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Lost John Casner
Don't Make Me Laugh (While I'm Drinkin')
Spectrum Records
By Jud Block
 Every great once
in awhile a CD from a previously unknown commodity will provide
a kind of harmonic convergence of sound, performer, and background,
where, as a reviewer, you like or admire all three simultaneously.
Now, even though it sometimes seems like it would be easier
to find an image of Jesus smiling than to experience this happy
coalescence, when it does occur, it is damn near magical. From
the little I know of the subject, the immediate feeling of comfort
and familiarity on these rare instances must be somewhat similar
to a previous life experience. That might be a little overboard
on the hyperbole, but whatever the case, when I first listened
to Lost John Casner's new disc, Don't Make Me Laugh (While
I'm Drinkin'), even though I had never heard him I felt as
though I'd been listening to him my whole life.
Lost John Casner. John Casner. Why did that name seem so
familiar? Some of the first things I usually do with a new CD
is check to see where it was recorded, who the artist thanks
-- the logic behind this is if the artist acknowledges any musicians
I already like, then, I figure, they're worth taking a chance
on -- and to whom, if anyone, the disc is dedicated. Well, the
disc was recorded in Texas (good start); I didn't recognize any
of the names in the "Thanks" section, but when I got
to the dedication everything fell into place for me. When I
saw "Dedicated to Blaze Foley. . ." I was instanly
sure of two things: one, this was going to be a good CD, and
two, I knew why the name John Casner sounded familiar -- he was
the man who recorded the vastly underappreciated classic Live
at the Austin Outhouse by Texas' tragically under-acknowledged
singer/songwriting genius Blaze Foley.
It didn't hurt at all that on the back of the disc was a quote
by and a picture with Merle Haggard extolling the virtues of
Mr. Casner's music, or that on the CD itself Johnny Gimble, ex-Texas
Playboy and fiddler extraordinaire, plays his trademark fiddle
and mandolin throughout the twelve tracks. And the song choices
from people like Leon Payne, Blaze Foley, John Prine, George
Jones, and Mel Tillis as well as four strong originals that easily
blend in with the classic material make this one of those rare
discs that seems made for the repeat button. This is classic
Texas honky-tonk and western swing done by a man who understands
the music because he has lived the life it represents, and not
just read about it or decided it might just be the quickest route
to the bank.
The swing of the opening track, "Don't Make Me Laugh
(While I'm Drinkin'), gets things off to a raucous start. From
the wistful opening pedal steel guitar compliments of Bobby Snell
to the jazz-inflected guitar line and the exuberant fiddle work
of Mr. Johnny Gimble, this is what a Texas Friday night is all
about. And the shouts, ala Bob Wills, that punctuate some of
the riffs bring it all home. If anyone out there needs a primer
course in Texas swing, you've got it right here.
On the day that you left
I changed my address
Now the postman leaves the mail at the bar
Now I drink myself insane
Your memory remains
Still it's best if you stay gone just like you are
Well you came in here to see
If I'd take you back with me
Claimin' that you'd done a lot of thinkin'
Well I'm sorry it's this way
But all I've got to say now
Don't make me laugh while I'm drinkin'
"Remote Amigo" is an original song by Lost John
that he wrote for Blaze Foley not long after Blaze was murdered.
It is not miserably maudlin or sated with the trite high school
angst that often passes for elegiac by today's standards; instead,
it seems almost celebratory, which, considering Blaze's history,
is fitting. There is a melancholy element underneath the high-spirited
two-stepping energy of the music, but it is more the good-natured
bereavement of someone who understands the temporary nature of
all things rather than simply naïve despair. And I personally
like the sly reference to Blaze's masterpiece "If I Could
Only Fly."
This song's about how good friends
Come and go so easy
And some friends go so hard
It makes you cry
If I could only have the world the way I wanted
We all could fly and we'd never die
There'd be no more lonely nights
From here Lost John goes on to do a great honky-tonk version
of Blaze Foley's "Faded Loves and Memories," and very
possibly the best cover of George Jones' "Why Baby Why"
I've ever heard; in fact, and I thoroughly understand the sacrilege
involved, I'd put Lost John's version up against George's any
day.
"Skid Row Rodeo," written by Bill Wilson, is one
of the best songs I'd never heard. Lost John credits one of
his friends, Cody Hubach, with having brought the song to his
attention by singing it for the last twenty years, and I, for
one, am damn glad he did. It's the tale of a cowboy who's come
to the end of his line in more ways than one, and the lyrics
are some of the most cleverly descriptive I've heard in some
time. Apparently, Cody has passed away, but we all owe him and
Bill Wilson a "thank you" for this one.
Sunday morning in pancake heaven
After Saturday night was used up
Everybody's tequila sunrise
Was a hungover coffee cup
There was an old man at the counter
In a beat up Stetson hat
Singin' 'Whiskey'll buy the memories'
And I could hear him from where I sat
He said I started out in Amarillo
Where the land is dusty and flat
From the Ohio down to Mexico
We rode everything after that
When all my bones were busted
Like my money and my pride
I saddled up ol' Jack Daniels
From there it's been a hell of a ride
Lost John Casner's music is the aural equivalent of Jameson's
whiskey -- smooth, warm, and conducive to good feelings. He
makes real honky-tonk music, the kind that intimidates mainstream
country radio with its authenticity. So, if you've never been
to Texas, or are an exile in need of some comforting, Lost John
Casner's Don't Make Me Laugh (While I'm Drinkin') is the
perfect shot of what you're missing.
* Belly up to the bar at www.lostjohn.com to find out more about the
man and to pick up your very own copy of Don't Make Me Laugh
(While I'm Drinkin').
Contact Jud Block at jud-at-rockzilla.net
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