199 Years of Oktoberfest!

Happy Oktoberfest!!! Since 1810, the beer drinkingest, month and a half longest, Oompah-band-playingest party in the world.

Oktoberfest began in 1810 as the countrywide commemoration of the wedding of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig I and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen.

The marriage took place on October 12, though they held a big horse race was on the 17th and the party didn't officially start until the 18th, so the real date is lost to history, also changing from the Gregorian Calender to the Julian screwed up the date (not to mention September/October overlapping when this happened). You can also bet it's no coincidence that it all happens around harvest time.

Whatever the real date is, one thing's for sure. They had such a good time, they decided to repeat the party every year. How many wedding receptions have you been to that you want to recreate?

Pre-empted the next year by the Napoleonic wars and interrupted a few more times by epidemics and by the German's wont to take over the world every once in a while...we've been doing it for almost 200 years now.

A genial weeks long celebration. Good feelings and smiles.

Also beer...


...and Bratwursts...

...and Beer...

...and Pretzels...

...and Beer...

...And what other time are you authorized to grab a Fraulein or two and do the "Chicken Dance" into the wee hours?

Ah the Germans. Makers of the "Beer Purity Law", buxom women with pigtails and parties that last for weeks. Y'gotta give 'em a pass on all that world conquering when you see the big picture.

Todd Snider...the heir apparent?

Happy 43rd birthday to Todd Snider!

Easily one of the best singer-songwriter-storytellers today and maybe the best of his generation.
I have always had a holy trinity of songwriters I look up to as the pinnacle of the way to do it; John Prine, Billy Joe Shaver and Guy Clark...all guys from a generation before me and therefor with more life experience and value to what the have to say to me. But for the last 15 years, Todd Snider has grown and developed from a promising mind to follow to the definite heir apparent to the throne.

He's studied along-side Prine and Billy Joe, he looks up to others the likes of Jerry Jeff Walker, Clark, Jimmy Buffet and the company that goes with them.

OK...so I'm jealous. He does what I always wanted to do. And he's 3 years younger than me.

But, he does it so well, there's really no jealousy, just admiration.

Here's some examples of Todd Snider's work.

Thanks for all the songs and stories Todd. Thanks for all the laughs and tears you bring with them.

My "Holy Trinity" of songwriters can expand to include you as the fourth member. There were 4 Three Musketeers and 6 Three Stooges after all.

Happy John Prine Birthday Day...and a Happy Enchilada to You!

Born today in 1946, John Prine is 63 today.

I've spent the week singing you songs written by this great songwriter all week. Today I'll expose you to the man himself.



John Prine's songs have always appealed to me from first listen, for the conversational way he tells his stories. Wonderfully poetic, but never pretentious...like listening to an old friend on the next bar stool. An old friend who tells stories really well.



He sings sad songs, happy songs, goofy songs, epic songs. There's not a bad one in the bunch.



And he tells great stories about the songs. Watch this one and listen up.

John was diagnosed with a squamous cell cancer on is neck in 1998. The doctors were prepared to operate, but the tissue that would be affected was dangerously close to his vocal chords and the got word that he was a singer. They expressed their concern to John that he may want to rethink what they were about to do.

John said, "Obviously you've never heard me sing or you wouldn't be concerned. You worry about the surgery...I'll worry about singing when it's over.".

The surgery was a success, but as part of the procedure, they had to remove his salivary glands. To see him sing now is a marvel. He basically has to take a big drink of water to last him through his song. Some of his songs, when combined with his storytelling in concert go on for a loooooooooooong time.

And he sounds great!

We the fans have decided that the added gravel to his voice makes him sound more soulful.

As long as Mr. John Prine feels like singing and writing and telling a story, he will have listeners. We need him more than he needs us.



I'm as giddy as a schoolboy at Christmas when I hear of a new record by him. I hope we have lots more Christmases.

John even says on his Christmas album, "I wish every day was Christmas. Except for Christmas Eve. And the Fourth of July. We wouldn't want to miss out on all those fireworks."

I'm ready for fireworks on Christmas Eve John. Jesus would like that.

Sing us another one.

John Prine himself says he's never done a show without doing this last song. He wrote this song in his early 20's and he shouldn't have been that smart, nobody is, but he did.

He said at the time that "I like old people, and if things work out, I'll get to be one someday."



Happy birthday John. And thank you for a couple decades worth of saying "hello".

Like Prine Shriner's always say, "Whatever you're into...get into Prine." You won't be sorry.

Check out these links for more. His official site and the fully authorized fan site.

I know him...John PRINE...sing me one more, Jeffy

Day 5 of Prine-A-Palooza. The man's birthday is tomorrow.

I'll do just one more here before I let the man sing himself tomorrow.

This may be my favorite John Prine song of all. The first song I ever learned that had more than 3 chords in it.

I've been playing it for17 or 18 years now, and I still don't feel I can do it justice.

But I sure do like playing it.

"Sam Stone":

I hope you like it.

I hope all the Sam Stone's out there like it too.

That's right..."Handsome" John Prine...NOW I remember!

Day 4 of my John Prine-athon.

Here's a song John wrote about the time he realized he hadn't written a song in a long time. Comments on anything running through his head and influenced by too many Andy Griffith Show reruns. Years later John would co-star with Andy Griffith in Billy Bob Thornton's "Daddy and Them" and on set he played this for Andy...Andy rolled his eyes and didn't speak to John much after...at least that's the way John tells it. He was very happy to play Andy's son in the movie...he said it was like Opie was his step-brother.

"Fish and Whistle":

A beautiful ballad that is one of John's strong-points. For something to be sad and pretty at the same time. I must admit the title is confusing to me, but it fits euphoniously. The song is really about the front porch of a home and how important it is. It's where you say "hello" and "goodbye" to all you friends and family, as well as where you spend a lot of conversational time, especially in the summer. It's a shame that here in southern California at least, the front porch has gone the way of the dodo.

"Mexican Home":

See you all tomorrow...John's birthday is just 2 days away...everyone oughta be gettin' on their paper party hats.