So the topic of today is musical weirdos. People who operate outside of normal standards, be it for race, nationality, sex, or just style... and are all the more badass for it. And I don't mean the affected mainstream "rock & roll" or "punk" I-don't-give-a-fuck attitude... these people just are what they are. But they have or will go down in history for raising their voices and not allowing the what or how to dictate the who. That's what I think, anyway.
So. What if you're an old toothless black dude with no instrument, sitting on an empty stage, with only your own off-time clapping to keep you company? Can you still be a badass? Maybe you should ask Son House...
How about if your guitar has knotted together strings, hasn't been tuned in about a year, and your singing sounds like one of the crazy winos outside Walgreens? Maybe you can... if your name is Joseph Spence.
Speaking of weird voices, what if your midrange voice sounds smooth and croony, but your lower register can only be described as "demonically gravelly"? It only made Blind Willie Johnson go from stud, to super-stud (you'll see what I mean about gravelly at 1:30 or so).
Ok, so old blues guys were cool even if they sounded weird. But what if you're a contemporary white kid who looks like the Pillsbury Doughboy sans hat, with an acoustic guitar for accompaniment, trying to belt out soul like James Brown? Eli "Paperboy" Reed has my vote for BAMF membership.
Here's a chick with hair like a bottlebrush, who usually records with stuff like this for backing. I wonder if she can take the same song, and make it awesome using only her own voice and a multitrack. Listen to Martina go...
OK, what about a transsexual lead singer (who incidentally pronounces his 'r's like 'w's... I thought I was the only one that did that)?
The Cliks (combination of Clits and Cocks, if you're curious) are all the cooler for it.
How about weird style-crossover? Can you sing metal in a sinatra-esque lounge singer voice?
Richard Cheese can.
OK, nationality mismatches? How about a Swedish Delta Bluesman? (He does a lot of lessons on youtube if you ever take a notion to learn...)
What about an Argentinian Delta bluesman?
Gabriel Gratzer- Canned Heat
Gabriel Gratzer- Highway 49
No problem there I guess... turns out blues is pretty big over in Argentina. Who knew?
So then maybe if you're Russian you can still play some surfer guitar. In fact, you can even
do it to a polka beat while wearing zoot suits and bowties!
One more... while I'm on the topic, I just wanted to show you a rareish live video of a man who lost half the fingers on his left (fretting) hand to a fire... and went on to become one of the greatest jazz guitarists in the world. His name, of course, was Django Reinhardt.
So, now you see. Regardless of what shit you might have to deal with in life-be it physical capability, social standing, or just all around oddity... it can only enhance you in the world of music. Music is the language of the soul- and when the soul speaks, mere appearance is unimportant.
-Mojoe
