Loudon Wainwright III
Biography
Loudon Wainwright III grew up in the town of Bedford in wealthy Westchester County north of New York City, the son of Loudon S. Wainwright, Jr., a writer and editor at Life magazine and a direct descendant of colonial governor Peter Stuyvesant. Wainwright became a folk singer/songwriter in the late '60s, singing humorous and nakedly honest autobiographical songs. Signed to Atlantic Records, he recorded Album I (1970) and Album II (1971), accompanying himself on acoustic guitar, before switching to Columbia Records, for which he made the folk-rock Album III (1972), which featured the Top 40 novelty hit "Dead Skunk." Attempted Mustache (1973) and the half-live Unrequited (1975) did not continue that commercial success, though Wainwright's humor and engaging stage persona made him a cult figure and a concert favorite. Meanwhile, his songs were recorded by others, notably Kate (his wife, since divorced) and Anna McGarrigle, and Wainwright appeared in the off-Broadway show Pump Boys and Dinettes and played a featured role on the successful M*A*S*H television series. He moved to Arista Records for T Shirt (1976) and Final Exam (1978), on which he was backed by a rock band, but departed the major labels for a more appropriate home on the folk-based indie Rounder for A Live One (1980) and Fame and Wealth (1983).
Selected Discography
Recovery
2008
Strange Weirdos
2007
Here Come The Choppers
2005
Last Man On Earth
2001
Social Studies
1999
Album III
1972
He played Capt. Calvin Spaulding, the singing surgeon on M*A*S*H. I beleive he sang 'Abscence Makes the Heart Grow Founder" and a little bit of "Unrequited" . It has been 15 years at least since I saw the re-run, but I still remember it.
Loudon is amazing concert. |
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If you're even given the chance to see Loudon in person.....d o n ' t pass it up. Not only a wonderful musician, but funnier than Hell.
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Does anybody know the role he played on M.A.S.H. referenced in the review above?? I used to watch that show all the time & I don't remember him at all. He looks a little like Mike Farrell, who played BJ Hunnicut...
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Apples and oranges as diametricall y opposed as night and day; winepoem is not wrong....but it's really just a silly comparison anyway. No need to jump to conclusions, let it brew a little while longer.
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Just heard "New Paint" Wow! Who is this guy? Nice find Pandora. Way better than Tom Waits.
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i listen to his song grey in la at least once a day. he has real talent that is hard to find. his lyrics are real, which is a great refreshment to me.
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You could hear a pin drop when he entered the stage at the Philadelphia Academy of Music in the spring of 1973. He was preceded by a rowdy English? Irish? string band that I cannot remember the name of anymore. His command of the audience was amazing. His quirky humor and lyrics always put a smile on my face. Lost track of his tracks in the 80s. Glad Pandora is here.
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Really one of my favorite artists. I put together a collection of his songs about family -- about his dad, grandma, mom, sister, daughter (devastating one about losing his temper and slapping her), and of course various wives -- and the songs are just terrific. Touching, funny, cringe-inspi r i n g l y truthful, and musically superfine. Yeah, he can be jokey/flip -- but that doesn't bother me when balanced with the achy stuff. A deeply underappreci a t e d artist.
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He writes songs about life, his observations of life and if you listen to enough of his material, when sex is referenced it seems to go with the flow of human behavior we all follow. Sex is a part life and is on people's minds anyway, to different degrees. To me, it doesn't shock or affront me because it just goes through his music lyrics like other life subjects,sit u a t i o n s , and observations he sings about. Like when guys stand around and offhandedly exchange notes about their sexual encounters.
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So deep and yet so shallow his lyrics. His "Three Mirrors" is pure poetry. His "Breakfast in Bed' is just bragging about banging at his age (in my opinion)
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