#5 - Special Segements

Venue Songs, Spin the Dial, Stump the Band, Phone Calls from the Dead. I'm not quite sure what to call these show segments but they are entertaining as hell. It seems that every few years the Johns go looking for a new idea to shake up the show a bit. I suspect there were some fabulous ones in the early years before the internet was around to properly document such things. Where is my time machine?

Since I've only been going to shows for five years, and only steadily for the last three, I missed out on most of these efforts. I think the Avatars of They counts as the most recent segment in this category and I will have the pleasure, years from now, of looking back and appreciating that I was in on that one from the get go. Fortunately for me, there are recordings of the segments of yesteryear.

I did actually get to experience Phone Calls from the Dead, once, at my very first rock show. Eleanor Roosevelt called. I don't remember any of the dialogue but I do remember finding it amusing, if a bit weird. (I have just discovered, this second, that, excepting the TED performance, that was the debut of Phone Calls from the Dead. Perhaps I am destined to be at the first run of all these features here after? That's a cheerful thought!) They also played what they called a venue song at that show though it was about the state of New Hampshire rather than the club. It mostly consisted of the state motto, "Live Free or Die" repeated several times. You can listen to it here if you want: http://www.nhpr.org/node/12743

I have recordings of a few other Phone Calls segments. Of these my favorite is the appearance by Ronald Milhous Sagan, the unborn twin brother of Carl Sagan at the 9:30 Club in Washington DC. The song he sings with Linnell is priceless.

I've also gotten to go a little further back in time and hear recordings of some of the Spin the Dial segments though admittedly, I think I've only heard two or three of them. I'm only just recently getting into the acquisition of bootlegs of old shows and my collection is, frankly, pathetic. But the ones I've heard were quite entertaining. I don't think I've ever heard a Stump the Band bit, though I dearly wish I had.

By far, my favorite of these segments (with the possible exception of the Avatars) is the Venue Songs. Conveniently collected for us newbie fans to enjoy, I don't think there is a single venue song I don't like. They are funny and silly for the most part, but several of them are also really excellent little pieces of music. I've seen two Venue Song shows where they performed the studio recorded ones and have had the pleasure of hearing six of them performed in their original venues. I'll save my list of favorites for an Audience Participation entry, but I want to give special note to the venue song that wasn't. My boyfriend was at the show at the Avalon Ballroom in Boston where they scrapped the planned venue song before the show. Apparently, not feeling right about not having one, Linnell improvised one on the spot which just consisted of the name of the club sung to what is, essentially, the beginning of the theme from Sesame Street. Though not included on the Venue Songs album it, thankfully, lives on in the live show recording they released and I enjoy it immensely.

I admire the creativity that goes into these ideas and I also appreciate the spontaneity in their execution. Several of these segments highlight some very fine musicianship and most of them also showcase the Johns' very fine improv comedy skills. I can't wait to see what they come up with next.