Under the Texas Lone Star with Johnette!
Johnette Napolitano came to the Cactus Cafe Friday evening (always the best venue in Austin) to perform material from Scarred, her first official solo album. It was imperative to go because I hadn’t seen her play in 11 years and even then she was the Heads’ tour singer. Besides her new stuff, she covered the Concrete Blonde faves: “Joey,” “Mexican Moon,” “Ghost of a Texas Ladies Man,” and an a capella rendition of “Tomorrow, Wendy.” She also explained during the show that she had completed another record in the past but it was lost in the butt cracks of the industry. Johnette remains very outspoken on politics as she gave her positions on AIDS, the Iraq conflict, etc., between songs. It wasn’t all dour, she joked about turning 50 and how she’s falling into the same behaviors of her dad.
There were also several great surprises during the show. The first being the opener, Craig Marshall, a local performer. I first saw him and his partner play around the open-air courtyard of the San Jose Hotel off South Congress. He was very charming with the ladies, think of a wandering troubadour during the Middle Ages. Then came the guest surprise, Chris Bailey (leader of the Saints, a venerable Australian band) was in the audience. Johnette invited him on stage to do a duet and he obliged. Initially I didn’t recognize him until his singing voice kicked in (more on him later). Lastly, Johnette did play “Souvenir” from Pretty & Twisted and dedicated it to the memory of Marc Moreland—he was also the guitarist in Wall of Voodoo. Since she was in Austin, the set was closed with Janis Joplin’s “Mercedes Benz” with a few of the words changed to reflect the times.
Chris Bailey of the Saints
After the show, I talked to Chris Bailey and members of the Saints. Found out they were in Austin for Fun Fun Fest and they’re touring the US to promote their new boxed set! I only own their 1988 release Prodigal Son which had a single used for the Yahoo Serious movie Young Einstein and I always wanted more stuff but it was impossible to find in the States. Chris didn’t find any of my questions dumb either which was nice, mainly about how much of a boost did the movie give him. He dovetailed it with some odd success he had in Bolivia even though he’s never set foot in that country. He also elaborated on how the Saints are “related” to the Damned according to the Pete Frame diagram (it’s what got me interested in his music). I mentioned how Jon Moss of Culture Club was indirectly part of the Damned tree too. Chris laughed and jokingly stated he took no responsibility for that act.
My perseverance was eventually rewarded with a brief personal audience with Johnette. She was a bit tipsy by then, courtesy of the free wine from the Cafe’s bar (so is the life of rock stars). I asked her if she remembered the Peoria 1993 show (see the fifth paragraph). Johnette said her memory is a bit hazy since it was a long time ago. I told her I had to say thanks for flipping the drunk off. Her public humiliation of the drunk jerk got him to behave for the rest of the evening. Then I asked if she was related to the Democratic governor of Arizona, Janet Napolitano. She gave a funnier response of no, but if she is ever pulled over by the cops, she will say she is. Johnette gladly signed my CD and insisted on having our picture taken under the star symbol since it had a conspiratorial look to it, a hint of the Bush’s secret cabal. Finally, she let me know how much she loves the iPhone someone gave to her for her birthday (she spotted my Apple badge in my backpack).
A great experience and memory to add to how much I love Walking in London and the what it evokes from 15 years ago. I hope her tour is successful as it has been eventful.
Postscript: Sorry this was late. Saturday was crazy and I couldn’t complete the story thanks to misroutes followed by other plans.