Tuesday, November 24, 1998
Goofball lyricist at home in coffee shop
MUSIC: Intimate venue allows crowd to get cozy with funny,
timely singer
By Brent Hopkins
Daily Bruin Staff
The small room stuck at the back of McCabe’s Guitar Shop, its
walls covered with hanging guitars and Bob Marley posters, filled
quickly with chatting, coffee-sipping fans on Saturday. They were a
diverse group, from senior citizens to young children, but they all
had one thing in common: an appreciation for the oddball musical
offerings of singer and songwriter Dan Bern.
As the lights went down and he stepped on stage, hyper-casual in
a sleeveless workout shirt and cargo pants, it became clear that
the audience would not be disappointed. Not even pausing to say
hello, Bern began to strum his acoustic guitar to kick off an
evening of storytelling.
Bern held court onstage for two hours, singing and picking out
melodies while the crowd sat raptly, laughing and cheering his
witty, topical songs.
This was far from a review of traditional romantic ballads; it
was a non-stop barrage of social observations. Kenneth Starr,
Massive Attack, Viagra, Bill Clinton, John McEnroe, Willie Mays,
Jesus Christ, the Chicago Bulls and Vincent Van Gogh all found
their way into his folk-ish tunes, giving them a current,
accessible feel.
Bern’s lyrics are anything but cryptic, which is a large part of
his appeal. As he wandered the small stage, guitar in hand, he
seemed like he was nothing more than a regular guy, musing about
everyday life – well, maybe a regular guy, musing about everyday
life, who’s an unusually good songwriter.
As the audience’s laughter indicated, his lyrics are often
riotously funny. When he christened himself the famous painter "Le
Douche" and mocked artistry, the crowd responded with good-humored
cheers. The tale of a scheming false artist who cons women into
posing nude and pretends to paint while they lounge about his
apartment was obviously intended to elicit laughs.
His wit can have a double edge, which he showcased when he sang
the all-too-true lyric "My morals are determined by whoever I’m
sleeping with, like most American men." This is Bern at his best,
still getting the laughs, but with an uneasy edge.
McCabe’s was a perfect venue for Bern. Though the small space
didn’t offer the best in comfort for fans, the close proximity to
the stage and intimate acoustics made up for it. Several times,
Bern chose to step away from the microphone and sing without the
benefit of amplification, giving the music an incredibly personal
feel. With only a guitar, harmonica and his foot stomping on the
floor for percussion, he was no longer a professional musician, but
a personal entertainer singing the songs expressly for each
audience member.
This stripped down arrangement prevented him from playing most
of the songs on his most recent studio album, "50 Eggs," but the
emotion with which he played the mostly unfamiliar material more
than compensated for the lack of a backing band.
It also allowed Bern to pull off a nifty trick: he had the
audience accompany him on a song that he had written only the
previous day. Reading the lyrics and music from a note book, he
pointed to fans to ask the always timely question: "Hey God, how’s
it hanging, tough guy?"
The song, adapted from a dream in which a pajama-clad God
discusses the eight commandments, suggests that Moses may have
misinterpreted the one about "Thou shalt not be mean to a moose."
This was the best-received material of the evening, with the
audience enthusiastically singing along as Bern grinned and
strummed his guitar.
As he closed the evening with a brief encore, Bern proved that
he could handle serious material just as well as he could goofball
songs, delivering a moving rendition of "Oh Sister," an
introspective tribute to his elder sibling. Unlike many singers,
however, he didn’t allow melodrama to set in.
The closing number, which explored a labor dispute between elves
and Santa Claus, retained all the mirth that had surfaced earlier
in the evening.
This finished, he offered a simple "Thank you," and disappeared
from stage. He may not have had a light show and orchestra to
impress the crowd – but then again, with a smile, a guitar and a
couple of meaningful songs, he didn’t need to.
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