I never dreamed I’d own the whole Tex Skerball collection without illegally downloading the videos from YouTube. And to tell you the truth, I was afraid to do that because, frankly, Tex scares me a little. But I plopped “Five Loose Screws,” the new five-song EP of Graham Parker outtakes, into my computer and there it was.
The CD also includes a fun video of Parker on tour with The Figgs and two goofy episodes of “Sunglass(es) The Graham Parker Show” on which he analyzes why the Brits lost to the Swedes in curling, goes skiing, takes us on a nature tour that includes a Bigfoot foot print, and plays some songs.
The real treats, though, are the five loose screws. The tracks — “Area 51 (In Your Heart),” “Search Engine,” “The Harridan Of Yore,” “The End Of Faith” and “2000 Funerals” — hardly sound like throwaways. The EP is packed with classic Graham Parker music filled with biting wit and poignant reflections.
Read more about the EP on Parker’s blog and order it from his website.
Just be careful when you watch the videos. Parker’s even scarier when he portrays a clown than he is when he assumes his hillbilly alter ego, Tex Skerball.
