Flamin' Groovies – "Slow Death" (1972)

I called the doctor

Up in the morning

I had a fever

It was a warning

In the previous 2 or 3 lines, I told you that I have a pretty good idea how I will die.  (I’m guessing my death will be bicycle-related, not fever-related.). But I have no idea when I will die.

If you’d like to know when you’re going to die, all you have to do is click here and enter your date of birth, gender, the country you live in, your smoking history, and your body mass index (or “BMI”).  The Death Clock will use that info to predict the exact date of your death.

Do I plan to utilize the Death Clock myself?  No siree Bob!  I can’t imagine how horrible it would be to know exactly how long one is going to live.

Oh, sure . . . I know that there is virtually no chance that I would die on the date predicted by the Death Clock.  But that date would be there in the back of my mind – and as that date got closer, you betcha it would bother me.

It would bother me a lot.

*     *     *     *     *

Earlier this year, the Washington Post published an article about a recently-published best-selling novel titled The Measure.

What’s The Measure about?  From the Post:

[The book] opens with quite the plot twist.  One morning, everybody on the planet wakes up to a surprise at their front door: a small wooden box, personally engraved, with the words: “The measure of your life lies within.”  Each box contains a string whose length determines the length of the recipient’s life.

The characters now face a gut-wrenching decision.  Do they open the box and find out how long they will live?  If yes, what will they do with that knowledge?  If not, which means they’re choosing not to know, will they live any differently?

The author of that Post article believes that those characters in the book who know they aren’t going to live a long time may actually be the lucky ones because they will likely be inspired to make the most of their remaining years.  He quotes with approval one of the novel’s short-string recipients:

It’s easy to look at our time together and think that we were so unlucky.  But isn’t it better to spend ten years really loving someone, rather than forty years growing bored or weary or bitter?

I’m not qualified to comment on whether that character is right or wrong – at least not yet.

All I know is that I want no part of knowing what day I’m going to die.  Surprise me!

*     *     *     *     *

   

The Flamin’ Groovies released “Slow Death” as a single in 1972.  It was written by Cyril Jordan and Roy Loney (who left the band shortly after the song was recorded) and was produced by Dave Edmunds, who later produced the group’s best album, Shake Some Action.

Chris Wilson, who took over as the band’s lead singer when Loney left, had this to say about “Slow Death” when I interviewed him in 2013:

We thought "Shake Some Action" might be a single.  However, our record company [United Artists] had other ideas and released "Slow Death" as our first single.  We thought it was an album track, not a single.  We should have stuck to our guns.  If "You Tore Me Down" and "Shake Some Action" had been released as singles in 1972 rather than "Slow Death" and "Married Woman," who knows how things might have turned out?

Click here to listen to “Slow Death.”

Click here to buy the record from Amazon.

Stromae – "Moules frites" (2013)

Paulo aime les moules frites

Sans frites et sans mayo

Here’s a literal translation of those lines: “Paul likes mussels and fries, but without fries and without mayo.”

If that doesn’t make any sense to you, that’s because this song – which appears to be a simple little ditty about a popular French-Belgian dish, moules frites (mussels and fries) – is in reality just one big filthy double entendre.  (I’m too embarrassed to explain what the lyrics mean, but you can click here and get every last filthy French line in the song explained if you’re interested in that sort of thing.) 

La Gueuze (19 rue Soufflot, in Paris)

The first time I ever had moules frites was in Paris.  It was the last night of my first visit to the “City of Light” (a/k/a/ “City of Dirty Double Entendres”), and I was dining at La Gueuze in the Latin Quarter, enjoying a Belgian bière with my moules frites and reading A Moveable Feast, Ernest Hemingway’s account of his years as a young writer living in Paris in the 1920s.

Hemingway in Paris (circa 1924)

In that book, Hemingway mentions that he and his first wife once lived in an apartment at 74 rue de Cardinal Lemoire, which I suddenly realized was only a few blocks from where I was sitting.  

I paid my bill and hotfooted it to the Hemingway’s building, which was identified by a historical marker:

It was a deeply satisfying experience for a simple small-town boy like me.

Two years ago tonight, I had another memorable experience while drinking Belgian bière and eating moules frites.  I wasn’t in Paris that night – I was at La Bonne Bistro, a modest little French restaurant in Washington, DC.

The moules frites were the prelude to a Flamin’ Groovies show that I had won free tickets to.  I’ve written about that evening at some length, and I won’t repeat myself here.

(Did I just say “two years ago”?  How can that be?  I remember every detail of that evening vividly – it feels like it took place much more recently than two years ago.  Why does time seem to go by faster as you get older?  Two years ago is nothing.  Even twenty years ago can seem like last month.)

Mussels came to the Washington, DC area relatively recently.  The first place I had them was a small out-of-the-way restaurant in suburban Maryland called Mannequin Pis after the famous Brussels statue:

Mannequin Pis opened in 1999, when Belgian restaurants in Your Nation’s Capital were as scarce as hen’s teeth.

Nowadays it seems like you can’t go two blocks without tripping over a mussles-and-frites emporium.

Moules, frites, bière

I’m all for that.  A serving of mussels has relatively few calories, which is a good thing for those of us who are watching our figures.  (And if we don’t watch our figures, no one else will – am I right or am I right, ladies?)

Of course, the fries that accompany the mussels contain plenty of tasty fat calories – especially if you go native and dip them in mayonnaise instead of ketchup. 

Stromae

“Moules frites” was released in 2013 by the Belgian recording artist Stromae, whose birth name is Paul Van Haver.  (“Stromae” is “Maestro” but with the syllables reversed.  The French do this a lot – they call it verlan.)

Here’s “Moules frites”:

Click below to buy the song from Amazon:

Cowboy Junkies -- "Anniversary Song" (1993)

And I don't know how I survived those days

Before I held your hand

I first heard about the Cowboy Junkies years ago, but I've never actually listened to any of their music.

Their 1988 album, The Trinity Session, made a lot of "ten best albums of the year" lists.  It was recorded live, using only one microphone, at the historic Church of the Holy Trinity in Toronto.  The Trinity Sessions was not mixed, overdubbed, or otherwise edited – what they played is what you get.

The Cowboy Junkies

The Cowboy Junkies' music has been described as alt-country, country rock, folk rock, blues rock, indie rock, and "Americana" (despite the fact that they are Canadian).  In other words, no one knows how the hell to describe them.

Suffice it to say that The Trinity Sessions includes covers of Hank Williams and Patsy Cline songs but also a cover of the Velvet Underground's "Sweet Jane."  None of those covers sound anything like the originals, mostly because the tempos on the album are (in the words of the Allmusic review of the album) "heroin-slow."

Toronto's Church of the Holy Trinity

The Cowboy Junkies' guitarist, Michael Timmins, persuaded his sister Margo to become the group's lead vocalist despite the fact that she had never sung in public before.  (A third Timmins sibling is the group's drummer.)  Margo was so shy at first that she routinely stood with her back to the audience as she sang.  

According to Wikipedia, the refrigerator in the old farmhouse where Margo lives with her husband and son is covered with pictures of celebrities she has met over the years, including Sean Penn, Sylvester Stallone, Molly Ringwald, Meat Loaf, and Bruce Springsteen.    

Margo Timmons in 1990

Margo has quite the crush on Springsteen.  When she got married, she told her husband that if Bruce ever wanted her, she "would be his."  Margo once made People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" list, so maybe she's got a shot. 

"Anniversary Song," which was released on the group's Pale Sun Crescent Moon album in 1993, is a little over top when it comes to lyrics.

Here are the song's first lines: 

Have you ever seen a sight as beautiful

As that of the rain-soaked purple

Of the white birch in the spring?

Do white birches really turn purple when they get rained on?  

Here are the next lines:

Have you ever felt more fresh or wonderful

Than on a warm fall night under a mackerel sky

The smell of grapes on the wind?

In case you don't know, a mackerel sky refers to a sky mostly covered by altocumulus clouds because such a sky is said to resemble a mackerel's scales.  

I don't see that myself, but maybe you do:

A mackerel sky

A mackerel sky is a sign of an old, disintegrating weather front, and usually indicates dry weather.  Hence, the old saying "Mackerel in the sky, three days dry."  (I'm sure you've heard that old saying many, many times.)

But let's not get distracted and forget what follows the "mackerel sky" reference in the song: "The smell of grapes on the wind"?

Songwriter Michael Timmins eventually calmed down and wrote some nice, simple lines.  For example:

Have you ever seen a sight as beautiful

As a face in a crowd of people

That lights up just for you?

Have you ever felt more fresh or wonderful

As when you wake by the side of that boy or girl

Who has pledged their love to you?

Much better than purple rain-soaked birches and mackerel skies, n'est-ce pas?

So why am I featuring "Anniversary Song" today?  After all, we just celebrated the 5th anniversary of 2 or 3 lines on November 1, didn't we?

Cyril Jordan and Chris Wilson
of the Flamin' Groovies --
exactly one year ago today

Yes, we did.  But today is the anniversary of my attending the Flamin' Groovies show right here in Your Nation's Capital.  Of course, that wasn't as big a deal as the 5th anniversary of my wildly popular little blog, but it was still a very big deal.

Click here to read all about that concert.

"Anniversary Song" isn't a great song, but it seemed like a better choice than the alternatives.  

For example, there's "The Anniversary Song," which was first recorded by Al Jolson in 1947 and subsequently covered by everyone from Dinah Shore to Guy Lombardo to Rosemary Clooney to Frank Sinatra.

The music used for "The Anniversary Song" was a waltz originally composed by the Romanian Ion Ivanovici in 1880.  He gave it the name "Waves of the Danube," and it is sometimes confused with Johann Strauss's much more famous waltz, "The Blue Danube."  (To further complicate matters, "The Anniversary Song" – which is a waltz – is sometimes confused with "The Anniversary Waltz.")

Here are the first two lines of "The Anniversary Song":

Oh, how we danced on the night we were wed

We vowed our true love, though a word wasn't said

When I was a kid, I would occasionally accompany my parents on their Saturday-night excursions to Hidden Acres, a supper club in my hometown (Joplin, Missouri).

Hidden Acres had a two-man dance combo that would play requests, and every time they were asked to play a song for a couple celebrating a wedding anniversary, the pianist would preface the request by singing a slightly modified snippet of "The Anniversary Song":

Oh, how we danced on the night we were wed

We danced and we danced, 'cause our folks had the bed

Here's "Anniversary Song":

Click below to buy the song from Amazon:

Flamin' Groovies -- "Teenage Head" (1971)

When you see me

Better turn your tail and run

'Cause I'm angry

And I'll mess you up for fun

In the last 2 or 3 lines of 2013, I told you about winning free tickets to the Flamin' Groovies' first-ever live performance in Washington, DC, and giving one of those tickets to Diana Quinn (the lead singer for  Tru Fax and the Insaniacs, which was one of the great DC punk/garage bands of the 1980s).  

Diana returned the favor by introducing me to several other luminaries of the DC music scene who were in attendance at the show.  The evening was capped off when we met Flamin' Groovies lead singer Chris Wilson and the group's guitarist and co-founder, Cyril Jordan, after the show.

Click here if you missed that post.

This 2 or 3 lines features my interview of Diana Quinn, who may be the hardest-working musician in your nation's capital.  Diana is not only still a member of Tru Fax and the Insaniacs, but also performs with Honky Tonk Confidential (a retro country-western band), the Fabulettes (a classic sixties "girl group") and Diana & Mike (a country/rock/rockabilly acoustic duo).

Diana Quinn and David Wells of
Tru Fax and the Insaniacs (circa 1980)

Diana also has a day job: she's a producer/writer for CBS News.

And if that's not enough, she's also a serious collector of vintage clothing.  (Another term for such a person is "hoarder.")

One of the younger lawyers at my firm met Diana after a recent performance, and offered this one-sentence description:  "She was super cute and energetic and I dug her rockabilly shirt."  (I couldn't have put it better myself.)

Here's are the highlights of the interview:

2 or 3 lines:  Diana, you must have been terribly excited when I asked you to be interviewed for 2 or 3 lines.  How are you doing?  Not too nervous, I hope?

Diana Quinn:  Oh, no -- not at all.

2 or 3 lines:  I understand you’ve played at some pretty amazing venues – like the legendary New York City punk club, CBGB’s, as well as Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, which was the home of the Grand Ole Opry for many years.  

Diana:  The best thing about Tru Fax and the Insaniacs playing CBGB’s was the photo we got taken of ourselves outside the club. The show was OK – it was a showcase with some other DC bands, including the Nurses and I can’t remember who else.  I do remember that our drummer, Michael Mariotte, broke some ribs a few days before the show, but he insisted on playing, all bandaged up.  That was Tru Fax and the Insaniacs.

)

Diana & Mike
(Diana Quinn, Mike Woods)

2 or 3 lines:  You say you can’t remember who else was on the bill when you played at CBGB’s.  Could it have been the Ramones?  The Talking Heads?  Blondie?  Joan Jett?  All those groups played at CBGB’s, didn’t they?

Diana:  Well, yes – they did.  But not the night we played there.

2 or 3 lines:  But you said that you didn’t remember who else played that night.  So you can’t be sure it wasn’t one of those groups.

Diana:  I’m pretty sure I’d remember if we played with one of those groups.

2 or 3 lines:  There’s one other possibility.  Maybe you played with the Ramones or Joan Jett but you don’t remember because of all the drugs you took that night.  

Diana:  Oh, no.  We never – 

2 or 3 lines:  I withdraw the question, Diana – there's no need to air a lot of dirty laundry from the ancient past.  Let’s move on to your Grand Ole Opry appearance, shall we?    I assume it was your country band, Honky Tonk Confidential, that played there -- am I correct?

Diana:  That’s right.  Honky Tonk Confidential performed at the Ryman Auditorium with Bob Schieffer of CBS News – he’s the moderator of “Face the Nation” and anchored the “CBS Evening News.”  Bob is a great lyricist, and he and I have collaborated on many songs.

Bob Schieffer with Diana Quinn

2 or 3 lines:  Ryman Auditorium is one of the most famous live-music venues in the country.  What was it like to perform there?

Diana:  Walking on the Ryman stage the first time -- for our sound check -- was truly magical.  And playing was a blast.  After the previous act finished playing, we had maybe a minute to get onstage, plug in our guitars, and get to the microphones before we were announced, and we had to be on time because the show was being broadcast on the radio.  [Click here to read more about the Ryman Auditorium appearance.]

2 or 3 lines:  Now let's move on to . . . 

Diana:  Could I mention one other thing before you ask the next question?  We also appeared once at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City.  It was quite an honor to meet Tony Bennett, who performed a song before Honky Tonk Confidential took the stage.  We like to flatter ourselves by saying that Tony Bennett opened for us at the Waldorf Astoria that night.

2 or 3 lines:  I'm confused.  You’re not saying Tony Bennett actually opened for Honky Tonk Confidential, are you?  Because it doesn’t sound like that is what happened.

Diana:  No, no.  It was just a little joke.

Honky Tonk Confidential

2 or 3 lines:  As I understand it, you were not familiar with 2 or 3 lines before we met at the recent Flamin’ Groovies show in Washington, DC.  Frankly, I find that a little hard to believe given that 2 or 3 lines is kind of a big deal – so are you, of course.  

Diana:  First off, I am definitely not a big deal, but it’s very nice of you to say so.  As for your blog, someone sent me a link to your piece about Tru Fax and the Insaniacs several years ago.  [NOTE: Click here to read that post.]  I was pleased to read it – it was very nice.

2 or 3 lines:  2 or 3 lines has featured over 600 songs, and I’m sure you’ll want to read each and every one.  I’ve sent you links to some of the posts that I’m sure will be of great interest to you – about how many have you read so far?

Diana:  Uh, I'm not sure.  But I’ve read a number of them.

G:  I see.  Exactly how many is “a number of them”?

Diana:  Mmmm . . . I would say several.  Definitely more than just a few.

2 or 3 lines:  Which one would you say is your favorite so far, and why?  It's probably very hard to choose just one.

Diana:  They are all interesting, but I especially liked your Matthew Sweet post -- the one about girlfriends.  I thought that was a very nice one.  I liked that you included a quote by Jane Austen.  [NOTE: Click here to read that post.]

The Fabulettes

2 or 3 lines:  That’s high praise indeed, coming from a big star such as yourself -- thank you, Diana!  As for the Jane Austen quote, I’ve found that chicks usually dig that kind of thing.  But let’s get to the Flamin’ Groovies.  As I understand it, you had also sent an entry to “DC Rocks,” hoping to win the drawing for the two free tickets that I ended up winning.  It’s kind of ironic, isn’t it – I’m the big winner, and you’re just another loser, but you still got to go to the concert for free thanks to my generosity.  Any comment on that?

Diana:  No . . . I can’t really think of anything.

2 or 3 lines:  Are you sure?  You can think about it for a minute or two before you answer if you need to – there’s no hurry to respond.  And you really haven’t said that much so far.

Diana:  . . . .

2 or 3 lines:  I have to admit, I was a little surprised when you accepted my offer of one of the two free tickets I won.  I mean, it wasn’t like we were going on a date or anything, but you obviously didn’t know me – I think a lot of women would have been a little suspicious of some unknown guy who popped up out of nowhere and offered them a free ticket to a concert.  I assume you Googled me before you responded?

Diana: Of course. You appeared to be harmless enough.

2 or 3 lines:  I did, huh?  Thank you -- I think.  So what was your impression of me when we met in person – what did you think of me in the flesh?  Besides being “harmless enough,” that is.

Diana:  You seemed very nice. [NOTE:  Diana uses “very nice” a lot, doesn't she?]  You were solicitous. Extremely polite.  Even charming.  And you were dressed somewhat appropriately, although you didn’t dress like most of the Washington law firm partners I know.

One of Honky Tonk
Confidential's albums

2 or 3 lines:   Anything else you wanted to say about me before we move on?  Anything particularly impressive that you noticed?  

Diana:  Mmmm, let me think . . . well, you’re very tall – I noticed that right away.  And you’re trim.  It’s obvious that you keep in shape.

2 or 3 lines:  Thank you!  Hey, I figure that if I don’t watch my figure, no one else will – right?  Hahahaha.

Diana:  Ah, you’re a fan of Ziegfield Girl, I see – that’s a great movie with a great cast.  Jimmy Stewart, Judy Garland, Hedy Lamarr . . . and one of my personal favorites, Dan Dailey.

Dan Dailey

2 or 3 lines:  I'm afraid you've lost me.  What in the hell are you talking about, Diana?

Diana:  Ziegfield Girl – it’s a classic Busby Berkeley movie.  You just paraphrased a line from it -- the line about watching your figure.

2 or 3 lines:  Did I hear you correctly?  Did you say Dan Dailey is one of your favorite actors?  The guy from “The Governor and J.J.”?

Diana:  Yes, although I like him more because of his movies.

2 or 3 lines:  Diana, no one reading this interview has a clue who Dan Dailey is -- maybe their grandparents knew who Dan Dailey was, but those grandparents are either dead or don't have a computer or both.  So let’s move on.  By the way, how’s the interview going so far?  Having a good time so far?

Diana:  It’s been . . . uh . . . different.  Not exactly what I was expecting.

2 or 3 lines:  Thank you!  I appreciate the compliment, and I'm glad you're enjoying yourself.  Speaking of the Flamin’ Groovies . . . would you describe yourself as a big fan?

Diana performing with Tru
Fax and the Insaniacs

Diana: Not as big a fan as I am of the Stooges or the New York Dolls or the Ramones, which were other huge influences on Tru Fax and the Insaniacs.  But Teenage Head was on one of the first albums that David Wells, who was the co-founder of Tru Fax, ever played for me.  We hadn’t formed our band yet, but we were talking about it, and I think that what we wanted to do was similar to what the Flamin’ Groovies did in that we wanted to have hooks and a kind of raw power and play songs crafted like “Teenage Head.”  Also, the Groovies had the same kind of tongue-in-cheek attitude that we had.  

2 or 3 lines:  What songs by the Groovies were the best in your opinion? 

Diana:  Of all the Flamin’ Groovies’ songs, I think “Teenage Head” and “Shake Some Action”  were the two most influential on  punk/new wave bands and musicians.  Most of the songs on the Teenage Head album were pretty straightforward rock/blues tunes.  What set it apart was the rawness and the sloppiness of the recordings and performances.  From my point of view, that is a good thing, because the overriding factor that makes the album so good was the pure energy of those performances.  

2 or 3 lines:  What about "Teenage Head" in particular -- I'm referring to the song, not the album.

Diana:  While I like the album Teenage Head, it wouldn’t be on my list of influential albums without that seminal title track.  I found “Teenage Head” absolutely mind-blowing.  It transfixed me.  When I hear it, my head starts nodding to the beat.  The beat then invades your body and takes over.  “Teenage Head” is the perfect protopunk song.  It has thumping power, it has feigned malevolence, it even has a sense of humor.  It’s full of teenage angst, but it’s tongue-in-cheek.  We know that we’re searching for meaning, floundering through life, but it’s not the end of the world, for crying out loud.  

2 or 3 lines:  The Groovies' original lead singer, Roy Loney, left the band after it released Teenage Head in 1971.  Chris Wilson eventually replaced him, and the band went to England several years to record their next album, Shake Some Action, which was one of three albums they did for Sire Records in the late 1970s.

Diana:  I really loved that first Sire album, Shake Some Action -- especially the title track.  The band made a continental shift when Roy Loney left, moving into pure pop territory -- not that there’s anything wrong with that.  The Groovies sort of threw themselves back into England at the time of the "British Invasion," and some of the resulting songs are beautiful, little pop gems.   

2 or 3 lines:  Speaking as an accomplished musician in your own right, what do you think made the Flamin' Groovies so special as a band?  What were their greatest strengths?

Diana:  The hooks and the inimitable guitar sound.  You hear some Groovies songs and you know right away who that guitar player is -- it’s Cyril Jordan.  I love that jangly, Byrds-ish guitar sound.  Also, the group’s unpretentious and friendly attitude and their willingness to make fun of themselves.  That may not seem like a strength, but it is.

2 or 3 lines:  What did other musicians of your acquaintance think about them?  They never achieved a great degree of popularity with the public at large – were they a favorite of other musicians?

Diana Quinn, Mark Noone (the Slickee Boys) 
and Lynda Cokinos ("DC Rocks" blog)

Diana:  Yes, definitely – and you noticed that at the U Street Music Hall show we went to.  There were a lot of musicians and fans there from back in the day, all there to pay their respects to the Groovies:  Mark Noone and Kim Kane of the Slickee Boys . . . Bob Boilen, who played with Tiny Desk Unit and who hosts NPR’s All Songs Considered show . . . and many others.  Even Steve Lorber, who introduced so many punk and new wave songs to us on his "Mystic Eyes" radio show, was there.  So was Skip Groff, who owned "Yesterday and Today Records" in Rockville, Maryland.  [NOTE: Groff also owned Limp Records, which released 20-odd punk records by local artists between 1978 and 1982.]

2 or 3 lines:  I think the Groovies' “Shake Some Action” is one of the very best rock songs of all time. 

Diana:  “Shake Some Action” was very influential in the early punk/new wave scene.  It’s just about perfect -- a guitar-driven, power-pop  masterpiece.  Compared to the growling, bass-driven “Teenage Head,” “Shake Some Action” is light and jangly, with that syncopated chorus that just makes you want to pogo up and down.  The producer, Dave Edmunds, had a big fat sound on his own records, and you can clearly see his influence with all the layering, especially of guitar tracks, on “Shake Some Action.”  It was a great song and it should have made the Flamin’ Groovies famous. 

2 or 3 lines:  Any other Groovies’ songs you particularly like?

Diana:  Of their other poppy songs, I’d have to say that  I love “You Tore Me Down” the most.  It’s a beautifully sad song about breakup and romantic sorrow and it’s perfectly crafted with lush, jangly guitars and sweet and simple harmonies.

2 or 3 lines:  “Shake Some Action” was the 500th song to be featured on 2 or 3 lines, and I interviewed the band’s lead singer, Chris Wilson, for that post.  [NOTE: You can click here if you missed it.]  Tell me how great it was for you when I introduced you to Chris after the concert and got him to agree to pose for a picture with you.

Two legends meet: Diana 
Quinn with Chris Wilson

Diana:  Oh yes, I did read the interview you did with Chris Wilson.  He mentioned how odd David Bowie was when the Groovies toured with him, but you didn’t follow up, so I’ve been wondering exactly what he meant.  [NOTE:  As for not following up with Chris Wilson concerning why he thought David Bowie was odd, I guess I didn’t feel the need to ask why Chris felt that way because David Bowie is just about the weirdest effing guy who ever recorded an album.]  What was the question again?  Oh yeah, you asked me about meeting Chris Wilson.  I do have to say that he was a truly nice, gracious guy, and it was fun talking to him.  But I wonder how much of our conversation he remembered the next morning, though.   

2 or 3 lines:  Diana, it’s been fun talking with you.  I want to feature songs from all of your groups on 2 or 3 lines  in the future.  So let’s keep in touch -- OK?

Diana:  Sure, Gary.

"Teenage Head" is a great song, but it really shouldn't have been featured in this 2 or 3 lines.  You see, I asked Diana to pick a song that met two simple criteria.  First, it had to be a song that the Groovies played at the concert we attended.  Second, it had to be a song that was recorded when Chris Wilson -- he's my BFF! -- was the lead singer (not Roy Loney, the original Flamin' Groovies lead singer).  

But Diana said she wanted to talk about "Teenage Head" -- which was recorded long before Chris Wilson replaced Roy Loney, and which the Groovies did not play the night we saw them.

Cyril Jordan and Chris Wilson
of the Flamin' Groovies

What could I do in the face of Diana's seeming inability to follow simple directions?  Nothing, really.  I just let it go.  Because this is the business that I have chosen.  Capisce?

One final note about "Teenage Head."  In a 2011 interview that appeared in the Los Angeles music magazine, L.A. Record, Cyril Jordan was asked where the song's name came from:

Interviewer:  Didn’t you get the phrase "Teenage Head" from some time you were on acid with [the colorful musician and record producer] Kim Fowley at a folk festival?

Cyril Jordan:  That’s true!  I dropped two tabs that were 1500 mg each.  [Kim] was getting a contact high off me!  He had me in hysterics!  Every time some little chippie would walk by, he’d immediately come on to her.  "We’re available . . . we’re looking for teenage head!"  I laughed so hard that when I woke up the next morning, my mouth was wide open and stuck that way for an hour.  We even said it to Linda Ronstadt!  Let me tell you, she was not pleased!

Click here to read the entire L.A. Record interview.  

Here's "Teenage Head":

Click below to buy the song from Amazon:

Flamin' Groovies -- "Yes I Am" (1979)

Feeling like I'm ten feet tall

You know I'm not the same old man

As you may know, the month of January -- which begins tomorrow -- got its name from Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and transitions.

Janus is always depicted as having two faces -- one looking backward into the past, and one looking forward into the future. 

Janus

Keep Janus in mind as you read the final 2 or 3 lines post of 2013 and the first post of 2014, which will appear in a few days. 

* * * * *

The starting point for 2 or 3 lines way back in 2009 was a local radio show called "The Mystic Eyes."

That show has been off the air for over 30 years, but it continues to play a major role in not only the life of 2 or 3 lines, but also in my life.  It's my personal equivalent of Charles Swann's madeleines.  

In fact, the most significant music-related event of 2013 for me took place as a direct result of my recording many hours of "The Mystic Eyes" program in 1980.  

One of the songs that was featured regularly on that program was "Washingtron," by Tru Fax and the Insaniacs, a local band that was at the height of its popularity then.  

"Washingtron" quickly became a favorite of mine thanks to the very clever lyrics, including these:

I used to work as a waitron

In the lounge of the Hiltron

Now I work for my Senatron

And I live in Arlingtron

I'm just a Washingtron

I featured "Washingtron" on this blog on May 9, 2010.  Here's a link to that post.

The day after that post appeared, Michael Mariotte -- the Tru Fax drummer -- posted a link to 2 or 3 lines on the band's Facebook page, and wrote this comment: "New blog posting on Tru Fax; not sure who these people are, but it's an entertaining blog."

That post attracted the attention of another blogger who arranged for a friend to digitize the dozens of "Mystics Eyes" cassette tapes I had recorded in 1980.

I also got an e-mail from Lynda Cokinos, whose "DC Rocks" blog is an invaluable resource for people who want to keep up with the Washington-area live music scene.  Lynda, who had also heard about my "Washingtron" post from Michael Mariotte, congratulated me on my "cool" blog and alerted me to the existence of hers.  Here's a link to "DC Rocks."

* * * * *

Fast forward to November 4, 2013.  The "DC Rocks" post that day was about an upcoming Washington appearance of the Flamin' Groovies, one of my favorite bands ever.

As you more dedicated readers of 2 or 3 lines will recall, I hold "Shake Some Action" by the Flamin' Groovies in such high regard that I chose it to be the 500th song featured on my wildly popular blog.  

Click here to read part one of that three-part post, which featured an interview with Groovies' frontman Chris Wilson and an appreciation by Joe Nolte of The Last (whose "She Don't Know Why I'm Here" was the very first song I ever wrote about for 2 or 3 lines).  Click here to read part two.  Click here to read part three.

Washington's 9:30 Club provided Lynda Cokinos with two free tickets to the Flamin' Groovies show, and Lynda's November 4 post offered to give those tickets away to a lucky reader of "DC Rocks."  All you had to do was submit an e-mail with the word "GROOVY" in the subject box, and hope that you were the lucky fan whose name was drawn out of a hat.

Imagine my surprise when I found an e-mail from Lynda informing me that I had won the free ducats.  Winner, winner, chicken dinner! 

My karma has been exceptionally good recently.  I would have gone to the show regardless, but winning free tickets made it seem like it was destined that I attend.

There was one slight complication.  I had won two tickets, and it seemed a shame to waste the second one.  

The only person in my family who would have any interest in the Flamin' Groovies was my oldest son, Nick.  I had taken him to see the Offspring and Sonic Youth when he was a teenager, and he had taken me to a Mission of Burma show a few years ago.  Unfortunately, he is a very busy young lawyer, and was going to be out of town on business the night of the Groovies' show.

Cyril Jordan (L) and Chris Wilson (R)
of the Flamin' Groovies

I thought about various friends and acquaintances who might have an interest in the Groovies, but there were no obvious choices.

Suddenly, I had a "Eureka!" moment.  I would invite the lead singer/guitarist of Tru Fax and the Insaniacs, Diana Quinn, to the concert. 

I honestly figured there was no way Diana would accept.  After all, I had never met her -- I had never even spoken to her via e-mail -- and I assumed that an invitation from a total stranger coming out of the blue like this would be turned down or even ignored.  (There I go assuming things again!)  

Rejection wouldn't have been the worst thing in the world: even if she did say "No," I would have made her acquaintance and hopefully paved the way for a future 2 or 3 lines interview.  (I go to incredible lengths for you, dear readers.)

However, Diana threw a big-ass spanner into the works by actually saying "Yes" to my invitation.  My best-laid scheme had gang aft agley big time!  

* * * * *

Fast forward once more -- this time to November 12, 2013.  

The Groovies took the stage at the U Street Music Hall at about 8 pm.  I came to the concert bearing gifts for Diana Quinn: a homemade CD with Flamin' Groovies music and a copy of the "Mystic Eyes Greatest Hits" cassette tape I had created 30 years previously -- which of course included "Washingtron."

Also in attendance at the concert that night was Steve Lorber, the "Mystic Eyes" DJ, and my benefactress -- Lynda Cokinos of "DC Rocks."  Mark Noone -- the lead singer of the legendary DC punk-garage band, the Slickee Boys -- was there as well, as was Kim Kane, the Slickee Boys' guitarist.

Diana Quinn, Mark Noone, and Lynda Cokinos

I was agog at this extraordinary collection of local celebrities.  But my excitement was offset by feelings of regret -- regret that I hadn't jumped into the Washington live music scene decades previously.

There was no excuse for my failure to launch.  I worked at the Federal Trade Commission in 1980, and my office was only a few blocks from the 9:30 Club, which was ground zero for alternative music in your nation's capital in the eighties and early nineties. 

I could have been there several nights a week, watching some truly great groups -- including touring bands like X, the Bangles, Hüsker Dü, the Butthole Surfers, the Go-Go's, and Black Flag, and local bands like Fugazi, Minor Threat, the Insect Surfers, the Urban Verbs, Tru Fax and the Insaniacs, and the Slickee Boys (who performed at the 9:30 no fewer than 81 times).

I would have shed a tear for my misspent youth, but I was having too good a time talking to Diana Quinn and all her musical friends and listening to the fabulous music of the Chris Wilson-era Flamin' Groovies -- which one reviewer has described as the only group other than the Beach Boys who were playing sixties-sounding pop music in the seventies.

After the Groovies closed the show with a spirited rendition of "Shake Some Action," we hung around until Cyril Jordan (the band's co-founder and guitarist) and Chris Wilson (the group's longtime lead singer) came out from their dressing room to sign autographs and greet their fans.

Flamin' Groovies frontman
Chris Wilson with yours truly

Chris greeted me enthusiastically, and said some very kind things about my interview with him.  

I then complimented him on the Groovies' cover of the Rolling Stones' "Jumpin' Jack Flash."  Some know-it-all fan jumped in to our conversation and told Chris that he had heard that song had been inspired by a particular London street musician, but Chris corrected him -- prefacing his explanation with these words: "Actually, my buddy Keith Richards told me that . . . ."  

I stopped listening to his explanation at that point -- the realization that I was one degree of separation from Keith Richards was too overwhelming for me to handle.

All in all, the evening was great.  Diana was as much fun as a barrel of monkeys, which may have been due in large part to the fact that she pounded down at least five beers in about two hours.  (I only had three beers during the evening.  To be fair, I was drinking Belgian-style ales, which had a lot more alcohol than the light beers she favored.  On the other hand, I weighed twice as much as she did, so I should have been able to absorb a lot more beer than Diana without showing the effects.)

Diana Quinn with beer
 in hand (as usual)

All the beer was largely responsible for us getting completely lost going home on the Washington Metro after the show.  But there were factors other than alcohol contributing to our long and winding subway odyssey -- primarily my tendency to assume too much.  And as everyone knows, when you assume, you make an ass out of u and me.

One thing I assumed that evening was that Diana was a regular Metro rider, and that she would know what train to take to get home.  But I was sadly mistaken.  

You see, Diana performs regularly in three different bands, and is also a producer/writer for CBS News.  So she is kind of a big deal.

Diana is such a big deal, in fact, that she apparently never rides the subway like we hoi polloi do.  Perhaps she just keeps a big stack of fifties in her purse that she dispenses promiscuously to the Washington cab drivers who service her transportation needs.  Or maybe she has a limo, or a helicopter.

Whatever the reason, she followed me on to a subway train that was going in exactly the opposite direction from her destination with nary a protest.  And as my 8th-grade government teacher used to say, "When the blind lead the blind, we all go into the ditch together."

Eventually I managed to get Diana on the right train.  Sometime after that, I managed to get myself on the right subway line as well -- barely making the last Metro train of the evening.

As Shakespeare once said, all's well that ends well.  But all would have been even weller if it had ended a couple of hours earlier.

I subsequently interviewed Diana Quinn, and you'll be able to read that interview in the first 2 or 3 lines of 2014.  [NOTE: Due to circumstances beyond my control, the Diana Quinn interview actually appeared in the second 2 or 3 lines of 2014.]

"Yes I Am" was released on Jumpin' in the Night, the second of three Groovies albums that were released by Sire Records in the late 1970s.

Those albums contain a number of fabulous British invasion-style songs, and it wasn't easy to choose to feature in this post.  But "Yes I Am" is not only a great song but also was one of the songs the band performed live the night I saw them.  That sort of clinched the deal.

Here's "Yes I Am":

Click here if you'd like he song from Amazon: