Jess Horrible
Jess Horrible
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taj mahal, why???

Posted over 5 years ago
I didn't know there was a building called "the Taj Mahal" until I was in high school. But I knew about the bluesman from early childhood. My dad was a fan, and we had some of his albums on cassette.So, this Saturday, Dad and I went to see Taj Mahal play at Yoshi's. It was a packed house. And why not? He's a legend... a fount of character who struts about the stage plucking pretty little notes from the guitar strings... a whisky-voiced singer who takes the blues format to new heights of melodic intricacy.That said... I kind of hated the show. No, really, I did. I was the only one there who was nonplussed, but that happens sometimes, right? And I had reason.Taj Mahal, friends, is a dirty old man. Sorry to have to break it to you.The first song was an instrumental, rendered exquisitely on a gorgeously resonant Epiphone. The second song was a raunchy uptempo blues about a girl in the kitchen and "when daddy gets home, you know what he wanna do."I pretended that I wasn't sitting next to my father, hoping that would be the end of it. But no! The next song had very, very similar lyrics (and no melody to speak of). And the third was about a curvy seventeen-year old. That introduced an image which would reappear throughout the show: An older man in baggy slacks and Panama hat, pursing his lips and shaking his hips as he sang about having sex with teenagers. While calling himself "daddy".Friends, I'm sorry. But I refuse to accept a man who squanders his musical gifts on shallow, sexist and slightly pedophilic songs; I will not applaud someone who is so clearly resting on the laurels of their previous creative success, who has reduced their output to melody-deficient posturing for the benefit of attention-deficient audiences. I call bullshit--on Taj Mahal and on everyone who gave him a standing ovation for a good musical performance with asinine content./rant
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Comments (43)

  1. chucky
    chucky says Heh. I thought all men called themselves daddy and had the hots for young chickies.
    Permalink posted 12/06/2006
  2. Manos
    Manos says This is sad. I'm not a huge fan (I have an album or 2 from way back), but he wasn't always like this, right?
    Permalink posted 12/06/2006
  3. tybees
    tybees says Yikes, that had to be awkward sitting next to your dad!
    Permalink posted 12/06/2006
  4. jimmybearpearson
    jimmybearpearson says Taj Mahal is an icon. However... It really doesn't matter if someone is an icon, if they don't reach you in a way in which you want to be reached. I'm glad you posted this. I'm sorry for the negative effect he had on you.
    Permalink posted 12/06/2006
  5. Smooth Hegemon
    Smooth Hegemon says That is...disappointing. A lot of songs in his genre utilize that kind of material (Good Morning Little Schoolgirl comes to mind) but...at least they're off-set by a really great hook. Wow. That blows.
    Permalink posted 12/06/2006
  6. Dale
    Dale says Boy, I'm really grateful I changed my nick now.
    Permalink posted 12/06/2006
  7. Jess Horrible
    Jess Horrible says haha... true! but you are ok, dale.
    Permalink posted 12/06/2006
  8. Dale
    Dale says Thank you for giving me the opportunity to prove that, despite the tasteless nick.
    Permalink posted 12/06/2006
  9. Jess Horrible
    Jess Horrible says anyway, i say "who's your daddy" all the TIME. it's just an expression, you know? different.
    Permalink posted 12/06/2006
  10. slackline radio
    slackline radio says Ever heard Cousin Dupree, Steely Dan? Hum. Saw that live with my Dad. I hadn't listened too closely to the lyrics before but had the same feelings you had.
    Permalink posted 12/06/2006
  11. Jess Horrible
    Jess Horrible says oh yeah, totally! i'd forgotten about that song. it was compounded by the fact that we'd been at a football game earlier, and the drunk guys behind us (who were my age) were saying gross things about the cheerleaders. sigh.
    Permalink posted 12/06/2006
  12. slackline radio
    slackline radio says Nice. Give 'em a few beers and they will say what they were wanting to say sober but society would have said no. Sounds like a long night, Football and Taj.
    Permalink posted 12/06/2006
  13. Peggah
    Peggah says What do you think about Charles Bukowski?
    Permalink posted 12/06/2006
  14. Jess Horrible
    Jess Horrible says I'm not very familiar with Bukowski's work, to be frank. Why... should I be leery?
    Permalink posted 12/06/2006
  15. Manos
    Manos says The thing about Bukowski is you know what you're getting yourself into. His stuff has always been that way. And there's a real sadness behind it, I think, so you feel sorry for him more than anything else.
    Permalink posted 12/07/2006
  16. lemontwist
    lemontwist says Sounds totally sleazy.
    Permalink posted 12/07/2006
  17. William Wassermueller
    William Wassermueller says Blues used to be good, back in 1929. Son House, Blind Willie Mctell, Peetie Wheatstraw. Robert Johnson, for christ sake, sung about a girl who sells hot tamales, like we don't realize what he meant. But I am sorry, real blues died before WWII; Taj Mahal, for instance, is a virtuoso on the guitar, but can't write a melody line anymore. Blues is something played by a single person, alone with a guitar, a slide on their finger and a boot on the ground.
    Permalink posted 12/07/2006
  18. kaluss
    kaluss says are you sure that wasn't my dad. show sounds tres weak!
    Permalink posted 12/07/2006
  19. gradys kitchen
    gradys kitchen says Hate to be the one to come to Taj's defense, but this is one of those common themes of the blues. To over simplify, you've got "You've done me wrong" and "I'm doin' you good", the latter of which Mr. Mahal had chosen for this performance. He is simply drawing on the caricature created throughout the genre's history .. the smooth talkin', hard drinking, down on his luck bluesman that can satisfy the ladies. Unfortunately this caricature portrayal does not end when the artist enters his twilight years, such as Taj, giving him that creepy old man persona. Taken with a grain of salt, it might actually make you laugh it off and enjoy the music. Your reaction however is completely understandable, just thought I would throw out another perspective.
    Permalink posted 12/07/2006
  20. essone
    essone says Hasn't Taj Mahal done what so many other aging musicians before him have done and experimented with "World Music", only to fail. I remember hearing something like this and thinking how boring and "adult contemporary" it sounded. I like Taj Mahal, but I don't think I'd go see him today, even though it would be funny to see an old man sing about young girls. Not to offend any James Taylor fans, but I saw Taj Mahal on a James Taylor tribute program, and that's enough to turn me off.
    Permalink posted 12/07/2006
  21. kristiana
    kristiana says Good lord. Glad you wrote this, especially as I was just thinking this morning about the sexist instances I've come across on here. In general, no, but sometimes I really have to wonder about certain people who are posting certain types of pics, or talking about how disgusting armpit hair is on women, etc. Or fashion, with no hint of irony. Argh! Mind you, I did quite enjoy Nicki's post yesterday, but that's different, I mean, they're clothed all the way up their darn necks! ;) Better than making jokes about altar boys, right?
    Permalink posted 12/07/2006
  22. Jess Horrible
    Jess Horrible says Hey gradys kitchen, you've got an excellent point, and I totally respect it. Plenty of songs are about sex, and yes, caricatures are rampant. But unfortunately, that doesn't give anyone the right to retreat into a caricature. essone, yeah, he did a world-music thing and it probably did suck. but i have to say, some of his new instrumental material really benefited from the influence. william wassermueller, belle and sebastian would like to remind you that the blues are still blue. but seriously, i don't think a musical form can ever die. and the blues have certainly evolved in many different directions... this doesn't make taj mahal any less of a musician. kristiana, yeah, the passive sexism on mog is frightening isn't it?
    Permalink posted 12/07/2006
  23. kristiana
    kristiana says it is indeed. especially when it's not all from men, but that, unfortunately, is also typical. And mind you I'm no prude, and I don't take offense easily - I like crass jokes, too. But some people's style is evident.
    Permalink posted 12/07/2006
  24. Jess Horrible
    Jess Horrible says yeah, me too. i'm actually more crass than pretty much anyone i know... but there's a difference between low humor/bad taste and outright sexism! more than anything, I'm bothered by the male dominance of the music world, and that definitely isn't mog's fault. but it does trickle down, and it's hard to staunch that flow from my lowly standpoint.
    Permalink posted 12/07/2006
  25. UtahSpike
    UtahSpike says Bessie Smith to name but one woman sang some VERY dirty blues songs - enough to make you, me, old Taj and pretty much anyone else blush. I'm thinking also about how Shake Rattle & Roll was toned for the white R&R crowd from it's smutty origins in R&B.
    Permalink posted 12/07/2006
  26. supertopsecret
    supertopsecret says great post friendly jess horrible. i would not have applauded either. the more i read about fela kuti the less i want to listen to him as well. isn't it crazy that we accept some of the talent we do these days?
    Permalink posted 12/07/2006
  27. Dave
    Dave says Well, hey. Raunchy tunes are a big part of the folk/blues (and then rock) catalog. I understand it would be awkward sitting next to Dad, but cut the Taj some slack. He's no dirty old man, he's just passing along The Real Deal.
    Permalink posted 12/07/2006
  28. recoverybo
    recoverybo says nah im from dallas
    Permalink posted 12/07/2006
  29. Jess Horrible
    Jess Horrible says Dave: Now why should I cut anyone slack, just because everyone else is doing it? Please. Are you trying to say that because it's always been done that way, that makes it okay now? Are you really, honestly saying that this kind of attitude is the Real Deal (whatever that means), and that it's okay to perpetuate these outdated stereotypes based purely on historical tradition? That's the kind of rhetoric that caused the Civil War. And re: Bessie Smith (and Nina Simone and plenty of other ladies): yes, they certainly did sing some raunchy songs. But once again, that excuses nothing.
    Permalink posted 12/07/2006
  30. Dave
    Dave says Jess, I think there's a difference between entertainment, pushing one toe over the line for a laugh - and crossing that line. As far as I know, Taj Mahal isn't a pedophile! Think of Sacha Cohen & his Borat character - he gets a laugh out of being shocking and exposing things people usually keep hush-hush. It's the same kind of thing with this particular style of raunchy music - brought out at the right time for a mature audience, no harm intended. Sorry if you were offended or embarrassed, truly I am - but I just wanted to point out the historical context Taj operates in. He's a true folkie in the sense that he keeps alive music that might otherwise die, like his kindred spirit Ry Cooder.
    Permalink posted 12/07/2006
  31. Jess Horrible
    Jess Horrible says Heard and understood. I don't like Borat either. ;)
    Permalink posted 12/07/2006
  32. ookpik
    ookpik says Jess, you might dig "Malcolm Gladwell's recent thoughts on racism":http://gladwell.typepad.com/gladwellcom/2006/12/defining_a_raci.html. He gives Borat the diss too. Also: cheers. I also like to have ambitious standards. Along the lines of, "Dear Taj Mahal, please be more awesome. OK thanks."
    Permalink posted 12/07/2006
  33. kristiana
    kristiana says Yeah, I'm also pretty sure that Bessie wasn't singing about teenaged boys either.
    Permalink posted 12/07/2006
  34. ROCKNROLLPIMP1
    ROCKNROLLPIMP1 says i was rather appalled at this i was a casual fan but now may not be any more than that my god jess i hate when i feel this way as you have an awaking of sorts to what bugs the shit out of me maybe i 'll just get drunk....oh no wait a minute that helped nothing before love you girl!
    Permalink posted 12/07/2006
  35. antialias
    antialias says words and music should get a divorce.
    Permalink posted 12/08/2006
  36. ROCKNROLLPIMP1
    ROCKNROLLPIMP1 says WHO'LL TAKE THE KIDZ THO?
    Permalink posted 12/08/2006
  37. ScottyB
    ScottyB says Interesting post. While I'm not prepared to address how you felt at the concert - I wasn't there and I can't claim to fully and absolutely understand things from your perspective, I do believe that you are perhaps somewhat hasty in attacking what is a significant body of work on the basis of a single concert. Your post was very thought provoking and it did make me sit back and think about Taj's music specifically and Blues generally from an entirely new perspective. I really hadn't thought about his music as being exceptionally (or even modestly) sexist. I pondered it a bit and was unable to really hearken back to a specific song where the sexism or pedophilia really leapt out and grabbed me. So I decided to pick an album from my collection at random and have a listen. Being a guy, it is entirely possible that I had been listening but not "hearing' this for the many years that I've listened to him. I picked out _Dancing the Blues_. I'm 11 songs into it and I have yet to find an overtly sexist lyric on the album. I did, however, run across the song _That's How Strong My Love Is_ where the lyrics seem decidedly "unsexist" and actually quite romantic: "I'd be the moon when the sun goes down Just to let you know that I am around Tha's how strong my love is" "I'd be the Rainbow after the Tears are gone Wrap you in my colours and keep you warm That's how strong my love is" While I don't at all mean to dispute the fact that there are several Blues songs that do objectify women and are indisputably "wolfish" in nature, I would note that the songs aren't generally written from the perspective of a 60 year old man: they are written from the perspective of a teenage boy our younger male. And I can assure you that teeneage boys and young males aren't always possessed of the most wholesome thoughts or attitudes. This doesn't make it right, but by the same token would you have been as offended if you heard similar lyrics sung by the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Anthony Kiedis? I guess, in closing what (again) is coming dangerously close to its own post, I would ask that rather than damn the entire body of work, you take some time to listen to more Taj. He is, in my opinion, a truly great musician and I think were you take the time to give his music a chance, you would agree with me on that. "If you get confused, listen to the music play..." Cheers, Scott
    Permalink posted 12/08/2006
  38. kat3260
    kat3260 says I am a casual fan of the Taj, and I'm getting to see his trio on Dec. 16 at a Permalink posted 12/08/2006
  39. Jess Horrible
    Jess Horrible says ScottyB, it certainly would be hasty to damn an entire body of work, and I certainly did not intend to do that. I gave Taj his ups where ups were due, as you'll see if you reread the post. Nonetheless, I was offended by his actions and onstage persona, and I feel that I'm justified in saying so. kat, rock on.
    Permalink posted 12/08/2006
  40. ROCKNROLLPIMP1
    ROCKNROLLPIMP1 says you are sweet one i so dig where you are coming from turning a blind eye is never good where is that pew 36 illudium space modulator?
    Permalink posted 12/08/2006
  41. Radiohumper
    Radiohumper says JessHorrible, my but what I've missed here lately! You know how I feel about these kinds of discussions - love to listen, hesitate to participate. But I have to throw in my subjective 2 euros - Subjective Tangential Flash#1- You are not a feminazi. That brings to mind someone who looks for patriarchal insults in pop culture, armed with a rhetorical weighted Lousiville Slugger, and with no sense of humor or art. Which is not to say you didn't have an ick moment. You know, like, when that Hollywood homie of yours who is always tsk-tsking over how Muslim men make women cover themselves up picks up a copy of "In Style" and laughs at the pictures of celeb chicks without makeup. Or, like some politician or newscaster you've known for years says the word 'Jew' in a way you know you won't feel the same about them again. My own particular 'ick' moment was when I finally listened to the words of "Brown Sugar" (which was only last year ), and realized Ol' Grampa Mick was insinuating that underage interracial pedophile rape of multiple slave girl partners might be kinda fun and hot. This was the subtext, among others, I was tapping my feet to and taking down into my bones since I was a young hot thang my own self. Subjective Tangential Flash #2- I loved Taj Mahal's children's music, and enjoyed his shows at the Coach House during the 80's. But I can't help but remember that the guy who turned me onto him was a repressed white dude who had been twice reprimanded for sexually harassing his students, and the most pussywhipped man I've ever known. If that's not too sexist to say. : ) Borat sucks 32 flavors of goat ass. Ick infinitum.
    Permalink posted 12/08/2006
  42. Radiohumper
    Radiohumper says P.s. I would re-'like' this if I could just for your stylish usage of 'nonplussed'. What a perfectly apt and serviceable word.
    Permalink posted 12/08/2006
  43. ROCKNROLLPIMP1
    ROCKNROLLPIMP1 says "the most pussywhipped man i have ever known" grrr yes. when i was 16 years old and my first girlfriend, everybody else HAD NO GIRLFRIEND every time i made a descision about her feelings based on our relationship i was label PUSSYWHIPPED pisses me off to this day.i was trying to consider her feelings and wants never never got over this she wound up being my wife and cheating on me whatever! you might as well use the n word around me for this single 8 years and i WISH i was anything that resembled this shit ha i am not offened but i a drunk just a thought and now the space modulator is pointed at YOUR PLANET YO hhahaha where have youbeen lovely radio humper?
    Permalink posted 12/08/2006

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