Joker
A friend gave me crap today for liking Steve Miller. How can someone not like Steve Miller? The guy's songs are like Christmas caroles -- you've heard 'em a million times, you're probably even sick of 'em, but at the same time they impart a comfortable familiarity. What caroles do for winter, Steve Miller does for summer. Sun-drenched days in particular demand regular doses of Miller, whether it's "The Joker", "Livin' in the USA" or "Jet Airliner". It just ain't the same without him.
Speaking of "Jet Airliner", that song is the probably the source of this dispute with my friend. He argues the Paul Pena version is better. Who is Paul Pena? Only the guy who wrote the song in the first place. Pena was a blues musician who came oh so close to making it big, only to have his debut album yanked by the record company at the last minute. He found a brief measure fame near the end of his life when he was featured in the documentary "Genghis Blues". That movie chronicled Pena's hardship-filled journey to the Russian territory of Tuva to participate in a throat-singing competition.
The soundtrack of that movie is actually better than Pena's album, which I believe was released only after "Genghis Blues" rekindled interest in this forgotten blues artist. His version of "Jet Airliner" is solid, but more like a rough gem that Miller found and polished to a high sheen. It's always been one of my favorite Miller songs, and his treatment is catchier and and more inspired than Pena's.
Oh, and if you like throat-singing, check out "Back Tuva Future", featuring Tuvan megastar Ondar, who became friends with Pena. Ondar -- rockin' the trachea like no one's business.
Speaking of "Jet Airliner", that song is the probably the source of this dispute with my friend. He argues the Paul Pena version is better. Who is Paul Pena? Only the guy who wrote the song in the first place. Pena was a blues musician who came oh so close to making it big, only to have his debut album yanked by the record company at the last minute. He found a brief measure fame near the end of his life when he was featured in the documentary "Genghis Blues". That movie chronicled Pena's hardship-filled journey to the Russian territory of Tuva to participate in a throat-singing competition.
The soundtrack of that movie is actually better than Pena's album, which I believe was released only after "Genghis Blues" rekindled interest in this forgotten blues artist. His version of "Jet Airliner" is solid, but more like a rough gem that Miller found and polished to a high sheen. It's always been one of my favorite Miller songs, and his treatment is catchier and and more inspired than Pena's.
Oh, and if you like throat-singing, check out "Back Tuva Future", featuring Tuvan megastar Ondar, who became friends with Pena. Ondar -- rockin' the trachea like no one's business.
<< Home