Jerry Jeff Walker
Dinosaur DVDs with a smattering of punk, porn, and R&B
Reviewed by Jim Caligiuri, Fri., Dec. 21, 2012
Jerry Jeff Walker
Live from Dixie's Bar & Bus Stop (May6)If you lived in mid-Eighties Austin, you might recall a cable TV show called Dixie's Bar and Bus Stop. Taped at a studio on East Fifth Street, its more than 70 episodes featured country/roots artists from Texas. Jerry Jeff Walker's set, the first in what's promised as a series of Dixie releases, preserves an interesting historical document. Available as either DVD or CD, the former contains a healthy 26 songs of where the gypsy raconteur was at the time. Visually, it's no Austin City Limits, which one supposes was the point, but the lack of professional production values underscores the handheld cameras and painfully obvious edits between songs. Walker works up a healthy sweat over the course of more than 90 minutes, but no one mops his brow through the set of lovable acoustic performances. Additionally, two tunes are mislabeled: "Wingin' It Home to Texas" is actually "David and Me," and the set closer isn't "Django's Lullaby," but "My Old Man." Worth a look and listen for JJW fans of all ages, but the lack of attention to detail, and what seems to be a hastily produced project, might rightfully scare some away.
