Lyle Lovett has a new album, and the Washington Post has the story:
… Lovett never expected to become a first-time father when he was nearly 60 years old, with a daughter and son born in June 2017.
“It’s wonderful. I mean, I’m so grateful to have had this experience at all,” says Lovett, 64, his warm, gravelly drawl beaming from the other end of the line. His parents were less than half his age when they had him, but at the same point in his own life, Lovett poured everything into getting his music career off the ground. “I always imagined having children,” he insists. “But I had absolutely no idea how much I would enjoy it.”
That joy is stamped on the cover of Lovett’s new album out Friday, “12th of June,” which takes its title from his children’s birthday. It’s his first collection of songs since 2012, when his longtime contract that he first signed with Curb Records in the 1980s came to an end. “I always knew I wanted to record again,” he says. But he was more than happy to bide his time, stockpiling songs and waiting for the right deal to come along, which it finally did in the shape of an offer from Verve Records. “It was nice. If somebody called up and asked for me to sing a harmony with them on a record, I didn’t have to ask anybody’s permission,” he says of the intervening years…
The influence of fatherhood on the album can perhaps be most clearly seen in the comedic turn of a song like “Pants is Overrated,” inspired by Lovett’s children and written with a playful, adolescent sensibility. “That’s just something I started singing to them as I was trying to convince them to wear pants,” he says. Similarly, “Pig Meat Man” came from his son’s love for eating bacon. The singer takes clear enjoyment in learning to see the world through his kids’ eyes. “These are the two most interesting people I’ve ever met,” he says proudly…
Now, with “12th of June” available, Lovett can look forward to getting back to his element: on the road with the Large Band. If life, and the outside world, have slowed him down in recent years, he’s nowhere near stopping. “Not many people in their lives get to do something their whole life that they love to do,” he says. “And I’m grateful for that.”
And that being said…
I can see that this post is the Baud Signal.
I have missed all of you so much! Thanks for all of yoru work on getting an alternative place we can meet. Almost a week without Balloon Juice has been just about the worst thing in the world. I didn’t know what to do with myself all week.
Lyle and the Large Band were at City Winery NYC last night. The early show went long and we had to wait a bit to get in to the late show. They were FANTASTIC!
I love Lyle Lovett and did not know he had a new album. Will have to check it out!
ETA – Pants IS overrated!
I’ll have to check back later, but at some point in the day maybe someone from the Jackaltariat Bar Association can say whether it is right and proper that I cannot read this without dissolving into hysterics.
From a guy I know on FB: <>
That’s a new one on me. I can only assume it was United
Oh crap. Let’s try again. From a guy I know on FB
“Travel adventures: plane was delayed boarding because we are hauling 13k lbs of crabs and the whole plane reeks of them. Also apparently two got loose.”
That’s a shitload of crabs! Also, I am highly skeptical only TWO got loose!
I would find it difficult to completely relax on that plane with the knowledge of the escapees.
@DW, that sounds like a teaser for a new Samuel L. Jackson movie. “Crabs…on a plane!”
“I am sick and tired of these MFing crabs on this MFing plane!”
I think Samuel L Jackson might take a pass on that script.
Inevitably, those MFing crabs are going to wind up in Lyle Lovett’s MFing pants. It being a Balloon Juice thread, after all.
If you ever get the chance to see Lyle Lovett, pay any price and attend. It just doesn’t get any better.
And after a week of no balloon juice, this to me was the perfect post
Love the name of this place. I missed everyone so much.
Even though I rarely post, I read the posts and comments every day. I’ve really missed BJ.
Thank goodness.I was going crazy, even though I don’t post much.
I approve of Lyle Lovett’s message.
So glad this Balloon Juice is back in some form again! Missed everybody : )
Home again, home again, jiggety jig.
My god, I’ve missed BJ soooo much. Too many amazing things happening in the world, and hardly anyone to talk about them with!
So, in the spirit of starting things off with a bang, I hear there are 20 more confirmed cases of monkeypox in Britain. Haven’t heard of any more cases here in the US other than the one in Boston.
Thanks for this – adaptation in the finest BJ tradition!
@Dorothy A Windsor
Apparently our supply chain problems are causing some creative workarounds. Do crabs usually fly in passenger planes? (As God is my witness, I thought crabs….never mind)
I hope after the Zooms, there will be a thread on this fucking NYT editorial suggesting Ukraine accept a compromise.
@debbie
Haven’t been following the story for the last week or so, but I saw on the front page of the NYT today that Russia is annexing portions of southeast Ukraine, installing officials, and introducing the ruble
Hi Goku
Yes, they’ve done all that, but now someone thinks Ukraine needs to make concessions so Russia won’t have such hurt feelings.
@debbie
Ohhhh. Are the areas annexed just the Donbas and the like where they already had defacto control, then?
That Lovett song is my new anthem!
A point I read today at TPM is that letting Russia control any of Ukraine that cuts off Ukrainian access to their Black Sea ports and thus their ability to ship grain is a recipe for (1) world famine and (2) destroying Ukraine as a country because that port is how they trade with the world and support their state. The NYT can GFT.