6/5/26: “Life (A Crappy Situation),” by Gordon Wright
Gordon Wright is a Chicago-area musician who will be sharing music on the 5th day of the month all year long. Long ago, he fronted an East Coast pop/rock band called Fooled By April. These days you can find him singing jazz in the Chicago Jazz Dads.
This is another tune from Mr. Texas, the musical that I’m working on with my dad, author Lawrence Wright, and blues legend Marcia Ball. Why would they write a musical with me?? That’s a subject for another podcast. The more important question is where does this song, “Life,” appear in the musical and who sings it?
Well, on this version, that’s me singing, somewhat ridiculously, trying to inhabit the show’s slimy lobbyist narrator, L.D. I mentioned LD last month when I shared our rendition of a Church of Christ hymn. This time however, LD himself is the singer. He sings this song to Lola Lamb, the tough, no-nonsense cowgirl who’s been lied to and cheated on by her husband, Sonny, the hero of our story. He had been lured to political office by LD, and now, near the end of the musical, she is plain pissed off. This tune is LD’s attempt at commiseration, but really it ends up giving us a glimpse into his sad, jaded worldview.
In fact, in the dialogue that precedes this song, LD says something even more revealing. When Lola says she’s through with everything, LD responds, “Listen Lola, life is full of people like you and Sonny, people tryin’ to reach each other and never getting close enough to hang on. And then they’re gone. And we’re alone.”
(Thanks to Aric Jacover for the great recording, production and playing of many instruments.)