RAVEN MACK is a mystic poet-philosopher-artist of the Greater Appalachian unorthodox tradition. He does have an amazing PATREON, but also *normal* ARTIST WEBSITE too.

Monday, October 21

SONG OF THE DAY: Gimme a Pigfoot (and a Bottle of Beer)



This “Gimme a Pigfoot” song was made famous at first by Bessie Smith, but this LaVern Baker version ain’t really fucking around none. The song was originally written by Kid Wilson and Coot Grant, a husband and wife songwriting team who performed on the southern black vaudeville circuit, and DID NOT GIVE A FUCK. Kid Wilson was really named Wesley Wilson, but went by Kid, although also had the nickname Sox so that he was more often than not billed as Kid “Sox” Wilson. He had previously been in a duo with another dude, billed as Pigmeat Pete and Catjuice Charlie. (Wilson was Catjuice.) There is never any lack of need for more songs about FUCK Y’ALLS BULLSHIT LET’S JUST LOUNGE, OKAY, because with microbreweries and the gentrification of the entire Earth, and establishments making themselves only available to the segment of society with the most discretionary income, places of great indiscretion are fewer and farther between. And while I don’t eat pork, so ain’t trying to gnaw on no pigfoot, plus am almost nine years sober, I WOULD GLADLY TRADE ALL THESE FUCKIN’ LAME ASS PLACES PEOPLE GO TO FOR A SPOT THAT HAD CHEAP ASS BEER AND PIGFEET, READY TO ROLL. We’ve progressed beyond being able to fuckin’ chill.
There’s a great lesson from the survival mode of rural juke joints and the Chitlin’ Circuit, that despite the prevailing rules of the larger finer society, you can create these autonomous zones to get wild and happy within. I’m not sure people realize that any more. Everybody seems so keen on getting a seat at the table, that nobody thinks, “man, fuck y’all’s table” and does their own damn thing out where the assholes ain’t bothering to look. AND NO MATTER HOW MUCH THE ASSHOLES GET INTO YOUR HEAD, TRYING TO CONVINCE YOU HOW POWERFUL THEY ARE, THEY CAN’T LOOK EVERYWHERE.

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