Shake the Dust Off Your Wings and the Sleep Out of Your Eyes

I post Townes Van Zandt here on New Years’ Day, and that is all we do on the first day of the year. Because he left the world on Jan. 1, 1997, much too early, and I miss him.

I make all kinds of allowances for Townes. The videos can be longer than two-and-a-half minutes and they do not need to include a live performance, as long as the audio is good.

“To Live is to Fly” is his best song.

These demo sessions are his greatest musical accomplishment. The voice and strings work together here in a way that is all too rare. This was recorded the year I was born.

We’re back to business tomorrow.

For today, enjoy your greens and black-eyed peas.

Townes Himself

Singing “Pancho and Lefty”, and cracking jokes about it being a hit.

I’ve been looking for a video of him singing this song that was good enough to share for years. Found it today. That’s all I have to say about. This is a case of the work speaking for itself.

This is personal.

Those of you who really know me know I have been through a couple of years of hard times. The sort of hard times that require you to make sacrifices. Like leaving a beautiful Martin guitar unstrung in a closet, even though guitars don’t really like being without strings.

Well, things are looking up for me now. The salary will kick in eventually, and when it does, the first thing I am doing is taking that guitar to the shop and getting it fixed up. It will probably take them a week to get it right.

When I finally bring it home, change my clothes, and find a comfortable place to sit down with it, this is the first thing I am playing:

Only without the fourishes. Just a basic D/G/A, and my voice.

This video is precious despite the fact that the voice is out-of-synch and it’s a cover of a Rolling Stones song.

Live footage of TVZ is hard to come by these days, and the older I get, the more I miss him.