The Ned Wood Archive

Sam

Sam has plenty of time after Art Brut to head back to his tent and change into the skirt he’d got himself earlier.  It’s still fairly warm, so he’s able to wear the shirt he bought to go with it, but he takes a sweater with him because he knows it’s going to cool down later.  He’s feeling like he sticks out like a sore thumb as he walks down to the Acoustic Tent, but no-one’s batting an eyelid.  He walks round inside – there’s always loads of room between the members of the audience as they never get closely packed in there – and soon runs into the rest of the crew.  Jill, Karen, Fiona, Judy, Bill, even Mick.  All dressed up like him.  And of course Anne and Tilly who are wearing the most extravagant party dresses.  One by one, they all give him a hug, except Mick who merely slaps his back.  

Of course, Lyle Lovett puts on a show worthy of Tilly’s significant birthday.  Respectful, understated, maybe a little world weary and slightly tongue in cheek, as you’d expect from the man, but perfect throughout.  They’ve got the memo too and they all come on in suits.  They’ve also twigged the nature of the tent, so the show is largely acoustic: there’s six of them and, for most of the time, only the bass is electric.  And that changes to a cello for the piece de resistance that is You Can’t Resist It.

They play all the old songs that Sam loves.  Fiona, Ensenada, Simple Song, Skinny Legs, This Old Porch, 12th of June.  They play Step Inside This House for Guy Clark and Flying Shoes for Townes van Zandt.  And they play She’s No Lady for all of the wonderfully dressed women in the tent.  Not looking at anyone in particular.  Lovett’s a tall dude, but when he sings, it seems like he’s stretching up to reach the mike, the same as the way he’s visibly stretching to put all of his emotion into the songs.  Then he gives you that wry crooked smile of his and you know he’s having fun too.  He invites them all back to his place in Texas and hopes he can give them all as big and friendly a welcome as they’ve given him.  Then he finishes with Stand By Your Man.   

But it’s the song Fiona that sticks in Sam’s mind. That’s one of Sam’s favourites.   And it always reminds him of that Terry Allen’s song Peggy Legg which came out the same year.  One reminds him of the other.  One’s about a woman with one eye.  One’s about a woman with one leg.  We all got missing parts right from the start, we got to live with.  Sam’s got missing parts.  He realised that a long time ago.  Took from the songs. It isn’t about the missing parts, though.  It’s about what you do about it.  How you cope.  Find something to replace them or you make do without them.  It’s clear from the song that Lyle Lovett is in love with Fiona, no matter how many eyes she’s got.  And Peggy’s one leg’s so pretty she don’t need no more.  Which is why, even though he’s just seen Lyle Lovett, he walks out singing Terry Allen.  

All you need is a heart

And just enough of a brain

To get your half-ass in

Out of the rain