MP, meet BD

In 1999, John Lurie (of the Lounge Lizards) created an alter ego named Marvin Pontiac and released his lost recordings.

The legendary Marvin Pontiac’s “Greatest Hits,” was released on the Strange & Beautiful Music label five years back. I picked it up yesterday. When I saw it, I recognized the cover art immediately, but I couldn’t place it exactly.

The story is, it’s the long lost recordings of a roots rock great and that somehow, twenty years after his death (killed by a bus, naturally), the tapes have surfaced. I couldn’t figure out why I knew this record that I had never listened to before, but looked forward to giving it a listen and doing some research. And now, of course, I remember. Crazy John Lurie released this funny-ass, bluesy record under pseudonym, except that he took it a step further than simply creating a pen name. If you have a second, please check out the bio on Mr. Pontiac; it is the life that any good roots rocker should lead.

My personal favs:
His disdain and mistrust of the music business is well documented and he soon fell out with Acorn's owner, Norman Hector. Although, approached by other labels, Marvin refused to record for anyone unless the owner of the label came to his home in Slidell, La and mowed his lawn.

Reportedly Marvin's music was the only music that Jackson Pollack would ever listen to while he painted, this respect was not reciprocated.

I have an alter ego, too, though not nearly as well developed as Lurie’s. His name is BabyDaddy (one word, capitalized “B,” capitalized “D”). While the bio is not complete, I will tell you this: his voice is deep, as is his soul and his appreciation for pirate-speak. Oh, and he beats the girls off with a stick. Literally.

Well, maybe not literally. Let’s say, he gently taps the girls away with a well-padded stick. Literally.