Steve Goodman Appreciation Thread (John Prine's Best Friend)

[Cabarone]

Smith also penned "The Wonderful World of Sex", recorded by Steve...

[Charmed Life Picks]

Originally Posted by vintage40s

Right. That's what the book says, and Steve credits Smith every time he plays the song.

Here's Steve playing "The Dutchman" where he totally nails it with the equally incredible Jethro Burns. He does indeed credit Mike Smith before playing it. Steve was also hilarious. Here he says, "This is a song Mike Smith made up about two old people in Holland. And I don't know how he did it, cuz he's never been there."

To our younger members: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE -- and, yes, I'm begging -- if you've seen or even heard of Steve Goodman, he was a true gem. He was John Prine's best friend and favorite guitar player until Steve was taken from us in 1984 from leukemia. Enjoy!

[vintage40s]

Originally Posted by Charmed Life Picks

Here's Steve playing "The Dutchman" where he totally nails it with the equally incredible Jethro Burns...

Every time I hear that one I am bothered by the instrumental break from 3:10 to 3:15. Jethro can't seem to play with it and is discordant.

I like this one better because it's Steve alone and a better break at 2:25:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uYbdSVRaS0
Ditto this one with break at 2:40:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyfjlwXsPpw

[Charmed Life Picks]

Vintage, thanks for these. I like the second one a lot.

Question: This version is clearly from his early Austin City Limits show. It's not on the released DVD. Where did you get this, and do you have any other vids from that first show? I'm a pretty huge Goodman fanatic, and I've never seen this clip before.

thanks,
scott memmer

[vintage40s]

Originally Posted by Charmed Life Picks

... This version is clearly from his early Austin City Limits show. It's not on the released DVD. Where did you get this, and do you have any other vids from that first show?...

I have only seen him on YouTube. This is only other vid I have seen from that show:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXgp...&frags=pl%2Cwn

This one is my least favorite of Steve's Dutchman because he rushes it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRedELI1owE

[Cabarone]

Originally Posted by Charmed Life Picks

Vintage, thanks for these. I like the second one a lot.

Question: This version is clearly from his early Austin City Limits show. It's not on the released DVD. Where did you get this, and do you have any other vids from that first show? I'm a pretty huge Goodman fanatic, and I've never seen this clip before.

thanks,
scott memmer

Actually I believe it IS included on the ACL dvd...

[Charmed Life Picks]

Originally Posted by Cabarone

Actually I believe it IS included on the ACL dvd...

Carabone, not to get into a big "thing" about this, but I know that DVD backwards and forwards, and it wasn't on the original release. It's possible, however, that they did a later version and added it along with some other tracks.

The disc is a little frustrating to me, because it is spliced together from at least two different ACL shows. I would love to have seen each show in its entirety. Can't get me enough Goodman.

thanks,
scott

[vintage40s]

Originally Posted by Charmed Life Picks

... Can't get me enough Goodman...

For trying to learn his cross picking on Dutchman, this person shows it can be done, though he was not got the break run down yet. But his web cam's frame rate is too slow to capture the right hand. So frustrating.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gCjJHMt1Jk

[vintage40s]

The Eals book mentioned, and this vid shows, that Goodman switches seamlessly between finger and flat picking. Here he produces a flat pick after beginning a song in finger style. I can not work the fingers with a pick held up somewhere in between them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xp41...&frags=pl%2Cwn

[Cabarone]

Originally Posted by Charmed Life Picks

Carabone, not to get into a big "thing" about this, but I know that DVD backwards and forwards, and it wasn't on the original release. It's possible, however, that they did a later version and added it along with some other tracks.

The disc is a little frustrating to me, because it is spliced together from at least two different ACL shows. I would love to have seen each show in its entirety. Can't get me enough Goodman.

thanks,
scott

It never occurred to me the dvd I have isn't the original release...and yeah, there can't be enough Goodman material out there...he was definitely one of a kind...

[Charmed Life Picks]

Originally Posted by vintage40s

The Eals book mentioned, and this vid shows, that Goodman switches seamlessly between finger and flat picking. Here he produces a flat pick after beginning a song in finger style. I can not work the fingers with a pick held up somewhere in between them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xp41...&frags=pl%2Cwn

Steve was a monster picker. A buddy of mine in L.A. who knew Steve back in the early days in Chicago made a very trenchant observation about Steve's playing: He played rhythm and lead at the same time. This is the best description I've ever heard of what Steve did. This is close to impossible to do with a flat pick.

It's a lot easier to do on an electric, since you have that sustain. The best ones who do it are typically in a three-piece arrangement (bass, drums, and guitar), where there is no rhythm guitar player. There are many great ones, but the first three I think of are Hendrix, Townshend and Eddie Van Halen.

scott memmer

[Cabarone]

I got that ACL dvd out the other day...while he always seemed to be having fun playing, it was never more apparent (to me, anyway) as when he was w/Jethro Burns...then on my way into work tonight I listened to "Affordable Art"; their take on "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" has that same feel...I'd love to see an extended set of those two...anybody out there ever got that lucky?

[Charmed Life Picks]

I did a show last night and we did "City." It never fails to get people going and singing, clapping, rocking. Wow, what a world-class song. People just brighten up as soon as they hear the first line.

sm

[rmoretti49]

I took a trip on the City of New Orleans train to New Orleans back in November, along with my guitar. I found a quiet corner in the observation car, and played and softly sang Steve's song, something I had always wanted to do. Right about the time I was singing "and the graveyards of rusted automobiles", sure enough, that is exactly what I saw outside the window.

[Charmed Life Picks]

Originally Posted by rmoretti49

I took a trip on the City of New Orleans train to New Orleans back in November, along with my guitar. I found a quiet corner in the observation car, and played and softly sang Steve's song, something I had always wanted to do. Right about the time I was singing "and the graveyards of rusted automobiles", sure enough, that is exactly what I saw outside the window.

Oh, wow, that is so totally cool. Yes, sometimes a song will just present itself and all you have to do is write down what you see.

Thanks so much for sharing this.

scott