song performed: “Falling Up” from the album The Sermon On Exposition Blvd.
conan’s reaction: “Thank you so much that was fantastic. *shakes Rickie’s hand* Thank you. Rickie Lee Jones everybody, we’ll take a break, we’ll be right back *claps three times, leans in to talk to Rickie, shakes guitar hand*.”
holy biscuit soda can. it has been a while since I’ve put pen to paper to write about conan and music. so let’s get it started like apple d already. did you miss my conanigans? I’m back datings these entries till we’re all caught up - cause A) who’s going to read them anyway and B) yesterday’s vinegar doesn’t necessarily mix well with today’s eggs if you know what I mean. enjoy again!
la venda: rickie, self-proclaimed “dutchess of coolsville” (ironically uncool?), probably deserves a “where are they now?” two-minny blip on vh-1 …HOWEVER…stop the presses cause she’s like so today anyway. like duh. just do a search for “Have You Had Enough?” and check out one of a million videos of what is essentially Squirrel Nut Zipper’s “Put a Lid on It” with quasi new lyrics and less of that nutty zip. it’s like the political mashup jib jab of today.
I know that Rickie had a hit when she had a crush on Chuck D from Public Enemy and sang ’bout it, but other than that I only know what I hear. it’s smooth. it’s a touch soulful and nasal and freespirited and kind of girlish as well. totally unique and no relation to tommy.
l’exécution: it’s a tom-tom song, and at first I was thinking this was a long intro. but low-and-beeswax it was a momentum building the hole song! Rickie looks like a wise professor or art curator dressed in black who just appened to strap on a geetar. by the second stanza the band is on their primary instruments with keyboard beard toque man still pounding away on the tambs.
Rickie’s voice is still in great shape, maybe not really aging at all. About a third of the way through she started gesturing as well and a loud long note was nice and controlled. Keyboard man will not put down the tambourine. put it down put it down.
“Do you know my name?” time got a little bit spasmy, but was still great and you could see good emotional from Rickie Lee Jones that she was right at home on stage again.
altre note: Rickie Lee Jones wrote the song “Chuck E’s in Love” when she was dating Tom Waits. that may not sound cool, but Chuck E. was a real person - Chuck E. Weiss, who is Johnny Depp’s other owner half of L.A.’s Viper Room, notorious night club where River Phoenix died. put that in your coinky dink and smoke it.
