"A Giant Oak Tree in a Town Full of Plastic Flowers"

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Guy Clark has died. Otis Gibbs, an alt-country/Americana singer/songwriter and host of Thanks For Giving a Damn, tweeted that Clark "was a giant oak tree in a town full of plastic flowers," and that's about as good an explanation and description of Guy Clark as you're ever going to hear. Clark had been in failing health for a number of years, and earlier this year he was moved into a hospice/nursing home facility. His death at the age of 74, while expected, is still tough for the world of country, alt-country, and Americana to accept. Guy Clark wasn't a songwriter. He was a poet. A craftsman. A novelist who wrote his tomes in rhymed couplets. Anyone who's ever driven in Los Angeles has probably quoted his song "L.A. Freeway," "If I could just get off of this L.A. Freeway without getting killed or caught." He gave us the truth about "Homegrown Tomatoes" ("there's only two things that money can't buy, and that's true love and homegrown tomatoes"). And he put music in its proper place as art ("I have seen the David, I've seen the Mona Lisa too, and I have heard Doc Watson play 'Columbus Stockade Blues'"). His best-known song is probably "Heartbroke," which was a #1 hit for Ricky Skaggs in 1983. It was covered by countless others, including George Strait and Rodney Crowell (about whom Clark wrote in the song "Black Diamond Strings," along with Crowell's father). But that was hardly the scope of his work. Everyone who heard him loved him: his gravely, "I've lived a lot" voice the perfect augmentation for his lyrics that detailed everything (consider the opening line of "Heartbroke," "Who wouldn't notice the look in your eyes or the bitter direction of impending goodbyes"). His songs were covered all over the place, including Kenny Chesney ("Hemmingway's Whiskey"), Vince Gill ("Oklahoma Borderline"), Jimmy Buffett ("Boats to Build"), and John Conlee ("The Carpenter"). To call him a songwriter's songwriter is simply not adequate. Gibbs has it correct: he was an oak tree of a songwriter. My favorite Guy Clark story...er...song: