1953, Words and Music by Peter Cornish and George Korel As recorded by as recorded by Anne Shelton & Hank Janson With Johnny Franz (piano) & Wally Stott and his Orchestra The Hank Janson books, about a hard-boiled Chicago newspaperman (and later, a hard-boiled private eye) were so popular in the U.K. in the 1940's … Continue reading “Hank Janson Blues” by Anne Shelton
Tag: Music
D Hunter
Created by Nelson George Stop me if you've heard this one before... Professional bodyguard D HUNTER (no period after the "D," please) is a tough, street-smart African-American cat with a penchant for wearing shades and black clothing. He's alternately angry and cryptic, distrustful of authority but, of course, stone cold fucking cool; the strong, silent … Continue reading D Hunter
How Does It Feel?
Bob Dylan and Crime Fiction The man in the trench coat Badge out, laid off Says he's got a bad cough Wants to get it paid off... -- Subterranean Homesick Blues (aka "The Case of the Missing Pump Handles) Bob Dylan and his music have always had ties to crime and detective fiction. On his … Continue reading How Does It Feel?
How Does It Feel? Revisited
Private eye titles lifted from Bob Dylan lyrics The Dylan/private eye connection continues. I've just started fooling around with this one, so any suggestions and/or comments are more than welcome.... Amphetamines and Pearls (1976, by John Harvey, featuring private eye Scott Mitchell) From "Just Like a Woman" The Geranium Kiss (1977, by John Harvey, featuring … Continue reading How Does It Feel? Revisited
My Scrapbook: Bob Dylan, Private Eye?
My Scrapbook Bob Dylan, Private Eye? Back in September 2018, Ayun Halliday (no relation to Brett) and Todd Alcott of Open Culture (the self-proclaimed "best free cultural and educational media on the web") had a little (okay, a lot of) fun at Bob Dylan's expense, presenting "Classic Songs by Bob Dylan Re-Imagined as Pulp Fiction Book Covers," featuring text … Continue reading My Scrapbook: Bob Dylan, Private Eye?
“Flitcraft” by The Mekons
Words and Music by The Mekons From the album "Fear and Whiskey" (1985) The Mekons were a scrappy British punk band from Leeds that defied the odds and never quite went away. Instead, they grew up and ended up embracing country, folk, reggae, honky tonk, punk, rock and anything else that tickled their fancies in their … Continue reading “Flitcraft” by The Mekons
Suddenly the Air Was Full of Music…
Ladies and gentlemen, may I submit for your approval... SIDE A The Peter Gunn Theme | Buy this song Henry Mancini We kick off with the inevitable and instantly-recognizable thomping thud of Mancini's theme from perhaps the coolest TV eye of all time. This tune packs its own sort of menace, while never letting us forget that, … Continue reading Suddenly the Air Was Full of Music…
Jack Reacher
Created by Lee Child Pseudonym of James Grant (1954--) "I was thirty-six years old, a citizen of a country I had barely seen, and there were places to go and there were things to do. There were cities, and there was countryside. There were mountains, and there were valleys. There were rivers. There were museums, … Continue reading Jack Reacher
Raymond Chandler and the Case of the Lost Libretto
Or:Â Pour O Pour The Goblin Wine "She was the beat of my heart for thirty years. She was the music heard faintly around the edge of the sound. It was my great and now useless regret that I never wrote anything really worth her attention, no book I could dedicate to her." -- Raymond Chandler, … Continue reading Raymond Chandler and the Case of the Lost Libretto
It’s Only Words: “The Continental Op” by Rory Gallagher (For Dashiell Hammett)
1989 Performed by Rory Gallagher Words and Music by Rory Gallagher Irish blues rocker Gallagher released this bluesy, balls-to-the-wall ode to a personal hero on his 1988 album Defender. The AllMusic Guide said of the album: "There are a few corkers here like 'Continental Op,' a blazing riff that stands with Gallagher's best work and … Continue reading It’s Only Words: “The Continental Op” by Rory Gallagher (For Dashiell Hammett)