Dr. John and Bizarro Liner Notes

So, on Benji's recommendation, I've been checking CDs and DVDs out from the County Library.  So far I've been able to discover some good jazz and check out some Criterion Collection flicks--good times.  Last weekend I checked out some Charles Mingus, the Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim album (which I think is gonna become part of the weekly jazz staple), and this album from Dr. John (or his full pseudonym: Dr. John, the night tripper). I'm not really sure where my long-time desire to actually check out this guy's stuff came from--I think I'm leaning towards seeing him on The Muppets as a kid?--but I know that ever since hearing him do "Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans" with Harry Connick, Jr. (on the album 20), I've had a curiousity.  Here's that track: So last weekend, I check out his debut album, Gris-Gris (or GRIS-gris as stated on the album), #143 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (in case you were wondering, Dr. Dre's The Chronic is #137 *shrug*).  It is iiiiiinteresting though.  I expected some bluesy, New Orleans jazz.  NEWP.  When I say "iiiiiinteresting", I mean it.  Really atypical stuff; it ain't today's pop music, that's for sure.  I thought about posting an example--something that really is inspiring--and I might, later on.  After reading the liner notes though, I thought that that might better describe (and entertain) what this album is like:

Who? My group consists of Dr. Poo Pah Doo of destine tambourine and Dr. Ditmus of Conga, Cr. Bourdreaux of Funky Knuckle Skins and Dr. Battiste of Scorpio in Bass Clef, Dr. McLean of Mandolin Comp. School, Dr. Manm of Bottleneck Learning, Dr. Bolden of The Immortal Flute Fleet, The Baron of Ronyards, Dido, Chine, Goncy O'Leary, Shirley Marie Laveaux, Dr. Durden, Govenor Plas Johnson, Senator Bob West Bowing, Croaker Jean Freunx, Sister Stephanie and St. Theresa, John Gumbo, Cecilia La Favorite, Karla Le Jean who were all dreged up from The Rigolets by the Zombie of the Second Live.  Under the eight visions of Professor Longhair Reincannted the charts of now. What? I will mash my special fais deaux-deaux on all you who buy my charts.  The rites of Coco-Robicheaux who, invisible to all but me, will act as a second guardian angel until you over-work him.  All who attend our rites will receive kites from the second tier of Tit Alberto who brought the Saute Chapeau to Chieu Va Bruler up to us from The Antilles to the Bayou.  St. John and my Aunt Francis who told me the Epic of Jump Sturdy and Apricot Glow.  Mimi, who in silence, says the lyrics to Mamma Roux in Chipacka the Chopatoulis, Choctaws without teepees on Magnolia Street and wise to the Zulu Parade and the Golden Blade, the sun-up to sun-down second liners who dig Fat Tuesday more than anybody and that's plenty.  I have also dug up the old Danse Kalinda to remind you we have not chopped out the old chants and the new Croaker Courtbullion to server battiste style of Phyco-delphia.  We did the snake à la Gris-Gris Calimbo to frame our thing into the medium of down under, younder fire.  We walked on gilded splinters to shove my point across to you whom I will communicate with shortly through the smoke of Deaux-Deaux, the rattlesnake whose forked tongue hisses pig latin in silk and satin da-zaw-ig-day may the gilded splinters of Auntie Andre spew forth in your path to light and guide your way through the bayous of life on your pirogue of heartaches and good times... Push and the shove that you need to get your point across no matter what the cost.

I'm not sure if I missed some punctuation, but I don't really think it matters. :-)