December 25, 2007: To Live Is To Fly
I didn't play play Rahsaan Roland Kirk's "We Free Kings"-- one of the best tunes ever-- but I did play something by Kirk at the end. I played something from an interesting album I just stumbled onto: "Cubanismo in New Orleans" (plus, of course, other Gulf Coast music). And, as we approach another anniversary of the death of Townes Van Zandt (who, along with Hank Williams) died on January 1, I am compelled to remember this amazing songwriter and all-around wild man. Townes told clever dry jokes at his concerts. But the best ones were about him. This story is from John Kruth's book on Townes, "To Live's to Fly: The Ballad of the Late, Great Townes Van Zandt". Once Townes got pulled over on the highway between Houston and Austin, by two cops--a blue-eyed cop with a blonde crew cut and the other, a Mexican cop. What is it that you do for a living? He told them he was a songwriter, that he wrote the song Pancho & Lefty and gave it to Willie. They looked at him incredulously but when he sang the first few lines ("Livin on the road my friend was gonna keep you free and clean"), they said they'd let him go. Townes thanked the officers for letting him off and, despite knowing that once a cop lets you go, you keep your mouth shut and split before you stir up any more trouble. Instead he asks why they dropped the charges. It turned out that their radio code names were Pancho and Lefty. "Well, that sure is nice," Townes said, grinning as he walked away. But just before he reaches his car, he turns and ask: "Which one of y'all is Pancho?"

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