The elite really are wearing Ugg boots. When Marshall Chapman and Bobbie Ann Mason are BOTH wearing Ugg boots, tall, in different shades of brown, it is a thang.

We braved the cold that New Yorkers would laugh at (right now) to go see Marshall Chapman read from her memoir GOODBYE, LITTLE ROCK AND ROLLER (which sports a great cover, of a 20s Marshall sunning on a lawn chair in the nude, flipping off the camera), and sing a few songs. The woman is a born storyteller, if ever there was one. Elegant, even in Uggs. I discovered her by accident, about a month or so ago, listening to this fantastic interview with her by Bob Edwards on Morning Edition. (I can't urge you strongly enough to go to that webpage and listen to the full interview and the Middle English rap before NPR loses it in the archives; fabulous stuff.)

Marshall is tall, as her web domain TallGirl would tell you, and informal to the point of hilarity. Bobbie Ann Mason, who currently makes her home around these parts and is originally from Kentucky, was in the audience to support her friend. Her last book, ELVIS, received great reviews.

The guy who Marshall went out on her first date with at Vanderbilt showed up before the reading, got a book signed and left. He had on leather tassled loafers; freaky. Another couple in the audience had met Marshall in Switzerland in the late '60s and had the pictures of her sleeping on the floor to prove it. Marshall asked them politely, "You know we had forged Eurail passes, right? They were forged. They caught up with us in Italy." In other words, buy the book, the CDs, listen to the interview -- not only is she one of the best songwriters you've never heard of (unless you're luckier than me or remember me raving about her a month ago), she's one of those rare people who has lived an insanely full life and who can parse it and talk about it in the here and present. Hilariously.

Enough. It was a very fun reading/mini-concert. I was going to say something here that I was thinking about earlier about how the roots of _real_ country music are closer to rock and roll than we casually think of now, because the popular version of "Country Music" has gotten so far away from what it actually is. (Same as popular "rock" has, really.) But instead, I think I'll just post the lyrics to one of her songs. (And actually, it's worth looking at the list of Marshall's songs and who's recorded them here, because you're practically guaranteed to recognize something. "Rode Hard and Put Up Wet" was in URBAN COWBOY.)

Betty's Bein' Bad

Betty's out bein' bad tonight
Betty and her boyfriend
They had a big fight
She found out
What everybody knew
Too many cooks spoil the stew
She don't care
What nobody thinks
She's gonna be bad
'til the whole town stinks

chorus
Betty's bein bad
Betty's bein bad
She's bein bad bad bad
She's out bein' bad
Betty's out bein' bad tonight
Betty and her boyfriend
They had a big fight

She went home when she found out
Said, "Pack your bags
I want you out"
Her boyfriend thought
She was talking jive
'til he saw her standing
With a .45
A .45's quicker than 409
Betty cleaned house
For the very last time

chorus
Betty's bein bad
Betty's bein bad
She's bein bad bad bad
She's out bein' bad
Betty's out bein' bad tonight
Betty and her boyfriend
They had a big fight

Now if you go out
And you see Betty
Don't scream and shout
Unless you are ready
You are ready to rock
Ready to roll
'til hell freezes over
And you catch a cold
Betty's not mad
She's just getting even
Betty's bein' bad
It's her way of leaving

She sang it tonight as "Betty and her boyfriend, they had the big fight" and I liked that phrasing, "the big fight." Great song.

And now to bed! And tomorrow to shop for shoes and get Steve Earle tickets and take George to his sitters and do laundry for MEXICO! Yay!

earworm: See above.

rec: See above.

namecheck: Elvis "You Really Are Dead" Presley