@@bradkelley8732 Yes indeed. Used to see Mr. Smith and the Spankers in their first daze at the Electric Lounge, Cactus cafe, Outhouse and everywhere else around Austin and beyond. But I would also see Stanley at the Elephant Room and guest with whom ever was playing/jamming up the jazz.
I met Townes twice and both times he appeared sober and all there. It was in Richmond, Va. and one solo and another time with Guy Clark. During Guy’s set a saw Townes standing up listening to Guy. I walked out and started talking to him and he acted like he knew me. He was very nice and engaging. The second time Katie’s Bell had just been born and he said he hadn’t had much sleep. I had a song book of his that he sighed. He asked me and my brother to sit up front just in case he had trouble with the words. He started playing,, closed his eyes and he was spot on. This was the early 90’s. He dated my songbook 2/22/92. I still have it.
Townes Van Zant is a huge influence in a lot of my writing. I was a bad drunk for about 17 years on a daily basis. It seemed that the more I drink the thirstier I got and then that issue with gravity would arise. I can't count all the times I broke out in handcuffs and hospital beds due to the fact of the injuries I sustained. I just celebrated my 6-year sobriety date on June 9th. It's nice to be able to remember the shows I play and actually have people pick up the phone the next day when I call. Today I listen to towns in a whole new light because I was there once. I too suffered but was lucky enough to be able to make it out alive and talk about it. Love the stories Otis and thank you so much for bringing this wonderful Channel to the world✌️💜
@@hosschapple3194 thank you, it's a good life for sure and it's nice to know that there are folks out there who support this journey. Thank you for the kind words✌️🌻
December the 3rd 1981 I turned nine years old. One of Townes songs was my favorite even at nine years old but I had no idea who it was written by. I could sing every word of White Freightliner well before I turned nine years old.
My band used to cover it but I had no idea who TVZ was at the time. I only knew about the Austin City Limits tribute show that our singer, who championed the song, insisted we watch.
What an honest interview! Townes had already passed on from this timeline when a friend of mine introduced me to his music. I was somewhere between the California desert drawing up to the Arizona border. I just remembered being completely blown away by the poetry and realizing that it was the most beautiful tragic thing I've ever heard.
Thank you again Mr. Otis. Big Townes fan of course. Colorado Girl. Really really great interview--especially at the end, where he muses on the deep hard life these good folks lived, and the dark consequences. Like I know anything. AND here's why these interviews are priceless, as if Otis fans don't know this already, the history old and new, the musicians and places I learned about, that I never heard about, and now I can check out and explore and romanticize about in my wanna-be shoulda-been spin-down, down that rabbit hole of musician artist love: Pioneer Inn, The Hummingbird, Etheridge Knight (poem below--what great lyrics this poem would make), Stanley Smith, David Seidel, Floyd Domino, Mickey White, Paul Geremia, Jubal Clarke. As straight as the wild goose flies. Much love too. A Poem For Myself I was born in Mississippi; I walked barefooted thru the mud. Born black in Mississippi, Walked barefooted thru the mud. But, when I reached the age of twelve I left that place for good. My daddy chopped cotton And he drank his liquor straight. Said my daddy chopped cotton And he drank his liquor straight. When I left that Sunday morning He was leaning on the barnyard gate. Left my mama standing With the sun shining in her eyes. Left her standing in the yard With the sun shining in her eyes. And I headed North As straight as the Wild Goose Flies, I been to Detroit & Chicago Been to New York city too. I been to Detroit & Chicago Been to New York city too. Said I done strolled all those funky avenues I'm still the same old black boy with the same old blues. Going back to Mississippi This time to stay for good Going back to Mississippi This time to stay for goodGonna be free in Mississippi Or dead in the Mississippi mud. Etheridge Knight
Greatest of all time. Authenticity of highest order. Took me 15 to 20 years to fully digest his entire body of work. Finding all of the magical recordings/versions and learning them note for note. Townes, Jackson C Frank, Prine, (early) Dylan, Ramblin' Jack are all in my right hand. When I'm just playing without thinking about it they crop up. If I learn a new picking pattern or song I don't know exactly how to go about, my right hand regurgitates my influences.
My friends and I were there at the Hummingbird. Just as Stan said. Townes was a haunted soul. He got a lot of support that night. Sad. Great interview and great to see Stan. Strugglers forever!
Love hearing anything about Townes. I wonder if the "blanking out" had something to do with the insulin shock therapy he underwent as a young man...so much talent, so much tragedy. Thanks for all you do, Otis.
That's what I thought too, the electro shock therapy might have affected him like that. For sure he was missing big chunks of his memory. Yet Townes was a songster. Knew tons of material plus his own so if he blanked like that and wasn't drunk... And yeah, he was into vodka cuz you can't smell it (I had no idea but he told me) but if he was really gone you'd know. Complicated guy though, afflicted with both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, according to what he said. Beautiful heart though and an intellectual. But funny. The dumbest jokes, he loved corny jokes and the way he'd tell them made them really work. My fav one was "horse walks into a bar. Bartender says, 'why the long face?'" I laughed for two weeks. With his droll laconic Texan drawl and delivery. I was lucky to meet him twice (once over a two day period when he played Toronto 2 days in a row) and interviewed him several times for college radio. I revealed I was a songwriter and he encouraged me to read poetry. "If you want to be great read poetry" he said. That's his legacy to me, to share that tip because it always filters what I want to say in that unique poetic way. Thanks for this channel Otis. I adore it.
@@ardenevox, Agreed! Thanks for sharing your insights from meeting him - very cool. Also, Toronto, eh? Where was he playing; The Horseshoe??? I lived in Scarberia when I was very young, then the family moved to Northern ON, where I lived until college. I'm out west now, but ON is forever in my heart. Go Leafs!!!
@@telebender Yes, first time I met Townes was in the dressing room (next to the toilet) at the Horseshoe after his set. Butch Hancock had been babysitting him so Townes didn't disappear, he'd opened their show. Also, Townes (sadly not Butch as well) was in town for a two day Mariposa gig August 11&12, 1995. Next day he played several stages on Toronto Island but I caught the one conflicting with a packed audience (outdoors) for Gordon Lightfoot who only played concert halls. I saw a tune or two of GL and had to skidaddle over to Townes where there were about 4 people. The next time I met TVZ in person was at his Bathurst St Theatre gig between Harbord/Bloor Feb 3, 1996. I got to get onstage to sing Goodnight Irene with him and Bob Snider, a great Canadian songwriter who opened the show (lives in Nova Scotia now). After the song Townes told the audience that we'd had "phone sex" cause I interviewed him for radio. I stammered "we did not!" in protest. A friend said later "you should have said 'yeah, and the conversation ended prematurely.'" Great line. Wish I'd have thought of it! Townes could be so mischeivous. He said he knew the person Irene was written for -- Ledbelly's cousin? She was at one of the annual Ledbelly festivals in Houston and Townes met her when he lived there I guess. Greetings from Ontario!
What an unexpected treat to hear Stanley Smith talking about TVZ. Loved his stuff with the Spankers. Townes stories are always wonderful but always so sad.
another good one brother Otis and ill add for humour my about 35 pound all white maine coon king bearcat Stanely Otis Career Rubin was brought to attentoin when he heard you intro Stanley....my Stanley knows ur voice anyway and that sometimes ur videos have kitty friends he admires but he def heard u say his name lol thanks - SJOCR
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I know what he means about the bar and the house. I can go from my house to the Local Liquor store only having to cross a rather major road if I used the ally of my street. Normally I use the main road on the sidewalk due to people whose dogs they have in back yards that do not have fences to get to the place but a few times due to construction have walked the ally with issues of a dog or two. I am Usually however 99% of the time in better mind when I go to the local liquor store, I do not go when drunk to the place as I know it is a pain when drunk having to get across the busy road.
Otis-super cool. I was a Spankers fan for many years. Saw Townes probably 6 or more times over the years-often while living in Austin. I remember The Austin Outhouse. I saw Blaze there only one time. Townes-could be super hot...or not.....The last time we went to see him was mid 90s at the Cactus on UT campus. I took my in laws-the father in law was a co founder of a Drug and Alcohol Rehab hospital. Townes was pretty drunk and loose. Dr N-the in law was not amused in the least
Man I'm all for great art but if the way that Townes and Blaze and Hank lived is the price, I'll take some mediocre songs from those guys in their old age over the self-destruct any day.
I hate to hear the Townes stories of the gigs falling apart. It breaks my heart. I’ve never seen Townes live, but I much prefer the stories where the audience claims they are transfixed, hanging on every word, and you could hear a pin drop.
His poor memory was damaged from insulin shock therapy which he was subjected to as a very young man. It was touted as a therapy for depression but was total quackery and resulted in brain damage. Probably messed up his neuro chemistry for the rest of his life and was likely a contributing factor to his substance use. Shows how "smart" medicine can be sometimes. It was considered brilliant cutting edge treatment at the time. Makes you wonder about crap they're doing now.
Townes had it rough as a teenager. Electroshock therapy fried his memory, and then when that connects on to self-medication by living hard, and if you go deep into the art rabbit hole, you're gonna pull blanks, and so on. My very humble opinion is that people could take it a little easier on him. Stanley certainly doesn't judge him, but Townes' problems don't sound like they were just your standard addiction thing.
Here's a great video of Stanley kicking ass with his band, The Asylum Street Spankers.
ruclips.net/video/2IJgjBKqO7I/видео.html
Read thinner books!
@@ish474 Whammo!
@@bradkelley8732 Yes indeed. Used to see Mr. Smith and the Spankers in their first daze at the Electric Lounge, Cactus cafe, Outhouse and everywhere else around Austin and beyond. But I would also see Stanley at the Elephant Room and guest with whom ever was playing/jamming up the jazz.
I met Townes twice and both times he appeared sober and all there. It was in Richmond, Va. and one solo and another time with Guy Clark. During Guy’s set a saw Townes standing up listening to Guy. I walked out and started talking to him and he acted like he knew me. He was very nice and engaging. The second time Katie’s Bell had just been born and he said he hadn’t had much sleep. I had a song book of his that he sighed. He asked me and my brother to sit up front just in case he had trouble with the words. He started playing,, closed his eyes and he was spot on. This was the early 90’s. He dated my songbook 2/22/92. I still have it.
Townes Van Zant is a huge influence in a lot of my writing. I was a bad drunk for about 17 years on a daily basis. It seemed that the more I drink the thirstier I got and then that issue with gravity would arise. I can't count all the times I broke out in handcuffs and hospital beds due to the fact of the injuries I sustained. I just celebrated my 6-year sobriety date on June 9th. It's nice to be able to remember the shows I play and actually have people pick up the phone the next day when I call. Today I listen to towns in a whole new light because I was there once. I too suffered but was lucky enough to be able to make it out alive and talk about it. Love the stories Otis and thank you so much for bringing this wonderful Channel to the world✌️💜
Way to go man! Even those you don’t know are rooting for you!
@@hosschapple3194 just saying hello to another spelling of the name.
@@hosschapple3194 thank you, it's a good life for sure and it's nice to know that there are folks out there who support this journey. Thank you for the kind words✌️🌻
Keep truckin, brother.
@@charliechappell9391 long distant cousin?
December the 3rd 1981 I turned nine years old. One of Townes songs was my favorite even at nine years old but I had no idea who it was written by. I could sing every word of White Freightliner well before I turned nine years old.
My band used to cover it but I had no idea who TVZ was at the time. I only knew about the Austin City Limits tribute show that our singer, who championed the song, insisted we watch.
What an honest interview! Townes had already passed on from this timeline when a friend of mine introduced me to his music. I was somewhere between the California desert drawing up to the Arizona border. I just remembered being completely blown away by the poetry and realizing that it was the most beautiful tragic thing I've ever heard.
I love the Townes stories. Thanks for sharing, Otis!
Otis your RUclips channel is a blessing thank you and keep it up brother
Thank you again Mr. Otis. Big Townes fan of course. Colorado Girl. Really really great interview--especially at the end, where he muses on the deep hard life these good folks lived, and the dark consequences. Like I know anything. AND here's why these interviews are priceless, as if Otis fans don't know this already, the history old and new, the musicians and places I learned about, that I never heard about, and now I can check out and explore and romanticize about in my wanna-be shoulda-been spin-down, down that rabbit hole of musician artist love: Pioneer Inn, The Hummingbird, Etheridge Knight (poem below--what great lyrics this poem would make), Stanley Smith, David Seidel, Floyd Domino, Mickey White, Paul Geremia, Jubal Clarke. As straight as the wild goose flies. Much love too.
A Poem For Myself
I was born in Mississippi;
I walked barefooted thru the mud.
Born black in Mississippi,
Walked barefooted thru the mud.
But, when I reached the age of twelve
I left that place for good.
My daddy chopped cotton
And he drank his liquor straight.
Said my daddy chopped cotton
And he drank his liquor straight.
When I left that Sunday morning
He was leaning on the barnyard gate.
Left my mama standing
With the sun shining in her eyes.
Left her standing in the yard
With the sun shining in her eyes.
And I headed North
As straight as the Wild Goose Flies,
I been to Detroit & Chicago
Been to New York city too.
I been to Detroit & Chicago
Been to New York city too.
Said I done strolled all those funky avenues
I'm still the same old black boy with the same old blues.
Going back to Mississippi
This time to stay for good
Going back to Mississippi
This time to stay for goodGonna be free in Mississippi
Or dead in the Mississippi mud.
Etheridge Knight
Love seeing Stanley ,what a gracious and dear man, lovely musician.
Thank you. Makes my day. Cheers from here.
I could listen to this man all day
Just love Stanley and the Spankers! Thanks
Greatest of all time. Authenticity of highest order. Took me 15 to 20 years to fully digest his entire body of work. Finding all of the magical recordings/versions and learning them note for note. Townes, Jackson C Frank, Prine, (early) Dylan, Ramblin' Jack are all in my right hand. When I'm just playing without thinking about it they crop up. If I learn a new picking pattern or song I don't know exactly how to go about, my right hand regurgitates my influences.
Great interview Otis. Thanks for this. Always in ANY Townes or Blaze Foley stories. Stanley seems like a great guy too. Love the stories.
It seems that a lot of the really talented people are haunted by it. A blessing and a curse. Thanks Otis for being so much of a blessing.
It is a blessing and a curse
Listening to your channel is a history lesson that you can’t get anywhere else. Thank you Otis for keeping it real!
My friends and I were there at the Hummingbird. Just as Stan said. Townes was a haunted soul. He got a lot of support that night. Sad. Great interview and great to see Stan. Strugglers forever!
Love seein a notification for a new Townes story from Otis. U da boi, the one n only OG
Wow, brilliant ..
I remember the time Ottis came to Newport south Wales ❤️👍
Great story, thank you both for sharing ✌
Love hearing anything about Townes. I wonder if the "blanking out" had something to do with the insulin shock therapy he underwent as a young man...so much talent, so much tragedy. Thanks for all you do, Otis.
That's what I thought too, the electro shock therapy might have affected him like that. For sure he was missing big chunks of his memory. Yet Townes was a songster. Knew tons of material plus his own so if he blanked like that and wasn't drunk... And yeah, he was into vodka cuz you can't smell it (I had no idea but he told me) but if he was really gone you'd know. Complicated guy though, afflicted with both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, according to what he said. Beautiful heart though and an intellectual. But funny. The dumbest jokes, he loved corny jokes and the way he'd tell them made them really work. My fav one was "horse walks into a bar. Bartender says, 'why the long face?'" I laughed for two weeks. With his droll laconic Texan drawl and delivery. I was lucky to meet him twice (once over a two day period when he played Toronto 2 days in a row) and interviewed him several times for college radio. I revealed I was a songwriter and he encouraged me to read poetry. "If you want to be great read poetry" he said. That's his legacy to me, to share that tip because it always filters what I want to say in that unique poetic way. Thanks for this channel Otis. I adore it.
@@ardenevox, Agreed! Thanks for sharing your insights from meeting him - very cool. Also, Toronto, eh? Where was he playing; The Horseshoe??? I lived in Scarberia when I was very young, then the family moved to Northern ON, where I lived until college. I'm out west now, but ON is forever in my heart. Go Leafs!!!
@@telebender Yes, first time I met Townes was in the dressing room (next to the toilet) at the Horseshoe after his set. Butch Hancock had been babysitting him so Townes didn't disappear, he'd opened their show. Also, Townes (sadly not Butch as well) was in town for a two day Mariposa gig August 11&12, 1995. Next day he played several stages on Toronto Island but I caught the one conflicting with a packed audience (outdoors) for Gordon Lightfoot who only played concert halls. I saw a tune or two of GL and had to skidaddle over to Townes where there were about 4 people. The next time I met TVZ in person was at his Bathurst St Theatre gig between Harbord/Bloor Feb 3, 1996. I got to get onstage to sing Goodnight Irene with him and Bob Snider, a great Canadian songwriter who opened the show (lives in Nova Scotia now). After the song Townes told the audience that we'd had "phone sex" cause I interviewed him for radio. I stammered "we did not!" in protest. A friend said later "you should have said 'yeah, and the conversation ended prematurely.'" Great line. Wish I'd have thought of it! Townes could be so mischeivous. He said he knew the person Irene was written for -- Ledbelly's cousin? She was at one of the annual Ledbelly festivals in Houston and Townes met her when he lived there I guess. Greetings from Ontario!
What an unexpected treat to hear Stanley Smith talking about TVZ. Loved his stuff with the Spankers. Townes stories are always wonderful but always so sad.
Thanks, Otis! Love your stories. This one made me go out and find Townes shows from 87, 90, 91, 93 and 94 to listen to.
another good one brother Otis and ill add for humour my about 35 pound all white maine coon king bearcat Stanely Otis Career Rubin was brought to attentoin when he heard you intro Stanley....my Stanley knows ur voice anyway and that sometimes ur videos have kitty friends he admires but he def heard u say his name lol thanks - SJOCR
Speaks volumes, especially the last part.
Thanks Otis
keep 'em comin' Otis....
Etheridge Knight! The first poet I ever saw read -- at Mugwumps, maybe 1988.
That's amazing! I lost some of my hearing at Mugwumps and I was there when I heard SRV had died.
I'm wearing a tvz shirt right now .
Thank you Otis...good stuff.
powerful 🙏
I sabotaged my early music career. Sure having fun now with my old band from 42 years ago, though.
I like this guy, great interview.
Well this made me cry
If you don't know Stanley Smith check out a smooth one with the Asylum Street spankers
I really appreciate your insight on the music biz and artists in general. I would love to see you play your music. Do you ever come to Milwaukee?
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Thanks for all of the Townes history. He was a very special person that has too little information available.
❤
I know what he means about the bar and the house. I can go from my house to the Local Liquor store only having to cross a rather major road if I used the ally of my street. Normally I use the main road on the sidewalk due to people whose dogs they have in back yards that do not have fences to get to the place but a few times due to construction have walked the ally with issues of a dog or two. I am Usually however 99% of the time in better mind when I go to the local liquor store, I do not go when drunk to the place as I know it is a pain when drunk having to get across the busy road.
Boy, I'd like to tell my Townes story's here but they'll delete them.
"Pound that piano Floyd"!!!
Otis-super cool. I was a Spankers fan for many years. Saw Townes probably 6 or more times over the years-often while living in Austin. I remember The Austin Outhouse. I saw Blaze there only one time. Townes-could be super hot...or not.....The last time we went to see him was mid 90s at the Cactus on UT campus. I took my in laws-the father in law was a co founder of a Drug and Alcohol Rehab hospital. Townes was pretty drunk and loose. Dr N-the in law was not amused in the least
🎶🔊🎶🙌
cheers to the real people Juba Clark! raise a glass (of anything) to the salt of the earth the eccentirc the true! thanks brother otis - SJOCR
Man I'm all for great art but if the way that Townes and Blaze and Hank lived is the price, I'll take some mediocre songs from those guys in their old age over the self-destruct any day.
“Don’t ever cuss under a roof!” - Townes
Trivia:
Van Zandt county is named after his ancestors.
I hate to hear the Townes stories of the gigs falling apart. It breaks my heart. I’ve never seen Townes live, but I much prefer the stories where the audience claims they are transfixed, hanging on every word, and you could hear a pin drop.
“… there were walls on both sides… “
His poor memory was damaged from insulin shock therapy which he was subjected to as a very young man. It was touted as a therapy for depression but was total quackery and resulted in brain damage. Probably messed up his neuro chemistry for the rest of his life and was likely a contributing factor to his substance use.
Shows how "smart" medicine can be sometimes. It was considered brilliant cutting edge treatment at the time. Makes you wonder about crap they're doing now.
good people ripped stoned
Townes had it rough as a teenager. Electroshock therapy fried his memory, and then when that connects on to self-medication by living hard, and if you go deep into the art rabbit hole, you're gonna pull blanks, and so on. My very humble opinion is that people could take it a little easier on him. Stanley certainly doesn't judge him, but Townes' problems don't sound like they were just your standard addiction thing.
He had insulin shock therapy at one point & it blew out his memory.
Hadn't heard about electro therapy.
@@pktdbgnzwl that'd be it then
He could do everything but save himself