River City Folk with Tom May/ Bill Morrissey, guest
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- Опубліковано 6 січ 2025
- I first met Bill Morrissey before he achieved notice in the folk music world, when we both were staying at Jeff McLaughlin's Cambridge, Massachusetts home. He was a great guy; in turns poetic and irreverant, with a dry sense of humor that would leave you in stitches. He was still working pumping gas then, but already writing those great songs like "Barstow".
Stephen Holden, for the New York Times, once wrote, "Mr. Morrissey's songs have the force of poetry...a terseness, precision of detail and a tone of laconic understatement that relate his lyrics to the stories of writers like Raymond Carver and Richard Ford."
Between 1984 and 2007 Morrissey released 12 highly acclaimed albums and published the novel, "Edson" (Knopf). His live performance schedule took him from small coffeehouses to major concert venues like Carnegie Hall to prestigious festivals including Newport and Kerrville.
www.billmorriss...
Bill died in 2011, and I'm pleased to be able to share this intimate glimpse into the man and his songs. Our duet of "Girl from the North Country" is certainly one of the more interesting juxtapositions of vocal qualities that ever appeared on the show, and I love it!
The "River City Folk" television program was produced in 1994-95 by Tom May, the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and Branson, Missouri's Americana Cable Network.
It was shown throughout the U.S. on cable networks and on PBS TV in Nebraska.
The radio broadcast of "River City Folk" was the inspiration for the television broadcast , and continues today, now in its 28th year. Check local listings for times, or
www.tommayfolk.com
Tom May also performs regularly and tours, as well as producing the national "River City Folk"
radio broadcast and the annual "Winterfolk" concert in Portland, Oregon.
www.tommayfolk.com
It is so wonderful to find this video tonight. A lost gem for me!
I was talking to a fellow one time who was onebof Bill's best friends. We had a great talk about Bill. The guy is Cliff Eberhart.
I told him that the story of Bill's life was just like his end.
Amy Winehouse died on the same day and the music world only talked about her.
Bill was so talented! He had his following, unfortunately, it seems, national fame always eclipsed him. Even in death he was eclipsed by a bigger star.
I feel lucky to have gotten to see Bill perform at least 15 times over the years.
Never one more word needed nor one word to few to write the perfect song.
That was Bill.
I miss him to this day.
Thank you for sharing this. It brought a warmth to me tonight.
Picked up Bill hitchhiking at the Epsom traffic circle on route 4, late one sunny autumn afternoon. His guitar case doubled as a makeshift sign, which read, "SEACOAST". I was headed to UNH in Durham, so pulled the van over and Bill jumped in. We stopped at a store in Northwood, where I fetched us two "cold ones". Bill lit up a bone, and we were soon rolling down the road, laughing our asses off ('have beer & bone will travel' was a '70s motto). Had seen Bill perform in various NH venues prior to that experience, and was a big fan. Also caught him several times afterward. On one such night in Peterborough I reminded Bill of that ride to the seacoast, and asked him to sign a CD cover for me. He personalized it, then added, "Thanks for the ride!". I'm a guy and 100% straight, so that little piece of gratitude didn't really thrill me - but it cracked him up. Typical Bill Morrissey humor.
Not ashamed to admit that I still look for Bill on route 4, holding a guitar case that reads, "SEACOAST".
I still can't believe he's gone. Bill was the first musician I ever interviewed as a journalist back in the early 1970s. He said I was the first person who ever interviewed him. We kept in touch over the years, his mom kept the article I wrote in a scrapbook. I have never met a songwriter with his skill, and probably never will.
I hear ya, Michael. Bill was one-of-a-kind, and left us far too soon.
Michael, you hold Bill in the same high regard I do. I do cover his songs however. lol It might be ripping him off, or "grave-robbing" as Bill put his taking a pen from the grave of Baudelaire as he recounted. lol I wish I'd got to know him. Feel the same way about Townes Van Zandt too.
Ron
I saw Bill in a dive bar by the ocean, in Stratford Ct, just before his second LP came out. His voice was still nuanced and his rapport with the 20 people in folding chairs arranged in a half circle around him was memorable and instantaneous. The stories he told between songs were not merely to rest his singing voice. They formed the narrative and zip-codes for the songs to come. From that show Barstow, Texas Blues and Night Shift just killed and you knew you were going to have to talk with him after the show and buy everything he had. He did this bit where he finger picked on his guitar and explained: "I'm going to sing a song now and I'm going to need you to come in when I tell you and help me out. It's required. (Laughter and more picking) But I'm not going to tell you what to sing. (more laughter). When it comes around you'll know what to do." Perhaps only people of a certain age will get this joke, but they were well represented in the audience. When he got to the part we did know it, and we sang with him. The song was Petticoat Junction, from the old TV show.
matthew......yes, you are right. These programs were transferred from old VHS to DVD just about a year ago; and some of them just have one channel of sound. Still, glad to have it to post, even with just the mono sound.......
tom
Thank you for sharing this! God, I miss Bill.
I wish I could listen to all Tom's shows.
Birches is among my top favorite songs of all time. Peace, Bill.
Probably my fav Ken....The lyrics rip my heart out every time...Love Bill
So special... So wonderful... Thank you. Miss ya, Bill....
Wow. I never got to see Bill in concert. It's nice to see him in conversation and playing a few of his tunes in this "intimate" setting. Thanks to River City Folk.
Oh my, sitting here feeling the weight of my body on the planet, trying hard not to cry. I met Bill back in the 80's at the Stone Church in Newmarket, NH. I worked for the town, running the town dump so basically I could play and write songs in the dump shack when it wasn't busy with residents I needed to help. On cold, snowy days some local musicians might visit and play. I never had the nerve to invite Bill, though he probably would have shown up? Where else could a broke musician hang out and play in a circle around the wood stove with free beer and no interference from the acidic bite of electricity or phone calls. Bill was such a genius of a writer, I was just too afraid to ask. But I watched him play, said hello always and played the hoots in NH and Maine. When I wrote songs, I tried to reach that level of Bill's writing, which was the highest bar one could shoot for in Folk music. In the early 2000's, I moved to Maine, near where Bill lived in NH. Joe Phillips called me on the phone one day and said Bill was really sick and I should go help him out. I was recovering from three blown discs in my spine and kind of planted in a recliner chair for a long time or my wheelchair. Not going to visit Bill was one of the worst regrets I have in this life. In the next life, if Bill needs company, some songs or a sack of food, I will not hesitate to help him out.
Good stuff, Melody. I saw Bill at the Stone Church in Newmarket - many, many times. Have been back, but the old church just ain't the same. Will have to settle for the memories, and Bill dished out plenty.
RIP Bill. You were one of the most prolific songwriters of our generation.
No question that Bill was one of the all-time greats....what a significant loss, but what a blessing to have the music he "left behind"...
Miss you, Bill.
Thank you! A great artist gone too soon.
One of my favorites! RIP
Wonderful series! This is great!
Great stuff. Thanks for sharing. Happy new year and good luck to us all----
This ain't Hollywood,
It never really gets that good,
Call it love if you think you should,
There's no need to explain...
hope you don't mind, made a stereo mp3 and tweaked it slightly, Uploaded to to Folk newsgroup. Thanks! gave full credit to you--well, via the url link. THANKS!
is my computer messed up, or is the sound only coming from one speaker/headphone?