Episode #203: Cowboy Punk

It was punk, so the fact that I couldn’t drum was actually an attribute.

Howdy folks:

Welcome to Michael Perry’s Voice Mail, episode 203. This one’s available to free and paid subscribers alike. Click the player above to listen.

In today’s episode I’m fresh back from a side-trip to Los Angeles which got me somehow to thinking about my short-lived punk rock career and the most important lesson I ever learned about playing guitar. There is also a passing mention of prairie oysters and sousaphones. And a band named Toxic…well, you’ll hear. My mom listens to this podcast, but sometimes you gotta just tell it the way it was.

Don’t remember what we were playing but it was definitely in the key of off-key. That’s Todd there with the duct taped guitar.

Scroll down for more photos (including the one referenced in the podcast) and this episode’s marginalia.

Above all, thank you. I’ll keep at it. The writing, that is. The punk rock, that’s over with.

Mike

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The previous band-related episode I mention is here.

If the Long Beds are playing near you, it’ll be listed here.

And whether it’s a new book, Mike appearing solo with stories, or the band, you’ll hear about it in advance if you’re on the mailing list.

All the books mentioned in this podcast can be found here.

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Hollywood Autopsy. Johnie on the left, Julie on the right. Shocking secret: They were real nice Wisconsin kids. Photo credit: ShimonLindemann

Poster from early 2000s, I think. Back then the Long Beds were Phil Cook, Billy Krause, and Justin Vernon. The Community Park building replaced the beer tent. The McCracken’s are a big family from my hometown. We wound up playing on a rug in the gym. The photo in the poster was actually taken in Grand Marais, Minnesota. More on that below.

Photo taken in Grand Marais, Minnesota. Backstory is included in the podcast.

One of my favorite band photos ever. For a one-off show I did in a Masonic Temple (thus the throne) with Jeremy Ylvisaker, Sean Carey, and Ben Lester.

TODAY’S MARGINALIA:

From Population 485. I don’t usually invoke marginalia from my own books, but this passage seemed relevant. “Motion is my morphine” morphed into a song lyric.