Beth’s Music Moment: The Godfathers hit Chicago

I’ve written about the Godfathers several times before. In fact, I was planning on linking to the entries where I mentioned them, but there were a few too many to do that! I kinda dig these guys.

Anyway, they’re working on a new album, and they came over to the States for a quick tour this month. They hit a few places on the East coast, and a few places in the Midwest. They never leave out Chicago, so I got to see them again. The original date was planned for the 10th, but due to some visa issues, they had to reschedule a few dates, and the new Chicago date was this past Sunday, the 20th.

We headed up with Cousin Shane and Matt, had a fun, relaxing dinner at the Blue Line, right across from the Double Door, where the show was at. (This was in the Bucktown area of Chicago.) I had two Metrosexuals. They didn’t seem to mind. Ha! Actually, it was a delicious martooni using raspberry vodka and I think some cranberry juice or something. I don’t recall, but they were yummy! Good food at the Blue Line, with a nice atmosphere of Big Band and swing music (after the Blackhawk game was over, that is). I was a finger-poppin’ sugar baby and ready to get my rock on!

We made the long trek across the street to the Double Door and got to hear the opening band, Frosting. Quite good, and it turns out the guitarist is on hiatus from the Javelinas, who opened for the Godfathers at the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre show in 2009 at the Metro. Shane loved the Javelinas, and he and our friend Steve actually went up to Chicago to see them again a few weeks after that. But back to the Godfathers!

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Another superb show. I’ve seen them twice now, and they have an in-your-face energy and ferocity that is rarely duplicated. (In reading what other fans write on the Godfathers message board, especially those in Europe that have gotten to see them more often, this is par for the course. They are legendary for being one of the great live acts.) It’s no surprise...they’ve been at this for some time now, and I think their energy is even higher with working on their new album. Their original lineup consisted of two guitarists (that’s the lineup they had when I saw them two years ago), but they are both out of the band now, and replaced by Del Bartle, the guitarist from their pre-Godfathers incarnation as the Sid Presley Experience. I wondered how they’d sound with one guitarist, and I’m happy to say that they still kicked my ass!

I wish I had a setlist for you, but I decided to just experience and enjoy the show and not worry too much about documentation. They did the usual fare, like the fist-pumping anthems “Birth, School, Work, Death” and “Cause I Said So” (One of my personal favorites, because of the great line “And I don’t need no Ph.D, ‘cause I’m ten times smarter than you’ll ever be...’cause I said so!” That’s pure platinum, right there.), as well as the SPE song “Hup Two Three Four,” which I don’t believe they did when I saw them before. They included their new song “Back Into The Future,” and it’s a dandy. I’m looking forward to the new album. I was sitting up at the higher bar on the side of the place, but couldn’t sit up there forever, and had to go down by the stage. I even got a shout-out from Peter Coyne, the lead singer, as “here’s one of our biggest fans!” It’s true, it’s true!

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Peter has one of those huge voices that is just a monster. It’s hard to explain...a little rough and harsh, but smooth at the same time. I wouldn’t quite call it a whiskey-and-cigarettes voice (I think Janis Joplin had the market cornered on that), because it’s smoother than that, but it still packs a wallop. In “Cause I Said So,” he doesn’t so much sing the song as he bites chunks out of it and spits ‘em back out. I’m laughing as I write that, because that doesn’t sound very complimentary, but it very much is. Here is a great interview with Peter Coyne, and he mentions how much he and the band always loved the Ramones. I found that very interesting, because the Godfathers were definitely post-punk, but they still had (and have) much of the musical energy that was so fresh and new with punk. They are more straight-up rock and roll, but I can hear that punk influence in so many of their songs.

I’ve exchanged a few emails with Peter over the past couple of years, and one thing was about movies. They do a couple of instrumentals, “Gone to Texas” and “John Barry.” The former is a tribute to Ennio Morricone and his music from spaghetti westerns, and the latter a tribute to the late, great composer who penned much of the Bond movie music (there is some disagreement as to whether or not he wrote the James Bond theme). I wondered if they get into those movies in the UK, and Peter was like “Are you kidding?” haha He said they love Clint, and James Bond IS a British secret agent, after all...and the band loves ‘em their movies...”How do you think we got our name?” Clint and Bond and the Godfather movies...I guess cool is cool no matter where you live!

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I missed getting together with them after the show from a couple of years ago, but we remedied that this time! I spoke to Peter right after the show, and they were meeting up with people at a nearby bar called the Liar’s Club. We headed over there (great little hole-in-the-wall playing great punk music!) and the band showed up a bit later. I got to chat with them, especially Peter and Del. (I got to meet Grant Nicholas, the drummer, but didn’t chat with him...next time! Also Chris, Peter’s brother and the bass player, wasn’t able to make it over because of unresolved visa issues...again, next time!) Just super, super guys, nice as they could be. I honestly can’t imagine any other band being this accessible to and this friendly with their fans. It was a true pleasure to finally meet them, and I look forward to the next go-round! Thanks, guys—you’re the best!

If the Godfathers escaped you somehow (when I made a CD for Milwaukee Dan #1, he wondered, “How did I miss these guys?”), give ‘em a listen. I’d start with their most famous album, “Birth, School, Work, Death,” but they’re all good, and I’ll keep you posted about the new album. Check out another of my favorites, the driving “Walking Talking Johnny Cash Blues.” Ahhhh, KICK IT!

Walking Talking Jerry Springer Blues

(With apologies to the Godfathers for paraphrasing their cool song "Walking Talking Johnny Cash Blues.")

Having our folks over here on Wednesday reminded me of just how lucky I am to have a fairly normal family.

That might sound kind of funny, but believe me, I don't take it for granted. We certainly have our family problems and trials to bear, and everyone has to deal with a little drama at some point. I have relatives who have dealt with marital problems, financial problems, substance abuse problems, and health problems. But for the most part, my immediate family is fairly drama-free, and we're a very easy-going bunch. I don't argue with my parents, I don't argue with my sisters, and they don't argue with me. We're jam up and jelly tight, baby. Ken's family has been through some drama in the past, but they've weathered it. Now that his Mom and stepdad are here in town, I believe they're removed from the drama they've had to deal with in the past, and can settle in and enjoy a peaceful existence.

[A major sidebar here. On Wednesday, my Dad noticed the large silver platter atop our corner curio cabinet, and asked what it was. Ken explained that it was a trophy that his own father gave him, one that he won for his dog training skills. Dad was initially wondering about the silver content of the platter, but quickly learned that there is much more value there than the silver. Ken went out to the trunk--the one that belonged to his Dad--in the garage and brought in the Hollywood stills of his father's dog, Baron the German Shepherd. Baron was a legitimate movie star, starring with Gene Autry and playing the part of Bullet, Roy Rogers' and Dale Evans' dog. There's one shot of Baron wearing a fedora and holding a cigarette in his mouth--it's so cool! I told Ken that I should get frames for those. A cool piece of memorabilia, and a nice tribute to Ken's Dad. I'm very sorry that I never got to meet his Dad, but I have a feeling I would have liked him very much. A brilliant engineer who worked at Fermilab? A big guy with an even bigger heart and a great sense of humor? Yeah, I think I would have enjoyed spending time with him! How much fun would it have been for all three of us to get into science discussions? It would have been a veritable geekfest! Ken told me once, "My Dad would love you. Your intelligence, your sense of humor...I know he'd love you." I am content with knowing that, and with hearing other family members say the same thing. They also have told me that he'd be proud of Ken's achievements, and very pleased to know that he is happy and content at last. End of sidebar.]

Since my family is fairly stable (My parents celebrate their 62nd wedding anniversary tomorrow...how amazing is that?), it's always a little surprising to me to see drama and dysfunction in other families. I guess I'm naive, but I can only say that while I understand that there is a lot of dysfunction out there, I haven't had to deal with it much--and I'm grateful for that. My parents have always been the bedrock of my family--a long-lasting, happy relationship, and I've never seen them fight. I've seen them disagree, and I know that they've been irritated with each other, but I have never seen them fight. Call me crazy, but since that's been my example for almost 47 years, that's pretty much my ideal. For anyone who says that it can't be done, or that healthy relationships have to include fights, I suggest that you meet my parents and hear what they have to say about it. I think that 62 years speak for themselves, though!

The alternative to Stable Happy Family is Scary Dysfunctional Family, and I'm sure we've all seen the latter on various talk shows, or have had them as neighbors, or have maybe even been a part of one. For my gentle readers, I hope that is not the case, but SDF is definitely out there. Parents who have been through multiple divorces and marriages; philanderers; parents who show their kids that lying, bitterness, and hatred is the norm rather than an aberration and something to be avoided; parents who continue the same abysmal behavioral patterns that their own parents exhibited.

What's great is that I've known plenty of people who have broken the mold and have not continued in their own dysfunctional parents' footsteps. They've managed to learn a lesson in the midst of all the misery and have decided "I'm not going to be like that." They move forward, step away from such behavior, and do not let the dysfunction continue. To those folks, I say Good for you! and what an admirable thing to be able to break that cycle. I salute you! Unfortunately, there are also many who seem to revel in dysfunction, and that's where Jerry Springer has found his niche, much to our national shame. We've all known people who actually seem to get off on drama, and if there's none to be found, they'll create their own, even if it means lying in order to stir up trouble and emotions. What's really sad is that rather than breaking the chain of dysfunction (get the func out!), they choose to perpetuate it and pass it down to their offspring. 'Choose' is the key word there, because there is always a choice. How mental do you have to be to not care if you screw up your kids as much as your own parents screwed you up? That's definitely a case where the family "heirlooms" shouldn't be passed along.

I honestly believe that there is a certain mentality that loves to wallow in such unpleasantness, and feels that life isn't quite as spicy without a little drama. Call it Jerry Springer/White Trash Whore Syndrome. (Several years ago, I worked in a place where the secretary was seriously a white trash ho type...Cousin Shane and I wrote a song about her called "White Trash Whore," and we're still hoping that Shane might be able to retrieve it from an old hard drive. I recall it being quite hilarious!) I can laugh about it to a certain point, but there is also a tragic side. If someone has been through such tragedy and drama in their own childhood, wouldn't they realize their own problem and do whatever they could to keep their own neuroses from being passed on to their kids, rather than practically ensuring that the problem is perpetuated unto the next generation?

My parents did their best to give me a better life than what they had. They both came from very poor families, and life wasn't always easy for them. Despite some very rough times, especially in Mom's family, they chose to not let that define their lives, and created a very happy and long-lived relationship as well as a loving, stable, and happy home for us girls. I will always be grateful for that and for the example that they have set for me, my sisters, and virtually everyone who has encountered them. Happy 62nd Anniversary, Mom and Dad! (And don’t look for any of us on Jerry Springer anytime soon!)

*Random uncomfortable family photos via AwkwardFamilyPhotos, a truly hilarious site*