A: I always thought "Louie Louie" was one we should have tried. And believe it or not, I'm serious! It was written by a Jamaican guy in the early 1960's. Perfect vintage - perfect heritage for the Trio. Otherwise, we were alway on the lookout for possible new repertoire, but I really don't remember ever suggesting any new material, other than my own songs. Oddly, the only one of those that Bob ever performed with me was "Folk In A". The man has taste! As a matter of fact, Bob Shane is very hard to please when it comes to new material. He liked "Rollin' River" (up until the night when he forgot the lyrics and never sang the song again) and he liked "All Of The Hard Days Are Gone." Both of these songs, obviously, fit the Trio to a T. "MTA Revisited" was, of course, something the act SHOULD have used..." A: Actually, not! Bob wasn't fond of the fact that I ruined the mystique of the nickel by revealing a possible explanation scenario. Anyhow, that would have been a major "mess with" which I doubt if a concert audience coming to hear the real "MTA" would have appreciated. "...while "Lovin' You Again," "Jugtown" and "The Dutchman" from the New KT era are songs, in my opinion..." A: We actually did perform "The Dutchman" a few times. That's a great song. I'm working it up for my own show, as a matter of fact. "Furthermore, what elements should a newer song have that you might adopt it for your own performance?" A: Well, there are lots of criteria. "The Dutchman" is just a great story, for example. It tugs at your heart strings and really appeals to just about any age-group (other than kids.) When you find a song like that it's hard to resist. For me a song has to be fun to sing, and comfortable. I "had" to learn "My Funny Valentine" for a Valentine's Day gig, and I hate that song. Sadly, because of the word "Valentine" in the title, it's sort of requirement for that day. But the lyrics aren't really all that complimentary to the girl. I wonder what the real-life subject of that song thought when she heard it? I like comedy material. Recently a friend reminded me about Ray Stevens' "Mississippi Squirrel", which I used to do years ago. I dug it out and started doing it again recently and it's getting a great reaction. And it's fun to sing. I like lots of music. I do everything from 1920's pop tunes ("Five Foot Two", "Ain't She Sweet") to Van Morrison. I don't do any contemporary country or opera. No rap or hip-hop and no heavy metal. I have sung "Free Bird" before, though. And "Sweet Home Alabama." I like Jimmy Buffet and I'm working on learning some Hawaiian songs. Basically, it's whatever strikes me as something I can sell to an audience. A: Perfect! I don't have a recording of that one, but that's the kind of stuff I like. In the same vein, I've recently been performing "I'm My Own Grandpa" and "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose It's Flavor On The Bedpost Overnight?" By coincidence, we met Little Jimmy Dickens at the Grand Ol' Opry one night. There might be a picture of us on my celeb photos page elsewhere on this site. Now, Ron - can you please turn down the volume on your thinking? Way too loud!
"...but was reminded of "May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up your Nose" just recently."
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