beyond and back

Everyone has defining moments in their lives…one of those defining moments for me was the first time I heard the band X.

I had a “rock & roll” childhood… my parents introduced me to the Beatles, the Who, The Byrds, Hendrix…their combined record collections were a history of 60's and 70's rock. I also spent a great deal of time with my paternal grandparents who introduced me to Elvis, old-school country & western, american folk, bluegrass and traditional pentecostal hymns. When I began to develop my own tastes I favored punk and new wave. I felt torn between three musical worlds that didn’t seem to have a common thread. Then I heard X…and they brought those three worlds together for me. X combined punk, rockabilly, blues and country with off-kilter vocal harmonies and poetic lyrics written by singers John Doe and Exene Cervenka. Their music helped lay the foundation for the alt-country movement that started to blossom in the 1990's.

I am including a clip of X’s 1983 appearance on Letterman. They perform “Hot House” and “Breathless” (Jerry Lee Lewis cover). Keep in mind that “Billie Jean” and “Total Eclipse of the Heart” topped the charts in 1983... this clip gives you a sense of how far ahead of their time they really were.



Fun-facts-to-know-and-tell:
After John and Exene divorced, she was married to Viggo Mortenson of LOTR fame.
X’s first four albums were produced by Ray Manzarek from the Doors.

Buy Tix: John Doe at Joe’s Pub this Thursday
Buy: X - The Unheard Music (a 1986 documentary)