Welcome to My Weekly Mixtape, a podcast that
takes the classic mixtape approach to building
a modern playlist. I'm your host, Brian Colburn.
Joining me tonight are Jesse and Sylvan, hosts
of The Perfectly Good Podcast. Welcome to the
show, guys. Thank you so much. You know, if there's
one thing I love more than John Hyatt, it might
be the classic task of building a great mixtape.
So this is just my happy place. And I am so thrilled
to be back a second time. You and I, Brian, did
a Bruce Springsteen podcast. And even then I
was going, God, we got to do this with Sylvan
and John Hyatt. We got to do this thing with
Sylvan and John Hyatt. Well, I am so glad we're
finally able to make that happen. This is awesome.
Yeah, Jesse, we did the ultimate Bruce Springsteen
playlist. So you got to answer my first time
guest question, but Sylvan hasn't. So Sylvan,
as a first time guest. What does the word mixtape
mean to you? Well, it's actually funny. The first
time I talked with Jesse, I shared that I was
introduced to John Hyatt by my aunt and uncle,
who are the coolest people in the world. And
they lived up in the hills of Vermont when I
was a small kid. That was in the 80s and 90s.
So when you came to Vermont in the 80s and 90s,
there was no Internet. There was no cable TV.
What we did was sit around and listen to their.
immense music collection and specifically make
tapes for my mom to then drive back to Boston
where we both lived. And usually what we did
was she would choose an album that she was interested
in and then side B would be the mixtape that
we'd get to fill in. As I grew up, it was kind
of my rite of passage that I got to make a selection
on these mixtapes and get to expand my knowledge.
So it really is about family. It's about connection.
It's about communication. And it's about a love
of music. And, you know, at its best, I think
music reflects things about ourselves and our
relationships back at us. And it brings us both.
closer together. So the mixtape is a sacred space
of connection in my mind. All right. What an
awesome answer. I love it. Now, tonight, the
three of us have a challenge in front of us because
we're tasked with taking 24 of John Hyatt's studio
albums. And that's before counting his live albums
or his compilations, starting with 1974's Hanging
Around the Observatory. all the way through 2021's
leftover feelings with the Jerry Douglas band.
And we have to whittle it down because there's
three of us tonight to 12 songs. So I could say
that with relative ease, we're going to upset
fans of at least 12 different John Hyatt albums.
So Sylvan, I'll start with you. How did you approach
your... bank of songs that you're bringing to
the table this evening, since you only could
choose four songs out of 24 albums? Well, I really
struggled with, is this a mixtape? Is it an anthology?
Is it a best of? Or, you know, is it a reflection
of who I am as a John Hyatt fan? Is it a communication,
a conversation between? you gentlemen and myself,
and I landed somewhere in between. So my approach
was that we need a little bit of all of the different
Johns because he has changed quite a bit over
the course of his career. Jesse and I are going
through the process of every song in alphabetical
order, thankfully rating, not ranking. And if
we just looked at those songs that we have both
called perfect at a five -star song, we'd already
only going... into the L's of the alphabet have
to be at like five mixtapes. So I really had
to say this isn't the best of John Hyatt. It
is a, let's say that you really wanted to kind
of introduce someone to the multiple sides of
John Hyatt and give just a taste that would want
them to wet their whistle and really dive into
the rest of the stuff. That was my approach.
And Jesse, I'll throw that same question to you.
Yeah. So I did a similar, I took our spreadsheet
and said, okay, what songs have we rated? I've
rated a five and in our scale is one through
five. So I had a list of all the songs through
where we are now, real time that were fives.
And I said, okay, that's kind of my basis. Then
I had other songs that I knew for personal reasons
I wanted to be on this. And then the third one
was one of the things that I love about your
concept and the idea of a mixtape is this has
to flow. Think of this as a wine and hors d 'oeuvre
tasting party, right? Like you can't just. randomly
bring appetizers and branding wines you need
to pair them and they need to flow so i said
okay i know i want this couple of songs luckily
i don't go first sylvan so i can follow sylvan's
lead and then kind of okay well let's try to
make this roll and one thing that made me very
happy and spoilers you've already said in a year
or two we can do volume two So I'm like, OK,
great. That makes me feel a little better. Well,
my goal for this evening is simply to try to
keep up with both of you because you guys talk
week in and week out about all the songs from
his catalog, like you said, in alphabetical order.
And tonight we're only talking about 12 songs.
So I'm really happy that tonight's 12 hour episode
is dedicated to his music, though this is actually
going to be the hard part. We have to keep this
to a regular hour episode when you guys are used
to opening up the floor and talking about his
songs at great length. So instead of waxing poetic
any longer, let's just get down to business.
As I mentioned at the top of the show. Sylvan,
Jesse, and I will be curating the ultimate John
Hyatt playlist using a roundtable approach with
our overall goal for this episode to be crafting
the best mixtape possible through these dozen
songs. We're trying to tell the John Hyatt, as
far as I'm concerned, a 101 story, something
that gives people an introduction if they haven't
heard his music before. At the end of the show,
you can take our conversation to the next level.
by visiting the episode page at myweeklymixtape
.com to give our final mixtape a listen via the
embedded playlist. And if you like what you're
hearing on the show, you can help me out by either
telling a friend, leaving the show a five -star
review wherever you're tuning in, or becoming
a Patreon mixtaper at patreon .com forward slash
myweeklymixtape. There you can find ad -free
episodes of the show, get early access to future
My Weekly Mixtape episodes, chime in on upcoming
topics, become a future guest, and so much more.
And a few of the Patreon mixtapers chimed in
with the songs they would use to kick things
off for tonight, and I want to give a quick shout
-out to those. Chad LaMassa chimed in saying
he'd start with the classic Have a Little Faith
in Me from Bring the Family. And Brandon from
Virginia chimed in saying, Nice! So many choices.
And he chose one that suits Brandon and my recent
episode on the ultimate inspirational rock playlist.
That being the live version of through your hands
from Hyatt comes alive at Budokan. Once again,
if you'd like to chime in for future, my weekly
mixtape episodes, come join the mixtaper community
at patrion .com forward slash my weekly mixtape.
And Sylvan, with that being said, I'm pressing
the record button on our mixtape. What song is
going to kick off the festivities tonight? Well,
to answer that question, I had to first ask the
questions that Uncle Todd and Lynn would ask
me. Is this going to be mellow? Is this going
to be fast? Are we grabbing people's attention?
Are we being obscure? Are we going mainstream?
Are we going to be predictable? Are we going
to take some risks? And I was trained in the
mixtape to take some risks, which means that
I am neither going to go slow nor fast. I am
going to pick a song that gives us a little bit
of everything and one that not many people would
know, but features, in my mind, John's quintessential
backup band, The Goners. is a song called let
it ride which occurred on the country bear soundtrack
so i imagine not many people would know that
although if you visited perfectly good podcast
to hear brian you may know about the country
bear soundtrack because he joined us to talk
this song let it ride and i think it's the perfect
way to start because it does give you a little
bit of everything john You have him kind of starting
out solo and backwards. And then you have the
band kicking in and the full rock. And most of
all, you have the classic John Hyatt clever lyrics
that made you kind of stop and think and hungry
for more. Yeah, I love that choice. I did not
know this song till at the very first meeting
of Sylvan and I. When she joined me on Set Lusting
Bruce for John Hyatt Month, she shared this where
she had the album she wanted to talk about and
she shared the soundtrack. So I loved it. I loved
our discussion that we had with Brian. And this
gave me a moment because last weekend, Linda
was in the living room and she was about to go
to bed. And I said, hey. Do you have a minute?
She goes, sure. I said, I want to play you something.
And so I pulled up the video of the anemonic
bears. I'm like, I want you to watch this. And
she's looking at me like, what? Have you lost
your mind? And I hit play. And, you know, they're
doing the instrumental. And all of a sudden the
voice and Lindy goes, oh, my God, that's John
Hyatt. And she made me play the song two or three
times. She made me read the lyrics to it. She
says, that is as a perfect John Hyatt song as
I've ever heard. How the hell did we not know
this one? So thank you for that, Sylvan. And
I think this sets us off perfectly. I couldn't
agree more. To me, this is the perfect. road
trip driving song. There's just something that's
so freeing and so open about the song. It's upbeat,
it's happy, but it's not a straight ahead rocker
and it's not a heartfelt ballad. It kind of sits
right in the middle and it gives us a place to
bounce off in many different directions. And
I love his lyrics. There's something that always
I grasp onto. So I'm just going to drop my favorite
lyric from the song here, and then I'll tell
people to head over to the episode page at myweeklymixtape
.com because I'll embed our entire Let It Ride
discussion on the John Hyatt episode page in
case you want to take it down a much more in
-depth discussion about this incredible song.
And every mistake is a break, but only if you
get it. Let it ride, let it ride, let it ride.
This song, my wife and I, went to a movie theater
up in New Hampshire. It was called Smitty's at
the time. And we were just looking to go try
this movie theater that you can have dinner at,
have drinks and watch a movie. Now this is back
in 2002. So this wasn't basically every movie
theater ever. This was an experience. So we show
up and the only movie that was playing was the
country bears. And I said, well, how bad could
it be? It's a movie about musicians, even though
it's animatronic, Bears or whatever you want
to call it. It's Jim Henson's team made them.
So I said, let's give it a try. What the hell?
Soon as the movie opened, I started like elbowing
her across the table going, this is John Hyatt.
And the whole movie, I was just blown away that
John Hyatt was the voice for the country bears.
And as soon as the movie was over. We went right
to Best Buy and I bought the soundtrack. And
I've loved it ever since. It's an amazing soundtrack.
And I hope that any John Hyatt song from the
Country Bears soundtrack you guys ask me to join
you again for. Because there are plenty from
this soundtrack that I could easily include on
our mix tonight. But with 24 albums that we still
haven't touched yet. I don't know because this
is one of the outliers right from the beginning.
So bravo, Sylvan. And with that, Jesse, I'm throwing
it to you to follow that up with track two. So
I think we're always looking for true north.
And so as we're continuing, I think she started
out us on a road trip. So I'm going to go drive
south from Slow Turning. A couple of special
things. I love this song. I think it's really,
really a special. lovely song. Susie Bogus had
a hit with it. And this is also kind of a wink
and a hug to my sister in all things Hyatt, because
that was one of the other songs that meant a
lot to her emotionally. And when it gets to her
turn to talk about it, she can explain why. But
I said, OK, if we're going to let it ride, where
are we going to ride? We're going to drive south.
Well, as Jesse alluded to. I was nine when Slow
Turning came out and it was the album that I
heard the most in the car because I wasn't yet
driving. And my mom and I took a little trip
to visit my grandmother in Florida from Boston.
And she thought it would just be so sweet every
time that Drive South came on to sing to me with
the one you love. Yes, it has a very sentimental
meaning to me. And it's a great song. You know,
another of the things that I picked up from Lynn
and Todd is that you really can't go wrong if
you're throwing something on a mixtape with either
track one or track three, because artists almost
always put their bangers there to grab your attention
and then keep you hooked. This is a classic example
of a track one that just really sets off the
album slow turning. which is his, I think, signature
album that really let it all out of the gates.
And I love that we are continuing going back
in time, but keeping that same band. So we've
got that continuity of the mixtape going. So
I absolutely support this choice. I love the
song. I'm going to finish your lyrics, Jesse,
because you started it with, we're always looking
for true north, but you can't say that and not
say with our head in the clouds, just a little
off course. I love this song. You mentioned Suzy
Bogus' cover, which reached number two on the
Billboard U .S. Hot Country Songs chart. Kelly
Willis recorded a version on her 1990 debut album,
Well -Traveled Love. And the Forrester sisters,
featuring the Bellamy brothers, covered this
song on their 1990 album, Come Hold Me, which
that version reached number 63 on the Billboard
U .S. Hot Country Songs charts. I never looked
at John Hyatt as a country artist. I looked at
him always as a rock artist, but there's something
about his sound that translates so effortlessly
to country music. And I know we're only talking
about 12 songs tonight, but I can pretty much
guarantee, at least from my bank, that there's
going to be at least one or two songs where we
talk about the fact that John Hyatt is a songwriter's
songwriter. For somebody who loves songwriting,
John Hyatt is one of the best. And he is one
of those people that when you say his name to
the average music listener, they might go, that
name sounds familiar. I don't know where it rings
a bell. And then you start rattling off all the
songs he's written that other artists have taken
to stratospheric heights. And it's absolutely
mind -blowing. And I think I'm going to use that
mindset along with the road trip mindset that
Sylvan, you started with Let It Ride and Jesse,
you continued with Drive South because we're
still on the road and we're going to go back
to the title track from 1983's Riding With The
King. Well done. Yes, well done. Thinking about
cover songs here, you can't not. talk about B
.B. King and Eric Clapton who covered the song
for the album of the same name. John rewrote
some of the lyrics for their version, but come
on, this is an all -killer, no -filler rendition.
I mean, how could it not be with B .B. King and
Eric Clapton together? But it just goes to show
that if those two giants are looking to a John
Hyatt song, for inspiration, for a good track,
and for an album title, that just escalates John
Hyatt's credibility as far as I'm concerned.
But on top of B .B. King and Eric Clapton, if
we want to keep that blues theme going, recent
My Weekly Mixtape guest Joe Bonamassa also covered
the song with Mahalia Barnes as a bonus studio
track at the end of his Live at the Greek Theater
album. His version was called Riding with the
Kings with an S because that live album was actually
a tribute to three kings, Freddie King, Albert
King, and the aforementioned B .B. King. So when
all of that points back to John Hyatt and we've
got this road trip vibe going so far, Riding
with the King. I love that you reached back a
little bit further. And yeah, everything that
you said about the song being covered by multiple
people and what better pedigree of musicians
could you ask for than B .B. King and Eric Clapton.
It's a perfect little cruiser. And you can't
imagine not riding along in a Cadillac as you
listen to this song. So it also fits the mixtape
for a great drive in my. perspective that it
kind of transports you to maybe even a better
life and a better set of wheels than what you
might be riding along in. And yeah, I think that's
a great new direction to put us in. Yeah, I think
between Let It Ride and Drive South, there was
this upbeat, happy road trip vibe. But Riding
with the King has that black sunglasses, top
down on the convertible, arm hanging out the
side. joe cool if you remember snoopy look happening
there's a swagger to that guitar riff that just
oozes personality so it's one of my favorite
riffs by him and obviously if it caught the attention
of those other artists yeah you must be doing
something right all right i i can't not actually
give a little bit away since we haven't talked
about that song that uh John actually borrowed
that guitar from Nick Lowe. And when he came
up with that lick and he came up with that performance
that's captured on Riding with the King, Nick
Lowe said, that guitar is yours now. And so I
love that. And I think it says everything you
need to know about the performance that gets
captured there. Yeah, I could talk an hour about
this song, but I will not. If you are a regular
listener to Perfectly Good Podcast, you know
that... Slugline was the first CD that my wife,
at the time was my girlfriend, exposed me to,
and it was John Hyatt. And as the new albums
came, I liked John Hyatt because I was dating
Linda, and Linda liked John Hyatt. And when I
got Riding with the King on cassette, that became
my first... John Hyatt album. It became the album
that I went, oh, I'm not liking this because
I'm dating Linda. I'm liking this because I love
this cassette. And so I'm thrilled every time
he does it live. I think it's a perfect, you
know, kind of cap to our little trilogy. We're
starting out with a threefer. like the old FM
stations used to do. They do, you know, three
of a kind. I'm so glad that we got something
free trilogy. And this is just, it's wonderful.
And I would be remiss if I didn't mention my
favorite lyrics in the songs. I didn't get to
that part, but. Well, I stepped out a mirror
at 10 years old with a suit cut sharp as a razor
and a heart of gold. I had a guitar hanging just
above waist high, and I'm going to play that
thing until the day I die. Sylvan, back to you
for track four. All right. Thank you, Brian,
for mentioning the dates that we're going through
so far. I really felt that it was important to
not just have a taste of the classic John that
we know and love and might instantly come to
mind when we're thinking about what are the songs
that we need to put on our mixtape. I felt that
we absolutely need to make sure that we represent
the new John Hyatt, or at least newer John Hyatt.
came out, I instantly wanted to get in my car
and drive around and listen to over and over
again, which again is my affiliation with or
association with a mixtape. And I had to go with
a song produced by Kevin Shirley with a great
rocking tone and a great sing -along chorus.
So I'm going all the way to Mystic Pinball in
2012 for We're All Right Now. I defy you to listen
to that and not tap your toe on the gas pedal
a little bit and to sing along. So let's get
the energy back up from that kind of dark place
from Riding with the King. It feels good like
eating ice cream. So I got to have a little bit
every day. Yeah, I love that we picked something
because it's really easy. And I was guilty of
it. The core. hyatt albums are really hard not
to go since we're only doing only doing you know
this limited amount of songs so i was really
glad you picked it we haven't talked about it
yet i'm really looking forward because it's a
w and uh as sylvan likes to remind our listeners
you know when we signed up for this one of the
things i said Is that if we start, we got to
finish. And so as we're on L's, we've got a little
bit of a highway in front of us. Great choice.
I love this one. The sun comes up every morning,
even when it's too cloudy to see. I was willing
to lose that years ago. Don't know what was the
matter with me. I'm so happy we're getting into
the new West records phase because. His run from
2003's Beneath This Gruff Exterior through 2021's
Leftover Feelings that I mentioned at the top
of the show is truly an era for Hyatt. And I'm
using quote marks because it's his longest era,
if you really think about it. It's been running
strong for over 20 years now. And Mystic Pinball,
to me, might be the chef's kiss of the new West
Records phase of all the albums. I actually had
two songs from the album in my bank tonight.
And that was the back to back my business. And
I just don't know what to say. So when you talk
about songs that go from one side of the spectrum
to the other, it was those two songs. And depending
on where we went, I figured my business has that
boppy upbeat stomp to it. And I just don't know
what to say is an absolutely gorgeous track.
But We're All Right Now has this feeling and
vibe to it that does play along with the songs
we've been talking about so far. And like I said,
you can't go wrong with the New West phase. But
it's probably the most underrated phase of his
career because most people go to the 80s stuff
like both of you talked about. And then his 90s
stuff that maybe we'll get to tonight because
we haven't touched on the 90s yet. I don't know.
I don't want to assume here. So with that, Jesse,
we are back to you to follow up. We're all right
now. So I loved that twist from Sylvan, and I
debated on picking something from this new West
era. But I really, when we talked about that,
Sylvan said that push comes to shove. Let It
Ride might be her favorite John Hyatt song. You
know, it's hard to pin down, but if you had to.
And I got to thinking, what would mine be? And
I realized it's Your Dad Did from Bring the Family.
I loved that whole album, but something about
that song. The humor in it, the vision of your
wife with the house slightly undone, you know,
the oatmeal on your son and just this image.
And I feel that way sometimes as a father, just
trying to keep everything going and the mass
chaos. And you love your wife and kids just like
your dad did. We're all imperfect as fathers.
But we try to do the best we can. And I could
sit here and quote the whole song because the
lyrics just, you know, you go buy a new car just
to hide how scared you feel and all this stuff.
So I'm like, OK, I don't know if it fits the
pattern as much, but I am going to just personal.
I've got to get your dad in. And also, I think
this shows John's humor. So if someone is watching
along with this, you go, oh, wait a minute. This
guy can put his tongue firmly in his cheek and
have a little fun with it. Agreed, Jesse. And
I think another part of John's very unique skill
as a songwriter is to make these characters that
live and breathe well beyond the three minutes
of the song that we hear. And this is a perfect
example of. You feel like you spent at least
two hours worth of a movie hearing about this
person in Your Dad Did. And it could be, John,
it could be another version of a fictional character.
And it would be really lacking in our mixtape
if we didn't have something with as good of a
line as... May my brother's hamster burn in hell,
which just comes out of nowhere. And I think
it's a great example of how John Hyatt can grab
you with some lyrics and at the same time make
you laugh, but also make you think about how
humans relate to each other. And I will tip my
hand a little bit since it is going to be so
long until we talk about this, that the very
first time I met Lily Hyatt. I had to ask her,
I said, you've probably heard this a thousand
times, but did you actually sit at the dinner
table and pray for your brother's hamster to
go to hell? And she laughed and said, you know,
no one has ever asked me that. And I honestly
don't know the answer, but I suspect I did because
I was a pretty bratty kid. So hopefully we'll
have her join for your dad did. And yeah, I think
a mix without. All of these things, the great
funky rhythms that he got in there, the absolute
joy of family. Because if you think about John
Hyatt, we talk about his recovery trilogy in
that he found a new family with his third wife
and they had a baby together. I don't think you
can separate the two of John Hyatt, the family
man, and John Hyatt, the successful musician.
So this song is a perfect addition to our mixtape.
I will tell you, I have that sense of joy and
surprise every time I hear the song. Like the
first time I heard Help the Starving Children
to Get Well and I Hope My Brother's Hamster Burns
in Hell. When you heard it the first time, it
was amazingly funny. And I get that same feeling.
Every time I hear it. Yeah, absolutely. It doesn't
matter that you already know the ending. It's
the journey that he takes you on every time you
hear the song. Of course. And I think that's
a hysterical line in the song. My personal favorite
line, because as an only child, I've been told
this many a times, at least the first part, you're
a chip off the old block. Why does it come as
such a shock that every road up which you rock,
your dad already did? As a father and a son,
there's something about that set of lyrics that
just really hits home for me. We talked about
the lyrics, the lyrics, the lyrics, and the story
behind the song, but let's not minimize the guitar
work in this song. That opening walk down on
the guitar that harmonizes and builds at the
beginning. And I mean, you think about the lineup
of John with Rye Cooter and Jim Keltner and Nick
Lowe. I know we talk about Slow Turning being
the John Hyatt album, but Bring the Family, you
don't get to a Slow Turning without Bring the
Family's success. And I feel like he was on the
way to Slow Turning on this album. And for some
reason, those two albums feel like they're cut
from the same block, if you will, at least from
a frame of mind he was in as a songwriter at
the time. Yeah, I think it was the start of him.
trying to be true to himself as opposed to letting
the record companies tell him, you're going to
be the next Elvis Costello or you're going to
be the next folk singer, blues singer, whatever.
He just decided to be himself. Before there was
ever a genre called Americana, John Hyatt was
blazing this path with those two albums and everything
that came after, I would argue, that was this
new sound that was based in heartfelt truth.
And Groots Rock and all of those things that
you were just talking about, Brian. Well, we're
at the halfway mark now for track six, and we
haven't hit the 90s yet. So I have to put an
end to that right now. And I'm just going to
go to the year I graduated high school, the year
I started college. It's a very big year for me.
It's the year I discovered John Hyatt. But I'm
not going to pick. The song that I discovered
him with just yet. I'm going to pick one of my
favorites, similar to what Jesse did. And it's
a different vibe because the heart won't remember
the burning fire the next time you feel the flame
of desire. From 1995's Walk On, I'm going to
go with Cry Love. This entire song screams out
to me that it's better to have lost a love than
never to have loved at all. And there's something
about... The chorus of the song, when he hits
those high notes, it literally, I'm just talking
to you about it and the hair on my arms standing
up because this song, every time I hear it, just
makes me feel what he's singing about. I saw
him in Rutland, Vermont. I want to say the year
was 2008 and his version of Cry Love with the
trio moved me to tears. It was just gorgeous.
This song is beautiful and the timing of it has
this backbeat through the whole song. But at
the end, they just start rocking out to it and
it kind of brings you out of it and brings you
into the rockier side of John Hyatt. So it kind
of encompasses everything I love about his music.
It's pulling on the heartstrings. It's emotional,
but it also rocks. It's a little bit of everything
I love about John Hyatt. So cry love to follow
up your dad did. I love the transition from what
was Little Village in a prototype of the Bring
the Family to the Nashville Queens with that
very trademark mandolin and the sound that Capitol
Records just really kind of polished up like
a beautiful stone. And we're definitely going
to have to talk. after the podcast about seeing
him at the Paramount because I'm sure I was at
that show if it was after 1995, which is when,
of course, this album came out. And yeah, I think
this mixtape would not be complete with something
from that era. And I think this is a great choice.
It was his radio hit. You heard it a lot more
than some of his previous singles. And it just
tells a beautiful story. of heartbreak. It's
one of those third -person narratives that I
think John does very well. And it's just a rocker.
I can't say anything aside from that, only that
it's just a well -chosen. And if we're trying
to hit all the little sounds that John Hyatt
has done over the course of his career, we need
this. And I think it's a great choice. John will
use his voice as an instrument. And this is,
I think, a great example of him using the voice
to sell the emotion, to sell the story, to using
it. And he changes his pacing. And, you know,
sometimes he's holding out vowels. Other times
he's staccato. And so I just think this is a
really another really great song that really
fits. We're really cooking now. And for those
listening, just a reminder, you could hear all
the songs we've discussed in this mix through
the playlist embedded on the episode page. Now
with that, Sylvan, we are on to the second half
of our 12 song John Hyatt mixtape. So I'm going
to throw it back to you for track seven. Okay.
And I have to throw back to the advice of my
aunt and uncle that said, when you turn over
the mixtape. All the bets are off. You don't
have to continue on with the tone that was set
because we're on a brand new side. And that was
the impression that I wanted to give here that
we're starting all over again. And of that note,
I myself am arguing about the choice that I've
made with my pick because it seems like the deepest
sacrilege to say that anything. But the version
of this song that appears on Bring the Family
should be presented at any time. But I decided
if we are really talking about the ultimate John
Hyatt mixtape, we have to allow for his revisioning
of his classic song, Have Little Faith in Me.
So it had to be on the mixtape. And John said
that when this version got made for the best
of, he felt it was like he had originally wanted
to hear Have Little Faith in Me. So I'm talking
the version that starts with that stark piano
that we all love and then widens up to a full
band version with a gospel choir. And there are
wonderful lyrics in all of John's songs. This
is the one that people have chosen over and over
again as their wedding song. It is poetic in
its simplicity. And there's no better way to
say, give me your love. I want to walk through
this journey with you than to say, have a little
faith in me. And it needed to be on here. And
I'm just kind of tickled that I got to be the
one to pick it. Yeah, I'm so glad you did. One
of the things that... Sylvan and I really were
worried about is how do we do justice on this
song when we're discussing it? And we ended up
having a couple of guests join us and we've been
two hours. But that was partly because we asked
people to send in their thoughts of the song.
And so we added people calling and sharing. And
I believe there may be a voice that's kind of
familiar if you listen to that episode. There
might be a guy on there. I feel like I've heard
that voice before. Maybe when it's in my head.
I don't know. Yeah. And the other reason I think
this is perfect to start out the second half.
is when i talk to someone and they'll go i don't
know who john hyatt is i'll say you know i'll
name a couple of songs and then i said and probably
if you heard have a little faith in me you would
go oh that song that i've heard in the movies
and tv all the time and so i think by having
a copy of that i mean we ended up dozens of covers
right sylvan that and we ended up just uncle
because they just kept giving, giving and giving.
So I think this is a perfect way to start the
second half. Look, I want to take nothing away
from 1987's Bring the Family version because
that's the one that we all got introduced to
it with. I feel like if he was going to reimagine
it, you had to do a 180 because the original
is so perfect in its simplicity that if he just
tried to recreate that magic, you were not going
to get that lightning in a bottle. That original
version is simply perfect. It's on every one
of my mellow playlists, on my acoustic playlists.
It's perfect. But to reimagine it the way he
did, to me, you could listen to both songs back
to back, and it's two completely different experiences
that are both uniquely John Hyatt. You talked
cover songs, Jesse. When I chimed in on the Have
a Little Faith in Me episode for Perfectly Good
Podcast, I mentioned Joe Cocker's version. I
mentioned Jewel's version from the Phenomenon
movie. I mentioned Simmel's version, which people
might not be familiar with, but it was featured
in a Virgin River episode last year. And at the
time I sent you my little clip, it was at 180
,000 views on YouTube. It's up over 250 now.
So this song has staying power. Oh, and I also
have to mention The Electric Mayhem, because
if Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem are covering
a John Hyatt song, that hit me on so many levels
because that tugged on my heartstrings because
I love the song. But it also was my youth paying
respect to an artist I love as an adult. So there
was just so many just levels of awesomeness in
that version. And then lyrics right from the
jump. When the road gets dark and you can no
longer see, just let my love throw a spark and
have a little faith in me. Shout out again to
Patreon mixtaper Chad LaMassa, who chimed in
with this one. I think it would be a sacrilege
if we did not have Have a Little Faith in Me
in the first 12 songs. So I'm glad we got to
it. And with that, Jesse, you have a tough decision
to make here because you have to follow up one
of John's most beloved songs. So where do we
go from here? So I'm going to stay similar theme
and also another shout out to one of your patrons.
Right. And you ask, what am I not doing? She
says, your voice cannot command in time. You
will move mountains and it will come through
your hands. My favorite line from the song. Betsy
Hodges was on my set. Leslie Bruce podcast. She
is a former mayor. And she talked about her sobriety.
John Hyatt was such a huge influence and inspiration
for her. She said that when she goes to heaven,
she's going to ask God, how many times has she
listened to Thunder Road? But she says that Through
Your Hands has been one of those that is a hymn
to her. Through Your Hands has a similar theme.
And it's just, it is a song that I lose myself
in, in a different way than Have a Little Faith
in Me. But the idea that our hands, with these
hands, we can build a better life and better
future for each other. And so it just, I had
to include it. Yeah, I think all of those reasons,
it does need to be included because it has such
a beautiful message and it's so well done. I
also think it's important to include Something
from Stolen Moments, which is in its own way
a very unique John Hyatt album that it was made
with studio musicians as opposed to bands that
John was working with. It's different that it's
actually a duet, although of course we've heard
many a live version where John just sings it
solo. But I love having that woman's voice to
kind of really bring home the idea that it's
this conversation between a person and... higher
self or an angel as he refers to it. But at its
best, all art reminds us of our connection and
our place on the earth. And this does both, that
he's having a conversation even while really
doing some ultimate belly button gazing and coming
up with this universal truth that we're all here
to do good work and to connect to each other.
do our best in whatever means that is. And yeah,
it's beautifully lyrically. It's going to just
give you the chills musically, and it would be
incomplete without Through Your Hands. Another
exercise in songwriting perfection. When you
have Joan Baez cover the song from her 1992 album,
Play Me Backwards, when you have David Crosby,
David Crosby, obviously a guy who's known to
write a song or two, covered it on his 1993 record
Thousand Roads. And then Don Henley from some
band called The Eagles. I don't know. You may
have heard of him or not. His version from the
Michael soundtrack actually hit number 33 on
the U .S. Billboard charts. Those three names
all looked to John because of this song. And
these are three names that people look to for
their songs. So when people look to them and
they're looking to John, to me, it just elevates
John's prowess as a songwriter even more. And
once again, I want to give a shout out to Patreon
mixtape or Brandon from Virginia who chimed in
with this one. I couldn't agree more. It is a
perfect song that. Brandon and I could add to
the ultimate inspirational rock playlist volume
two. And I think that might be needed sooner
rather than later. Yeah. I mean, you think about
it to an angel bidding down to wrap you in her
warmest coat. Don't we all want that comfort
sometime? It just, Oh yeah, absolutely. A hundred
percent. And now I'm going to borrow a little
something from Sylvan and a little something
from you, Jesse Sylvan, you had mentioned all
bets are off on side B. So I'm going to, Go into
that. And Jesse, when you were talking about
your guest who talked about Through Your Hands,
you had mentioned that she found hope through
sobriety through that song. And it just made
me think of this line. I know a drink ain't no
solution. I ain't had one in 17 years. But if
that tiki bar was closed tonight, well, I might
just disappear. The title track to 2001's The
Tiki Bar Is Open. dark halo over it because it
was released on 9 -11 so there's this like tough
exterior layer to this brilliant album his last
on Vanguard Records and thematically it's a total
from what you guys were talking about because
it's John's takedown of consumerism strip malls
tourist traps and this is John just kind of using
his music as a way to try to make change in some
way, shape, or form. And he was once quoted in
an article saying, for me, the tiki bar being
open means that Daytona Beach is still there.
This was his way of saying that an area that
he loved was changing and changing and changing.
But as long as that tiki bar was open, there
was still hope, which ties it into Through Your
Hands. But musically, it's a little bit of a
different animal. And it brings us from the late
90s of Have a Little Faith in Me to the early
90s of Stolen Moments, brings us into the 2000s
once again, and just kind of a different vibe.
So yeah, all bets are off on Side B. And, you
know, I don't think any mix of John Hyatt would
be complete without the tiki bar also, because
it speaks to the, you know, theme of alcoholism,
but in a way that. only John could. You know,
it's not crying in my beer. It's not, oh, thank
the Lord I was saved. And, you know, I did my
12 steps or whatever. It's acknowledging that
that darkness is always kind of right there on
the edges. And to echo what you were saying,
Brian, about Daytona Beach, I loved when John
was talking about writing this song, being inspired,
just driving down the strip and seeing a sign
and. Having that nostalgia and also this sadness
at the same time, which I think is very much
wrapped up in this song. And I think only John
Hyatt can give us a song that is bittersweet
in this particular way that you really taste
the bitter and you really taste the sweet. And
also, by the way, you just want to get up and
dance and boogie. Right. It's all of that wrapped
up in one. And yeah, you need that on a mixtape.
Yeah. And I also think that including this gives
you the sing along chorus. John is good at those
songs as well. And I think when you hear him
do it live, everyone's joining in on that chorus.
And it's just in there is this wonderful sense
of humor. And yeah, I love it. And I'm so happy
it made the list. Yeah. And I love that we get
to witness John as a fan in that song with his
little hat tip to Dale Earnhardt. You know, it's
so easy for me, especially to put John on a pedestal
and think like, well, who does John look up to?
And to hear him give that homage to the man who
drove the black number three, I thought was really
lovely, even though I could care less about NASCAR.
Well, with that, Sylvan, we have one more round
of songs. So one song choice each. Is this getting
hard yet? We're back to you for track 10. It
wasn't hard. It was impossible. You know, I mean,
literally, if you were to say, OK, you can only.
Pick four songs, Sylvan, to represent all of
John. Like, I just I couldn't, even though I
have done it many times when someone says, OK,
well, I am interested in this person that you're
talking about all the time, Sylvan, because believe
me, you don't want to get stuck in an elevator
with me talking John Hyatt. Just give me a little
sampling so I can see if I like him. You know.
I then have to then ask the person, OK, well,
tell me your four favorite songs and I will match
rather than try to pick and choose John Hyatt
songs myself. Yes. But here we are. This is my
last pick. What is the song that I truly could
not live without in a mixtape or in a first draft
of a sampling of John? It's a song that has always
meant a lot to me because it was the song that
my mom used to describe my birthplace of New
Orleans and give me a little bit of a taste of
a heritage that I didn't get to experience firsthand
because I came to New England when I was literally
days old. But I was always kind of told about
what it was like in New Orleans and specifically
this feeling. of when the heat breaks and the
rain comes in off of the gulf and the ground
gets cool and there's sticky heat probably the
best love song ever written to say in the sticky
heat you open up to me and i got to hear this
song in New Orleans with a man I love and dance
in the rain because the Jazz Fest was nearly
rained out. I could not overlook Feels Like Rain
to put on this mixtape. Awesome. Yeah, I love
this song. I love the feeling. It captures such
a mood. And he played it on Treme. They showed
a scene of him singing it. And Steve Earle is
playing a character and he's talking to one of
the female characters. And I don't remember her
name, but she thinks the songs about Katrina.
And and, you know, the Steve Earle character
says he wrote this years before Katrina. But
that's what's great about a truly genius song
is it meaning can change multiple times. You
know, I love that we're doing this. Up until
this point, we had not really repeated an album.
And I'm so glad that Feels Like Rain made it.
I just get lost in that feeling of him and his
voice. And it feels like rain. Just, it brings
me joy. When the clouds blow in across the moon
and the wind howls out your name, Feels Like
Rain once again. Cover songs out the wazoo. Aaron
Neville, 1991, on his album Warm Your Heart.
And then some guy named Buddy Guy covered the
song in 1993 and also made it his album's title
track. Also, if you're a Buddy Guy fan, I just
recently had on Switchfoot's Tim Foreman, and
we talked about their collaborative single Last
Man Standing between Switchfoot and Buddy Guy,
which is friggin' incredible. But as much as
I love Buddy, we're here to talk about John Hyatt.
This song is, I'm so glad you went back to Slow
Turning. If there was ever an album that was
going to be repeated, I feel like this was, for
me, one of the ones that would be. And this is
an absolute essential. Yes. And I feel like we've
checked off a few essentials. So there might
be some John Hyatt fans that are listening to
this saying, Well, this was on the greatest hits
and that was on the greatest hits. But I feel
like we're trying to strike a balance here between
the hits and some deeper cuts to give somebody
who doesn't know John Hyatt kind of a spectrum
of what he's all about. So, Jesse, you and I
have to follow up a massive hit like feels like
rain. Where do we go from here with your last
pick of the night? Well, there's only two things
in life, but I forget what they are. I'm going
to, for my last pick, I'm picking Buffalo River
Home. Yes. One, because I think it's an absolutely
wonderful song. You know, sometimes there are
songs that you don't even have to hear the lyrics
and just get a feel of the song you enjoy. But
Buffalo River Home. Musically is amazing. And
there is some of the clearest and most clever
lyrics. When you think that you've been gypped,
the bearded lady comes and does a double back
flip and you run off and join the circus. Yeah,
you just let that pony ride. Buffalo River Home
is, and I know I keep saying this, but it is
one of my favorite songs. It is a song I never
get tired of. It could be on rotation and it
just would do that. I feel like once again, this
is I could just keep quoting lyrics. So I'm like,
OK, if I'm going to go out with one last song
and there are the rest of the dream and a bunch
of other songs that I adore. But I'm like, OK,
I'm going to go with this one. True to your positivity,
Jesse, that, you know, I think. Rest of the Dream
would have been a lovely pick because it does
have that hopeful, we have the future in front
of us and just optimism in its very tone and
every word. Buffalo River Home has that same
feeling, but in a perfect John Hyatt way that
it also acknowledges that life isn't perfect,
that sometimes you feel like you've been gypped
and then... The bearded lady comes. Yeah, life
isn't perfect, but it's all going to work out
somehow. And it's a great sing -along. I think
well chosen. And, you know, I really love that
the perfectly good guitar era and the guilty
dogs get their due. The late, great Mike Ward
doing an absolutely fantastic guitar on this.
A mixtape wouldn't be complete without a little
bit of taste of him. So well done. It seems we're
either hanging on a moonbeams coattails or wishing
on stars. Jesse, I feel like you and I have had
some synergy with the lyrics we've been pulling
from these songs. Maybe it's me. Okay. I'm just
going to say it. I have to, for the last song
of the tonight, double dip an album for the second
time because slow turning got represented twice.
And I know John Hyatt fans are either going to
love or hate this decision, but. For my last
song of the night, and I got to close this out,
I really tried to think about what made me the
John Hyatt fan that I am today. And I can tell
you that that happened in 1995. And it happened
the night before I drove down to college for
the first time. I was in my room and I was packing
up all of my things, getting ready to leave my
parents for the first time and go live on my
own at 17 years old. experience college. And
I'm just flipping through the channels, looking
for something to put on in the background while
I pack. And I get to PBS and there's this guy
in this band performing. And I'm like, Oh, what
the hell? Just put this on. I turn up the volume
and I turned up the volume during Tennessee plates.
And this was John's live from Austin city limits
special. And I stopped packing and I just sat
at the edge of my bed and I watched him perform
Tennessee plates, slow turning. And my last pick
of the night, the title track, Perfectly Good
Guitar, which I'm sure you guys will appreciate
with the name of your podcast. But when he played
Perfectly Good Guitar, I actually, when the song
was over, walked out to my parents and said,
is there any chance on the drive from New Jersey
to North Carolina, at some point we could just
stop at either a Walmart or a music store? I
need to grab this CD. This song just blew my
mind. He loved that guitar just like a girlfriend.
But every good thing comes to an end. Now he
just sits in his room all day whistling every
note he used to play. A little bit of his...
Humor coming into play here, a little bit of
his takedown on something he doesn't like. I
feel like this song was directly aimed at the
Garth Brooks of the world at the time who was
making it a thing on stage, smashing guitars.
And this was kind of his takedown of it in true
John fashion. So, yes, this might not be one
of the massive hits, but. You guys named a podcast
after it. So it has to mean something to both
of you. I'm guessing it's some small shape or
form. And for me, it's the song that solidified
my love of his music. So I didn't have much to
say about Buffalo River Home because that is
my second favorite song on Perfectly Good Guitar.
With the third being the opening track, Something
Wild that Iggy Pop covered. So to close the first
12 song. John Hyatt playlist, perfectly good
guitar from perfectly good guitar. So I'm going
to let Sylvan have last thoughts on this. So
I love perfectly good guitar. It makes me smile.
Chris was pretty young when this came out. And
so he loved this song, just the idea that energy
every time. I've seen John do it. He'll pretend
to smash the guitar and then he hugs it instead.
And it just is a perfect way to end the CD or
our mixtape. You know, it just, it sends you
off with a smile. And it says that this, once
again, his sense of humor. He's a rocker, right?
He is Americana, but he can do country. He can
do hard rock and he's unique. And yeah, I just
love it. Well, I have to embarrass myself once
again, because I am that annoying person that
you don't want to be sitting next to at a concert.
John has said in many an interview that he has
smashed a guitar once out of anger because he
was having such a bad songwriting night or something
like that. Well. I have on videotape and I put
it up on YouTube the time that John was on The
Tonight Show promoting Perfectly Good Guitar.
And at the very end, he literally smashed a guitar
and Jay Leno came over and said, yeah, it's the
kick your ass special. And I was at home watching
just like, how could he have done that? So years
and years later, John said. Oh, I've only smashed
a guitar once. And this is in a concert hall
full of, you know, probably 300 people. And again,
I'm annoying. I can't deny the fact that I'm
a know -it -all. I find up to be on a podcast
where we literally talk about every John Hyatt
song. And I just kind of called out, and on Leno.
And I kind of thought it would just like pass.
And John said, what was that? actually say that
and on Leno he's like did I break one on Leno
and I you did we were just kind of going back
and forth and the whole crowd kind of laughed
and it's like wow I really am that person but
I did not know this story I love the story I
could just picture teacher teacher oh excuse
me excuse me you got that wrong yes but at that
point John did say it was a prop Which, one,
I forgave him for forgetting, and two, I forgave
him for smashing the guitar because it was a
prop. I can totally live with that. It was a
fake guitar, which actually makes sense when
you look back at the tape. It was probably just
balsa wood or something. It wasn't perfectly
good, so it's okay to smash it. It wasn't perfectly
good. And, you know, I do, getting back to the
song, I think it's great. It represents John
Rocker's side. It represents the... tenderness
that he can talk about how music can change us.
It shows him creating a character that you kind
of think is probably John Hyatt, at least some
version of him, but you could also imagine as
completely a fictional character. And even gets
a little dirty by saying they all got wet when
he smashed that thing, which went pretty much
over my head the first time I heard it when I
was 14. And then I... Realize, huh, was that
something that I should have been singing along
to? And yeah, it's crunchy, it's gritty, it's
soulful. And it's also perfectly ironic because
it just fits that Midwestern modesty of, yeah,
it's perfectly good as opposed to absolutely
freaking fantastic, which. is John Hyatt in a
nutshell. And hey, I think we kind of did it,
guys. We got a great mix going. I couldn't agree
more. And that, mixtapers, concludes volume one
of the ultimate John Hyatt mixtape, which consists
of Let It Ride from the Country Bears soundtrack,
Drive South from Slow Turning, Riding with the
King from the album of the same name, We're All
Right Now from Mystic Pinball, Your Dad Did from
Bring the Family, Cry Love from Walk On, Have
a Little Faith in Me from the best of John Hyatt,
Through Your Hands from Stolen Moments, The Tiki
Bar is Open from the album of the same name,
Feels Like Rain from Slow Turning, and then Buffalo
River Home and Perfectly Good Guitar from Perfectly
Good Guitar. Head over to myweeklymixtape .com
to hear all the songs we've discussed in this
mix through the playlist embedded on the episode
page. Sylvan and Jesse, why don't you let people
know more about where they can find Perfectly
Good Podcast and connect with you both on social
media? Absolutely. So Bees, wherever you listen
to podcasts, search for Perfectly Good Podcast,
John Hyatt A to Z. We have a Facebook page for
the podcast and we make ourselves quite at home
in the John Hyatt fan page. That's probably the
easiest way to find our own website where we
have the complete list of the songs and a target
date of when we're going to be recording them.
So we love having guests. Please go ahead and
try to find us. And it doesn't have to be your
favorite song, but look at what's coming up and
send us a note. Perfectly good podcast at gmail
.com. We'd love to hear from you. And, you know,
you can be our guest just like we were. the guests
for Brian on my weekly mixtape. Thank you so
much. And I am at Jesse Jackson, DFW on X, AKA
Twitter. I want to stress what Sylvan said. You
know, a lot of people go, well, God, my favorite
John song doesn't start till it, you know, starts
with an S or a W. Pick just another song and
just spend some time with it. And I think you'll
have a lot of fun. I am doing a set listing.
Bruce continue. part of the wonderful Pantheon
Network, as is Perfectly Good Podcast. And my
weekly mixtape. Yes, indeed. Where I talk to
people about the power and the magic of music,
and not just Bruce Springsteen fans, but it is
always a lot of fun to have them there. And I'm
always looking for guests. If you are passionate
about music, if you have a favorite band. reach
out to me at setlustingbruce at gmail .com and
we'll make it happen. And you can talk about
why your band has made a difference in your life.
Well, Sylvan and Jesse, this has been an absolute
blast. Thank you guys for keeping the episode
under 12 hours long. And I'm already looking
forward to seeing where volume two takes us.
Thank you guys so much for joining me on my weekly
mixtape. Thank you for keeping the mixtape alive.
Yes. And keep hope alive. Amen. And remember,
you can find my weekly mixtape on almost all
the social media haunts at my weekly mixtape.
You can also head to my weekly mixtape dot com
to check out the full catalog of my weekly mixtape
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That's all for this week. Thanks again for listening,
and until next time, enjoy the tunes.