Grand Forks was a good, maybe even an excellent place to grow up in. Like some of us, I moved away as soon as I could, I was glad to leave…but always glad to come back.
I have a friend, a successful music executive in Nashville. Carolyn is from a small town in Texas. One night over dinner, Carolyn said she often drives from Nashville to her hometown. She times her trip to stay overnight at the Texas-Arkansas border, gets up early in the morning, puts on jeans, a U of T shirt, cowboy boots and with the top down on her Mercedes, drives across the border at sunrise with a Pearl beer in her hand, her left foot on the dash and Tanya Tucker’s “Texas When I Die” on the CD player. Hell of a picture isn’t it.
I told Carolyn I’ve done a similar thing. Driven into North Dakota, usually in the late afternoon, turned north towards Grand Forks, rolled down all the windows, cracked a Grain Belt beer and enjoyed the smell of the land and the crops coming in the car windows and the huge prairie sun off to the west.
Caroline asked, “What music do you have on?”
“Depends, last time, I think it was Neil Young.”
“What song, dammit?” Carolyn said.
“After the Gold Rush” or maybe “Cowgirl in the Sand”
“Why Neil Young?”
“He’s from Winnipeg, the north end of the same valley I grew up in, he’s my age and I like his music.”
Carolyn, a bit of a music historian, said, “Why not Liz or Lynn Anderson, they have roots in your damn home town?”
“I’m not a fan of their music.”
“What the hell, you think I’m a big Tanya Tucker fan?”
You could have turned the table on her and asked why she didn't play some George Strait: "...all my ex's live in Texas, and Texas is the place I dearly love to be. But all my ex's live in Texas, and that's why I hang my hat in Tennessee!"
ReplyDeleteMore of a Jerry Jeff Walker, Willie, Waylon fan...she's a ball buster in that polite, nice Texan girl way.
DeleteNice post. Neil is a good listen in any state, or state of mind.
ReplyDeleteI've had a similar experience in Indiana--driving state highways at twilight-that chorus of cicada and crickets weave their hypnotic sound--listening to Mellencamps American Fool and Uh-huh albums.
I recall a time when even a thought of Tanya was instant horny.
Glen Campbell couldn't keep his hands off her
DeleteWe knew what Tanya needed!
DeleteI'll never forget Carolyn when we were in Nashville, reaching across Mark Hubbard to shut off a tape of songs that Mark had written. She said, "Mark, either that woman you've got singing your tunes has never had sex or she's some kind of a beauty queen?" Mark responded with, "Well she was Miss Cincinnati."
ReplyDeleteYe sir, that was Carolyn.
Delete