David Berthy Posts



I recently drove from San Francisco to Chicago. In order to avoid the Rockies, I took I-40, which more or less follows the defunct Route 66 route from Los Angeles to Chicago. The drive took us through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri before we finally made our way to Illinois. The drive was visually epic and as good an excuse to listen to music as I can remember encountering, particularly a certain kind of country music. The popular cliché about country is that “It tells a story,” and that’s certainly part of the allure, but I can’t enjoy a story if it’s slathered in the kind of bombast or schmaltz so often associated with current country. It’s necessary to go back a bit to find the sort of sounds I like best on a road trip.

My first choice is “You’re The Reason Our Kids Are Ugly,” an inestimably well-titled Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn duet. Aside from the greatness of the performance and the sharpness of the lyrics, I love how the backbeat mixes with the twang in this song. This dynamic also exists in my second choice, Willie Nelson’s “Devil in A Sleeping Bag.” The song comes from 1973’s Shotgun Willie, an album that’s perfect any time, but especially brilliant while you’re driving through Amarillo, Texas resisting the urge to watch people try for free steak dinners by putting away 72 ounces in less than an hour.

You're The Reason Our Kids Are Ugly