Wrong” ends with the most deliciously dissonant chord ever conceived, while simultaneously being sweetened with a luscious vocal compliment by Pete Hewlett and friends.
TOO COOL! …… I LOVE THIS RECORDING!
Take a listen to “Right and Wrong” and tell me that the bass line won’t stick in your head for days.
Then, savor an awesome performance by Pete Hewlett on 2005 edition of WQED’s “Live from Studio A Holiday Jam”.
Mr. Peabody and Sherman
With the Wayback Machine Taking Us to Our First Rock Concert
Buckle up boys and girls! We are about to take a trip in Mr. Peabody’s Wayback Machine. If you remember Mr. Peabody and that little goggle-eyed dweeb of an assistant, Sherman with their cartoon time machine, you are old enough to start thinkin’ about cashin’ your first check from that rich uncle ya got in Washington.
Where are we goin’, you ask? We are heading back in time to the scene our first rock concert.
For many of us, the Wayback Machine will have its date set to transport our pitifully protruding posteriors back to the late 60’s or early 70’s. Due to the widespread use of certain illicit substances at the time, memories may be foggy and details few. So, let’s attempt to get those synapses firing in your few remaining functional brain cells and TRY to remember details like…..
• Who was the group?
• What/Where was the venue?
• Who did you attend the show with?
• How much did the tickets cost?
• Any cool tidbits of info that can be shared?
My trip in the Wayback Machine transports me to September 30, 1972 and the Morrow Field House of Slippery Rock College nestled in the rolling hills of scenic Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania.
The Guess Who had just released their “Live at the Paramount” album a month earlier. Being a 14 year old guitar-god-wanna-be, I had to be there! As luck would have it, Tina, a friend of the family, was a senior at Slippery Rock and asked my cousin Davey and me if we’d like to go to the show along with her sister Paula. Just for the record and being kinda cool in its own way, Tina and Paula were cousins of Andy Warhol. BTW…..It was Warhola if you were from the neighborhood.
Off to the Show!
Guess Who
I remember having to pony up a whopping $3.50 for a ticket. We arrived early and got great seats about 20 feet house right from the short riser stage and Guess Who guitar great Kurt Winter.
The post-Randy Bachman rendering of The Guess Who was introduced and immediately ripped into “Pain Train”. If you take a listen to the “Live at the Paramount” album, we were treated the same set/concert which was recorded in Seattle a few months earlier, only this show was performed in “Slimy Pebble”, as us locals like to call Slippery Rock, PA. Whether there were 300 or 3,500 people in the Morrow Field House that night, I can’t say, my attention was fixated on the stage. The band members were clad in hockey jerseys. Burton Cummings was wearing a Montreal Canadien’s jersey (sweater for the hockey purists in the crowd) while banging the keys of the grand piano. Kurt Winter was wearing a Boston Bruins jersey, as he tore up the neck of a red Gibson ES-335.
After a few tunes, the band shed their jerseys and Kurt Winter was then wearing a grey “sound by Garnet” sweatshirt with the sleeves cut off. I HAD to have shirt like that one! That sweatshirt was the coolest thing ever! Never got one though…… (Heavy sigh). Garnet was the hometown amplifier company that outfitted all of the musicians in Winnipeg at the time.
The Guess Who show was everything that you’d wish for in a first concert experience and the “Live at the Paramount” album functions as Mr. Peabody’s Wayback machine for me and brings back some vivid memories from 42 years ago. I CANNOT believe it has been that long!
Your turn……….Let’s hear your recollections of your first show.
The Incredible Dude-O-Caster
Dudes and Dudettes…..OK! OK! I’ll fess up. I am the deranged, misguided individual that is responsible for conjuring up the now legendary Dude-O-Caster guitar. The DOC now resides in a climate controlled vault within the compound of the Angry White Dude. The wickedly-cool custom guitar is under 24 hour armed guard. For an added measure of security, a dozen rabid Pit Bulls patrol the perimeter of AWD’s super-secret bunker.
A few months back, AWD asked me if I’d be interested in becoming a contributor or editor for Music That Doesn’t Suck. I immediately jumped on the opportunity. How cool is that? I’d be writing commentary and opinion for that ol’ stud dog himself, AWD!
Maybe it was a momentary lapse of judgment or possibly a genius business decision, who can say? After all, this would free up AWD’s time for important stuff like fightin’ for truth, justice, and the American way. With a new guy humpin’ a portion of the writing load, AWD will also have more time to hunker down in his rehearsal studio to practice those bodacious B-string bends and monster bone rattling power chords on that most awesome Dude-O-Caster.
This is what is THOUGHT to be the situation. But an un-named source from inside the AWD bunker claims to possess intel to refute the official story. This anonymous source has agreed to provide un-redacted documents as evidence that AWD has been named as Chairman of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Selection Committee. As of the time of this writing, I have not seen these documents.
Another source, claiming inside knowledge of the situation, has allegedly uncovered evidence supporting a theory that Steely Dan is looking for a new guitarist to replace Jon Herrington and “Dan” is actively pursuing AWD for the gig.
If the Steely Dan intel is solid, I know a guy, who knows a guy that has a cousin that used to date the doorman to Walter Becker’s plush Manhattan penthouse apartment building and this doorman dude may be able to provide details, if he is able to speak English. The situation is still fluid, but it is conceivable that AWD could very well be on tour with Steely Dan by this time next year.
Considering all of the above scenarios, I’m left with the enviable task of digging deep into the Savage Guitar Design archives and write about Music That Doesn’t Suck. Not being the supreme wordsmith, the pressure is certainly on though! As the Pop Culture Editor, I’ll have to display my “expertise” in other stuff that doesn’t suck, or maybe just fake it!
Whether it be Rock’n’Roll, Country, Jazz, or any of the other genres and sub-categories of music, there is a boatload of great tunes out there that we may never get to hear and enjoy unless someone introduces it to us and our playlists. Don’tcha just despise the dreck that the “big labels” shovel at us? The music execs heap a long ton of harmonic crap on the public while telling everyone that this is what they want to hear…… Au contraire, mon ami! It is NOT what we want to hear. Personally, I prefer a little substance with my style.
To the “tunage”!!!!!!
To pay homage to the tone monster of all tone monster guitars, the Dude-O-Caster, this edition of Music That Doesn’t Suck will feature a couple guitar tunes.
Jimmy Thackery…..Cool Guitars
John Hiatt……Perfectly Good Guitar
Dude-O-Caster
Certificate of Authenticity
This is the very rare and highly sought after Dude-O-Caster, not an ordinary guitar by any means. Crafted to meet exacting standards, or maybe just close enough for gubmint work, the Dude-O-Caster is cobbled together to make the ultimate instrument (gee-tar) that would simply kick the hind quarter of any of those celebutards or American Idol wanna-bees who may have thought that their axes kicked ass.
This coolest of cool guitars was designed on the fly…No, not that fly! The basic concept was sketched out on paper (Photoshop actually) and evolved from a simple old school idea into a magical tone monster.
Don’t let the tonge-in-cheek, one-of-a-kind details fool ya, this is a killer guit-box! Dude-O-Casters are specifically designed with an “in your face, bang, zoom, to-the-Moon-Alice look”….Maybe not purdy to some, but to the select few who are fortunate to own one of these bad boyz”, there is an indescribable beauty that is only in the eyes of the beholder…Kinda like that .45 ACP which you’ve been carryin’ around concealed for the last 25 years. Some people just won’t appreciate…But F*** ‘EM!….what the hell do they know anyway!
Prototyping the DOC was a monumental undertaking, second only to the Manhattan Project. Hopefully, the Dude-O-Caster won’t be as big of a bomb, but it is guaran-damn-teed to create a ruckus wherever it may be! New techniques had to be developed and mastered, specifically acid etching logos onto medallions….Now how manly is that?!
The DOC features bead blasted stainless bridge and aircraft grade anodized aluminum hardware, and Lindy Fralin Blues Hybrid pups….No sissy stuff here!….Chrome don’t getcha home, Bucko!
DOCs were conceived and developed with good old fashioned ‘Merican ingenuity, blood, sweat, and tears (sounds like a good name for a band). Well, not any blood was spilled, but maybe some tequila. The DOC is made by the hands of a highly skilled American patriot, not some little, fuzzy-headed, foreign, comm-u-nist bastard that eats his lunch with little sticks.
The front of the gee-tar sports the logos of the Angry White Dude and an etched medallion features an iconic figure from the greatest movie ever, which serves as the inspiration for everything AWD. While accenting the famous movie quote graphic, the stars on the back represent the great state of Texas and all of the super-sexy stud dogs who pick a little guit’ box in the spirit of Davey Crockett and Stevie Ray….(The stars also camouflage some flaws in the nitro finish.)
I’m clinically depressed by the fact that the DOC is a lefty. This means I can’t play the shit out of it. So I enlisted the help of that most awesome southpaw twang-master, Chris Buhler (who actually met the supreme lefty, Jimi, back in the day). Chris took the DOC for spin around the block before it was shipped out on its trek to Tejas. Chris kicked the tires, laid down some killer honky-tonk licks, tickled the frets with some sweet jazz and paid homage to “Skydog” and proclaimed the Dude-O-Caster to be the “Tone Monster of all Tone Monsters!”….High praise indeed!
Greg Savage
Savage Guitar Design January 2014