With a name like Malcolm John "Mac" Rebennack, Jr., it's a funny thing that Dr. John didn't stick with the original. Sure, "Dr. John" is a euphonious construction befitting a skinji-brimmed night tripper, but maybe Mac Rebennack would have done okay too. That's the name he recorded under when he was a sideman back in the late '50s, and he took the Dr. John moniker when he decided to take a few parts Professor Longhair, a few parts Jimi Hendrix, and a few parts Meters and turn the whole mess into a gonzo live extravaganza.
Dr. John has always seemed to me to be sort of the Emeril Lagasse of New Orleans music, a genial and crowd-pleasing performer who doesn't value purity as much as whether something tastes good. (Of course there's the objection that Dr. John is actually from the Big Easy, and Lagasse is a native son of Fall River (that's pronounced "Fawl Rivuh!"), Massachusetts, but bear with me...) There's a lot to be said for not being bound by tradition. If it weren't for Emeril "BAM"ing it up daily on the Food Network, it's doubtful that many people in this country would have any idea how to say etouffé, much less have an idea what goes into the dish. And if it weren't for Mac Rebennack - 'scuse me - Dr. John putting butts on dance floors with his blend of New Orleans juju, rock, funk, and psychedelic music, I doubt that many people in this country would have ever heard the sound of a funky New Orleans second line beat.
But of course, both Emeril and Dr. John come in for their share of criticism, too. Emeril's food is good, and I hear his restaurant can really hit the spot, but he presents a cuisine that is more New Orleans TO THE MAXX!! than New Orleans. This is completely fine, but purists will naturally scoff. Dr. John, too, has had a number of outstanding hits, and his grab-bag approach can sound as fresh and satisfying now as it was in 1968. Moreover, he has at least one all-time classic record (1973's In The Right Place) that it is every American's patriotic duty to own and appreciate. Nonetheless, ever since about 1980, it seems like Dr. John has spent a lot of time underachieving, and has settled into a comfortable middle age.
Hyena Records (owned by legendary producer Joel Dorn) has just released a new archival live album by Dr. John: Right Place, Right Time, that was recorded live at Tipitina's in New Orleans over Mardi Gras 1989. Despite the great promise of such a combination - The Night Tripper... New Orleans... Tipitina's... Mardi Gras!! - the record manages to sum up everything that's good, and everything that's frustrating, about Dr. John in approximately equal measure. Both the good part and the frustrating part are related to Dr. John's persona as the cool, detached voodoo master of the keys, the night tripper, the bemused and beguiled vendor of voodoo and master of mojo. As long as he sticks singing to his own material he does fine, but when he steps out into songs made famous by others, he tends to stumble.
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