ZENDOG

Stagger Lee was a pimp.  On Christmas Day, 1895, he shot and killed one William Lyons during a dispute which coincidentally, involved a white Stetson hat and politics (no gambling involved).  The blast of Stagger Lee’s gun sent the story…

Frank Dupre is not remembered in song as a thug, but for a short period of time he tried to be one.  He was only eighteen years old the day he committed the horrific crimes we all sing about in …

“Catfish John was a real person. He was a friend of my Dad's. I resurrected him."    Bob McDill 

Catfish John is a heavy song that we should enjoy responsibly.  That means being mindful of the powerful sentiment expressed in…

“A curse has hung over the Baskerville family for generations, ever since the lecherous Sir Hugo Baskerville met a terrible end while pursuing a young maiden across the Devonshire moors. Sir Hugo had his throat torn out by a fearsome…

On March 7, 1981, the University of Maryland Terrapins lost to their rival, the University of North Carolina Tarheels.  It was the final game of the ACC Tournament and UNC pulled ahead 60 to 61.  The Terps played away in…

In the 1930’s and 1940’s, people were entertained by a new invention: the radio.  Programs such as The Shadow (“who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men … the Shadow knows”) captivated families in the comfort…

The Grateful Dead placed some songs on the shelf to rest because they were too cumbersome to play live.  Perhaps they were too weird.  But, we all like weird don't we?  The last Doing that Rag was played October 26,…

One of the great things about the Grateful Dead's lyrics is that they are so universal. The band wrote and sang songs about working in a mine, being on your deathbed, a song inspired by a Sherlock Holmes story (Hound…

Have you ever listened to a Morning Dew and felt like you were about to explode?  Have you ever experienced a Stella Blue that was so soulful it made the earth spin slower?  Of course you have. Otherwise, you wouldn't…

Fond memories are triggered by many things; driving by an old house, an old song on the radio, and of course, an old television commercial jingle. I am a child of the ‘80s so I remember a lot of chewing…

If I ever get the chance to call in to the Big Steve Show, I would ask him how the thematic jams developed.  These are the instrumentals and jams that reappear or become so attached to a song, they become…

In the days of dialup modem, we had DNC: dead net central.  DNC was the virtual meeting place where folks across the country expressed their views on topics neatly organized into threads administered by the folks at GD headquarters.  I…