Van Morrison: Into the Mystic
Not sure why, but Van Morrison features in today’s Entertainment section of the Kansas City Star. The Irish musician/singer/songwriter, god of Celtic soul, and dabbler in country, jazz, blues, skiffle, and trad, has his lyrics and their inspiration from English literature, highlighted by John Mark Eberhart.
Every town in Ireland has musical prophets in long coats, who attend parties solely so, in moments of disorganization, they can produce tapes as if they were on Sesame Street selling letters of the alphabet on the black market. Usually this will involve producing two tapes from deep within the coat, holding them up in one hand and rubbing them together as if they are valuable notes.
Both tapes will always be by Van Morrison, the intention being to put an end to europop and hip-hop. One of the tapes will always be Astral Weeks. The other tape will never feature The Chieftains
Van will be 61 in a month - so it’s almost his birthday - and he’s coming to the States next week for some eastern gigs on the Pay the Devil tour before leaving only to return again in September to hit the West coast and the Austin City Limits Festival in Austin, TX.
Pay The Devil is that Country thing Van released back in March. Not sure if I like it, or understand why he did it, but then I’ve never understood anything Van the Man has done - and he’s done okay. Interesting that he’s not playing the entire middle of the US, including where the country music he’s performing, is most loved.
Remember, you couldn’t have the barefooted wonder of the Hothouse Flowers if you didn’t have Van the Man, and Bono had obviously been drinking heavier than a Tom Waits piano when he proclaimed Liam O Maonlai the greatest white soul singer in the world. You can’t help wonder if the title is as valuable as, say that of the greatest one-armed goal-keeper in Cambodia.
Anyway, it’s Sunday, and Van Morrison was made for Sunday. Rave on.
See Also:
• Irish Music is Not all Blustery and Heart Wrenching
• Irish Music Charts and Bandwagon
• David Gray at the Galway Arts Festival
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