Bob Boze Bell's Big Bad Book of Bad Diary Entries: Rock And Roll Never Forgets

Friday, January 26, 2018

Rock And Roll Never Forgets

January 26, 2018
Most people who meet me naturally assume I am a Country & Western fan. No doubt it's the hat, the frock coat and the handlebar mustache. When I was on the Jones & Boze morning show at the Classic Rock station, KSLX-100.7 FM back in the eighties, we had a Christmas party at a Scottsdale resort. Our general manager, Reid Reeker, hired a DJ to play music in one of the small conference rooms he traded out for (by his own admission, he is a cheap bastard). As soon as I walked in the door, the DJ slammed on a George Strait tune followed by Reba and Waylon. When Reid went over to complain, the DJ pointed at me and said, "I just assumed you were a Country station!"

Last October when I appeared on a John Wayne—John Ford panel at the Lone Pine Film Festival, someone in the audience asked me what my favorite Country tune is and I confessed to being an AC/DC fan. And, although the person who asked this question was horrified, I must say I am partial to "Girls Got Rhythm."

However, since Country has drifted more towards Classic Rock, I really like Eric Church, Forida-Georgia Line and the Hank Williams Jr. rocker, "Are You Ready for the Country?" Which is, in fact, poached from Neil Young. But, you get my drift.

I personally have never seen the disconnect between Gunslingers and Rock. Or for that matter, why Gunslingers would prefer Country. I understand how Cowboys lean towards Country, but even that is changing as the younger cowpokes absolutely love Country Hip-Hop, which has been nicknamed Hick-Hop. And so it goes.

Daily Whip Out: "Rockabilly Git Picker"

Daily Whip Out: "Drummer POV"

Full disclosure: I did do time in an old school Country band in the mid-seventies because I needed the bread. We played mostly VFWs and American Legion Halls and the odd Moose Club. And, all told, I must have spent a thousand nights looking out on the dance floor from this position, above. I saw nasty and wicked things. I saw fist fights and wagon tonguing. I saw the horizontal bop and stand-up fornicators. I may even write a book someday, "Confessions of a Honkytonk Drummer."

Or, not.