These Are All My Fingerprints On This Glass

Confessions Of A Broken Man- Porter Wagoner MP3


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Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale- Key Food, Forest Hills Queens-Bomber into Belgian Beer Glass- 7.2% ABV- Poured a dark ruby color bordering on brown. Two finger tan head which hung around quite a bit. Some globby spots of lacing on the glass. Aroma is fruity with hops and malts in the background. More grapefruit or citrus fruits than the dark fruits present in some of the beers I have had lately. Medium to light body with modest carbonation. I actually bought this beer last minute at the local supermarket which has an above average beer selection for a supermarket. I was planning on drinking a bourbon barrel aged "winter warmer" but it is unseasonably warm today here in NYC, 60 degrees, so I wanted to save that for next week when hopefully it will be a bit colder so I can truly enjoy a true "winter warmer". This is a pretty bitter beer, very hoppy and not quite what I expected. I was expecting something a bit maltier. There are malts present but this is very hoppy, probably the hoppiest ale I've had not including IPA's. This is a good beer but not sure if I would seek it out regularly but I would like to try it off the tap.

On the turntable is Confessions Of A Broken Man- Porter Wagoner- Recorded for RCA in 1964, no other info available. I am a big Porter Wagoner fan. Alot of his LP's have not been reissued on CD but I have two excellent CD compilations issued by Omni Recordings. I also have a few of his LP's. A legend in country music but sad to say a man of another era and one not mentioned often these days. Mr. Wagoner, in addition to a successful music career, had a very popular music television show broadcast in the 60's and 70's and was also known for discovering Dolly Parton. In the mid to late sixties on top of all of his other obligations Mr. Wagoner managed to release a string of LP's based loosely on his alter ego "Skid Row Joe" and this is one of those albums. This alter ego allowed Mr. Wagoner to explore the seamier side of life filled with down on their luck characters. With haunting spoken word sections and wonderful instrumental accompaniment Mr. Wagoner sets the stage for a man wrestling with his demons, trying to make his way through a world which neglects him. This reflective song cycle can really make you think earnestly about the decisions people make and their consequences. Mr. Wagoner was extremely insightful and it begs the question, how did he come up with such compassionate songs about men far less successful than him? In any event we will probably never know the answer to that question. I have included an MP3 of the title track "Confessions Of A Broken Man". Note the steel guitar, mournful organ and the emotionally charged speak-sing style Mr. Wagoner implements.