Would we have coffee with Nanci Griffith?
Cammy: Yup. I definitely want to have coffee with Nanci Griffith. She is truly awesome. How awesome do Kristy and I think she is? Well, let’s just say that we’re not entirely sure her song “Gulf Coast Highway” doesn’t cure cancer (Nanci herself is a two-time cancer survivor, so….). She’s a great representative of Texas music–both as a performer and as a writer/composer. And listening to her songs is one of the only activities that has ever made me feel ashamed that I don’t care more for poetry. When Nanci in her once-kindergarten-teacher-now-slightly-gravely-voice sings? Poetry finally seems to mean something. That alone is coffee worthy. In addition to owing her a cup as a thank you, I want to hear some of the stories behind her songs. Some of them are widely known–like the death of her highschool sweetheart John which shows up in multiple songs, and the homage to her school friend Mary Margaret–but others are a mystery (“Shaking Out the Snow” and the anti-carcinogenic “Gulf Coast Highway”). If they have no real-life story behind them, that’s fine, but if they do, that can only make them richer.
Kristy: Oh hell yes. Though I’m not sure I’d feel comfortable saying “hell” in front of Nanci. Cammy introduced me to her and for that I will always be grateful. Like Cammy, I owe the woman several cups of Joe for the hours of aural delight she has provided me with. And even though I’ve never seen her live, I’ve seen her perform on YouTube a lot, and she’s just delightful to watch. You can tell how much she loves doing what she does, and that’s a joy to watch. I just find her fascinating, so like Cammy, I want to know stories. I’m also curious what inspired her to engage with some of the subjects she has: random references to St. Theresa, Sylvia Plath, Loving vs. Virginia. Interested to just hear her talk about some of her songs. I’ve seen a YouTube clip in which she dedicates the song, “It’s too Late” to all the married folks in the audience. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love this song, but it’s an usual song to treat dedicate to said group. The depiction of love is… not all that positive. And yet, I can’t say it’s entirely negative either–almost, but not quite reminiscent of Shakespeare’s poem about “My Mistress’ Eyes.” Anyway, I love her and would seriously drink some coffee with her.
Cammy: Maybe we should co-blog about how Nanci Griffith is the Queen of Awesome and listening to “Gulf Coast Highway” will cure cancer (okay, maybe not, but if someone told me that it did, I could totally believe that) Kristy: To be fair, neither you or I has cancer yet, and we listen to “Gulf Coast Highway” a lot, so we don’t know that it isn’t a preventative. I’m just sayin‘–conversation circa 2008
