Loudon Wainwright III Newcastle City Hall 16th Sep 1979
Loudon Wainwright is a funny guy.
“Loudon Wainwright III is a direct descendant of Peter Stuyvesant, renowned one-legged Dutch Governer of New York. Loudon I was an insurance salesman, Loudon II is a mild mannered reporter for a former great metropolitan magazine. And Loudon III is a “post-psychedelic beatnik” who has been lauded far and wide as a writer-performer of uncommon wit, intelligence and insight, and with a unique capacity for capturing irony and absurdity in his work, that sets him apart from the great majority of similar entertainers” (from Loudon 1979 programme).
I went along to this gig with a group of friends from college. One of the guys, Vaughan, had recently become a big fan of Loudon Wainwright and sand many of his crazy songs to us. He persuaded us all to go along with him to see Loudon when he came to the City Hall (not that I needed much persuading to go along to a concert in those days). The concert wasn’t well attended, but those of there spent an enjoyable evening listening to Loudon’s crazy, funny songs and stories. Loudon was promoting his 8th album “A Live One”, which had been recorded during his 1976 UK tour.
Personal Note (from Loudon 1979 programme): “Loudon Wainwright III is now living in California. He is the father of two children, Rufus and Martha. He has written songs for both of them – “Rufus is a Tit Man” and “Pretty Little Martha”. Loudon is a sports fanatic, and drives a 15 year old blue Checker.”
“Crossin’ the highway late last night, He shoulda looked left and he shoulda looked right,
He didn’t see the Station Wagon car, The skunk got squashed and there you are,
You got yer, Dead skunk in the middle of the road,
Dead skunk in the middle of the road, Dead skunk in the middle of the road,
Stinkin’ to high heaven, Take a whiff on me that ain’t no rose,
Roll up yer window and hold yer nose, You don’t have to look and you don’t have to see,
‘Cause you can feel it in your olfactory.”
(Loudon Wainwright III, Dead Skunk, 1972).
Note 1. “Dead Skunk” was a hit in the US singles chart reaching No 12.
Note 2. The “olfactory” system is the sensory system used for the sense of smell.
5 Jan
Vintagerock's Weblog. 
Posted by stephenwpark on August 9, 2017 at 2:34 pm
yes I attended this gig, someone came into the pub, (Haymarket Hotel, sadly gone) where I was drinking (underage) a beer called Eighty Shillings, and they announced that tickets for the gig at the city hall were now free of charge. The performer was Loudon Wainwright III. I sat at the front of the balcony. His solo performance was brilliant and very funny and the place was almost empty. I have been a life long fan and have several of his albums. ‘Therapy’ is a possible favourite. A truly great and tragically underrated songwriter. Dump the Dog; Swimming song; Harry’s Wall; One Man Guy; and many more.
Posted by David henderson on August 12, 2020 at 8:30 pm
This is a great memory – i was there, have the programme buried in my loft somewhere. He was superb, very funny and very quirky. I have followed his career since then and just read his very interesting biography detailing a very up and down life. Thanks for reminding me of this.
Posted by vintagerock on August 13, 2020 at 11:24 am
A great musician and a funny guy too happy days David cheers Peter