Elwood Blues (played by Dan Aykroyd): What kind of music do you usually have here?
Claire the Barmaid (played by Sheilah Wells): Oh, we got both kinds. We got country AND western!
--from The Blues Brothers (1980)
While the above dialogue was meant as a joke--and I did take it as one, one of the best in the movie--I'm also just dorky enough to make a distinction between country and western music. For much of my youth, I didn't particularly like country music. I used to joke that I had an allergy to it. But I've always loved western music. I'm a sucker for singing cowboys--Tex Ritter, Roy Rogers, The Sons of the Pioneers, Gene Autry (my personal favourite)--they remind me of my grandfather.
This week's album is not technically a full album--which I feel is a tragedy in and of itself--but I found myself listening to it a few times over the last couple of days.
As you're probably aware, we lost the great Patrick Stewart this past week at the age of 86. (I'm sure that the premiere of Avengers: Doomsday in December will be an emotional experience. I've already asked my friend how many boxes of tissue I should bring.) A classically trained Shakespearean actor, Stewart became famous in this country for playing not one but two iconic characters--Captain Jean-Luc Picard on TV's "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and Professor Xavier in the X-Men franchise.
While a lot of more "serious" actors apparently tended to look down on him for going to Hollywood and starring on TV, Stewart always seemed proud of his work, regardless of what he was doing. Throughout his life, he continued to work in stage, film, and television, moving between each medium with apparent ease. Somewhere in there, he also managed to give his time and money to a number of charitable causes, largely devoted to human rights and ending domestic violence. And did I mention the regular readings of Shakespeare's sonnets that he posted to Facebook?
While he was probably best known for his more dramatic works, I always appreciated his gift for comedy. From the overly snobbish maître d' of L'Idiot in L.A. Story (1991) to his voice work for Seth MacFarlane, Stewart wasn't afraid to be a bit silly from time to time, a lesson that he admitted he learned from his "Star Trek" castmates.
Some years back--and I can't remember if I stumbled upon it, or if someone sent me a link--I found a video ad for Stewart singing western cowboy songs. While the ad made me laugh--it was reminiscent of those K-Tel ads of the 1970s and 1980s--I found the concept intriguing. I even found it intriguing enough that I went to the advertised website at the end of the video to investigate more. It indicated that the album was sold out at the moment, but I could get a five-song sampler, which I did.
(The website, incidentally, no longer exists.)
I later read that there was no actual album. There was only that sampler and the proceeds went to charity. The whole thing was a bit of a practical joke that doubled as a philanthropic fundraiser. Mad props to P. Stew on that one!
As much as I enjoyed the five songs that were on that sampler, I would have really appreciated a whole album. Some of my favourite western songs, like "Rawhide" and "Ghost Riders in the Sky," were only featured in that initial ad and were sadly not on the CD. I would have loved to have heard him do those songs in their entirety. I've even found myself over the last couple of days wondering how "Blood on the Saddle" would have sounded if it had been sung in Stewart's distinctive baritone.
In spite of that, that sampler still brings me a lot of joy every time I listen to it. It's both comical and... really freaking good. And even though the tracks are, for some reason, presented out of order, * this week, please enjoy Sir Patrick Stewart's Cowboy Classics Sampler.
I'll be taking the next couple of weeks off for a much needed vacation. Until I return, stay safe, be good to your neighbours, and please remember that at this time tomorrow, it'll be an hour earlier than it is right now. #RepealDaylightSavingTime
Yours in peace, love, and rock 'n' roll!
The Reverend Will the Thrill
* Proper song order:
1. Buttons and Bows
2. Don't Fence Me In
3. Ringo
4. I'm an Old Cowhand (From the Rio Grande) - featuring Sunny Ozell
5. Here Comes Santa Claus
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