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AKA · 08-23-2003, 06:47 PM

Wainwright Live Disc Debuts on Sanctuary

By Jim Bessman
Billboard

NEW YORK - You can't keep a good man down -- or a great singer/songwriter from a deal.

So it is that Loudon Wainwright III returns Aug. 29 with "So Damn Happy," his debut disc for Sanctuary Records. Recorded live at Largo in Los Angeles and the Mystic Theater in Petaluma, Calif., the set features five new songs and concert versions of others culled mostly from Wainwright's post-1990 output.

It also follows "The Last Man on Earth," Wainwright's acclaimed studio album released on Red House in 2001.

"I like the studio, but my songs are written to be performed," says the writer, whose live performances are unforgettable -- and periodically taped and released for posterity. "I don't write for other people -- or to go in the studio -- so I think of my audience: I earn my living as a performer, and records are sort of a side thought."

Wainwright notes, too, that his songs are typically full of "jokes and twists and turns."

"The way to get them is to be in the audience," he says, hoping not to sound "like I'm hyping the live record thing. it's fun to see how I sell the songs in a live situation -- and hopefully they're fun to listen to."

The album features such guests as Van Dyke Parks and Richard Thompson, who plays on "The Home Stretch" -- having also played on the studio version from 1986's "More Love Songs."

Daughter Martha Wainwright joins her father on "You Never Phone," an album "highlight," Wainwright says, "because she's a hell of a singer." The song is also the latest of many reflecting his frequently strained filial and paternal relationships.

Meanwhile, Wainwright's flair for topical songwriting is evidenced by "Something for Nothing," which takes on downloaders. His self-effacing side is represented by "The S--t Song," in which he admits to looking like the subject of the song's title.

The tone of "So Damn Happy," then, is "lighter and sillier" than that of "The Last Man on Earth," as those songs were written after Wainwright's mother died.

"I write in a similarly journalistic style as my father," notes Wainwright, whose father ran the L.A. bureau of Life magazine in the 1950s. "His best columns were when he wrote about who he was. They were much more compelling."

When not on the road, Wainwright is now spending most of his time in L.A., where he is pursuing acting alongside his music career. He has completed filming a role in Tim Burton's upcoming movie "Big Fish" and played a urologist in an episode of the "Grounded for Life" TV series, which he calls "a dream come true."

08-23-2003, 06:47 PM	#1
AKA Member Forum Star Join Date: Dec 17, 2001 Posts: 15,746	Loudon Wainwright Live Disc Debuts on Sanctuary Wainwright Live Disc Debuts on Sanctuary By Jim Bessman Billboard NEW YORK - You can't keep a good man down -- or a great singer/songwriter from a deal. So it is that Loudon Wainwright III returns Aug. 29 with "So Damn Happy," his debut disc for Sanctuary Records. Recorded live at Largo in Los Angeles and the Mystic Theater in Petaluma, Calif., the set features five new songs and concert versions of others culled mostly from Wainwright's post-1990 output. It also follows "The Last Man on Earth," Wainwright's acclaimed studio album released on Red House in 2001. "I like the studio, but my songs are written to be performed," says the writer, whose live performances are unforgettable -- and periodically taped and released for posterity. "I don't write for other people -- or to go in the studio -- so I think of my audience: I earn my living as a performer, and records are sort of a side thought." Wainwright notes, too, that his songs are typically full of "jokes and twists and turns." "The way to get them is to be in the audience," he says, hoping not to sound "like I'm hyping the live record thing. it's fun to see how I sell the songs in a live situation -- and hopefully they're fun to listen to." The album features such guests as Van Dyke Parks and Richard Thompson, who plays on "The Home Stretch" -- having also played on the studio version from 1986's "More Love Songs." Daughter Martha Wainwright joins her father on "You Never Phone," an album "highlight," Wainwright says, "because she's a hell of a singer." The song is also the latest of many reflecting his frequently strained filial and paternal relationships. Meanwhile, Wainwright's flair for topical songwriting is evidenced by "Something for Nothing," which takes on downloaders. His self-effacing side is represented by "The S--t Song," in which he admits to looking like the subject of the song's title. The tone of "So Damn Happy," then, is "lighter and sillier" than that of "The Last Man on Earth," as those songs were written after Wainwright's mother died. "I write in a similarly journalistic style as my father," notes Wainwright, whose father ran the L.A. bureau of Life magazine in the 1950s. "His best columns were when he wrote about who he was. They were much more compelling." When not on the road, Wainwright is now spending most of his time in L.A., where he is pursuing acting alongside his music career. He has completed filming a role in Tim Burton's upcoming movie "Big Fish" and played a urologist in an episode of the "Grounded for Life" TV series, which he calls "a dream come true."