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DRINKING SONGS: HUDGINS VS. VENICE IS SINKING
Venice Is Sinking's Mixtape
What are you tnankful for, Athens? Judging by the makeup
of our downtown, alcohol is certainly high on the list.
And when things get awkward around the dinner table this
Thanksgiving, you might be extra thankful for inviting special
guests Jack, Jim and Evan to help ease the tension. For this
Mixtape, we enlisted the expertise of Matt Hudgins (of Shit-Hot
Country fame) and the crew of orchestral pop band Venice Is
Drinking, er, Sinking (don't let the sweetness of the violas mis
lead you, VIS is a drinking banH) to present their soundtracks
for drunken celebrations and wallowing alike. Cheers!
Matt Hudgins' Mixtape
1. "There Stands the Glass" by Webb Pierce
Matt Hudgins: Hey, Venice Is Sinking, let's meet at
the bar around four and see if we can't shut that sucker
down. What do you think? Only thing is, I'm running a
little late, so order up and give this jam a listen.
Lucas Jensen: Gave it a listen. Awesome. Never
heard this one, though we're all pretty into the golden
days of C/W. I love how they can say so much with such
economy. That song's what? A minute-and-a-half? By
the way, what's your poison? We're scotch drinkers,
except Jeremy, who likes the bourbon.
MH: Beer is my Poison. Jameson is my Motley Criie.
2. "Why Do Lonely Men and Women Want to Break Each
Other's Hearts?" by The Star Room Boys
MH: OK, sorry about that; I sweated through my shirt from
throwing iron at the gym earlier and had to go change. Dave
Marr is a real sonofabitch for writing this one, don't you think?
If we can't get drunk to The Star Room Boys, might as well just
pack it in and head to church.
LJ: This one's just a monster. Thanks for choosing it. Dave
Marr and Co. were one of Athens' greatest outfits, and the
fact that they aren’t millionaires—along with the existence of
Puddle of Mudd—is one of the reasons I question the existence
of God.
3. "Chug-A-Lug" by Roger Miller
MH: Roger Miller is the man. Don't you guys lo.e Roger
Miller? I love your band. Hey, do you all need an opener for
anything any time soon? Because my band is really good. And
we would totally do it.
Jeremy Sellers: Thanks! You ain't so shabby yourself.
Sheesh, we should get a room. We don't have a ton of shows
coming up on account of writing album number four, but you're
on the docket, sir. And of cou se we love Roger Miller. Was that
a rhetorical question?
(much like this rager). We are a completely partnered band
right now for the first time in a while, so these lyrics have
taken on a thankful lyrical irrelevance to us!
1. "Loving Cup" (demo) by Rolling Stones
JS: I love the version that came out on Exile on Main Street,
but if you're going for something a bit more drunk, then look
no further than this much earlier version. The sound quality
of the one I was able to find on YouTube is atrocious, but I've
heard this demo with much better audio quality, and it's glori
ous. The Stones are obviously pretty wasted (notably Keith),
and it's just a great example of how a song can be quite messy
and loose, but still be amazing.
MH: Rolling Stones, eh? Never heard of them, but they
sound like a real nice little bar band. Don't mind if I do, good
sirs!
2. "Tales Facing Up" by Drive-By Truckers
JS: I used to play this song with some of my friends that
I was in a band with from Vidalia, GA. I'm not sure if we ever
actually played it at a show, but I definitely enjoyed playing
it when we would just get drunk at the house. The Truckers
were one of the main reasons I moved here back in '99 (and
the fact that I got into UGA). They're still one of my favorite
bands.
MH: This song just reeks of sweat and booze. I'm all
thirsty now. Look out... tonight the liquor is calling the shots,
Randy!
3. "If Drinking Don't Kill Me (Her Memory Will)" by
George Jones
LJ: This is probably an obvious choice, but I can't think of a
better song about drinking from perhaps country music's most
notorious imbiber. Daniel saw George Jones a few years ago,
and he described it as "weird," saying that George didn't even
sing on some songs, sitting in a chair half-coma
tose. Looks like the drinking did get him after all.
MH: Oh, Possum. You are the one thing every
drunk son of a drunk has in common with his
father. Well, that and alcoholism. You guys are
good. Almost too good.
4. "Drinkin' Bone" by Tracy Byrd
LJ: Even for a modern country song, this one
has ridiculous lyrics. It featured prominently in
one of the oddest (possibly alcohol-fueled) local
performances we ever saw. We consider Zach
Gresham from Summer Hymns kind of a genius and
one of the town's best songwriters, but this one
night at Little Kings he was all over the map, fid
dling with drum machines, making random noises,
half-playing his own songs, and interwoven with
everything was this song over and over again,
only played much looser, more atmospheric, and
creepier. By the end of the night, it was downright
menacing.
MH: I'm calling Jeff Griggs to hang out while this gem's
playing. It combines two of my favorite lyrical themes: specifi
cally, drunkenness and wildly inaccurate anatomical descrip
tions. SHOTS.
stinks. Though we are not anti-Seger, his general persona
reminds us of pouring motor oil on a wool sweater.
7. "No Pussy Blues" by Grinderman
MH: Ouch. Close to home, bartender. Like a salty snack, the
truth often leaves one with a powerful thirst for more booze.
Especially when it sounds this Bad-A.
LJ: Love Nick Cave. Saw him with the Sad Seeds in 2002,
and it might be the best show I've ever seen. Haven't had a
chance to check out the Grinderman flavor of Nick Cave
live, but I'm sure it kills
4. "Whiskey You're the Devil" by Clancy Brothers
MH: Hey, Karolyn. I bet you're Irish, right? I’m like 1/32
Irish myself. I got real drunk in NYC for St. Paddie's one time.
Have you ever been to McSor... ? No, it's cool, finish your
Scrabble game. I'll be right here at the bar.
Karolyn Troupe: Matt, a lot of people make that assumption
about me due to the red hair, but what makes me seem Irish
actually comes from Eastern-European heritage. However, this
song could make anyone crave whiskey, whether they're Irish or
not. So, I'm done with Scrabble... I'll see YOU at the bar.
5. "Whiskey River" (live) by Willie Nelson
MH: Take a shot, pussy. I'm looking at you, Daniel.
LJ: Daniel couldn't respond because he is in a cabin on the
Blue Ridge Parkway. He asked me to water his tomatoes while
he was away. Make of that what you will. As for this song,
it's a great choice, of course, but I actually might prefer the
Johnny Bush version... is that sacrilege?
6. "16 Shells from a Thirty Ought Six" by Tom Waits
MH: I can't tell if I'm drunk or just that into this song. And
I say that completely out of character from the pretend drunk
date we're on for the sake of this little bit of "legitimate jour
nalism" for Flagpole. Tom Waits is such a freak.
LJ: Well, you know how to pick 'em. Consider this one firmly
in our wheelhouse. Swordfishtrombones is in my top three Waits
albums. Daniel's favorite Tom Waits album is Heartattack and
Vine... interesting choice! Bob Seger covered this. His version
8. "I Do Not Know How to Live My Life" by Harvey Milk
MH: Oh, crap... how did we end up at the Engine Room 10
years ago? I must be more wasted than I thought.
LJ: No offense to RPM, but I miss the old, old Engine Room.
When I moved here in 1998, I ended half my nights there. The
other half I ended at parties that I found out about at the
Engine Room. Those were good times... blurry, but good. I only
saw Harvey Milk once back then before they broke up (Neutral
Milk Hotel, too), but it was a blurry good time.
9. "Angel of Death" by Slayer
MH: I think I drink with too many dudes. My 20s would
probably have been a lot different if I hadn't always been
drawn to places that played stuff like this the closer it got to
last call. Oh well, my reward will be in heaven.
LJ: You might find this surprising, but Venice Is Sinking
always toasts to Slayer when doing shots, a tradition started
by our first bassist, Steve Miller (of Savagist and Ceramic Dvck
fame). We’ve kept it going in his honor. Even the most non-
metal person has to respect Reign in Blood, right?
10. "Sick, Sober and Sorry" by Lefty Frizzell
MH: And now we fast-forward to tomorrow "morning."
Hangovers sure suck, but at least we can laugh at our own pain
along with Mr. Frizzell. Thanks Venice Is Sinking for a great
time, sorry I called you all those names I don't remember call
ing you. I really had a lot of fun, I think. And seriously, email
me about that opening slot. I'm totally down.
LJ: Zzzzzzzzzz.
5. "Hearts on Fire" by Cut Copy
LJ: Late night, after shows and/or drinks, we like to start
impromptu dance parties, and Cut Copy's album, In Ghost
Colours, is usually the catalyst for this. It's like the perfect
mashup of New Order and Depeche Mode. I'm pretty sure you
won't like this one. Matt.
MH: Haha, I love that about 2/3 through both our mixes we
get weird in a way that reflects where we like to get drunk. Let
me guess, you guys hang out at Go Bar? Dig the bar; dig the
musical change of pace. VODKA SHOTS. Let's get weird.
6. "Mamma Mia" by ABBA
LJ: ABBA is another late-night impromptu dance party
favorite. You can grouse all you want, but ABBA are masters
of concise, complex pop songs; I mean, this jam has, like, six
choruses or something! After a botched show in Savannah,
we got slizzered and danced around to ABBA in front of three
scowling straight-edge cyclists who sat on the couch, quietly
judging us. Karolyn slept in the van that night, and a knife
fight erupted around her. Good times.
MH: I prefer the Original Cast Recording, but OK.
7. "Indian Outlaw" by Tim McGraw
LJ: Both Daniel and Jeremy suggested this one. I have no
idea why.
MH: FIREWATER SHOTS. Tonight we are all Indian Outlaws.
Good job, Venice Is Sinking, now Hudgins Is Stinking. I dunno...
I always think I'm so damn funny when I'm drunk. Cheers.
14 FLAGPOLE.COM-NOVEMBER 23, 2011
