there’s too many kids in the tub
there’s too many elbows to scrub
i’ve washed a behind
that’s not even mine
there’s too many kids in the tub
it’s 12:30 as i write this, so really this post is already behind. i listened to shel silverstein the day before yesterday, technically. he was already on my iphone and therefore the very first ‘album a day’ entry. today was spike jones. maybe i’ll get to him in three days.
anyways – today’s album a day was the best of shel silverstein. he might be best known to most as the author of children’s books: where the sidewalk ends, the giving tree, who wants a cheap rhinoceros and a giraffe and a half.
but this was really just one side of this talented, renaissance man.
he was also a poet, a playwright, a cartoonist and a music maker/song writer as well.
one of his biggest hits was a song he did originally himself, ‘boy named sue’, which johnny cash made very famous afterward. he also wrote songs for emmylou harris, willie nelson, bobby bare, waylon jennings, mel tillis, jerry reid and others.
he wrote a lot of plays besides songs and famously put on a production with writer/radio host jean shepard. i will write at length about jean shepard sometime because he has had a tremendous affect on my life and my thinking. most of my exposure to jean shepard is through the recordings that exist of his radio show he did for many years on WOR radio in new york city.
anyways – what did i think of the album? i scarcely think it matters what i think about the music i hear. in the future i think i’ll limit these entries to simple background on the more interesting characters i come across. …but i liked this record.
some of the songs were for children. very cute and/or funny. an excerpt of one of these is at the top of this entry. other songs were quite good and funny – like ‘the cover of the rolling stone’, recorded by dr. hook.
other songs, like ‘sylvia’s mother’ are downright sweet and heartbreaking in their tone.
this ‘best of’ was a strange mix of meaningful, silly and childish, but i guess it was just a snapshot of an interesting guy who had many sides to him. i took the opportunity of listening to it to learn more about shel silverstein, and i’m glad i did.
he’s quite interesting. below is a clip from the johnny cash show.
