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Guy Clark
Guy Clark received a tumultuous welcome when he stepped onto the Washington Mutual Stage on Saturday afternoon —- courtesy of an audience that rose to its feet on the second song and never sat down.
All in all, his show was of a piece with a thousand other Guy Clark shows —- just him, a guitar and his longtime companero Verlon Thompson to lend some harmony vocals and instrumental texture. But given his recent bout with cancer and the opportunity for listeners to preview a handful of new Clark compositions (via his forthcoming album, “Workbench Songs”), the reception he was accorded was particularly resonant.
New Guy Clark collections are as rare as radium, and “Workbench Songs” is rarer still, given that it consists almost entirely of collaborations, an unusual step for this most personal of songwriters.
Nonetheless, new tunes such as “Tornado Time In Texas,” “Magdalene” and “Cinco de Mayo In Memphis” bear the stamp of Clark’s individualistic craftsmanship. To say they don’t write ’em like Clark writes ’em anymore is a misnomer. Songwriting at his elevated level is still possible if writers care to apply his exacting standards. It’s hard work (just stare at a blank sheet of paper until small drops of blood appear on your forehead), but Clark never lets you see him sweat.
(photo by Ricardo Braziell AMERICAN-STATESMAN)
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By steve
September 17, 2006 12:02 PM | Link to this
I was standing at the back post of the tent and could not hear the guitar or the vocals very well at all. This needs to be corrected, particularly with someone of Mr. Clark’s talent on the stage