Debaucherous Reality
November 20th, 2006 at 6:22 pm (Uncategorized)
Today marks the beginning of what I hope to be a full week of exciting guest contributions to Songstory. Our first contributor is Andrew Bryce. Andrew is a music maniac, a ball hockey superstar, and a masters student on the history of rat tails in mid-western America. Goddamn!
This is a Blind Melon cover of a song originally recorded by Hoyt Axton (see picture), and made famous as it was covered in 1968 by the Canadian band Steppenwolf. Everyone knows at least one or two Steppenwolf songs (Born to be Wild, or Magic Carpet Ride). I haven’t heard Hoyt Axton’s original recording, but Steppenwolf’s is most definitely electric and in the same vein as the harder songs mentioned earlier. Firstly, I really like Blind Melon and do not think they’ve ever received the respect they deserved. Contrary to what Much Music may think, they were more than a “one hit wonder” and have atleast three albums full of quality material. Unfortunately the lead singer, Shannon Hoon (who sang back up on Guns N’ Roses’ “Don’t Cry”!), battled with heroin addiction and lost in 1995. The Blind Melon cover of ”The Pusher” was not available until it appeared on the album Nico which was released following Shannon’s death (Nico’s cover is the other picture on this post).
I can’t say enough about how much I like Shannon’s voice and song writing, and the band Blind Melon, but I think this song is especially interesting as the first verse is Shannon’s own lyrics, and then he sang the rest of the song as it had been recorded by Axton and Steppenwolf. I had never heard the original version(s) of this song before I heard Blind Melon’s, and what struck me about their take on it is that I never doubted for a moment the continuity of the lyrics; the verses fit together very well. I think it’s a testament to the song writing skills of Mr. Hoon. I love the guitar, and the opening lines to the second verse get me every time, almost a celebration of the debaucherous reality of a drug user’s life: “well I smoke a lotta grass, and I pop a lotta pills…”
I copied this from the Wikipedia article on Hoyt Axton :
Axton spent some time struggling with alcohol and cocaine addiction and several of his songs, including “The Pusher”, “Snowblind Friend”, and “No-No Song”, partly reflect his negative drug experiences. He had been known as an opponent of drug use for many years when, in February 1997, he and his wife were arrested at their Montana home for possession of approximately 500 grams of marijuana-about a pound. His wife explained later that she offered Hoyt marijuana to relieve pain and stress following a 1995 stroke; both were fined and given deferred sentences.
I think it’s a song written and later re-worked, by drug addicts. Listening to it I can’t help but think of the sad story of Hoon’s short life. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy the song.
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mister joey junk said,
November 20, 2006 at 6:27 pm
eh, thanks for the info brycebag, where the fuck is the song. eh greasy, tight guest contributor you have here buddy. if you ask me, he’s a piece of shit. he gets me all stoked about listening to a song and then doesnt even post it. fuck.
mister joey junk said,
November 20, 2006 at 6:30 pm
sorry i apologize. i love you bryce. by the way, this song is good at best. i can see why you would like it even though you probably have no idea what the fuck this dude is going through. regardless, i think it’s pretty nice. 7 out of 10 nice.
Chang said,
November 20, 2006 at 7:25 pm
i didn’t know he smoked a lot of grass and popped a lot pills.
this song has not helped me get past a bug in my code - but i give it two thumbs up out of three. it makes me feel like a token hippy - all slow mo and shizbaz.
Mother Theresa said,
November 20, 2006 at 7:52 pm
Holy Shit, Bryce buddy, amazing pic. Most everyone, including Hoon fanatics, seem to skip over this song in mentioning Blind Melon’s best work.
Nico was an amazing album, not nearly as good as soup, but this song lives up and beyond to anything blind melon has to offer. I can’t tell you enough how happy i am to see the celebration of BM(haha..could also be bowel movement) let alone this song! ONE OF MY FAVOURITES!!
I’d like to thank my cousin ( kyra bell-pasht) for having the album ’soup’ so conveniently able to steal while i was younger, and more un-wise. Hence stimulating my obsession with BM (haha)Thank you kyra.
garret said,
November 20, 2006 at 9:17 pm
I cannot listen. I am a pathetic contributor. Please feel my pain. Bryce, I like you a lot.
gary
p.s. I am working on it.
Bryce said,
November 21, 2006 at 12:08 am
This summer tree planting in Alberta this one guy always used to play it on acoustic. And everybody would get into it. Especially the “God Damn, God damn…” chorus. Funny that I was sleeping with that guy’s ex-girlfriend at the time and he hated me, but… I guess it has a special personal resonance! Well I SMOKE a lotta grass, and I POP a lotta pills. Sitting rinkside at the ACC gives me lots a thrills. Yashin wears a turtleneck and DiPietro’s in net from ‘93 till… Wellwood and the boys pulled out the win for Maurice, Blind Melon’s better than “good,” PEACE!
kyra said,
November 21, 2006 at 9:27 pm
i spent my first of university smoking hooch (actually that means whiskey…but i feel i could be starting a new trend) with some bearded dude who had a never ending supply of the stuff…and of blind melon b-sides….for me….this is a b-side…..b for right before he went bottoms up…head first into that sess pool of….before he got the fear…..does one even go through a stage of fear with heroine?…well, they definetly go through an incredibly mellowed out phase….and they get this wicked perspective on things…..as they slide into some weird-mother nether world…..anywho…it was a great soundtrack to the endless afternoons i spent high as a kite in a place called the “hen house” watching unsuspecting victims of our very cynical and high and mighty commentary going back and forth between classes and the library…. no wonder i’m in fith year trying to upgrade my marks “god damn, god damn, god damn!”
Ol' Spittoon Sipin Hank said,
November 22, 2006 at 1:57 pm
One time I ran across a bible pushin man in ol’ mississppi. Yonder down the road, dusty clouds followed the only respectibly dressed gent I had seen in many a year as he spoke of pain and solitude, freedom and repentance. Didn’t take his bible though. God knows where I’m headed.