My Face, it Aches from all this Writing

Joe Posnanski linked to this video of a man playing "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" on a ukulele.   I was unimpressed.  For I have seen Leo Kottke live twice and Jake Shimabukuro is no Leo Kottke:

Fast forward to 1:00 to see the most intense guitar-face in the history of music.  Of course, the song requires intensity.   It's not easy to play five parts on one instrument in real-time:

Still, that is some heinous guitar-face.   His face not only shows the strain, he strains his cheeks expressing it.   Which makes me wonder:

What do I look like when I'm writing?   Do I have dissertation-face?

To find out, I placed a camera in the brush and set it to snap randomly, so as to catch myself unawares.   (This is science.  We can't have me staging science, now can we?)   The result?  Negligible change:

I don't look a day over thirty.  (And not just because I won't be until December 24th.)

Comments

[Sadly, No! Investor Relations]

Yeah, yeah, Guitar Player Magazine, Leo Kottke.

Bert Jansch.

[SEK]

He's not half-bad. The Littlewomedievalist is a big Pentangle fan, so I'm familiar with his stuff. While brilliant, Bert Jansch is also no Leo Kottke.

[John Remy]

Do you always scream while dissertating?

[Other Ezra]

I've seen that Shimabukuro clip and like you I am unimpressed. Not because of his chops (there's always someone better ...) but because he ain't playing the ukulele right. You're supposed to have a hot time playing hot jazz tunes (see 1:55 for a "ukulele face"). Or at least have fun swinging a little. And if you're going to do a cover, a least cover something goofy, like a Bojangles tap dance.

But I suppose the guitar is okay too... (by the way, who put the "combover" tag on that one? ouch ...)

(By the way, I enjoy your blog quite a bit.)

[Jonathan Dresner]

Scott: we're almost exactly ten years apart. A quick glance at my C.V. will tell you which direction and how much, but I'm in full-bore denial. My birthday is six days before yours.

[Jonathan Dresner]

P.S. On the Shimabukuro-Kottke thing I have two thoughts. First, if you're not impressed with Shimabukuro's ukulele playing, name someone better; remember, it's only four strings, and he's getting a lot more out of them than anyone I've ever heard. Second, Kottke? Maybe, if you like jazz guitar. But I can name a half dozen bluegrass and folk guitar players, and a few New Age ones, with sharper skills and a lot less attitude. The twelve-string slide thing could have been really interesting, but whatever it was that he was trying to do with it just lay there.

[Sadly, No! Investor Relations]

Linked re: the claim of smugness, btw.

http://www.sadlyno.com/archives/8314.html

It's a lot of daily work upholding the illusion of smugness.

[ben wolfson]

Kottke is no Fahey (and neither is a jazz guitarist).

[Sadly, No! Investor Relations]

Yeah, Kottke is sort of a pleaser. Fahey, when you can glimpse him, is a celestial object.

There's an old San Francisco Public TV show with Fahey, somewhere on YouTube. (I looked for it just now, but the search was swamped by pretty-good guitarists doing Fahey arrangements.)

[Sadly, No! Investor Relations]

This will do in the meantime, Faheywise:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Yf9JTLbA-YY

It's a bit thick with technique and razzle-dazzle, which is always cheap compared to musicality. But the musicality is there too, in every decision.

[The Constructivist]

Scott, this birthday medley is just for you.

Well, it was actually for my 4-year-old daughter.

In fact, each clip was compiled for someone else entirely.

But it's the (lack of) thought that counts, right?

[ben wolfson]

16 minutes of prime 70s Fahey.

One of the youtube results was a concert with Fahey and the neglected Peter Lang, whose "When Kings Come" on the Fahey/Kottke/Lang split LP is one of the goddam stateliest things one might hope to hear.

[SEK]

Alright, alright, I'll cry uncle. Fahey is something else. I disagree with the commenter at ben's like though -- Kottke's not all technical expertise and "Arms of Mary" proves that.

John, doesn't everyone?

Jonathan, I can't name someone better, at least not on the ukulele. And that was impressive, sort of, but it seemed more gimmick than performance. As for your saying Kottke has attitude, um, what? Maybe there was some point in the past when he did, but he never seems anything but humble and gracious when I've seen him and in the fifty YouTube clips I've watched since yesterday. (Also, happy birthday, ten years whatever way.)

Other Ezra, thanks for the kind words. As for why the "combover" tag is there, well, I can see why. It's the first thing I think whenever I see Steve Earle on The Wire. I remember when he did the best early-Springsteen this side of the Boss. ("Hard Core Troubadours," though that version's drugged.) The clips, well, they remind me of how talented the folks who emerged from vaudville were. (And of the terribleness of some of their jokes.)

Constructivist, ZOMG u didnt send me my little ponies did u?

[The Constructivist]

Seriously, dude, that episode has a lesson bloggers everywhere can learn from when there's a little blogspat among friends heating up!

[Other Ezra]

Since I'm trying to hijack these comments for the ukulele, I can't resist one more video. But I'll offer a compromise: Roy Smeck playing guitar and uke. I think he his finger-picking slide holds up well to Kottke, although Smeck only has 8 strings. And while Shimabukuro may yet learn to play the uke that fast (he's young), I believe playing the harmonica by sticking it in your mouth like a cigar is a technique that is lost to the ages.

The short was distributed to theaters in 1926 with Don Juan, the first Hollywood soundie.

Happy birthday and Merry Christmas.

[alkau]

Since you haven't posted anything today - the 23rd I wanted to say happy birthday and I am sorry you have to spend it alone. I know Rachel is important to you and I will hide my disappointment that you are not coming home for Christmas. I haven't seen you in awhile and I just want to make sure you are not a robet your little woman is using because she already killed you. Ha, Ha. I will see you in January since dad has a trip planned.

[Luther Blissett]

Very sad. I posted a long list of YouTube clips of guitarists, and your spam filter flagged it as spam. I've never spammed before. I feel ashamed.

Anyway, those interested should go to YouTube and search for:

James Blackshaw
Jack Rose
Sandy Bull
Derek Bailey
Last Exit
John Renbourn
Sir Richard Bishop (ex Sun City Girls)

I couldn't find clips of Robbie Basho or Stefan Basho Junghans.

I've been told I make a guitar face. It's very embarrassing.

[Xeno Phon]

In the early 1980s I had the pleasure of producing separate concerts by Leo Kottke and John Fahey. Leo put on an extraordinary show, which was largely the product of his preparation, raw skill, and wit. He was also eager to interact with fans and treated everyone with courtesy. John, by contrast, was unprepared, sloppy and erratic in performance, drunk at all times, had nothing interesting to say, and spent much of his show begging for liquor and drugs. I kid you not. It was sad, and even then it was clear where John was headed. To this day I consider Leo to be the true original -- there's only one in the universe. John was skilled (at one time), but his personality overwhelmed his art.