James McMurtry, son of novelist and book seller, Larry McMurtry, spend slots of time in car watching and thinking. It’s like he has his eyes pinned open so that he doesn’t’ miss a thing and he sees it only as it is, not how he wishes it to be.
This makes him an honest chronicler of life in the heartland, the flyover places that those of us who live on the coasts remark on, but rarely see. And what does he see: curiously dysfunctional families, amusing, sometimes dangerous, characters, people finding a way to get by.
In this song, the narrator gets behind the wheel, loads in his wife and kids and heads off for a family reunion. No chorus, no real structure, the way conversations go, he tells of the family they will meet.
Uncle Slayton: Host of the reunion who plays Choctaw Bingo every Friday night. He’s an enterprising sort who is into moonshine, crystal meth, and shady land deals. He comes well armed and has a mail-order bride.
Cousin Roscoe: Slayton’s son from a second marriage, raised by his mother’s kin in East St. Louis, he’s heading to the reunion in his semi with the injuries suffered in a car accident on a road trip.
Bob and Mae: Heading for the reunion, they stock up on guns and ammunition because, well because. He’s a high school football coach, won the AA championship.
Aunt Rita: She appears in some version of the song when we hear about her addictions and efforts at rehab.
Ruth-Anne and Lynn: Sisters and second cousins they are wild and push our narrator’s buttons.
This song has become a mainstay of McMurtry’s live performances which he keeps vibrant by adding and changing lines.
He’s on the road constantly and has taken to making short videos while driving talking about his travels and the next show. Catch him if you can.
#Songoftheday #spreadinghappiness #jamesmcmurtry #choctawbingo #america #flyoverland
YouTube: https://youtu.be/q_t_G42VHFg?si=WY7X97epivGuK2vZ
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/3d0EH8kmmejGmBtvQHYgU6?si=0a28a9cc9cd24dfd