Members guildfire Posted March 30, 2009 Members Share Posted March 30, 2009 Here is a recent interview with Merle Haggard in our local paper this past weekend. Some interesting comments he has about playing an upcoming acoustic set with Kris Kristoferson. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/29/DD2416KIHP.DTL&hw=merle+haggard&sn=001&sc=1000 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Terry Allan Hall Posted March 30, 2009 Members Share Posted March 30, 2009 Big fan of Mighty Merle! Did you, by chance, see the Acoustic Guitar magazine interview w/ Merle a year or so ago? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members peachcowboy Posted March 30, 2009 Members Share Posted March 30, 2009 That was a good article. Wonder who will win the argument. Saw Kris on Spectacle with Elvis Costello, acoustic set with John Mellencamp, Roseanne Cash, and damn it sucks getting old....Norah Jones?( I'm probably wrong on that one) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guildfire Posted March 30, 2009 Author Members Share Posted March 30, 2009 Big fan of Mighty Merle!Did you, by chance, see the Acoustic Guitar magazine interview w/ Merle a year or so ago? No I did not. Do you have a link to it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members panhandler Posted March 30, 2009 Members Share Posted March 30, 2009 He put on a horrible show back in the early 80's and I haven't cared for him since. {censored}ty attitude towards the audience too. Really turned me off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pinchegordo Posted March 30, 2009 Members Share Posted March 30, 2009 Merle's great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jimmy Chaos Posted March 30, 2009 Members Share Posted March 30, 2009 Big Merle fan here. He's not very popular here in the UK compared to the USA but I got a 4 disc boxset of his a while back, and it's full of quality songs. I particularly like 'Workin' Man Blues' 'The Fightin' Side of me' and 'Daddy Frank The Guitar Man' ... but therre are other great songs in there too. I actually covered 'Workin Man Blues' a couple of times. In fact I might have to do that one again soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Terry Allan Hall Posted March 30, 2009 Members Share Posted March 30, 2009 No I did not. Do you have a link to it? See if this works: http://www.acousticguitar.com/article/default.aspx?articleid=7092 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guildfire Posted March 30, 2009 Author Members Share Posted March 30, 2009 Seems like Merle is not the kind of guy who really gives a damn whether you like him or not. He is who he is, one of the original "outlaws" of country music. The song "Sing Me Back Home" is my favorite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DonK Posted March 30, 2009 Members Share Posted March 30, 2009 Definite fan here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members martinipm Posted March 31, 2009 Members Share Posted March 31, 2009 I saw Merle back in 1977. I was a long haired rocker and went to the show on a lark. However, I left the show a big fan and even learned a half dozen of his songs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bjorn-fjord Posted March 31, 2009 Members Share Posted March 31, 2009 Put my name on the list. I was amused to learn that, despite his anti-drug messages (and all around self-righteousness) in Okie from Muskogee, Merle smoked a joint before every single performance right up until very recently when he kicked the habit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members pschaafs Posted March 31, 2009 Members Share Posted March 31, 2009 I like Merle, too - saw him here in town last year and he put on a great show. Still can belt out the tunes no problem and he is like 72 now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members meandi Posted March 31, 2009 Members Share Posted March 31, 2009 Loves me some Merl...quart of shine in a mason jar & an acoustic on the back porch, on into the night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guildfire Posted March 31, 2009 Author Members Share Posted March 31, 2009 Put my name on the list. I was amused to learn that, despite his anti-drug messages (and all around self-righteousness) in Okie from Muskogee, Merlesmoked a joint before every single performance right up until very recently when he kicked the habit. This is true. A complex guy, not a redneck. More like a freewheeling I'm going to do it my way rebel to the establishment. Wrote some great prison songs too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members boxorox Posted April 1, 2009 Members Share Posted April 1, 2009 If you're runnin' down MerleHaggard, man, you're walkin' on the fightin' side of me. Merle taught me a lot. Got into him not thru his popular stuff, but through the Jimmy Rodgers retrospective album. For those that typed him as a troglodite in the early 70's and put him on ignore, he's had a great career that shows how an artist can really evolve. He really took JR's Jazz side to heart and that influenced his song writing and set him on course to do the Bob Wills recording with the original Texas Playboys. That album did a lot to spur the rennaiscance of Western Swing and validate it to a large audiance. We owe him a lot for that. I have a lot of respect that this also inspired him to pick up the fiddle rather late in life, and become very good at it. As for favorites, I'll skip the ones on everybody's top ten and go down to "Got a Letter From My Kid Today" and "If We Make It Through December". I guess they're both about being in a bad situation, but you take your licks, knuckle down and keep on swinging. Great lyricist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Queequeg Posted April 1, 2009 Members Share Posted April 1, 2009 Seems like Merle is not the kind of guy who really gives a damn whether you like him or not. He is who he is Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Oldskool Texas Posted April 1, 2009 Members Share Posted April 1, 2009 I don't know much about Merle, but one of his former guitar players is Redd Volkaert, and I guaran-damn-tee that you have never heard someone tear up a Telecaster like Redd can. Unbelieveable player, regardless of your genre allegiences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members horseman1 Posted April 1, 2009 Members Share Posted April 1, 2009 I like Merle's music a lot. Too many great songs to list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jersey Jack Posted April 1, 2009 Members Share Posted April 1, 2009 Merle is IMHO right up there with Hank Williams as a country songwriter! His songs are incredibly rich and moving. If you haven't checked out the back catalog, you're in for a treat!I am thrilled to learn that he beat cancer. It was a dark day when I discovered that he had lung cancer-- I thought immediately of Warren Zevon's death from the same disease, and I feared that that was it for Merle. Only a few weeks ago he announced on his website that he's coming back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guildfire Posted April 2, 2009 Author Members Share Posted April 2, 2009 Merle is IMHO right up there with Hank Williams as a country songwriter! His songs are incredibly rich and moving. If you haven't checked out the back catalog, you're in for a treat! I am thrilled to learn that he beat cancer. It was a dark day when I discovered that he had lung cancer-- I thought immediately of Warren Zevon's death from the same disease, and I feared that that was it for Merle. Only a few weeks ago he announced on his website that he's coming back! Hey, lung cancer, prison, weed, alcohol, 4 wives - nothing to hold him back now at 72! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fretmess Posted April 2, 2009 Members Share Posted April 2, 2009 I don't know much about Merle, but one of his former guitar players is Redd Volkaert, and I guaran-damn-tee that you have never heard someone tear up a Telecaster like Redd can. Unbelieveable player, regardless of your genre allegiences. Redd came after Joe Manual. Now Joe lives here in Lampasas and is back playing with Merle as well as George Strait. Joe is one fine Tele player too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guildfire Posted April 3, 2009 Author Members Share Posted April 3, 2009 He's always had great sidemen. That's probably why he is apprehensive about just going acoustic with Kristoferson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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