Got permission to publish this story sent to me the other day from my guitar-playing friend Phil Pilorz. Yes, both he and I know that “Take Me To The River” isn’t originally Talking Heads.
This is musical reality in the real world:
I’m doing a pick-up gig on Saturday with a bunch of guys. We got together tonight to run over some sets.
The keyboard player had left blank spots in the sets for tunes I would do. When we got around to trying to figure out what songs I would sing I hit them up with “Sweet Jane.” Started the riff, sang the first verse, got nothing but complete blank stares. They had never heard the song in their lives. Never really heard of Lou Reed. So I started “Take Me To The River”. Blank stares. Never heard the song, never heard of Talking Heads. Actually, one guy had. He knew “Burning Down The House.” The keyboard player suggested “Johnny B. Goode.”
I’m glad I didn’t hit them with “I Wanna Be Your Dog.”
shudder. kind of like people identifying McCartney with Wings.
If it makes you feel any better, my daughter had a graduation party a few weeks ago and the kids there knew their rocknroll amazingly well. Which when you consider that to them it’s all ancient history, is mighty impressive. But when it comes to musicians, it makes me wonder what DO they know?