James McMurtry’s new single, “State of the Union,” is now available as a free download via his website www.jamesmcmurtry.com. The singular songwriter’s razor-sharp sociopolitical commentary surely will turn heads: “My brother’s a fascist, lives in Palacios, fishes the pier every night,” the song opens. “He holsters his glock in a double retention. He smokes while he waits for a bite. He don’t like the Muslims. He don’t like the Jews. He don’t like the Blacks and he don’t trust the news. He hates the Hispanics and alternative views. He’ll tell you it’s tough to be white.”
“Every region of the United States seems to have its own way of Anglicizing, or rather, Americanizing Spanish names,” McMurtry explains. “There’s a town called Palacios on the Texas coast. Texans pronounce it ‘Palashuss,’ which just happens to kinda rhyme with ‘fascist.’ While there’s usually at least one in every town, I don’t know for a fact that there’s even one actual fascist residing in or near the town of Palacios, Texas. This song, like most of my songs, is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of any of my characters to actual persons, living or deceased, is just plain lucky.”
Lucky fans might hear “State of the Union” live as McMurtry supports red-hot singer-songwriter Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit on an extensive tour in early 2018. The highly lauded tunesmiths will launch the run at the Criterion in Oklahoma City on January 4 and serpentine for weeks throughout the South, Midwest and East Coast before concluding at the Charleston Municipal Auditorium in Charleston, West Virginia on February 17. Major markets on this exciting run include the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh and Kings Theatre in Brooklyn.
One Response
I want to ask James McMurtry to put his version of “State of the Union” on an album. You are the best and I could listen to you all day. I hope it is possible to do it soon! Thank you