Taylor Hicks & The Banana Boat Song

Here’s a Halloween suggestion for Taylor Hicks should he attend that Playboy Mansion Party. He do love that Banana Boat song.

Jump in line, Taylor Hicks: and the fans say, “DAY-O”

No, my friend, saying “it” three times won’t bring anyone back, great analogy – but think about it, like Beetlejuice would we really want that again? There’s no point in it anymore.

“Day- O!”

Three Degrees and Taylor Hicks, What’s the Connection?

Perhaps it’s that French Connection.

Changing the subject from Taylor Hicks and the French possibilities, I was listening to a little Richie this morning. No, not the Lionel, rather the Sambora kind. Check out Richie Sambora in this video, “Harlem Rain”. This is from his Undiscovered Soul Album. Never heard Richie this way? Tinge of Country and some soul. Nice.

How about a touch of Bluegrass and Sambora? (That sounds like some sort of exotic new tea. I’ll take mine hot.)

Au revoir et vendredi heureux!

One Back Door to Slam

Taylor Hicks is not the one doing the slamming of this particular “door”. Rather it’s a group of just three young lads who carry a big, big sound. They were a long way from home attending the SXSW event; no this isn’t a Southern rock nor Texas Rock band although they sound like it, they’re from the Isle of Mann.
Back Door Slam

This acoustic set by Davy Knowles leans heavily on his Celtic roots. He’s mad talented.

Check out this bit of throw-back to Jimi magic – happened at Bonneroo 2008:

Thanks to “littlewing” – I’ve just bought some great new tunes.

Dark Side of the Loon, I mean, Moon

The website I’m referring to in my post today is not a Taylor Hicks’ fan site, per se, but they do talk about the man. Once this particular site was somewhat witty, interposed with a healthy yet palatable amount of snark served on the side. This has recently been replaced with more than a touch of the paranoid served with a sizable portion of malicious.

Taylor Hicks’ fan base obviously has those folks who look for a fight, a rumble in the fan jungle if you will. It’s comical really and often entertaining. After a while it’s possible to actually look at those who rant and carry on with something akin to fondness. Those loose cannons love to fire blindly in the dark of the internets. Perhaps their minds wrap around some sort of eternal competition since they originally discovered Taylor on a reality competition show. In actuality these folks end up competing among themselves. It’s what it’s all about really: Them.

When no issue exists in true reality, these combative folks find something, someone, to turn their apparent need to establish dominance. Maybe their personal lives lack something. Lack true purpose, desire, ambition. They look to their computer to establish self-worth through berating, bullying and – in their minds – “destroying” others they encounter on-line. Bids for territory on the fan sites and boards put me in mind of the Medieval times; warring parties juggling for land and treasure. Perhaps we as a civilization retain those ideals and thoughts in our minds, masking them for the most part, until something comes along to trigger that primitive within. Curiously, a reality show seems to be what sets the fans who engage in on-line “battles” into that mind-set.

It’s entertaining watching the folks point fingers back and forth decrying who is the Loon, what is the Dark side, who is in the right. As we teeter-totter to and fro on the blue green orb that is our world, creating new worlds within the darkness of our internet, I’ll see you on the dark side of the moon…

Taylor Hicks Needs No Doctor – Perhaps Just a Time Machine

Taylor Hicks in yet another video from that night at Marty’s, this time he’s telling the world he needs “no doctor”. Taken from what I’m dubbing “the Marty-Files”, another video shot by Claudia, Taylor Hicks fan and apparent videographer-at-large.

Taylor Hicks, as evidenced in the Marty-Files, the man is working a new look. Perhaps a remnant from his vacation in the Gulf? I’m likin’ it.
“No Doctor”

video brought to us by clo59

Considering the original musical, “Grease”, was set in 1959 and Hicks rocking that new goatee, I set out to review men’s hairstyles in the fifties. Look a magazine popular during that time period (have a few copies in storage), proclaimed the Van Dyck, now spelled Vandyke the most popular in men’s beard styles. The ‘roots’ of this facial hair fashion statement reach way back to the Beatnik days. It seems that jazzman, Dizzy Gillespie, is credited for starting the style. Gillespie wasn’t referred to as the Clown Prince of Jazz for nothing – when asked about the beard style he said it gave his lips strength – as in the story of Samson. The Vandyke, also known as a goatee, became a statement of the more artistic minded men of the times. So, is the facial hair adding extra oomph to Taylor’s mouth-harp playing?

Man, here’s a thought, (no password required to read my meandering thought processes) it would be quite cool to have the touring Teen Angel a Vandyke sporting, finger snapping, harmonica playing Cool Cat kind of Angel.

My next topic is now rather old news (I’ve been busy with real life lately) since it has been circulating the internet for the past week – Taylor Hicks has committed himself to releasing his next original material album, coming to a store near you in February 2009. Hicks announced he will be working with famed producer Simon Climie. This guy’s worked with Santana, Eric Clapton and Faith Hill to name just a few slightly notable artists. Following that topic, on Climie’s official website under ‘future projects’, Taylor’s name has not been amended to the list – yet. That said, in this week’s follow up interviews with Taylor, regarding this topic, he mentions traveling to Nice, France to work with Climie to complete the CD.

Now, this time line will be quite tight; it’s currently October 12th and the new national “Grease” tour is set to roll out the first days of December. Realistically that’s only fifty-one days until the tour kicks off. Granted Taylor is going to have the occasional days off intermittently, during the run of the production – still, this seemingly a tight time squeeze considering that February 10th a mere four months future.

Perhaps the flight to Nice enters some sort of Time Warp. I’m game. It’s just a jump to the left.

LYRICS

“Grease” is the Vehicle

Taylor Hicks in the FOX 6 interview, what have I been saying?
Very smart play, Taylor.
“Vehicle” Ides of March

Life is a Highway, and it appears that Taylor Hicks has saddled up.

Taylor Hicks, Hey It’s Your Birthday!

Taylor Hicks is back from his holiday – back in B’Ham, that is. Taylor joins Gypsy Sun at an old hang out, Marty’s Bar, Birmingham, AL on October 5th; two days before his birthday.

video c/o clo59
Video is cool for the black and white, but I wish the audio was better. Taylor, man, I’m really liking what you did with these guys.

It’s Taylor Hicks’ birthday today, cheers and beers all around! In honor of my favorite spazzman, a few birthday tunes.
“Happy Birthday” Beatles, rare version:

And last but best, one spaztastic soulman to another, Joe Cocker sings a song:

brilliantly created by jakepride
Guess what has been confirmed today? Taylor Hicks is indeed signed sealed and to deliver that new album February of 2009. Taylor Hicks cuts new deal with Artists To Market, an independent artist services company. Taylor Hicks is working with producer Simon Climie, who worked in the past with the likes of Carlos Santana (how I love and adore Santana). Mr Hicks is quoted as saying,

“In this digital age, when artists can connect more directly with audiences, this is a partnership that makes a lot of sense,” says Hicks. “I’m very much enjoying being in the studio with Simon working on the new album and look forward to releasing it through A2M early next year.”

A Happy Birthday, indeed, Taylor Hicks.
Time for some old school Celebration:

Taylor Hicks, If You Build it Will They Come?

Taylor Hicks has not built a baseball diamond in an Iowa cornfield but when I saw he has instigated a modification on his myspace the movie, Field of Dreams popped into my mind.

On Taylor Hicks’ myspace now are subject headers with the first one “Official Site”. Now mind you I had thought the ‘official site’ was the Taylor Hicks’ Headquarters, you know the one with the pay to view membership. I’ve never joined it because I won’t be charged to be a fan, which is actually the basic premise of those pay-to-view websites. Call me a bad fan. I call myself a principled fan.

The second header is “The Soul Lounge”. Clicking that does nothing currently, but if you click the “Official Site” header you are transported off of Myspace and to taylorhicks.com. Scrolling down, you can locate the link to the Soul Lounge, the new free forum.

Now, this may be an interesting experiment into the actual interest and breadth of the fan base Taylor has remaining from his days on American Idol. It could possibly also introduce a more positive vibe for Taylor’s fans. It’s still in the very formative stages with Moderators unidentified – although likely several folks might be clamoring for the position.

As far as the similarities to “Field of Dreams, the line actually in the movie is, “If You build it he will come.” I’m wondering if ‘the muses’ that Mr. Hicks often refers to may have spoke and suggest he do this, much like the “voices’ spoke to Ray in the movie. I can imagine the voices whispering, Free Forum, Free Forum. (Kind of scaring myself now.)

Taylor Hicks’ new forum attached to his myspace page and official site, could have come sooner, but better late than never, perhaps. Thing is, will it make any difference at this juncture in his career? My question follows the line from the movie, “…is there enough magic out there in the moonlight to make this dream come true?”.

Taylor Hicks, in the beginning of his drive for national notice seemed not unlike the character depicted in the movie, Shoeless Joe Jackson. In the movie, Shoeless Joe says upon visiting the Iowa cornfield turned baseball diamond, “I used to love travelling on the trains from town to town. The hotels… brass spittoons in the lobbies, brass beds in the rooms. It was the crowd, rising to their feet when the ball was hit deep. Shoot, I’d play for nothing!”

Taylor has said in the past he did the small clubs and bars just to play, to live for the music. Fans have been questioning if that is still the real Taylor or has his brush with celebrity created a different change in the man. A change not indicated in his rendition of “A Change a Gonna Come” sung during his Idol audition. No, rather, this change brought on by the sparking and dancing flame called “Celebrity”. Many an artist has been burned in their quest for it, some flying into the fire and annihilated. Is this change toward a free website and forum a move forward for Taylor Hicks? Is it an affirmation he’s still that guy who earnestly sang Sam Cooke’s song? Since he’s ‘building it’ will the fans really still come?
“Paper and Fire” John Mellencamp

video graciously supplied by mboxxmm
Lyrics:
She had a dream
And boy it was a good one
So she chased after her dream
With much desire
But when she get too close
To her expectations
Well the dream burned up
Like paper in fire.