I’ve only played a “drinking game” once in my life, and that was more than enough for me. I go into detail about the night that I was involved in a drinking game in my review of Big in Iowa, but suffice it to say, I was a little drunk before it was all said and done. I still don’t know all of the rules of that game, but I think they were that Heath had to take a drink every time anyone said anything. So I haven’t ever involved in a drinking game again, mostly because, well mostly because the events following the drinking are pretty fuzzy. I have seen other drinking games. At the “Let’s Party Like It’s 1999 in Alva” party at Alva on December 31st, 1999, I saw a girl do the “hour of power.” Basically she did a shot of beer every minute for an hour. Later in the night she flashed me. I think she was one of the first Girls Gone Wild girls. Of course there is the Gary England drinking game that is popular in Oklahoma during the spring and early summer storm season. Other drinking games are associated with TV shows that have a cult following. Shows like The Deadliest Catch. If you haven’t caught this show, for shame on you. It is the best show on TV, now or ever. Basically, this show follows a bunch of fisherman catching Alaskan king crab in the Bering Sea. The plot of the show is high seas, cussing, crabs and greenhorns. But the format is perfect for a drinking game, if you are into that kind of thing, which I’m not if you look at my first story, but am in favor of if you followed my second story. What you do is at the start of the show everyone picks a boat and that is your boat for the night. Anytime they cut to your boat, you take a drink. Anytime someone from your boat gets bleeped then you take two drinks. If a 40’ wave crashes your boat you get to pick someone that must finish their drink. Everyone takes a drink when the announcer mentions “Dutch Harbor.” If a greenhorn from your boat makes a mistake the person sitting to your left must take 3 drinks. If your boat has a breakdown, you must finish a six-pack then sit in the chair of shame and drink no more for the night. Your so-called friends can then make fun of you. You take five drinks if your boat is mentioned as having a 24-hour soak. If a wife or girlfriend of the skipper of the boat shows up, all the women must take 2 drinks. Basically, it’s just all kinds of fun, or so I’ve been told. One thing for sure, it’s not the good kids that play drinking games. If you play these games and are not one of the good kids, Max Stalling tells us you may live forever. At least he tells us that on If Only the Good Die Young.
This is the first song on another great CD from my favorite artist, Max Stalling. From this first song to the last cut of How Blue Can You Go, this CD gets better and is destined for the classic vault of great music CD’s. He tells tales of love, lost love and stories from small towns with different styles to match the story he tells. One thing that is becoming more and more evident with each song or CD from Max is that he is the single most under appreciated songwriter in the music business. He had time to come up with some great songs as this is the first studio work he as done in nearly five years. He did have a couple of new songs on his Sell Out CD from earlier this year. But it seems every one of these songs could be a once in lifetime song for a normal songwriter. One of my favorites on here is Goodnight Never Meant Goodbye. This song captures small town life and a breakup that is part of the whole community, not just the couple involved. There is a part about the sheriff in town and the gossip at the café that only small town folks can relate to. Plus I love the Don Williams reference in the first verse. In my book, you can never go wrong with a Don Williams reference… ever. I also loved Ping, Pong, Pool, I don’t really know how to describe all the verses to it, so I guess you will just have to listen to it to understand it. Suffice it to say, it’s a cool song that can find a way to mention Remington, nine ball, Walla Walla Washington, Richie Rich and marmalade all into one song. Now that takes talent. Plus I love the tune. It’s just great all the way around. Never Need to Fall in Love might be as perfect of a love song as was ever penned. And it even gives hope to the lonely that are listening to it. Another song that does a great job of promoting the rural lifestyle is Skyview Cabaret. It simply states what is so great about a night out in the open spaces without any lights from town. I know it wasn’t the intention of this song, far from it actually, but Topaz City had some lines that reminded me of my hometown of Greensburg after the tornado. “But it’s all different in so many ways/Changes hid in plain sight/busted windows, a dusty wind blows.” But the line that still puts a lump in my throat is “Mom’s home place gone, that just seems wrong.” Another song where I really loved the lyrics was on Lank & Lonesome & Low & Loose at Both Ends.
Sleep is mostly accidental, mostly just a real slow blink
I’ve got faucet dripping all night long in a thought filled sink
I feel like I’m walking in boots with only one heal
I seem to keep my balance but I come up short in the deal.
So, what have we learned today:
- Sometimes a drinking game will leave you sick on a porch, other times flashing a total stranger
- Max has another series of hits on his hands
- And Deadliest Catch is a real cool show.
I give this song 5 out of 5 Don Williams’s references.