Good Goin'-Good Bye-Good Luck

First, a big congratulations to a guy who has made his blog like hanging out listening to his selection. Burning Wood has been a virtual recreation of what it must have been like to walk into his former retail store. Visiting his blog, you're guaranteed to find what you like, and as a bonus, find something completely unexpected that his taste and expertise suggests you listen to. For this music lover, being drawn into the world of Sal Nunziato has been my sincere pleasure. Thanks for everything, Sal, especially for letting me be your friend.

Today, as I was doing my usual wander through the US news, on Crooks and Liars, they announced that on Thursday night a recording group was performing for the last time. Reading the group's name, Harvey Danger, I must confess that I had no idea of who they were. Even when their "big" hit, "Flagpole Sitta" was mentioned, I was still was stumped. Only clicking on to the link did I finally realize that I knew who they were, or at least, I had heard the song. They're a good rock band, competent musicians and the lyrics are in that smart irony that was started by Ray Davies with the Kinks.

If you are asking why am I devoting space to a band that is breaking up with nary a register on the cultural radar screen, here's why. I'll let Max Marginal, host of the Late Night Music Club on C & L tell the story.

Harvey Danger are best known for "Flagpole Sitta" (you know it as the "I'm not sick but I'm not well" song, if the title doesn't jump out,) but to many diehards they are this generation's kings of power-pop. They played their final show ever last night at Seattle's Crocodile Cafe, and after "Flagpole Sitta" exclaimed, "I think we up on stage will take five seconds to appreciate the fact that we never, ever have to play that song again."

It was that statement that got me thinking when did artists decide what their audience should like and when they can like it?

Formed as a party band of friends from the Univ. of Washington in 1992, the band had to play trash cans and laundry baskets because they couldn't afford equipment. They eventually caught on in the local Seattle music scene, eventually becoming the house band at the hip night spot, The Crocodile Café, where they held Thursday's farewell show. In 1998, they reached the Top 40 with, you guessed it, Flagpole Sitta. Subsequently, they played that song at every gig for the next eleven years. Thinking that they play 200 nights a year (avg.) over those 11 years, they played Flagpole Sitta a total of around 2200 times.

Flagpole Sitta gave them access to things that they never would have without it. The band travelled the United States and Canada and maybe the world a couple of times. They acquired thousands of fans and listeners who would have never heard or been exposed to their music without the song. Harvey Danger did what few of the thousands and thousands of start up bands dream of, they wrote a hit song.

So, of course for fans who don't live in Seattle, when the band comes to their town once or twice, those fans want to hear the song that attracted them to Harvey Danger in the first place.

Frank Sinatra's rendition of My Way was released in 1969. For the next 29 years, Frank Sinatra sang My Way at nearly every show. Bruce Springsteen recorded Born to Run in 1975. 34 years later, he still sings it at every show.

It's easy to understand why Harvey Danger is breaking up. If you think that the piece of your art that touched people enough to support your endeavors for over a decade is tiresome enough to "never, ever" want to play it again, it is time to find another line of work.

When you play for an audience, you are an entertainer. Your duty to the people who pay money to see you perform is you give the audience what they want the best way you can do it , even if it's a song that you have to play 22 or 2200 times.

Sorry for the delay in posting, but I have been knee deep in the hoopla of launching a new web site about another passion, golf. Called "Swedish Golf Online", my hope is to bring news and information in English, from Sweden, the second largest golfing country in Europe. It's niche in every sense. Drop over to www.swedishgolfonline.com and take a look. I need all the hits I can get.