In times of austerity it pays if you are able to make things – particularly clothes. Dolly Parton tells of how her mother made her a Coat of Many Colors out of materials that she had to hand. She faced derision from her childhood friends for wearing it, but she loved it so much that it is now in her museum.
And making your own liquor, although illegal, has always been something people have loved to do. Joan Baez sings that all you need is a Copper Kettle, a copper coil and some corn mash to make the best moonshine. It's a handed-down skill and as a bonus they “Ain’t paid no whiskey tax since 1792”.
Different ingredients are required if something stronger is required. In Castin’ My Spell on you, we find that if you mix black cat, cave bat, blue snake, green snake, hog jaw, dogs paw, horse hair and a green pear then you’ll have the makings of the strongest potion.
For some people making things is all they know. We aren’t told what is being made here, only that it has been for a long time and it has been a chore. Good With My Hands is a salutary tale of a life of hard times making things with little reward.
Monteleone, on the other hand, is a guitar maker. He has been asked to make a special instrument for Mark Knopfler. His response to the request is to say “The chisels are calling/ it’s time to make sawdust”.
Seasick Steve is more basic in his construction. The only materials he needs are a piece of 4-by-2, a single string and some power. And there you have a Diddley Bo. Even with only one string he can still make some noise.
Food can be used to form shapes. Icing sugar or marzipan for instance can be formed into flowers, birds, butterflies or all sorts of decoration. But how about cheese? Well according to Yo-La Tengo a Retired Grocer Constructs Tiny Mount Rushmore Entirely Out Of Cheese. He added other things too. The whole thing was, sadly, eaten by a dog.
If things are to be made, then you need the right equipment. Don’t Stand Between A Man And His Tools is a warning to leave things alone if you want things done because “you never know when you might need one”. Did I note a bit of sampling of a Beatles song there?
On a more serious note, nilpferd tells us the story of a massacre in New Zealand that claimed 13 victims. The song focuses on the gunsmith who sold the gun and giving his best spiel to the buyer. A Thing Well Made tells us that the guy who made the gun was a craftsman with pride in his work. “Can you see the man who made that/ Can you see him putting it down and standing back.”
This guy is determined to do his own thing even though his wife tells their children he is mad. But he works away in the basement, studies books and finds parts to use. Eventually he is ready and takes the result of his labours out to see if it works. Walt Grace’s Submarine Test is a huge success and he ends up in Tokyo in his “Home made, fan-blade, one man submarine ride”.
And after we have all grown tired of making things for ourselves we can rely on Good Technology to fulfil all our needs.
The list
1. Dolly Parton – Coat of Many Colours
3. Marci Lee and Johnny Otis – Casting My Spell on You
4. Clive Gregson and Christine Collister – Good With My Hands
7. Yo La Tengo – Retired Grocer Constructs Tiny Mount Rushmore Entirely Out Of Cheese
8. The Spooky Men's Chorale – Don't Stand Between a Man and His Tools
9. The Mutton Birds – A Thing Well Made
10. John Mayer – Walt Grace's Submarine Test
11. Red Guitars – Good Technology
