Our front porch; Nanci Griffith

The following program is a production of Central Michigan University public radio production of our front porch is made possible in part by grants from the Wheatley music organization a nonprofit historical and educational organization and elderly instruments a fretted instrument and record store with mail order services located in Lansing Michigan. That idea that we had. Welcome. Pull up a chair and join us for an hour of music recorded on our front porch.

Here's your host John Sheffield. Hello. Welcome to our front porch. This is John shuffler today here on our front porch. We'll be listening to the second half of a performance by Nancy Griffith. First half aired on this public radio station a few weeks ago Nancy Griffith is a songwriter originally from Texas and now very much a part of the Nashville music scene and she's been performing since she was 14 years old at the ripe old age of 14 her parents obliged her requests and escorted her to various honky tonks around the Austin Texas area. 1986 was a good year for Nancy Cathy materia recorded one of her compositions. Love it the Five and Dime which was in the top 10 of the country western charts for a while. She was nominated for a Grammy Award in the contemporary folk category for her album

The Last of the true believers. And Nancy side of contract with MCI records and released her first album with MCI in January of 1997 titled The Lone Star state of mind. Although this recording was made during Nancy's first appearance on our front porch she's certainly no stranger to the media. She's appeared on the Austin City Limits new country Nashville now and on VH 1. Nancy has performed at virtually every major Folk Festival throughout the United States and Canada as well as performances in Switzerland and Mexico. And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention her appearances at the Grand Ole Opry. I hope you get as much pleasure out of listening to this performance as we did recording it. Here is part two of our visit with Nancy Griffith on our front porch. I'd like to open up this with the. Title song from my last album and this tune

goes out to all my friends down in Texas because they think I never come home enough and maybe they need to support. Their listeners to send the message out to all of them and get on the phone. And call. We were discussing just a little while ago where where did that saying fair to middling come from that did originate here in Michigan or did it come from west Texas around Odessa Midland Texas. Does anybody know. It came from here. Thank you because we sit down in Texas to you know people come up of a morning you know I you do and you say Well fair to Midland. I always say I'm glad I'm not in Midland. Thank you. Midland Texas it's way out in the middle of nowhere you know. It's like this huge monolith downtown Midland that sticks at that of the flat lands for no reason. Just there. Well he said it was.

Like. Oh. Oh me oh my God oh oh. He said You can't steal we met. They're nice enough that unless set off in the one you see above the line and that he read and I add you know as I know in a time how well in your name but that

homo lasted a week. Oh in the below me. Oh my God. IMO the last of the day. Oh Nick the glow. Oh oh. Daisy shot no one stood up. And Mary sat in there at the night. Now as to the to believe. It to be decided in the end it down the field let's go to that me. I've got mine up around then and now after the 0 0 0 0.

0 0 0 0 0 0. 0 0 0 0 men it looks like oh my god oh my oh. Oh oh my Ghana. Oh. And he brings me. Here. His next song is a little tune about done what happens to you when you get on a Greyhound bus. Now there's that peculiar about riding on the bus. I don't know what it is but ever since I was a small child I did not like it and I don't know

anybody that really likes riding on the Greyhound you know. It's almost as bad as getting a little jet. And. First of all you get on the bus never body on that bus is weird but you. And by the time you get off the bus you look just like them. Now they even had instances where I'd take the bus home and my mother would pick me up at the bus station she walked right past me. And say Mom it's me. She said No no my child never looked like that. But this is you know about a fateful bus trip between Boston Massachusetts and Massachusetts in the gold. Bring the pros to driving these wheels. Boston. The self. On the back off. The bus. It's a last winter storm. The seasons that. I am

lost. In. The book in. The snow makes me drowsy you love me. Oh and it's a long way. Texas is a lovely way back up when it's when I go. Oh it brought snow. From Boston to South Shore where they'd be and bring the bros do the. Brothers do. The Browns do we. Have any basis in the wind. But it's never been hit by too many things. Brother in the Penn where love is a living soul in a way.

The book. Is dealing with the now. That it. Had this great a lot me and makes me weak. Doing her. Thing. Oh it's. So dirty or so he gave me dreams dude you say. Golden Dome with indelibly. Me. Though he. Didn't. Live in the muck.

Boston. On the back of. The bus. Last night. And I am a. Fan of the book. Snow makes. You carry you. His next tune is a little tune all about a low bar down and Houston Texas and it's been my bar for the past 16 years. The wonderful place to go and listen to music where they don't sling long necks at one another. They don't throw one another at one another. Just the good

acoustic music club in the best in the southwest. It's a place called Anderson fair and the floor of Anderson fair is made out of red bricks and they actually came from the streets of Houston and they were kind of lifted one night from the city dump. And laid by that tall blond dictator who owns that joint named Jim Leatherwood. And so if you're down Houston Wayne you want to go listen to some music and you're looking for a good place to go that's the best place in the world. Is it to call the span on a red brick floor. And the gravy on the. Little heaven and

home. But. The new wings bring good to me and I want to but it is over to bring sad stupids in the. More steps down the road that gets used to me. And the crazy on the 0 0. 0 and eat. The little boy to. Go where the old lovers

the. Little boy. It is on the new minute song that goes out to Boston because they have a street in Boston called Beacon Street that runs just about all the way through Boston. It's the only street that actually has street signs on it so you really get lost on Beacon Street runs down the center of city. I had the misfortune one time of staying in a hotel right on Beacon Street and I heard that train coming in the night mom. But I wasn't

lost I knew I was. Anybody who's ever been in Boston knows it's very easy to get lost there. And nobody's ever been out of the neighborhoods you can't stop and ask anybody had to get there. It's a do go Beacon Street. What are we going. To do. Ride the genes for five homes and father loves home all I need is I to own and I would not see one. All I. See. Here. I mean the government is danger does it go when you leave and seems. He says.

That his love was not the kind of. Thing to you. And your loves. Oh no. No. No. I never did. Look in the new norm. See I was a little bit you when you have a good night's sleep and all I need is to close my eyes to find you all I am is by teens to be. Here. I mean the company is doing its growing and singing so. You see. That is low and that the cause. So it's farewell to. Cinema school. Why don't we.

All see. The movie. It was written by Tillman is doing very well. A friend of mine from Texas and now I'm out on him. When his father down the line by line I love it and its song called If I were the woman you wanted and we were the man that you.

Are so quiet. I wonder if they're shuffling pots and pans and stuff. Got the radio turned up on the counter you know. That's what I imagine our front porch. Are you washing up. And then old. And in love and above the. Business. Now if we stood.

There. And there. Was. A hole in the thing. I love. And it was on the water. It wouldn't be. Saying. And if I were. A woman. Who won. The war. See. I love. To. Run and. Snatch. The love. Oh. But if.

You heard. The. President say and do. This now they. Would Never. Know you know what. It would be. On it if. I Were A. Lot of. The. Night. So if you blow. Up.

And go out. And. You. Go. And. It would. Be. About. What. You want to. Hear.

Something happened when I was when I was that well I guess eight or nine years old changed everything around me was an innocence that went away and I couldn't really figure out for a long time when that innocence went away and then it just kind of burned into my mind that it was a hot Sunday afternoon and Austin Texas driving down Congress Avenue in the car with my grandmother my brother my sister and my mother going to see a picture show. And it was a strange August 7 afternoon and we were all in a little Renault doffing. And this Renault doffing was my mother's favorite car and it was turquoise and they had been stuck on for a year and a half. Yes. And this was August and it was at least a hundred five outside and I had a little red patent leather shoes. Now I was the youngest child so therefore I had to sit between my big football playing brother and my cheerleader

sister. And they got into an argument begin slapping at one another and guess who they hit sit in in the middle with little red patent leather shoes melted into the floorboard. And my mother would stop at lights going down Congress Avenue and she'd get tired of the arguing going on the back seat and her hand would go out soon. Guess who that hit. Your sit in the middle. And I remember that the innocent died that day because we were going to see a movie called Kill a Mockingbird and it had my grandmother's favorite actor in it. Gregory Peck and she was discussed with all of us. She had on patent leather shoes as well. And she said the front seat proceeded to break all of us and tell us how much better her life had been if she had moved to Hollywood and married Gregory Peck instead of my grandfather. None of us felt very good about that. We knew we wouldn't be around now that it

happened. But amongst all the chaos it came an announcement on the radio that Marilyn Monroe died the night before and everybody got quiet in the car and my sister cried a little bit because she really loved Marilyn Monroe and she kind of looked like her a little bit except that she didn't really know how to bleach your hair yet. And it was kind of an orange color and it was like cotton candy you know. But she dearly loved America. We all did. And an innocence seemed to go away in that car because everybody got quiet. I grew up for just about five minutes. One of those days a lot of people my age remember especially men. Remember where they were when they heard that Marilyn Monroe had passed on. So I've always associated Marilyn Monroe with baseball players named to my baseball games hot afternoon and hot red leather shoes and a movie called To Kill a Mockingbird. She

wasn't even there. And this goes out to her and it's a song off of one of my albums called me on a waltz. Son stuff. And hearts will stop. Screen. Minaret. Those within the sea. ORG the loss of a ball. And live dug in the. Sea with the waltz in. Our

field. Was your beating last. Night With this along. The border there is a camera. With a mask. And bear with. Me. And bear with.

It well for. You. It's. Gone. I would love for him

was watching. His daughter was home. Oh no. Lies. By. Him. Why. Was. The. Buggle. Brought the plane. You got me.

A lot. Oh yeah. I. Know. Who. Go. By. Walk to. Home. Was No. Home. Go.

For it. I play at the festival. Down in the. And the island with the festival. And the Island of women and it's always nice when I get off the ferry. All the children know this song now which is the course that was written by my friend. All about. A. Song by all of you I'll sing along on course. Real simple Spanish words to catch on to.

You. By my dying fire and. I see your faces and. It's my thieves life leaving shadow on the ground. And with the river flowing he brings back soft. We stay here and leave you young and Dan's steeds span this town is real and. I. Eat it. Oh you're going to. Be. Fine. I. Did.

Not. Say. So. So I. Owe you once again to just be my No. This better be then never Oh. Being you than me. And by my side I stand I see that now in this. How you thing you used to be. Izzy your me. I. I. Yes.

This next song. Is off the once in a blue moon now. While the playwrights that we've had in America so far has always been my favorite. And this is a tune that I wrote about a screenplay that he did years ago and it came from a one act play that he had written. And it was a movie called This property is condemned. And it starred Robert Redford and Natalie Wood.

And I think Charles brought some. Back in his nonviolent thing. Although he was pretty violent in his movie. He does behaved a little bit for the cameras. Go you down in New Orleans goes that respectfully to Mr. Tennessee Williams wherever he may be and the mischief to see from somewhere. Are you down in New York.

Sather draw there that you stare. And should you. Buy as we hide in New York and. Finally pass my to the safety zone. I'm a sick. Man bye.

And then. You. I'm very fortunate my dad to be one of the best friends that I've always

had in my mom as well. And just like that everybody else I think. We all think our fathers are a little bit eccentric. And then as we get older and we get to be more like them then we stop talking about it quite as much. But my dad's always been able to give me great advice you can't take advice from anyone but he can dish it out to get an 800 number for all my musician friends who want to call him now and. And we have a great time when we go places together and and this year when he decided he wanted to go to this festival in the Yucatan he thought there'd be a great time to go down to Mexico and you know do a little fishing a little snorkeling of the Caribbean and someone took a picture of us sitting at the beach and we looked just like in profile. And I had one hand on my knee had his other hand on the looking opposite directions and neither person looks like they're having a very good time. So we decided we won't go on anymore. Again.

This is all about some advice that my father gave me about being a rider and gold that he said for anybody who needs one of those 1 800 number free advice as to that. Oh man he sang that. Oh we call you. Oh you never told me this is gold

in the low. Lol. Oh Nick in the next six years in a warm bed you go Big sing a song about the weather and oh I know the billing Oh I didn't do hard sounds that I want and then learned to man against their will that I know. He said you'll never learn if you never lend a riot if you love and man back any other day but never get back.

I live in a low. Goal I never did live in the lowlands Sam Sam the feet below. When I lived in the. Fall. That one more tune feel the seaming. It's truly been a pleasure to be here with John on our front porch. It's nice to be up here in Michigan. This is done it's been my lucky song this year. Song off my last album The Last a true believer sound and it came to be

in a crazy sort of way I was playing the north winds festival in Toronto and they had these workshops at Canadian festivals do have these workshops with all songwriters are supposed to be in right and you're supposed to follow the format of whatever title of the workshop Yes. And I'd never been at a Canadian festival or in the Toronto one was the first one I'd ever gone to. And I got my. Schedule you know and I looked at it in the first workshop I had to be in was a workshop that involved a musician's lament was supposed to be songs all about musicians domestic life on the road and I didn't have any songs about that so I didn't set up on that road this next song and I got to the workshop the next day in the workshop had Greg Brown Jethro Burns. Frank Christian and a couple of other folks in it and by God I was the first one out of the bucket to do my song and I did my song and it was right on the subject you know. I stuck to the subject and not a darn one of them did a song about a musician's domestic

life on the road cept for Frank Christian. And he wrote the song musician's lament. But I felt pretty good about it because this was the first song that I'd ever written that became a top five country hit and I know that Kathy and Kathy were. It's a tune called Love at the five and that is all about the special things in life. Thank you. Turns out there right around the corner. Leader was 60 days a license. She made the word go.

Annette it. Really was a. Good thing. It was yeah. But. It's a little bit me it is a little slow. Dance a little. Bit a little. Bit closer to. The slows. The night of this but. Ed if they steal gets. His life. Is. Good. So they married at the NAB and he asked Did he see. Still right.

Well. This is a little blow suit at me. Get into a little bit US A. Dance a little closer you deny me. Dance a little. Bit and. This blows into Heaven knows I see you in that this. And that. One of our boy was dead he's been. Shot and you leave you see it's a red herring and all these me. Oh but he was backed by. U.S.. Sport and missy to see me dance a little bit at me. It is a little closer. It's a little suit me.

The little duck thing that a. Very close into his love songs in the night this fall. Let it settle it with. Life. Thanks for. Your insight. And it has got. To stand still because of the love. We dance do that.

Is due. To me. It isn't it a lot. Dance a little closer you didn't see me very close to discussing this. Yeah.

I'm going to close. I was inspired by a couple folks back by the name of an uncle and they're from Managua Nicaragua. And they're produced by Jackson man have an album out on Red Boat Records called looking wonderful harmony. They had this harmony like the guys no matter what they're talking about. And by the way. Let it be the. Love.

Moon outside my wing. And the jungle that's me. Is big enough. Where. I used to. Be. We. Do well.

We've spent the last hour with a very lovely lady. Her name is Nancy Griffith and this was part two of her visit here on our front porch. Nanci Griffith is certainly one of the

rising stars in the Nashville scene and we wish Nancy all the luck she rightfully deserves. I'm John shuffler. Thanks for joining us here today on our front porch. I hope you enjoyed your visit with Nancy Griffith. And if you did we hope you'll be able to come back and join us again real soon. And until we meet again. Take care yourself. Woo. Woo. Woo. Woo. Woo. Woo woo. Woo. Woo. Woo. It was. It was. A little. Bit what. It was.

That is. The executive producer and host of Our Brian Porges John Shefford a co-producer and technical director is Dan Bracken comments about our front porch to be sent to CMU Public Radio Mount Pleasant Michigan 4 8 8 5 9. Production of our front porch is made possible on heart by grants from the Rita music organization. And elderly instruments a fetid instrument and record store with mail order services in Lansing Michigan. Support for the distribution of this

program is provided by National Public Radio member stations and the NPR arts and performance fund. Contributors include the National Endowment for the Arts. By John D and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation and the Chrysler Corporation. This is NPR National Public Radio. Good evening from National Public Radio in Washington I'm Renee Montagne. Now there's no Adam with

ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. We describe the place taking. Same contacts. Yeah judges of those contests did in Utah a contest for the country's most scenic garbage dump. Tonight on All Things Considered a report on the upcoming trial day parade. Also these stories the Soviet government announces it will put on trial those responsible for the accident at your noble Canada moves to bring to trial a suspected former Nazis living there. In Washington consumer groups are in court challenging Congress's recent pay hike. Also Friday the 13th today it's the second one so far this year and there's still one more to go in 1987. Now we have this hour's news. I'm Frank stay show John Gotti the reputed head of the Gambino crime family in New York and believed to be one of the nation's most powerful organized crime figures was acquitted today on racketeering charges. His trial had taken seven months.

NPR's Mike Schuster has details. Federal prosecutors have been on a winning streak in New York gaining conviction after conviction in their concerted assault on organized crime. But today they lost a big one and John Gotti becomes the only top organized crime figure in New York not in prison. Gotti and six others were each facing charges of racketeering and criminal conspiracy. Gotti had spent most of the trial in jail it took the anonymous jury seven days to reach its verdict and today Gotti walked out of federal court in Brooklyn a free man got his co-defendants were also acquitted but got his troubles with the law have certainly not ended. Gotti came to power in the Gambino crime family after the December 1995 murder of boss Paul Castillo. Authorities believe God he was responsible and may now try to indict him for that killing. I'm Mike Schuster in New York Chicago area police say two girls apparently killed themselves yesterday and another teenage suicide pact the two best friends were found dead from exhaust fumes in a garage in else at the Illinois the cause of death was the same as that of four teenagers who killed themselves earlier this week in New Jersey. Cheryl Corley of

member station WBEZ reports. Thank you. And he granted 17 year old went back to France. Maybe yesterday afternoon they were found dead in a car that was still running in the gotchas. KAREN LOGAN AND the car police also found letters to friends and relatives. And the family are welcome. After their parents kicked out of the house high school crap. Let's briefly with our friend Nancy Grace. About to be divorced from her husband Nancy's brother Robert said you know what had happened the night before. They were pretty much inseparable. The last few months. Since she's been separated in. August they talked each other into it you know I don't think this thing in New Jersey was directly related except for you know giving them an idea of how to do it. Police believe this is the first step of suicide. And our prayers to wait for National Public Radio. I'm Cheryl Corley and Chicago.

Officials in Detroit say the fire that killed three firefighters overnight is arson and those responsible if caught will be charged with homicide. But fire began yesterday and burned out of control for 11 hours. It destroyed an abandoned warehouse into adjacent buildings. Police have questioned two men in connection with the blaze but so far no one has been charged. Democratic Senator Sam Nunn of Georgia today said that President Reagan's interpretation of the 1972 ABM Treaty is wrong. Nunn is chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. The last of three key speeches on the subject none said the administration is wrong in its analysis of the Senate ratification debate and the negotiating record. President Reagan adopted a broad interpretation of the ABM Treaty to allow more testing of the Star Wars Strategic Defense Initiative. White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater said today the president respects nun's comments but he believes the senator is mistaken. The president is trying to make a decision on the future course of the Strategic Defense Initiative in terms of the kind of technology to pursue what it how it can be tested under the treaty what the

ramifications are for the treaty in terms of the interpretation. And those are all intertwined in this decision making process but they do not involve breaking the treaty Fitzwater said the administration's broad interpretation of the treaty is fully justified. Western diplomats say the Soviet Union has dropped an offer to freeze the number of short range missiles in Europe as part of an IMF agreement with the U.S.. One diplomat called the move a disturbing step backwards in London Soviet arms control chief Karpov said the short range talks could run simultaneously but would not be linked. This is NPR in Washington. On Wall Street today the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell more than eight points to close the week at twenty two fifty eight point sixty six trading moderately active 150 million shares changed hands. The average price of a share on the New York Exchange lost 17 cents. The U.S. Court of Appeals has overturned a two million dollar jury verdict against the Washington Post. The appeals court ruled that the Post did not libel former Mobil Oil President William Tavor alius in an article published in

1979. The newspaper said that in 1974 Tavor altie has used his influence to set up his son as a partner in a London based shipping company a company that had a multimillion dollar contract with Mobil in its seven to one ruling the appeals court said it is convinced that the set up allegation is substantially true. Wholesale Price.