The set list from last night. Does that look
like the handwriting of a crazy person to you?
And I thought about you…
While I’m waiting for some shots to come through from last night’s A&R Live By Request show, I’ll tell you a little of what I did to console myself, seeing as I couldn’t be with those of you that did attend the recording. As I mentioned last week, I was expecting a night of craziness with a double bill of The Legendary Stardust Cowboy and Daniel Johnston for the second night of Meltdown. I wasn’t disappointed.
A quarter of an hour after the official start time, there was no sign of The Ledge, and to be honest I was going to be surprised if he made it at all. In fact it was hard to imagine that he would even get to London! Anyway, the band came on, The Altamont Boys, and launched straight into a twanging rockabilly ‘Ghost Riders In The Sky’…but still no sign of ‘The Ledge’.
And then about two thirds of the way through ‘Ghost Riders’, there he was! He bounced onstage with a crazed smile and started dancing a maniacal whirling fling while spinning his blue and white chaps around his head. Then with no warning at all he was straight into ‘Paralyzed’, a song that surely must be the most insane recording ever committed to vinyl.
The overall sound is much tighter than that original version, this band is hot. But The Ledge himself doesn’t disappoint, with a level of professionalism that has stayed with him since that first release back in ’69. He even attempts that original bugle solo, but stops after one burst claiming “Wrong note”, and continues as if anyone could have possibly known it was.
The Legendary Stardust Cowboy does not keep still if he is not singing. He’ll either be dancing in the most bizarre manner you ever saw, (Ian Curtis of Joy Division and Freddie Garrity of Freddie and the Dreamers have nothing on this guy) or he’ll be swinging something round his head, be it his ever-present pink towel, an item of clothing, the microphone, or his bugle! This keeps the band on their toes, and nervous throughout the performance. And with good reason, the bassist tells me later that he has lost his glasses before now due to a clunk aside the head, while The Ledge himself admitted pulling over a cymbal with his towel without even noticing.
The audience are highly appreciative and seem to know most of the set, which includes such “classics” as: ‘I Walk A Hot Wind’, ‘Who’s Knocking At My Door’, ‘Radar’ and, of course, ‘I Took A Trip On A Gemini Spaceship’, along with new stuff such as ‘Tokyo’ which, by all accounts, will be on the next Ledge long player on Cracked Piston Records.
Due to his extra clothing and energetic stage performance, The Ledge tends to overheat onstage. He overcomes this problem in a way that seems natural enough I guess…he gradually strips off! As you can see from my series of pictures from last night’s show, he goes pretty well all the way, except for his Y-fronts…such a tease. Believe me, there is no sight* quite like The Legendary Stardust Cowboy with his jeans around his ankles shuffling round the stage, hollering ‘Paralyzed’! This second version of ‘Paralyzed’ was the last show of the set. And before we knew it he had shuffled right off stage back to his dressing room.
His dressing room is where I meet The Ledge and his band for a brief chat, I ask him how he feels about David Bowie covering ‘I Took A Trip On A Gemini Spaceship’:
“That’s like a Super Collider…In fact, that’s like a super, Super Collider.”
Out of the blue somebody returns his pink towel from out front: “Oh my towel…I saw an owl on that towel once, it was a spotted owl.” – “Really?” I naïvely reply – “Nope, I just made it up, but at least it rhymes!”
The Ledge is one of those people whose mind appears to be elsewhere at all times, but as the conversation lurches from subject to subject it is apparent that he is actually taking in what I’m saying, and responds with answers that threaten to fill up the remaining couple of hours of my DAT tape. But it’s all very entertaining stuff, and if I ever get round to transcribing it, I’ll post the whole thing here sometime.
I spend the rest of the night chatting with The Ledge, the band, and Tony who has been working on a documentary of The Ledge’s life for the past two years. Tonight’s show is about the last thing they need apart from a meeting with David which they are very hopeful will happen in August. I can’t wait to see the completed film…and if you’re reading this David, don’t worry, I’ve been promised a video tape of tonight’s show.
The Legendary Stardust Cowboy with The Altamont Boys.
On a final note, I’d like to say thanks again to Danny and The Ledge for the bugle! Yep, an actual bugle that belonged to The Legendary Stardust Cowboy himself…now where’s my copy of ‘Paralyzed’, I’m going to learn that solo.
*Don’t believe me? Mail me for a crummie if you need proof, but be warned, it’s a big file.
