Cool Drink of Water Blues

We used to do more of this at The Pinetar Rag and really need to get back to it. This is one of the very best Mississippi Delta Blues songs ever recorded. Now, Tommie was normally drinking the canned heat or Solo, a paint remover but on his trip to his only recording session, he was given real bonded whiskey. The first real whiskey he’d ever had in his life. He got so much that he had trouble getting through the takes without errors and his second (Ishmon Bracey?) had to do some of his guitar work. If I had to make some goofy top-ten alltime list of blues records, this would be above 5 and right up there with High Water Everywhere Part I, Bad Luck Blues and Moon Goin’ Down. This is as good as Tommie Johnson gets and darned near as good as anyone has ever gotten, before or since (no Tim, Zeppelin didn’t cover it) –fog

by Tommy Johnson
recording of 1928
from Complete Recorded Works (1928-1929) (Document DOCD-5001)
Tommy Johnson (1928-1930) (Wolf 104)

I asked for water, and she gave me gasoline
I asked for water, she gave me gasoline
I asked for water and she gave me gasoline
Lord, Lordy, Lord
Crying, Lord, I wonder will I ever get back home
Crying, Lord, I wonder will I ever get back home
Lord, Lordy, Lord
I went to the depot, looked up on the board
I looked all over, “How long has this east bound train been gone?”
Lord, Lordy, Lord
It’s done take your fare, blowed its smoke on you
It’s done taken yours, blowed its smoke on you, Lord, Lordy, Lord
Lord, I asked the conductor, “Could I ride these blinds ?”
(Want to know, can a broke man ride the blinds)
“Son, buy your ticket, buy your ticket, ’cause this train ain’t none of mine”
“Son, buy your ticket, train ain’t none of mine”
“Son, buy your ticket, ’cause this train ain’t none of mine”
Lord, Lordy, Lord
“Train ain’t none of mine”

All Hail, Victor Horta (and Jerry Garcia)

Mrs. Pinetar and I were in Brussels this summer and we went to the Victor Horta museum. Horta was a great Art Nouveau architect and the Belgians are very proud of him (as they should be) as many things there are named for him. When we got back, we looked him up and there aren’t a lot of English sites on him.

Tonight I found this one.

If you go to Brussels, everyone will insist that you go to Grote Market and see the Hotel DeVille. You won’t miss that. No one will let you. But don’t miss the Victor Horta house and musem and don’t miss the Old England building. Old England is THE most Art Nouveau building you’ll ever see, and it houses the museum of musical instruments and a cafe (cha ching) on top.

The amount of custom iron work inside and out was stunning. This building must have seemed like a spaceship to the Victorians of 1890, when it was built. These types of buildings are now mostly gone because they:
(1) Were only built from 1890 to 1910

(2) Were radically different thus when they got old, they were very out of style

(3) Are ridiculou$ly hard to maintain

While I wouldn’t want to live in a house as over-the-top Art Nouveau as Victor Horta, I do really like some of the aspects of this style. In fact, the Musee D’Orsay in Paris has a big Art Nouveau section that was totally deserted as people are all looking for the silly water lillies.

(Musee D’Orsay, Paris)

The furniture especially, has these amazing lines and sweeping, tangled motifs that are designed to look like they are growing. Amazing stuff. It’s a shame it only lasted a few years and then bled into Art Deco after The Great War. Now, most only know it from Grateful Dead concert posters, but it was a whole movement. –fog