I know it’s too late to still be discussing how Christmas decorations and sales start too early, but last night is when I heard Wainwright singing this
I think that’s the first time I’ve heard a Loudon Wainwright song other than Dead Skunk.
I was just yesterday doing some lookups and trying to follow the family tree of the musical Wainwright – McGarrigle – Roche clan. Loudon III was sort of the hinge connecting those three branches.
Oh gorsh! There’s a link to the [Leonard] Cohen family too. From the Wikipedia article on Rufus: “In 2011, Wainwright announced that he and childhood friend Lorca Cohen, daughter of Leonard Cohen, had had a child in a parenting partnership.[52] He announced on his website: “Darling daughter Viva Katherine Wainwright Cohen was born on February 2, 2011 in Los Angeles, California to proud parents Lorca Cohen, Rufus Wainwright, and Deputy Dad Jorn Weisbrodt.”
I listen to Martha more often.
Other than “Leonard Cohen”, I can’t identify a single one of the other names mentioned in this thread.
What we saw last night was Louden, Suzzy and Lucy.
OK, Kilby, to get you started, here are Kate and Anna McGarrigle, performing “Heart Like a Wheel” with Linda Ronstadt (who made it a big hit). This was written by Anna, and performed by the McGarrigle Sisters as a sort of folk duo.
Kate married Loudon Wainwright III, son of writer Loudon Wainwright Jr. (go figure) and a musician with a big recording catalog but “perhaps best known for the 1972 novelty song “Dead Skunk (in the Middle of the Road)” as Wikipedia puts it, and as DemetriosX alluded to above. Their children are Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright and Martha Wainwright, both singers with considerable popularity today.
Prior to that marriage, Loudon III had a relationship with Suzzy Roche (yet another singer, who joined her sisters Maggie and Terre in the vocal group The Roches), and the child from this pair is Lucy Wainwright Roche. “The relationship ended, although Wainwright and Suzzy Roche remain on good terms and occasionally appear onstage together, sometimes with their daughter.” This was the constellation Bill mentions seeing.
I, too, had not heard anything but this . . .
Onstage, Louden performed a song explaining the whole cast of characters. There probably should have been a flowchart.
My “two degrees of separation”: a friend of mine grew up with Maggie Roche and at one time worked for “Mister Sellack.”
(I’m not sure, but I think Suzzy — on the right in this video — was wearing that same skirt last night)
I can barely imagine how meaningless this thread is to 99% of the people visiting the site today.
@Kilby: Did you never listen to Dr. Demento? If you did, you must have heard the song Andréa posted.
Is Dr. Demento still alive/broadcasting, or is it all repeats?
As long as we’re doing degrees of separation, a friend of ours (and a member of Mrs. Shrug’s writing group) was Dr. Demento’s high school prom date Back in the Day.
Ha…I guess I’m among the one percent. The local NPR folk music station I’ve mentioned before plays songs by all the folks mentioned above,and I enjoy each artist.
Doctor Demento is very much still alive. He just issued an album this year titled “Doctor Demento Covered In Punk”, whereby today’s punk bands cover classic songs made popular by the good Doctor’s show over the years.
The album can be found on YouTube along with an interview or two.
Kilby, the Roches were never really very famous, but they’re still selling tickets and albums after 40 years which isn’t half bad.
This just in….
I just tripped over this link that has Doctor Demento’s bio and info on his show
In a bit of synchronicity, Rufus Wainwright is scheduled to be on Late Night With Seth Meyers Monday 12/3. Promo says “talk and perform”.
@ DemetriosX – I didn’t run into anything from Dr. Demento until I went to college on the west coast. If there was a D.C. station that broadcasted his show, it was either too obscure or too late for me to have heard about it.
Maybe this is more representative of Mr. Wainwright’s catalog? I don’t know how to paste a link, but see “Older than my Old Man Now.”
I’ve heard “Dead Skunk” and had heard the name of Loudon III before, and of course I know Dr. Demento. But what struck me is the video Mitch4 posted, which was filmed in a bar across the street from my alma mater. I’ve been in there, though it’s no longer the Red Creek.
U2 was scheduled to have their first American performance at the Red Creek, but the manager refused to kick out the regulars so they could do a sound check, so U2 never went on stage.
I don’t know how to paste a link, but see “Older than my Old Man Now.”
You just copy and paste on a separate line for most links. The WordPress software usually handles it well.
Loudon Wainwright III was also in at least one episode of MASH -singing and playing his guitar. I think the McGarrigle sisters were on Saturday Night Live at least once.
I sort of remember when “Dead Skunk” was new and a sort-of radio hit even, and I felt like I was making a discovery in figuring out that he must be the son of Loudon Wainwright Jr., whose columns in Life magazine I had been a regular reader of.
Quite recently a movies discussion with youngish co-workers got into “Putney Swope” somehow (and I tried to describe the racial landscape of national advertising especially on TV in the sixties), and someone suddenly burst out with the realization this guy Robert Downey Sr. I was talking about must be related to the well-known actor Robert Downey Jr.
(Though I think Downey père did not include the “Sr.” in his official billing until a bit later.)
Thanks to Meryl A, I can now play a face (and a voice) to the name (it was at least two episodes, placed somewhere from seasons 1 to 4 – that’s all the DVDs I bothered buying).
FWIW, several stores have begun ‘CHRISTMAS CLEARANCE’ sales during the past week. I haven’t any decorations up yet, and feel as tho I’m already over the season.
Short notice, but thought I would post for anyone in the NYC area – In “Newsday” the LI paper there was a NYC event listing in today (Fri, Dec 14) –
JOIN THE MUSICAL WAINWRIGHT FAMILY FOR NOEL NIGHTS
The Wainwright family’s holiday Nel Nights tradition returns after a 4 year hiatus. This year’s concert includes Rufus and Martha Wainwright with family members including Loudon Wainwright III and Lucy Wainwright Roche. This year’s non-Wainwright guests include Emmylou Harris and Teddy Thompson, with proceeds from the benefit going to Stand Up to Cancer.
7:30 om Sunday, Town Hall, 123 43rd St, Manhattan $50-$250; 800-745-3000 ticketmaster.com
Meryl, I suspect every time they’re about to book a date, somebody puts all the names in a hat and draws three or four at random.
Comics I Don't Understand 
Now, now…
I think that’s the first time I’ve heard a Loudon Wainwright song other than Dead Skunk.
I was just yesterday doing some lookups and trying to follow the family tree of the musical Wainwright – McGarrigle – Roche clan. Loudon III was sort of the hinge connecting those three branches.
Oh gorsh! There’s a link to the [Leonard] Cohen family too. From the Wikipedia article on Rufus: “In 2011, Wainwright announced that he and childhood friend Lorca Cohen, daughter of Leonard Cohen, had had a child in a parenting partnership.[52] He announced on his website: “Darling daughter Viva Katherine Wainwright Cohen was born on February 2, 2011 in Los Angeles, California to proud parents Lorca Cohen, Rufus Wainwright, and Deputy Dad Jorn Weisbrodt.”
I listen to Martha more often.
Other than “Leonard Cohen”, I can’t identify a single one of the other names mentioned in this thread.
What we saw last night was Louden, Suzzy and Lucy.
OK, Kilby, to get you started, here are Kate and Anna McGarrigle, performing “Heart Like a Wheel” with Linda Ronstadt (who made it a big hit). This was written by Anna, and performed by the McGarrigle Sisters as a sort of folk duo.
Kate married Loudon Wainwright III, son of writer Loudon Wainwright Jr. (go figure) and a musician with a big recording catalog but “perhaps best known for the 1972 novelty song “Dead Skunk (in the Middle of the Road)” as Wikipedia puts it, and as DemetriosX alluded to above. Their children are Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright and Martha Wainwright, both singers with considerable popularity today.
Prior to that marriage, Loudon III had a relationship with Suzzy Roche (yet another singer, who joined her sisters Maggie and Terre in the vocal group The Roches), and the child from this pair is Lucy Wainwright Roche. “The relationship ended, although Wainwright and Suzzy Roche remain on good terms and occasionally appear onstage together, sometimes with their daughter.” This was the constellation Bill mentions seeing.
I, too, had not heard anything but this . . .
Onstage, Louden performed a song explaining the whole cast of characters. There probably should have been a flowchart.
My “two degrees of separation”: a friend of mine grew up with Maggie Roche and at one time worked for “Mister Sellack.”
(I’m not sure, but I think Suzzy — on the right in this video — was wearing that same skirt last night)
I can barely imagine how meaningless this thread is to 99% of the people visiting the site today.
@Kilby: Did you never listen to Dr. Demento? If you did, you must have heard the song Andréa posted.
Is Dr. Demento still alive/broadcasting, or is it all repeats?
As long as we’re doing degrees of separation, a friend of ours (and a member of Mrs. Shrug’s writing group) was Dr. Demento’s high school prom date Back in the Day.
Ha…I guess I’m among the one percent. The local NPR folk music station I’ve mentioned before plays songs by all the folks mentioned above,and I enjoy each artist.
Doctor Demento is very much still alive. He just issued an album this year titled “Doctor Demento Covered In Punk”, whereby today’s punk bands cover classic songs made popular by the good Doctor’s show over the years.
The album can be found on YouTube along with an interview or two.
Kilby, the Roches were never really very famous, but they’re still selling tickets and albums after 40 years which isn’t half bad.
This just in….
I just tripped over this link that has Doctor Demento’s bio and info on his show
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/53-baby-boomers-talk-27935991/episode/doctor-demento-his-real-name-29877209/
Doctor Demento’s own web site. He is still doing a show online, though it requires paying for the stream.
https://www.drdemento.com/
In a bit of synchronicity, Rufus Wainwright is scheduled to be on Late Night With Seth Meyers Monday 12/3. Promo says “talk and perform”.
@ DemetriosX – I didn’t run into anything from Dr. Demento until I went to college on the west coast. If there was a D.C. station that broadcasted his show, it was either too obscure or too late for me to have heard about it.
Maybe this is more representative of Mr. Wainwright’s catalog? I don’t know how to paste a link, but see “Older than my Old Man Now.”
I’ve heard “Dead Skunk” and had heard the name of Loudon III before, and of course I know Dr. Demento. But what struck me is the video Mitch4 posted, which was filmed in a bar across the street from my alma mater. I’ve been in there, though it’s no longer the Red Creek.
U2 was scheduled to have their first American performance at the Red Creek, but the manager refused to kick out the regulars so they could do a sound check, so U2 never went on stage.
I don’t know how to paste a link, but see “Older than my Old Man Now.”
You just copy and paste on a separate line for most links. The WordPress software usually handles it well.
You can probably use the HTML for it. Let’s try!
Older than my Old Man Now.
Yep.
Loudon Wainwright III was also in at least one episode of MASH -singing and playing his guitar. I think the McGarrigle sisters were on Saturday Night Live at least once.
I sort of remember when “Dead Skunk” was new and a sort-of radio hit even, and I felt like I was making a discovery in figuring out that he must be the son of Loudon Wainwright Jr., whose columns in Life magazine I had been a regular reader of.
Quite recently a movies discussion with youngish co-workers got into “Putney Swope” somehow (and I tried to describe the racial landscape of national advertising especially on TV in the sixties), and someone suddenly burst out with the realization this guy Robert Downey Sr. I was talking about must be related to the well-known actor Robert Downey Jr.
(Though I think Downey père did not include the “Sr.” in his official billing until a bit later.)
Thanks to Meryl A, I can now play a face (and a voice) to the name (it was at least two episodes, placed somewhere from seasons 1 to 4 – that’s all the DVDs I bothered buying).
Heeeeere’s Rufus (and who names a kid ‘Rufus’?) –
https://view.yahoo.com/show/late-night-with-seth-meyers/episode/61244601/michael-douglas-rufus-wainwright
FWIW, several stores have begun ‘CHRISTMAS CLEARANCE’ sales during the past week. I haven’t any decorations up yet, and feel as tho I’m already over the season.
Short notice, but thought I would post for anyone in the NYC area – In “Newsday” the LI paper there was a NYC event listing in today (Fri, Dec 14) –
JOIN THE MUSICAL WAINWRIGHT FAMILY FOR NOEL NIGHTS
The Wainwright family’s holiday Nel Nights tradition returns after a 4 year hiatus. This year’s concert includes Rufus and Martha Wainwright with family members including Loudon Wainwright III and Lucy Wainwright Roche. This year’s non-Wainwright guests include Emmylou Harris and Teddy Thompson, with proceeds from the benefit going to Stand Up to Cancer.
7:30 om Sunday, Town Hall, 123 43rd St, Manhattan $50-$250; 800-745-3000 ticketmaster.com
Meryl, I suspect every time they’re about to book a date, somebody puts all the names in a hat and draws three or four at random.