Statesman > XL Blogs > Archives > 2005 > June > 15 > Entry
Banjos and bass
One of my favorite musical experiences in Luckenbach — and in the old days there were many — was watching two German tourists play in the blacksmith’s shop.
This was back in the mid-’90s (the blacksmith shop washed away in the Great Flood of 2002). These two guys had taught themselves bluegrass music, they had a banjo and a guitar and were having one heck of a time playing “Dueling Banjos.”
I don’t know if they had seen “Deliverance” or were even aware of how the movie had given this particular bluegrass instrumental a whole new meaning. To them — and to me at that moment — it was just great music.
I thought about this as I was making myself a bluegrass mix CD the other day. And I included the song.
So there I was, this week, sitting at the stop light at William Cannon and I-35. Windows rolled down, “Dueling Banjos” blaring from my ‘98 Chevy’s sound system. To my left, was a guy in a low-rider, windows rolled down, very serious rap music booming from his stereo.
I don’t know what the song was, but judging from the lyrics I heard, it’s something that Bill Monroe would not have approved of.
So I looked at him. And he, well, he didn’t look at me, because I’m sure he could have heard nothing short of thermonuclear warfare, what with the way his car was vibrating.
Still, I’d like to think we shared a moment there. Then the light turned green, and it was just me and the banjos once again.
Permalink | | Categories: By Dave Thomas
