Comments on: Over and Out, Good Buddy

Over and Out, Good Buddy

chillmost — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:26:51 -0800

Musician and Actor Jerry Reed passes away at age 71 Amazing musician and good ol' boy actor and Scooby Doo regular, Jerry Reed was known for such hits as East Bound and Down and his roles in the Smokey and the Bandit series of films.

Other well know songs: Amos Moses, She Got The Goldmine (I Got the Shaft) and When You're Hot, You're Hot

By: Nick Verstayne

Nick Verstayne — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:29:34 -0800

Good night, Snowman. Woah Bandit! .

By: chillmost

chillmost — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:33:45 -0800

10-7

By: ethnomethodologist

ethnomethodologist — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:37:06 -0800

emphysema, what a surprise.

By: The Light Fantastic

The Light Fantastic — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:39:16 -0800

:( crap .

By: arimathea

arimathea — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:39:39 -0800

. East bound and down....

By: Slack-a-gogo

Slack-a-gogo — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:40:20 -0800

Way bummed to hear this. Jerry made some great music and seemed to always have fun doing it. His best-of is a regular listen at the Slack household and can always put a smile on my face. I love his goofy story songs, but he was also a solid conventional songwriter and a hell of a guitar picker. He wrote and recorded "Guitar Man", which Elvis recorded soon after. Also worth seeing: Jerry's guitar skills on the instrumental "Lightning Rod", with Glen Campbell and Tom Jones, and a nice news piece about Jerry being honored by the veterans for his charity work over the years. And as much as I loved him in the Smokey and the Bandit movies, as an actor, I'll always remember him as Bama McCall.

By: Ber

Ber — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:44:49 -0800

R.I.P. That sumbitch sure could pick.

By: rdone

rdone — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:48:52 -0800

By: Slack-a-gogo

Slack-a-gogo — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:49:15 -0800

Also, check out this great performance of "Wabash Cannonball" from the Porter Wagoner show. As I was looking for some Jerry Reed stuff for a FPP I got caught up watching a lot of Reed performances and chillmost beat me to the punch.

By: horsemuth

horsemuth — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:54:00 -0800

By: Senor Cardgage

Senor Cardgage — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:02:54 -0800

By: doctor_negative

doctor_negative — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:16:43 -0800

But who will feed Fred?

By: Eideteker

Eideteker — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:17:40 -0800

Look out, God. Here comes Jerrrrrrry! I don't like country music, but I always made an exception for Jerry. "It's me they're after! They don't even know Cletus Snow exists!" "Oh, they don't? Well, I tell you what we're gonna do, we just gonna introduce 'em to the boy! So move over good buddy because the Snow Man is coming through." I used to work in a bowling alley. They would lower projection screens over the lanes for football games, so that people could watch, drink, and bowl. One night, I was left pretty much on my own (there were some folks working concessions and a girl in the bar, but no one else behind the control desk). So I started flipping through the channels after the game was over (fun to do when you have a dozen projection screens at your whim). Because it's always on TBS, I found Smokey and the Bandit playing and OMG did the house go wild. Most of the sports crowd had taken off, and that left a few families and some teenagers. I tell you what, that movie just about brought everyone together and it was all I could do not to get on the PA and start singing, "Eeeeastbound and dowwwwwn, loaded up and truckin'!" When that line about Cletus introducing himself came up, there was a cheer as his semi plowed through the blockade. Really powerful stuff, and it definitely turned a horrible late Sunday shift into the high point of the week. Jerry, next time I mime at a trucker to sound his horn, that blast's for you, good buddy.

By: Nick Verstayne

Nick Verstayne — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:19:32 -0800

That Wabash Cannonball link is seriously awesome. Thanks.

By: Artichoke Dance Off!!

Artichoke Dance Off!! — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:21:20 -0800

By: Smedleyman

Smedleyman — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:22:38 -0800

By: monkeystronghold

monkeystronghold — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:25:22 -0800

What's he wearin' now? Come back.. .

By: blixco

blixco — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:27:36 -0800

Aw, damn. Met him once at the El Paso rodeo when I was a kid. He was there performing, and I was infatuated with Smokey and the Bandit. Nice guy, to a kid who couldn't even stammer a "hello," much less shake his hand. I asked him if that truck from the movie was his. He laughed and told me the truck cost more than he did. I'm gonna' miss that son of a truck drivin' mother.

By: Verdant

Verdant — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:29:27 -0800

By: batmonkey

batmonkey — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:31:58 -0800

childhood gets further and further away.... .

By: chillmost

chillmost — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:44:10 -0800

childhood gets further and further away.... Those are the words I was looking for.

By: porn in the woods

porn in the woods — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:50:15 -0800

. I love "When You're Hot, You're Hot." R.I.P. Jerry

By: jonp72

jonp72 — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:03:24 -0800

By: jca

jca — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:09:19 -0800

Anyone remember his film Hot Stuff? (It was a surprisingly enjoyable movie.)

By: gcbv

gcbv — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:14:23 -0800

. We'll miss him (and Fred, too). FRED! Get back in the truck!

By: horsemuth

horsemuth — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:26:37 -0800

jca - yeah! ...with Dom Deluise. I forgot all about that movie. It was on non-stop on HBO in the 80's. I swear that I must have seen Hot Stuff over 50 times!

By: entropicamericana

entropicamericana — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:28:14 -0800

By: dilettante

dilettante — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:29:46 -0800

I'm sorry he's dead, and I can admit that some of his music was good...but East Bound and Down is the most gawdawful strong earworm. Just try getting through a normal day's work with that stuck in your head.

By: msalt

msalt — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:37:14 -0800

Amos Moses is an amazing song (if you haven't heard it, check out the link above.) The best country funk song EVAH. Covered by Primus, too.

By: jtron

jtron — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:38:40 -0800

By: Smart Dalek

Smart Dalek — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:39:28 -0800

By: RussHy

RussHy — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:51:33 -0800

What I liked best about him is that he seriously has a good time while he's picking. He could really pick, but he never came across as grim like Chet. .

By: djeo

djeo — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:51:52 -0800

I will never forget seeing a Smokey and the Bandit I & II double-feature at the local movie theatre when I was about 12. How my mom let my little brother and me go to that show I'll never know but it was the second greatest movie experience of my young life (#1 was Star Wars, of course). Hell, I had the original S&tB soundtrack on vinyl even before that. batmonkey has it right. .

By: Eideteker

Eideteker — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:55:26 -0800

"I asked him if that truck from the movie was his. He laughed and told me the truck cost more than he did." And I can hear him say it. Thanks for sharing that!

By: fairytale of los angeles

fairytale of los angeles — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:02:42 -0800

. on behalf of Mr. F, whose sole comment was "Piss."

By: Eideteker

Eideteker — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:12:13 -0800

img

By: Joey Bagels

Joey Bagels — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:17:00 -0800

Single-link WFMU-sourced RealAudio post: Jerry Reed - "Rockin in Bagdad." Starts about 10 seconds in.

By: popechunk

popechunk — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:21:14 -0800

This is terrible. So long, Jerry.

By: joaquim

joaquim — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 19:25:40 -0800

Back in the mid-70s, he released a version of Stars and Stripes Forever that pretty much defined how that song should be played. There was a drum kit in there, but the rest was all guitars: thundering bass turned up to 11, tandem guitars playing the main melody, piccolo counterpoint played way up on the neck, awesome. We would crank that sucker up and scream, "Cowboys kick Sousa ass!" I've been looking for a non-vinyl copy for years, but no luck. The version he released just a few years ago is nice, but really pales in comparison to the original. For some reason, I've had Amos Moses stuck in my head for the past week. It looks now like it'll be there for a while longer, but that's not such a bad thing.

By: jonmc

jonmc — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 19:26:18 -0800

Too bad it wasn't an alligator down in the swamp, lawd, that did him in. RIP, Guitar Man.

By: waraw

waraw — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 19:28:36 -0800

By: Ynoxas

Ynoxas — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 19:44:29 -0800

He was a damn fine performer. Truly one of my favorites. Long live the story-song.

By: joannemerriam

joannemerriam — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 20:40:18 -0800

By: ikkyu2

ikkyu2 — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 21:13:57 -0800

By: Sailormom

Sailormom — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 21:57:01 -0800

I take back what I said about you Jerry. And thanks for the memories. .

By: BitterOldPunk

BitterOldPunk — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 22:24:52 -0800

Jerry Reed's cover of "Goodnight, Irene" was one of my father's very favorite songs, and I have fond memories of singing along to it with him. Dad would also start singing it right before he'd run the table on me while shooting pool... Bye, Jerry. I didn't think to miss you until you were gone. Teach them angels how to pick. .

By: humannaire

humannaire — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 23:25:08 -0800

"We've got a long way to go and a short time to get there," has always kinda summed it up for me. .

By: bonefish

bonefish — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:08:52 -0800

By: Darned account name

Darned account name — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:22:04 -0800

By: Marisa Stole the Precious Thing

Marisa Stole the Precious Thing — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 02:01:32 -0800

Great. My first crush is dead. And I'm sure I wasn't the only one who claimed him as such. .

By: RavinDave

RavinDave — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 02:10:46 -0800

From the recent "Jerry Clower" thread on MeFi, we find this bit from "The Jerry Reed Show".

By: chuckdarwin

chuckdarwin — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 02:43:45 -0800

. I'll have to add him to the 'dead American country artists whose songs I cover' pile.

By: Darned account name

Darned account name — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 03:23:43 -0800

I was reminded of the Amos Moses song when I read the story of Devin Funck.

By: Fuzzy Skinner

Fuzzy Skinner — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 05:03:39 -0800

See, they had a *long* way to go and a *short* time to get there. And it was this, they said couldn't be done. Not vise versa. Once I realized that, it made the movie a lot more enjoyable. You see, they needed the fast car to distract the police who might otherwise chase the truck which would inhibit the high velocity the truck must travel at in order to reach the destination within a short period of time. I think many viewers miss this nuance of the film. DAMMIT, Smedleyman! I saw that movie in the theater as a teenager, and I guess the plot was just over my head. So whenever it showed up on TBS, I'd watch it again, year after year, trying to unravel the plot. I just could never do it. I had 2001: A Space Odyssey and Kim Ki-duk's The Isle (Seom) figured out years ago, thanks to the plethora of books and articles written about them. But Smokey and the Bandit... for some reason, there were no interpretive articles, shot-by-shot explanatory books, or websites explaining the plot. Even IMDB was no help. It's as if the opacity of the plot prevented people from even trying to figure it out. But, now, thanks to you I get it! I'll have to put it on my Netflix queue and check it out again with fresh eyes. Hopefully, after watching it a few times, with your fresh interpretation, it will seem like more than just a random series of images. Whoa, there's the police chasing Burt Reynolds! Wait! Who's that guy in the truck! What's that mysterious cargo? Why are they going so fast? What is a "Smokey"? Why all the flashing lights? Why is that Honeymooners guy there, and The Flying Nun? Thanks God you came along. The pieces are clicking into place. Until it shows up in my mailbox, I'll just keep repeating: Long way, short time. Long way, short time. Long way, short time. Long time, short... DAMMIT! -------- RIP, Jerry Reed.

By: Spatch

Spatch — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 05:14:35 -0800

Once you're done with that, Fuzzy, you may be ready to tackle the enigma that is The Cannonball Run. "The only rule is there are no rules" is one of the most beloved yet uncrackable koans in modern cinema.

By: fourcheesemac

fourcheesemac — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 05:44:27 -0800

<> .

By: Fuzzy Skinner

Fuzzy Skinner — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 06:00:08 -0800

Once you're done with that, Fuzzy, you may be ready to tackle the enigma that is The Cannonball Run. "The only rule is there are no rules" is one of the most beloved yet uncrackable koans in modern cinema. Yeah, I saw that too, but I keep getting it mixed up with The Gumball Rally, leaving me doubly confused!

By: tommasz

tommasz — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 06:27:31 -0800

One my early guitar idols, but I never could play like him. .

By: Cyclopsis Raptor

Cyclopsis Raptor — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 07:44:35 -0800

Goddamn.

By: fixedgear

fixedgear — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 08:14:32 -0800

By: Bixby23

Bixby23 — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 08:28:11 -0800

Son, I think we all just got the shaft . . . If anyone can find a video of Tim Wilson's "I Married a Woman Who Talks Like Jerry Reed" I promise I'll watch it. Really and truly. S'long, you ol' hillbilly

By: ObscureReferenceMan

ObscureReferenceMan — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 10:57:08 -0800

I like a few of Jerry's tunes (like "When You're Hot, You're Hot"), but I loved "Amos Moses"! During the required square dancing in high school (you know, for Sadie Hawkins day), in order to apease people who tired of all square dancing (as if!), they would play a couple "bonus" songs (and taught us the dances to) - "Montego Bay" and "Amos Moses". Good times. And "Hot Stuff" was great little gem of a flick. RIP, Jerry.

By: Smedleyman

Smedleyman — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:15:02 -0800

"But Smokey and the Bandit... for some reason, there were no interpretive articles, shot-by-shot explanatory books, or websites explaining the plot." I believe The Society for Cinema and Media Studies has a piece titled "Jean-Luc Godard and the existential roots of Ursidae predation set against themes of banditry and the symbolism of the Kenworth W900A short-frame semi truck." Pretty good read. Also - those things they're talking into in the car? Radios! They're actually talking to each other. It really puts a sort of narrative to the film. S'funny. I don't consider myself liking country music. But I like Jerry Reed. I like Johnny Cash. I like Patsy Cline. Apparently (as I was schooled by a country boy) I don't like the new stuff that passes as country. I get what they're trying to do with all the glitz and looking like they're having fun. But Reed struck me as the sort of guy actually having fun, and that was infectious. Even for a guy like me who has two folders on my mp3 player: Metal and other.

By: Dorri732

Dorri732 — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:35:01 -0800

Most of his music was humorous, but he had his serious side, as well. I Love You, What Can I Say A poet, no, no I'm not a poet But if I were, and if I had every word in the world at my command My poem would still be I love you