tony tost's america

Episode 18 | "I'm an Astronaut, and I Own This Bar"

tonytost@yahoo.com (Tony Tost) — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 09:13:45 PDT

Welcome to Tony Tost’s America. My name is Tony Tost, and this is my America.

“Your Own Back Yard,” Dion

Tom Waits hawks his wares

“I’ve Just Destroyed the World,” Willie Nelson; “Blood Done Signed My Name,” The Radio Four; “Walking With Frankie,” Frankie Lee Sims; “Another Lonely Saturday,” Dee Dee Warwick; “Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos),” The Highwaymen

Glen Sherley testifies

“Look Back in Anger,” Glen Sherley; “Monkey David Wine,” David Allan Coe; “Midnight Train,” The Delmore Brothers; “Oozlin’ Daddy Blues,” Bob Wills; “No One to Love Me,” Manny Nichols; “Wonder Drug,” Carl Butler; “Tell Me Why You Like Roosevelt (pt. 1),” Otis Jackson; “Tupelo,” Captain Beefheart; “Rivers of Babylon,” Steve Earle

Albert Ayler gets too close

“See His Blessed Face,” Sister Wynona Carr

William S. Burroughs wants just the facts

“Stormy Monday,” Question Mark and the Mysterians; “Tell Me Why You Like Roosevelt (pt. 2),” Otis Jackson

Blind Arvella Grey’s on social discourse and roughneck days

“Paper in My Shoe,” Boozoo Chavis; “The Troubadour,” Johnny Cash; “In the Pines,” The Carter Family (2nd generation); “Old Rivers,” Dave Dudley; “Rainbow’s End,” Sons of the Pioneers; “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” JD Crow & the New South (Keith Whitley, vocals); “To the Other Woman,” Jeannie C. Riley; “I’d Lie to You For Your Love,” The Bellamy Brothers

Dion McGregor talks in his sleep

“Mr. Moon,” Bobby Charles; “Streets of Laredo,” Leonard Cohen; “Phantom 309,” Tom Waits; “Blame It On Me,” John Carter Cash; “Rivers of Babylon,” Wingless Angels; “Swing Low Sweet Chariot,” Dizzy Gillespie; “Big Midnight Special,” Jean Shepard

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Episode 17 | "Things Out There That'll Bend Your Bones"

tonytost@yahoo.com (Tony Tost) — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 16:10:53 PDT

Welcome to Tony Tost's America. My name is Tony Tost, and this is my America.

“Boys, the Night Will Bury You,” Richard Buckner; “Snake Song,” Emmylou Harris; “$1000 Wedding,” Gram Parsons; “A Wedding in Cherokee County,” Randy Newman; “Stranger in My Own Home Town (Outtake),” Elvis Presley

WC Fields employs his genius

“I Walk on Gilded Splinters,” Dr. John; “In the Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad),” Dolly Parton; “Come Kiss Your Man,” Doug Kershaw

Richard Pryor and Cassius Clay solicit an array of laughter

“I Was a Stranger,” Smog; “Catfish Blues (Solo Demo),” Gregg Allman; “Let Me In,” Porter Wagoner

Rev. Emmett Dickinson knows Hell like a baby knows his father

“Back Home in Huntsville Again,” Bobby Bare; “Cocaine Blues,” Roy Hogsed; “A Train’s A-Coming,” Ella Jenkins

Johnny Cash’s ramblin’ fever

“The Voice Within,” Percy Mayfield; “Don’t Go to Strangers,” JJ Cale; “We Re-Opened an Old Love,” Melba Montgomery; “In the Shadow of the Pines,” The Carter Family; “I’ve Been Pretending (Everything’s Alright),” Pauline Rodgers; “I Still Miss Someone,” Laura Cantrell

John Peel sees the river rising

“Dragging the River,” Ferlin Husky

Rev. T.E. Weems is waiting down there by the train

“Desperadoes Waiting for a Train,” Slim Pickens; “My Prayer,” Roy Orbison; “State Trooper,” Bruce Springsteen; “Philosophy,” Tennessee Ernie Ford

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Episode 16 | "Undertaker Please Drive Slow"

tonytost@yahoo.com (Tony Tost) — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 18:50:35 PDT

Welcome to Tony Tost's America. My name is Tony Tost, and this is my America:

Robert Mitchum and Lillian Gish lean on one another, in the everlasting

“I Am a Pilgrim,” Johnny Cash; “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” Senator Robert Byrd; “The Soldier,” Jean Ritchie

Vincent Price provides an invocation

“Born in the USA,” Bruce Springsteen; “Over Yonder,” Little Richard; “The Weapon of Prayer,” Jim and Jesse McReynolds; “The Seeker,” Dolly Parton

Lenny Bruce travels the space ways

“Sad Cinderella,” Townes Van Zandt; “The Lone Pilgrim,” Doc Watson Family; “Back When Gas Was Thirty Cents a Gallon,” Tom T. Hall; “My Wife and Woman,” Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup

Vachel Lindsay travels into the heart of darkness

“Plan Wreck at Los Gatos,” Joe Ely; “Downbound Train,” Chuck Berry

Dave Rabbit has a reminder for the troops

“Mental Revenge,” Johnny Darrell; “Sloppy Drunk Blues,” Leroy Carr & Scrapper Blackwell; “Jesus Is on the Mainline,” Mississippi Fred McDowell; “I Ain’t Gonna Sin No More,” James & Martha Carson; “Can You Find the Time to Pray,” Cast King & the Miller Sisters; “Blackjack County Chain,” Jack Palance; “Words, Names, Faces,” Jeannie C. Riley

Elvis is made to be broken

“Lawdy, Miss Clawdy,” Elvis Presley; “Soldiers of the Cross,” Delaney & Bonnie; “Locus Street,” The Black Crowes; “Dancing With Tears in My Eyes,” Leadbelly; “Electricity,” Jimmy Murphy

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Episode 15 | "Under God's Wide, Wide Sky"

tonytost@yahoo.com (Tony Tost) — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 10:14:54 PDT

Welcome to Tony Tost’s America. My names is Tony Tost, and this is my America.

“Down in Tennessee,” John Anderson; “The Randall Knife,” Guy Clark; “Stagger Lee,” Champion Jack Dupree; “Look Again to the Wind,” Peter La Farge; “Folsom Prison Blues,” Slim Harpo; “Papa Why Don’t You Stop Drinking,” Lonnie Glosson; “He Will Set Your Fields on Fire,” Kitty Wells

David Koresh discusses Amy Grant and the inner violence of music

“I’m On Fire,” Charles Manson; “Arkansas State Prison,” Bobby Womack

Laurel & Hardy are headed to Dixie

“There’s No Disappointment In Heaven,” Bob Wills; “Time Will Tell,” The Black Crowes; “Lonesome Jailhouse Blues,” Aunt Molly Jackson; “Whoopee Ti Yi Yo,” Karen Dalton

CS Giscombe emits a monster

“Saddle My Pony,” Howlin’ Wolf; “Every Time I Hear the Rain a-Fallin’,” Jimmy Driftwood; “Bugs,” Bobbie Gentry; “Drink To Me Only With Thine Eyes,” Paul Robeson

Rudy Ray Moore finds some sugar on a corner

“Black Night,” Bobby Bland; “Fare Thee Well, Miss Carousel,” Townes Van Zandt

John Wayne testifies

“Ghost Riders in the Sky,” Bob Dylan (w/ Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash & the Tennessee Three); “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town,” Carl Perkins

Alice Notley is a little lost lamb in the heart of the city

“South of Cincinnati,” Dwight Yoakam

Johnny Cash discusses heroics

“Sam Hall,” Tex Ritter; “Streets of Laredo,” Marty Robbins; “Devil’s Son-in-Law,” Peetie Wheatstraw; “Radio Station S-A-V-E-D,” Roy Acuff.

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Episode 14 | "Where the Train Goes Slow"

tonytost@yahoo.com (Tony Tost) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 06:50:08 PDT

Welcome to Tony Tost's America. My name is Tony Tost, and this is my America.

"Going to Memphis," Carl Perkins
"Two Six Packs Away," Dave Dudley
"What'd I Say (pt. 1)," Jerry Lee Lewis
"Late Last Night," John Lee Hooker
"Don't Miss That Train," Sister Wynona Carr

Judy Garland knows what she's worth, and where to find love

"Ain't Blues Too Sad," Roky Erickson & Okkervil River
"Cowboy's Prayer," Goebel Reeves
"Man in the Long Black Coat," Bob Dylan

Steven Wright and Townes Van Zandt share a mask

"Mr. Mudd & Mr. Gold," Townes Van Zandt
"Southern Accents," Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
"El Rey," George Strait
"Me and Paul," Doug Sahm

Johnny Cash in a landscape of resemblances

"Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight," Rodney Crowell

Robert Duncan's everlasting omen

"Tecumseh Valley," The Flatlanders

Woody Guthrie gets inside the inner migrating brain

"California Cottonfields," Merle Haggard
"Hillbilly Highway," Steve Earle

Lucius Tate talks with a neighbor

"Louisiana Man," Johnny Cash
"Tipitina," Dr. John
"Take Five," Hound Dog Taylor
"What'd I Say (pt. 2)," Jerry Lee Lewis
"Night Rider," Elvis Presley
"Hey, Memphis," Lavern Baker
"Fly Trouble," Hank Williams

Hank Williams sees songs in every kitchen, every parlor, any purse

"Down There By the Train," Tom Waits
"Night Train to Memphis," Rick Nelson

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Episode 13 | "The Darkness, The World, The Distance"

tonytost@yahoo.com (Tony Tost) — Fri, 21 May 2010 09:23:13 PDT

Welcome to Tony Tost’s America. My name is Tony Tost, and this is my America:

“Amazing Grace,” Jones Brothers
“I’m Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town,” Ray Charles
“A Million Miles to the City,” Tom T. Hall
“Phantom 309,” Red Sovine

Johnny Cash attends to the animal side of life

“Bathe in That Beautiful Pool,” Dock Walsh
“I Had a Good Mother and Father,” Palace Brothers

Classy Freddy Blassie considers the patronage of his fellow man

“Pencil Neck Geek,” Freddy Blassie
“Stand By Your Man,” Candi Staton
“Queen of My Double Wide Trailer,” Sammy Kershaw
“I’m Goin’ Upstairs,” John Lee Hooker
“Rain on the Scarecrow,” John Mellencamp
“You Got to Move,” Memphis Minnie & Kansas Joe

Forrest Gander carries Jaime Saenz into the twilight

“Move, Members, Move,” Rosie Hibler & Family

Jean Shepherd and Johnny Cash follow Robert Service into fire and ice (either will suffice)

“Sin City,” Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris & ND Smart II
“The Angel of Death,” The Stanley Brothers

Mr. Ed gets inside your head

“The Waltz of the Angels,” Jean Shepard
“Elder Green Blues [Take 1],” Charley Patton
“Thirteen [demo],” Johnny Cash
“Shotgun Blues,” Lightnin’ Hopkins

Lightnin’ Hopkins never has had it easy

“I Hope It Rains at My Funeral,” Tom T. Hall

Bob Dylan looks down from the heights

“Blue Yodel #6,” Lefty Frizzell

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Episode 12 | "We Are Crying in One Mighty Magnetic Voice"

tonytost@yahoo.com (Tony Tost) — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 18:08:05 PDT

Welcome to Tony Tost's America. My name is Tony Tost, and this is my America:

"I May Never Get to Heaven," Wanda Jackson
"Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit," Luther Magby
"Ghost Train," Marty Robbins

Circles form to conjure Houdini back from his grave

"The Ghost of the St. Louis Blues," Emmett Miller
"Pray for the Lights to Go Out," Bob Wills

Allen Ginsberg rides the his one good idea into eternity

"Cherokee Dance," Bob Landers, with Willie Joe Duncan and his One-String Unitar
"Mexican Rock'n'Roll," Unknown Singer (Sun Studios discard)
"Blue Ghost Blues," Lonnie Johnson
"Tulsa Telephone Book," Calexico
"She Ain't Goin' Nowhere," Guy Clark
"She Never Knew Me," Don Williams

Johnny Cash finds beauty in the land and its people

"Learning to Live with Myself," Merle Haggard

Blind Willie McTell checks out of the St. James hotel

"(It's a Mighty Thin Line) Between Love and Hate," Johnny Paycheck
"I Take the Chance," The Browns
"Wino," Cast King
"Be Careful of the Stones that You Throw," The Staple Singers

Henry Townsend knows what the truth touches

"Rock Island Line (Demo)," Johnny Horton

Sam Phillips and the Miller Sisters chatter

"Jean Harlow," Lead Belly
"Black Girl," John Phillips

Van Dyke Parks discovers America

"Travelin' Soldier," Dixie Chicks
"Bugle Call from Heaven," Webb Pierce
"Dust on the Bible," The Bailes Brothers
"Voice in the Wilderness," Cliff Richard

changed podcast provider

tonytost@yahoo.com (Tony Tost) — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 19:16:21 PDT

I've switched over to podbean, so the alternate TT's USA page is over here. Click over there to subscribe via iTunes, etc . . .

Episode 11 | "God Has a Train"

tonytost@yahoo.com (Tony Tost) — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 05:58:00 PDT

Welcome to Tony Tost's America. My name is Tony Tost, and this is my America:

"Just like a Woman," John Lee Hooker
"Nowadays a Woman's Gotta Hit a Man," Captain Beefheart
"Louisiana Saturday Night," Mel McDaniel
"Hank, You Still Make Me Cry," Boxcar Willie
"A World So Full of Love," Roger Miller
"Jesus Hits Like the Atom Bomb," Soul Stirrers

CD Wright catalogs the national pastimes

"When the World's On Fire," The Carter Family
"Viel Zu Spat," Johnny Cash
"Hi Ho Silver," Bobby Lee Trammel
"Let a Soldier Drink," Jerry Lee Lewis

Jimmy Reed invokes the real good times

"Cripple Creek," Skip Spence
"The Hinges on the Door," Connie Smith

Johnny Cash, spokesman for a generation

"Richland Woman Blues," Mississippi John Hurt
"Somebody Makes Me Think of You," Blue Sky Boys
"(Pardon Me) I've Got Someone to Kill," Johnny Paycheck

Richard Pryor studies the relationship between history and sexuality

"Hillbilly Surfer," Whitey White
"River, Stay Away from My Door," Charlie Rich
"Satan's River," Porter Wagoner

Juliana Spahr's geographical history of Hawaii

"Same Old Tale that the Crow Told Me," Johnny Horton
"Do You Call That Religion?" Monroe Brothers
"House of Gold," Unknown Female Trio (recording found in Sun Studio)
"Jesus on the Radio (Daddy on the Phone)," Tom T. Hall
"He Got Better Things for You," Memphis Sanctified Singers

Lenny Bruce shows how he relaxes his colored friends at parties

"Mississippi Mud," Bix Beiderbecke with Paul Whiteman
"This Train Is a Clean Train," Elder Roma Wilson
"Waymore's Blues," Class of '55 (Cash, Lewis, Orbison, Perkins)

Listen!:

Episode 10 | "Drama Until the Very End"

tonytost@yahoo.com (Tony Tost) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 10:48:25 PST

Welcome to Tony Tost's America. My name is Tony Tost, and this is my America:

"To Beat the Devil," Kris Kristofferson
"I Looked Down the Road (and Wondered)," Sister Rosetta Tharpe

William S. Burrough folds a curse back into itself

"Take My Hand (Precious Lord)," Link Wray
"Singin' in Vietnam Talkin' Blues," Johnny Cash
"Snow Is Falling Everywhere," Yoko Ono

Jerome Rothenberg totally translates himself into a particular ache

"Burma Shave," Roger Miller

Bernadette Mayer scopes out the upcoming revolution

"The Heavenly Airplane," Sons of the Pioneers
"Industrial Boogie," Doctor Ross

Rev. JM Milton sees a beast slouching towards America
John Giorno becomes the demon, becomes the river

"Letters Have No Arms," Ray Price

Kenneth Burke recalls Ezra Pound's address to the sky

"Is She Is, or Is She Ain't," the Charmer (aka Louis Farrakhan)

Kamau Brathwaite descends into the underworld of a thousand dances

"Moonlight and Skies," Jimmie Rodgers

Johnny Cash, while stationed in Germany, professes his undying love to his Vivian

"Funnel of Love," Wanda Jackson
"Blue and Lonesome," Little Walter
"Katie Cruel," Karen Dalton
"Only Black Man in South Dakota," Andre Williams
"Revenooer Man," George Jones

Ajay Lowery quotes Lenin, discusses the teeth protruding from America's hand
CBS news reveals itself to be the modern Herodotus
Laurie Anderson & Julia Heyward are not the pilot

"Diddie Wa Diddie," Blind Blake
"Devil's Train," Hank Williams
"Copperhead Road," Steve Earle
"Jimmie's Blue Heaven," Jimmie Tarlton
"The Junkie & the Juicehead Minus Me," Johnny Cash

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Episode 9 | "I'm Not the Devil, Just a Dude"

tonytost@yahoo.com (Tony Tost) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 09:08:04 PST

Welcome to Tony Tost's America. My name is Tony Tost, and this is my America:

"Who Stole the Marker From the Grave of Bonnie Parker?" Gene Summers
"Seven Nation Army," The Oak Ridge Boys

Lucius Tate is feeling generous

"Bargain Basement Dress," Loretta Lynn
"She's Got No Hair," Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup
"Yodeling Robot," Ed Sanders
"Lonely Coming Down," Dolly Parton

Elvis has fun with his mouth

"Polk Salad Annie," Elvis Presley
"The Weight," Jackie DeShannon
"Two Cigarettes in an Ashtray," Patsy Cline
"You Belong to Me," The Duprees

Judy Garland chisels out a halo

"Flirted With You All My Life," Vic Chesnutt

Peter Finch's purrs & prophecies (the medium is the maestro)

"You Already Love Me," Toby Keith
"So You Want to Be an Indian," Marty Stuart
"Kaw-Liga," Rusty & Doug Kershaw
"My Quadroon," Jerry Lee Lewis

Johnny Cash, philosopher and seeker

"Come on Joe," George Strait
"I Got Loaded," Los Lobos
"I'm a Man," Bo Diddley
"A Knife and a Fork," Kip Anderson

Queen Bee, citizen of the world

"Stackolee," Samuel L. Jackson

Gertrude Stein on repetition, being, variation, repetition

"Hillbilly Wolf," Link Wray
"Sing Me Back Home," Keith Richards
"Think It Over," Jimmy Donley

tonytost@yahoo.com (Tony Tost) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:01:57 PST

Tony Tost's America | Episode 8 | "Come Back Woody Guthrie"

tonytost@yahoo.com (Tony Tost) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 11:54:34 PST

Welcome to Tony Tost's America. My name is Tony Tost, and this is my America:

"California (I'm Comin')," Little Richard
"Old Dog Blue," Jim Jackson
"Gospel Snakes," Lonnie Glosson

Jim Jones speaks at Jonestown

"Mother's Last Word to Her Son," Washington Phillips
"Who's Gonna Be Your Man," Ella Jenkins

Rev. J.M. Gates discusses the reason for the season
Rev. Jimmy Swaggart analyzes the issue of motherhood

"Delia's Gone," Johnny Cash
"St. James Infirmary," Bobby 'Blue' Bland
"Blue Moon Baby," Dave 'Diddle' Day
"I'm Gonna Join the Army," Silas Hogan

Stokely Carmichael talks about the learning curve of the white community

"Color Song (I Lost My Love)," Jean Shepard
"The Mercenary Song," Steve Earle
"Desperadoes Waiting for a Train," Guy Clark
"Casino," Marty Stuart

Alice Notley gauges and assuages

"Senor (Tales of Yankee Power)," Willie Nelson & Calexico
"Jesus Was Our Savior and Cotton Was Our King," Billy Joe Shaver
"Searching for a Soldier's Grave," Kitty Wells

Eugene V. Debs dreams a little dream

"Christmastime in Washington," Steve Earle
"Dialogue" & "Cut the Thievin' Hands Off the IRS," Ajay Lowery
"Pig at Home in a Pen," The Stanley Brothers
"Harlan County," Jim Ford

Johnny Cash picks up a hitchhiker

"Going to Memphis," Johnny Cash
"Are You Washed in the Blood?" Jim & Jesse

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Tony Tost's America | Episode 7 | "Today Thou Shalt Be With Me in Paradise"

tonytost@yahoo.com (Tony Tost) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 07:46:33 PST

Welcome to Tony Tost's America. My name is Tony Tost, and this is my America:

"My Rifle, My Pony and Me," Dean Martin & Ricky Nelson
"My Life," Iris DeMent
"Julia Miller," Richard Buckner
"The Merry Golden Tree," Jean Ritchie

Johnny Cash contemplates upon the plow, the spirit, & like labors

"The Royal Palm," Abner Jay
"Black Eye Blues," Ma Rainey
"Bloodshot Eyes," Wynonie Harris
"Big Boss Man," Elvis Presley
"Sheldon Church Yard," Larry John Wilson

Charlton Heston briefly ascends so to map a battlefield

"Jailbait," Andre Williams
"Mrs. Leroy Brown," Loretta Lynn
"Poor But Ambitious," Wilmoth Houdini

Amiri Baraka speaks, verily, to the fire that surrounds him

"Sobbin' Woman Blues," Elizabeth Johnson
"Lonely Tombs," The Stanley Brothers
"Release Me," Charlie Feathers
"Song Man," Tanya Tucker
"Old Kentucky Home," Johnny Cash
"When Your House Is Not a Home," Patsy Cline
"The Ballad of Susan Smith," Lee Ann Brown
"Too Long at the Fair," Bonnie Raitt
"This Little Girl of Mine," Ray Charles
"Woody," The Miller Sisters

Linh Dinh wipes his chin and addresses a hungry nation

"Book of Daniel," David Koresh
"Ride Billy Ride," Bob Dylan

Thank you for visiting Tony Tost's America.

Subscribe to Tony Tost's America here.

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Tony Tost's America | Episode 6| "Does the mystery deepen?"

tonytost@yahoo.com (Tony Tost) — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 17:27:22 PDT

Welcome to Tony Tost's America. My name is Tony Tost, and this is my America.

Set 1

"Parchman Farm Blues," Bobbie Gentry
"Another Man Done Gone," Johnny Cash with Anita Carter
"No Time to Cry," Merle Haggard
"Mammy's Boogie," Les Paul and Mary Ford
"Highplains Jamboree," Terry Allen

Tony Tost takes a ride across a mythic geography, from one ear to the other.

Set 2

"El Paso City," Marty Robbins
"Friday Night Blues," John Conlee
"Rose Colored Glasses," JD Crowe & the New South (vocals: Keith Whitley)
"Saw Mill Man," Cast King

George C. Scott addresses and provokes a weary, war loving nation.

Set 3

"Dark as a Dungeon," Merle Travis
"Albert Erving," Porter Wagoner
"Train of Love," Bob Dylan
"Mr. Bojangles," George Burns

Tony Tost: "Say goodnight, America." America: "Goodnight, America."

Set 4

"Queen of the Coast," Laura Cantrell
"The Hyphen," John Wayne
"Werewolf," Cat Power
"Why Do You Bob Your Hair, Girls?," Blind Alfred Reed
"Strange Things Are Happening Every Day," Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Tony Tost takes a detour into brotherly love (nothing sounds better than blood on blood).

Set 5

"Bury Me on the Lonesome Prairie," The Delmore Brothers
"The Dying Boy's Prayer," The Blue Sky Boys
"I Wish It Had Been a Dream," The Louvin Brothers
"East Virginia Blues," The Stanley Brothers
"I Wonder if I Care as Much," The Everly Brothers

Download episode six here.

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tonytost@yahoo.com (Tony Tost) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 19:11:44 PDT

video exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, TN
photo by TT

From Arkansas Times . .

tonytost@yahoo.com (Tony Tost) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 05:54:39 PDT

Arkansas Times' Editor's Choice

Best radio shows not on the radio:

“Tony Tost's America” (tonytostsamerica.blogspot.com) comes from Tony Tost, a Walt Whitman Award-winning poet and former Arkansan, who's writing a book about Johnny Cash while in grad school at Duke. His approach is a sort of postmodern take on Greil Marcus' “old, weird America.” Which is to say, his purview is Americana — blues, country, folk, jazz — that takes a sharp left turn from the norm. You'll hear the likes of Slim Galliard, jazz king of gibberish, clucking, profanely, like a rooster or gospel singer Sister Wynona Carr offering a pastiche of “Dragnet” for Jesus. If that wasn't enough, occasionally, in a measured radio voice, Tost offers epigrams that tie everything together. Tune in.

Tony Tost's America | Episode 4 | "The Soul Saving Station"

tonytost@yahoo.com (Tony Tost) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 05:54:27 PDT

Welcome to Tony Tost's America. My name is Tony Tost, and this is my America:

Set 1

Big Maybelle, “Ocean of Tears”

Billie Jo Spears, “Get Behind Me Satan and Push”

Leonard Cohen, “Don’t Go Home With Your Hard On”

Carl Story, “You Don’t Love God (If You Don’t Love Your Neighbor)”

(Tony Tost is authorized by the soul saving station to perform such duties consistent with his special advisory position)

Set 2

Johnny Burnette Trio, “The Train Kept A-Rollin’”

Jerry Lee Lewis, “Honey Hush”

Billy Lee Riley, “Saturday Night Fish Fry”

The Blenders, “Don’t Fuck Around With Love”

(Tony Tost explains: America leads a life of allegory; its works are comments upon it)

Set 3

Sister Wynona Carr, “Dragnet for Jesus”

Skeets McDonald, “The Tattooed Lady”

John Anderson, “Tokyo, Oklahoma”

The Rio Rockers, “Mexicali Baby”

Little Walter & Baby Face Leroy, “Rollin’ & Tumblin’ (Part 1)

(Charles Manson discusses doors, perfection, and conditioning.)

Set 4

John Phillips, “She’s Just 14”

Tanya Tucker, “Blood Red and Going Down”
David Allan Coe, “Death Row”

Bob Dylan, “Man Gave Names to All the Animals”

Slim Gaillard, “Fuck Off (The Dirty Rooster)”

(By the touch of America's wand, divine troublemakers are transformed into porcine stone figurines)

Set 5

Memphis Minnie, “Ma Rainey”

Robert Gordon, “It’s In the Bottle”

Sisters of Saint Francis, “In Heaven There Is No Beer”

Sonic Recycling Program, “I’m Fucked Up, I’ve Got Problems, and I’m Dangerous”

Charles Manson, “Arkansas”

(At the nethermost core of Tony Tost, and at the underside of his America, lay novelty, terror, and the transcendence of good taste)

Set 6

Robert Mitchum, “The Ballad of Thunder Road”

The Blue Sky Boys, “I Wish I Had Never Seen Sunshine”

Judy Lynn, “The Calm Before the Storm”

Scott Walker, “The Lady Came From Baltimore”

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Tony Tost's America | Episode 3 | "I Want Your Head to Hang On My Wall Tonight"

tonytost@yahoo.com (Tony Tost) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 05:54:15 PDT

My name is Tony Tost, and this is my America.

Set 1

Union Avenue, “Ace of Spades”
Wanda Jackson, “Hot Dog! That Made Him Mad”
Hasil Adkins, “No More Hot Dogs”
Bobbie Gentry, “Sermon”

(Tony Tost plays Dionysus to America’s Apollo)

Set 2

Elvis Presley, “An American Trilogy”
U.S. Senator Robert Byrd, “Rye Whiskey”
Charlie Rich, “Don’t Put No Headstone on My Grave”
John Fahey, “On the Sunny Side of the Ocean”

(Like a politician at a touch table, Tony Tost is delighted to feel America again)

Set 3

John Anderson, “Wild and Blue”
Dolly Parton, “The Mystery of the Mystery”
Washington Phillips, “I Had a Good Mother and Father”
Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn, “You’re the Reason Our Kids Are Ugly”

(Our immersive digital environment demands new responses from America; what does it mean to be Tony Tost in the Internet age?)

Set 4:

Pee Wee King, “Plantation Boogie”
Maddox Brothers & Rose, “That’ll Learn Ya Durn Ya”
Jean Shepard, “Twice the Lovin’ (In Half the Time)”
George Jones, “I’m Gonna Burn Your Playhouse Down”
Johnny Cash, “Folgers Commercial”
Guy Clark, “Instant Coffee Blues”

(Tony Tost uses his own subjectivity to make this podcast a container that America may pour itself into; he cares little for the outcome)

Set 5:

Anita Carter, “As the Sparrow Goes”
Norman Blake, “The Minstrel Boy to the War has Gone/Ash Grove”
Bonnie “Blue” Billy, “Little Boy Blue”
Laura Cantrell, “The Whiskey Makes You Sweeter”

(Tony Tost embraces his guilty nation)

Set 6:

Iris DeMent, “Sweet Is the Melody”
Michael Jackson, “Billie Jean” (vocal demo)

Thank you for visiting Tony Tost's America.

Datta. Dayadhvam. Damyata.

Sha'mon sha'mon sha'mon.

Download the podcast HERE, or listen below:

Tony Tost's America | Episode 2

tonytost@yahoo.com (Tony Tost) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 05:54:03 PDT

My name is Tony Tost, and this is my America:

Set 1

Love’s Endless War, Don Williams
Waitin’ in Your Welfare Line, Buck Owens & His Buckaroos
George and the North Woods, Dave Dudley
Dark Moon, Loretta Lynn
In the Hills of Shiloh, Bobby Bare

(Tony Tost travels all night so to measure just one of America's wounds)

Set 2

Down on the Banks of the Ohio, the Blue Sky Boys
She’s Making Whoopee in Hell Tonight, Lonnie Johnson
The (New) Call of the Freaks, Luis Russell & His Orchestra
Cocksucker Blues, the Rolling Stones
Uncle Dave’s Beloved Solo, Uncle Dave Macon

(Tony Tost gazes at the subliminal fireworks)

Set 3

Long Black Limousine, Connie Smith
Cocaine Carolina, Johnny Cash
Ten Years of This, Gary Stewart
Snakes Crawl at Night, Charley Pride
Would You Lay With Me (In a Field of Stone), Tanya Tucker

(Tony Tost reads an excerpt from a book about Johnny Cash)

Set 4

Sermon, Jerry Lee Lewis
Angel of Death, Hank Williams
How Far Am I From Canaan, Sam Cooke & the Soul Stirrers
Lovesick Blues, Emmett Miller
Blue Yodel #9, Jimmie Rodgers

(Tony Tost wonders: O America, where is thy sting?)

Set 5

Jesus Gave Me Water, Blind Boys of Mississippi
Cocaine Habit Blues, Memphis Jug Band
Feel Like Going Home, Charlie Rich
Night Train to Memphis, Jerry Lee Lewis

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Tony Tost's America | Episode 1

tonytost@yahoo.com (Tony Tost) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 05:53:50 PDT

Welcome to Tony Tost’s America.

My name is Tony Tost, and this is my America:

Set 1:

Alligator Wine, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins
Quiet Whiskey, Wynonie Harris
Drinkin’ Wine Spo-Dee-o-Dee, Jerry Lee Lewis
Lead Me On, Paul “Wine” Jones

(Tony Tost composes comments at the point of utterance, trusting)

Set 2:

Brown Eyed Handsome Man, Chuck Berry
Merle’s Farewell to Elvis, Merle Haggard
Jesus Walked That Lonesome Valley, Million Dollar Quartet
Will the Circle Be Unbroken, The Staple Singers
Tiger Man, Rufus Thomas
Run Johnny Run, Jimmie Driftwood

(Tony Tost verbally encourages America, urges fellowship)

Set 3:

A Soldier of the Cross, Zion Travelers
I’m Lonesome, Ernie Chaffin
Do Lord Remember Me, Evangelist Sister Rosetta Winn
Hobo Flats, Mel Brown
Don’t Turn Your Heater Down, Steve Cropper, Pops Staples, & Albert King

(Tony Tost admonishes America to come and take its losses like a lamb)

Set 4:

A Apolitical Blues, Little Feat
Devil in a Sleeping Bag, Willie Nelson
I’ve Lived So Fast and Hard, Porter Wagoner
Ramblin’ Man, Del Shannon
Mansion on the Hill, Vernon Oxford
TV Mama, Frantics Four

(Tony Tost wishes America luck and loyalty and long goodbyes)

Set 5:

Ain’t No Tellin’, Mississippi John Hurt
Moonshine Blues, Bob Dylan
When Will This Ever End, Don Gibson and Los Indios Tabajaras
One More Time, Billy Lee Riley
Man We Had a Party, Wanda Jackson

Thank you for visiting Tony Tost’s America.

Download America HERE.

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