Hard Up Case - Live at Slim's April 7, 1995 (Lossless Audio file available on the Downloads (https://www.walterbeckermedia.com/downloads)page.) Walter Becker (Guitar/Vocals) Adam Rogers (Guitar) Fima Ephron (Bass) Ben Perowsky (Drums) John Beasley (Keyboards) Bob Sheppard (Sax) You told me once I was your pride and joy I guess those days are dead and gone You must have took me for some golden boy You didn't know what you were taking on It was a hard up case It was a hard up case Just another hard up case It was a hard up case Just another hard up case Now all the angles have been played in three's There isn't much that I can say I know you gave your little heart to me I guess I threw the thing away It was a hard up case It was a hard up case Just another hard up case It was a hard up case Just another hard up case Sometimes the truth is kind of hard to find But don't you worry I can read your mind And you don't have to tell me to my face You put some other joker in my place They dealt us houses full with the queens and kings And now they're calling out our bluff ' Cause you and me girl we had everything But it just wasn't quite enough Now that's a hard up case It was a hard up case Just another hard up case It was a hard up case Just another hard up case You say the truth is gonna set me free Like you might throw a dog a bone I know you're thinking that the joke's on me Just take a look at what you 're dragging home -- Another hard up case It was a hard up case Just another hard up case It was a hard up case Just another hard up case Are the games we play stacked against us? Is it inevitable not only that we’re gonna play, but that we’re gonna lose, no matter what we’re holding when it's time to show? The song we're sharing today in honor of Walter's birthday is the live version of Hard Up Case, from the Slim's show in San Francisco on April 7, 1995. For those of you playing the home game, this is the fifth track from that night that we’ve shared with you, the others being This Moody Bastard, The Girl Next Door to the Methadone Clinic, Cinder Annie, and Three Sisters. I think this is a good opportunity to look at one of the metaphors/themes that pops up in both solo WB and SD, that is gaming or gambling, structured so that we glimpse behind the curtain at life's casino to catch a glimpse of just exactly why the house always seems to win. For the sake of comparison, I want to look at this track, "Hard Up Case," and the classic Steely Dan initial single,"Do It Again," taking careful note of the situation(s) in which everything comes down to a pull of the handle, a hand of poker, or a roll of the dice. In "Do It Again," Becker and co-conspirator Donald Fagen paint a Sisyphean picture of an inexorable repetition and inexorable repetition and inexorable repetition. The song's protagonist, trapped in a perpetual motion machine of his own carefully honed vices, finds himself back in Vegas, a handle in his hand, ensnared in a relentless cycle of chance and consequence. The metaphor of the gambler, black cards carefully hidden when able, paints a portrait of a man in a casino, but also of a more universal figure, ensnared in life's big gamble. The song’s fatalistic chorus, “You go back, Jack, do it again,” might in this context be viewed as a sardonic nod to our collective propensity for repeating our mistakes, with the resigned wisdom of someone who knows the game is rigged, yet plays anyway. In "Hard Up Case," Becker transitions from the gambling dens of "Do It Again" to the poker table of romantic entanglements. The metaphor shifts from the broader strokes of fate to the intimate dance of love and deceit. The narrator alludes to a relationship gone bust, using phrases like “played in threes” and “calling out our bluff.” It’s a more mature, nuanced view of the gambling metaphor, suggesting that in the game of love, the stakes are personal and the losses more poignant. Unlike the resigned gambler in "Do It Again," the narrator in "Hard Up Case" seems to possess a more seasoned understanding of the emotional games people play, yet finds himself ensnared in them all the same. We have, or had, a full house, "Kings and Queens," but they’re calling us on it anyway. We thought we had everything we needed, but damned if it" wasn’t quite enough." The common thread in both songs is the inescapability of cyclical patterns, whether in the throw of the dice or the turn of a lover’s card. With his usual acerbic wit, Becker seems to suggest that we are all players in a game, or maybe a series of games, where the rules are opaque and the outcomes are predetermined. In "Do It Again," the cycle is overt and existential, while in "Hard Up Case," it is subtle and relational. But in both, there’s a sense of deja vu, a feeling that no matter how savvy we think we are, we’re just participants in a grander scheme we scarcely understand, clinging on while the wheel spins. In his solo work and with Steely Dan, Walter crafts narratives that resonate with anyone who’s ever felt like they’re spinning the wheel of fortune, seeing an array of numbers and colors, only to land on the same space repeatedly. His use of gambling metaphors in "Do It Again" and "Hard Up Case" is not just a clever lyrical device but a mirror reflecting our own follies and foibles in the game of life and love. With a mix of erudition, eloquence, and a biting sense of humor, he points out just how bad it feels when we don’t get dealt the card we need on the flop, the turn, or the river, when we pull the handle but the little dials never seem to land on "three bars, three cherries, three lemons, or three pigs." One can’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all, recognizing something perhaps painfully familiar in the haplessness of our narrative protagonists. In the end, we are left with the wry acknowledgment that in the casino of life, there’s “No original sin…the house always wins.” -Matt

I was thinking today about the lyric fragment "looking down on the upside, locked out in the danger zone" that appears first in the Jack of Speed, as sung by WB on the 96 tour: The second part of this fragment, "Locked out in the danger zone," harkens back to this unreleased WB demo we shared in March of 2019. The first part of this lyrical fragment, "looking down on the upside" is repurposed and fleshed out on the track "Upside Looking Down" on Circus Money. D-Mod has talked before about Walter's contextual thesaurus, and the way he filed and refined and reinterpreted his own words over time, but I think this is a good example of how it goes forward and backward, continually reinterpreted until it ends up where it needs to be.

In general, I just hate these kinds of reaction videos. But I needed to see someone appreciate Walter today, and Upside Looking Down is such a great song. So yeah, this was welcome today.

I put a long post about the weekend over on my blog: But here is the video of my Western Heritage Awards acceptance speech:

It is with great pride that I announce my article "Texas Jack Takes an Encore" has been awarded the 2023 Spur Award from the Western Writers of America (WWA) for Best Western Short Nonfiction. This is a tremendous honor and a validation of the interest Texas Jack still commands when presented to western audiences. On February 22, the same article was announced as the winner of this year’s Western Heritage Award for Outstanding Magazine Article by the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Museum. I was amazed to learn that this marks the first time that an individual has won both prestigious awards for short nonfiction since 1983. "Texas Jack Takes an Encore," explores the fascinating life of John B. Omohundro, better known as Texas Jack, a legendary figure in Western history and the man at the foundation of our cowboy mythology. His unique place in both Western and pop culture history makes him a fascinating subject to research and write about, and I am glad that my work contributes in a meaningful way to some renewed interest in his story. I am incredibly humbled to have the WWA include my article alongside Patrick H. Hoehne's "Apostles of Disorder: Montana Merchants, Vigilantes, and the Interconnectivity of Extralegal Violence" in Montana The Magazine of Western History and W.K. Stratton's "A Sacred Refuge" in Texas Highways magazine. To be included in such esteemed company is a great honor and further proof of the vibrancy and quality of Western writing. As someone who has long been passionate about the American West and its rich history, this award is truly meaningful to me. It is a recognition of the importance of preserving and sharing the stories that make up our cultural heritage and a reminder of the power of good storytelling. I am grateful to the Western Writers of America for this honor and for the support of Wild West magazine in publishing my work. I hope this award will inspire others to continue exploring and celebrating the unique and fascinating world of the American West. In addition to Texas Jack Takes an Encore, Spur Award winners this year include: Biography: Before Billy the Kid: The Boy Behind the Legendary Outlaw by Melody Groves (TwoDot). Children’s Picture Book: The Rowdy Randy Wild West Show: The Legend Behind the Legend by author Casey Day Rislov and illustrator Zachary Pullen (Mountain Stars Press). Contemporary Nonfiction Book: A Place of Thin Veil: Life and Death in Gallup, New Mexico by Bob Rosebrough (Rio Nuevo Publishers). Contemporary Novel: Beasts of the Earth by James Wade (Blackstone Publishing). Documentary Script: The Battle of Red Buttes by Candy Moulton and Bob Noll (Boston Productions Inc./National Historic Trails Interpretive Center). First Nonfiction Book: American Hero, Kansas Heritage: Frederick Funston’s Early Years, 1865-1890 by Clyde W. Toland (Flint Hills Publishing). Historical Novel: Properties of Thirst by Marianne Wiggins (Simon & Schuster). Juvenile Nonfiction Book: American Ace: Joe Foss, Fighter Pilot by Hector Curriel (South Dakota Historical Society Press). Juvenile Fiction: Wish Upon a Crawdad by Curtis W. Condon (Heart of Oak Books for Young Readers). Original Mass-Market Paperback Novel: Dead Man’s Trail by Nate Morgan (Pinnacle/Kensington). Poem: “New Mexico Bootheel: A Triptych” by Larry D. Thomas (San Pedro River Review). Short Fiction: “No Quarter” by Kathleen O’Neal Gear, published in Rebel Hearts Anthology (Wolfpack Publishing). Short Nonfiction: “Texas Jack Takes an Encore” by Matthew Ross Kerns (Wild West). Song: “Way of the Cowboy” by Randy Huston, released on Times Like These(Outside Circle Records). Traditional Novel: The Secret in the Wall: A Silver Rush Mystery by Ann Parker (Poisoned Pen Press).

My cover story on Texas Jack from Wild West magazine in April 2022 won the Western Heritage Award for Outstanding Magazine Article. https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/collections/awards/wha/texas-jack-takes-an-encore/ Proud and humbled that the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum has chosen my article Texas Jack Takes an Encore, the cover story of Wild West Magazine's April 2022 edition, as their Western Heritage Award-winning Outstanding Magazine Article. The Western Heritage Awards honors individuals who have made significant contributions to Western heritage through creative works in literature, music, television, and film that share the great stories of the American West. Texas Jack Omohundro was the first cowboy to rise to a place of prominence in America and was the first to incorporate the trappings of the cowboy lifestyle into a stage performance. He introduced the lasso act to the stage when he and his best friend, Buffalo Bill Cody, launched their acting careers together in December of 1872. Texas Jack was inducted into the museum's Hall of Great Western Performers in 1994 and remains the earliest-born person to be so honored. In addition to Texas Jack Takes an Encore, Western Heritage (Wrangler) Award winners this year include: Dark Winds "Monster Slayer" - Outstanding Fictional Television Drama The Long Rider - Outstanding Docudrama Dead for a Dollar - Outstanding Theatrical Motion Picture Red Steagall is Somewhere West of Wall Street - Western Lifestyle Micki Fuhrman "Westbound" - Outstanding Traditional Western Album Andrew Giangola "Love & Try" -Outstanding Nonfiction Book Anouk Krantz "Ranchland: Wagonhound" - Outstanding Photography Book Casey Rislov "The Rowdy Randy Wild West Show" - Outstanding Juvenile Book Mary Clearman Blew "Thinking of Horses" - Outstanding Western Novel W.K. Stratton "Last Red Dirt Embrace" - Outstanding Poetry Book Red Steagall - Lifetime Achievement Award Pete Coors - Western Visionary Award Lou Diamond Phillips and Bob Wills are this year's inductees into the Hall of Great Western Performers. The Award Ceremony will take place in Oklahoma City on April 14th and 15th, 2023, and is usually broadcast online. https://www.dimelibrary.com/post/western-heritage-award-2023

Posted on Facebook by Dave Sparkes, who said, "Some more images I shot from the crowd at the first Australian tour, Hunter Valley, 2007. This was an outdoor gig at Bimbadgen Vineyard, the stage basically a bowl looking out over a lovely grassy hill, a natural tier set up. You could crack a bottle of the cellar door wine and listen in style. First pic is Walter about to sing Haitian Divorce, with Jon Herrington in blue print blue."

My article on Texas Jack Omohundro, his friendship and partnership with Buffalo Bill Cody, and the ways that those men's lives and legacies intertwined to inform the popular image of the American cowboy in literature, television, and film is in this month's issue of Wild West Magazine. It is available at bookshops, newsstands, and even at Walmart now. I'm proud to have my words on Texas Jack featured beside some of the best historians and authors writing about the American West, including Tom Clavin, John Boessenecker, Richard F. Selcer, Kevin Loren Carson, Carolyn Grattan Eichin, Chuck Zehnder, Aaron Robert Woodard, Jim Winnerman, Fred F. Poyner IV, John Koster, Linda Wommack, Will Gorenfeld, Terry Halden, and an interview of Bill Markley by Candy Moulton. These are writers I not only admire, but I read, and it truly is an honor to be mentioned in the same pages as they are.

These folks are protesting a COVID related construction industry shutdown by the government of Victoria, Australia. For those out of the loop, Daryl Braithwaite's cover of The Horses, written by Rickie Lee Jones and Walter Becker for her Flying Cowboys album, eventually became a kind of folk anthem for Australians. I'm not a big supporter of maskless demonstrations protesting COVID mandates, but thought it was interesting. I'm 100% certain neither Walter nor RLJ would have expected the song to become anthemic to people.

https://www.theringer.com/music/2021/7/21/22586128/steely-dan-popular-cult-favorite-millennials