5.12.2009

I have a problem with listening to new music. I don't download songs, I don't buy cds; it's been so long that I've forgotten it's even an option to procure new music for myself. Like with books, I'm weirdly content to listen to the same things over and over again. That said, Derek gave me a cd three summers ago that included two albums by Lee Hazlewood, Love and Other Crimes and Cowboy in Sweden. You may know Lee from his collaborations with Nancy Sinatra, but a dose of pure Lee can really hit the spot.

Cowboy in Sweden has been my car album for the past few weeks, and when Peter and I got stuck in traffic on the Bay Bridge, I put it on. Peter, always the skeptic, said, "Oh, you're just listening to this because it's kitschy," to which I responded, "NO! I'm listening to it because it's GOOD! How dare you." And after a few songs, he too was convinced that good ol' Barton Lee is a little kitschy, but also actually, truly awesome, no irony involved (take that, Chuck Klosterman!).

Here's the video for "No Train to Stockholm" from Cowboy in Sweden, which was not only a sweet album but also a TV special. It features Lee without his signature moustache, but don't worry; it's still a great song with a late-Elvis vibe.

1 comment:

BlenderBach said...

heehee - I'm the same way. I think the last time I bought a cd was over 5 years ago! I'll hear a new song I like and find out the artists' name and think "who's that?"