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Legendary Stardust Cowboy

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Legendary Stardust Cowboy
Birth nameNorman Carl Odam
Born (1947-09-05) September 5, 1947 (age 77)
Lubbock, Texas, U.S.
OriginUnited States
GenresPsychobilly, rockabilly, outsider music, country rock, surf rock
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, dobro, bugle
Years active1968–present
LabelsPsycho-Suave, Mercury Records

Norman Carl Odam (born September 5, 1947, in Lubbock, Texas),[1] known professionally as the Legendary Stardust Cowboy, is an outsider performer who is considered one of the pioneers of the genre that came to be known as psychobilly in the 1960s.

Early life

Odam was interested in space travel from early childhood, recalling that at kindergarten age he "used to look at the moon and [tell himself] that some day man will go to the moon." As a teenager he combined his interests in outer space and the American west to create the name "Stardust Cowboy," adding the word "legendary" because "I am a legend in my own time." The fact that the initials of "Legendary Star Dust", LSD, referred to a popular drug at the time was coincidental; he claims to have adopted the name in 1961, before the drug was popularized.[2]

Odam took up music in his high school years as a means toward popularity and impressing girls.[3] Inspired by Chet Atkins, he learned guitar and also taught himself to play the bugle. After high school he briefly attended college, majoring in electronics.

"Paralyzed"

While in college Odam had the idea of "writing a wild song that would captivate everybody."[2] This led to his writing of a song, "Paralyzed", which he performed at local talent contests. He recorded "Paralyzed" in 1968 in what was apparently a moment of spare time in a recording studio in Fort Worth, Texas. He played dobro and bugle, while T-Bone Burnett played drums. The track features unintelligible snarls, growls, and similar vocalisms, surrounded by frantic strumming on acoustic guitar, Burnett's equally frantic drumming, and occasional yelps of the song's title, "Paralyzed!" The exact words that are uttered change with each performance, and are occasionally somewhat intelligible.

Five hundred copies of the single were initially pressed and were released on Odam's own "Psycho-Suave" label. The song gained some regional popularity and was picked up by a major label, Mercury Records, eventually entering the Billboard Top 200. The song's popularity earned "the Ledge" (as he is known by fans) an appearance on NBC's Rowan and Martin's Laugh-in comedy television series in which he dressed in his trademark buckskin jacket, boots and spurs, and ten-gallon hat. He performed "Paralyzed" and its B-side, "Who’s Knocking On My Door". During the latter song the Laugh-In cast began cavorting and clowning around him. The Ledge, in his words, "got mad and ran off the set. That wasn't part of the act." The song also made an appearance in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon during the show's 'Do Not Play' sketch.

In the 1994 book The New Book of Rock Lists, writers Dave Marsh and James Bernard name "Paralyzed" the "Worst Song Issued by a Major Label". They write that the Legendary Stardust Cowboy was "a one-man band incapable of playing any instrument, singing in tune, or keeping in time even with himself," but note that "certain outlaw country fans consider ['Paralyzed'] a camp classic."[4] Conversely, critic Toby Creswell includes the song in his book 1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time and the Artists, Stories and Secrets Behind Them (2005).[5] In 1976, "Paralyzed" ranked 15th in the first ever Festive Fifty, a top 50 list documenting the favourite songs of listeners of John Peel's radio show.[6] Classical pianist Paul Lewis considers the song his guilty pleasure.[7]

Later career

Odam was invited to appear on other programs but these were canceled because of a musicians' strike that halted live television performances.[8] By the time the strike was over, his 15 minutes of fame had lapsed. Historian Rob Weiner of Texas Tech University considers Odam's musical career "a product of desperation," a result of the adage that "there is nothing to do in Lubbock".[9] "Paralyzed" went on to be featured on several Doctor Demento compilations, and it often appears prominently in lists of the worst recordings ever made.[10]

Odam has continued recording intermittently since "Paralyzed" and released several albums and singles. "I Took a Trip on a Gemini Spaceship"—a strange and celestial LSD trip of an homage to the Van Heusen/Mercer tune "I Thought About You"—was covered by longtime fan David Bowie on his Heathen album. Odam returned the compliment by recording his version of "Space Oddity". Bowie himself said that the term "stardust" in "Ziggy Stardust" is taken from The Legendary Stardust Cowboy.[11] On a live online chatroom in his own ISP, BowieNet, Bowie was asked where he had discovered the Legendary Stardust Cowboy, to which he replied: "When I first joined Mercury Records in the late 60s, he was one of the only other artists they had. And they gave me his entire catalogue, which at the time was three singles. I immediately fell in love with his music. Well actually, the IDEA of his music. As the music itself wasn't too recognizable as being such." [12] Bowie has often mentioned his love for Odam's music.[13]

A documentary of Odam's career, entitled Cotton Pickin’ Smash! The Story of the Legendary Stardust Cowboy, was prepared during the late 1980s. It remains unreleased commercially but is occasionally viewed non-commercially.[14]

Odam currently resides in San Jose, California, and still performs regularly. Since the late 1990s, Odam has played with a backing band called the Altamont Boys, which includes bassist Klaus Flouride (of Dead Kennedys), guitarist Jay Rosen (of The Better Beatles), and drummer Joey Meyers.[15] In May 2007, he played at the David Bowie High-Line festival in New York City at Bowie's invitation. Weiner said that Odam has never returned to perform in Lubbock, having believed that his hometown, where he first gained experience by playing in parking lots to draw an audience, offered him little encouragement.[9]

College radio station KMSU in Mankato, Minnesota flew the Legendary Stardust Cowboy and his band to Mankato in May 2010 for a show, at which the Mayor declared, officially, that May 21 is "Legendary Stardust Cowboy Day" in Mankato, Minnesota. Mankato has emerged as a "Mecca" for Legendary Stardust Cowboy fans, perhaps second only to San Francisco, California.

In 2010, Odam played himself in the independent film, Rainbows End, a mockumentary about a band traveling from Texas to California to record an album with him.

In late 2011, The Legendary Stardust Cowboy released an anthology of his life's work, a double CD on Cherry Red Records from England,[16] titled "For Sarah, Raquel, and David: An Anthology". The first names refer to Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, Raquel Welch, actress, and performing artist David Bowie, all longtime fans of The Ledge's work. Rumors of a European tour abound.

Discography

Singles

  • 1968: "Paralyzed"/"Who's Knocking on My Door", Psycho-Suave; Mercury
  • 1968: "I Took a Trip (On a Gemini Spaceship)"/"Down in the Wrecking Yard", Mercury
  • 1968: "Kiss and Run"/"Everything's Gettin' Bigger But Our Love", Mercury
  • 1989: "Standing in a Trashcan"/"My Underwear Froze to the Clothesline," Spider
  • 1991: "Relaxation"/"I Ride a Tractor", Norton
  • 1992: "I Hate CDs"/"Linda", Norton
  • 2005: "Hot Tub Teddy", Classic Bar Music split With The Altamont Boys / The Western Dark
  • 2017: "'Twas the Night Before Christmas (flexi disc with Christmas card)", Vollmond Flexis

EP

  • 1969: Donna Plus Apollo, Crazed Bop Records

Albums

  • Rock-It to Stardom (1984), Luna/Amazing
  • Retro Rocket Back to Earth (1986), Spider/New Rose
  • The Legendary Stardust Cowboy Rides Again (1989), New Rose
  • Retro Rocket Back to Earth / Rides Again (1991, two albums combined on one CD) New Rose
  • Live in Chicago (1998), Pravda
  • Tokyo / The Legendary Stardust Cowboy and The Altamont Boys (2003), Cracked Piston Records
  • Paralyzed! His Vintage Recordings 1968-81 (2006), EM Records
  • For Sarah, Raquel, and David, An Anthology (2011), (2-CD) Cherry Red Records
  • Oh What a Strange Trip It’s Been on a Gemini Spaceship (2016) Impetus Records [17]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Chusid 2000, p. 156.
  2. ^ a b "The Legendary Stardust Cowboy: Autobiography". Stardustcowboy.com. 1947-09-05. Archived from the original on 2012-04-20. Retrieved 2012-05-11.
  3. ^ Chusid 2000, p. 158.
  4. ^ Marsh, Dave; Bernard, James (1994). The New Book of Rock Lists. New York: Fireside. p. 104. ISBN 0-671-78700-4. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
  5. ^ "The Legendary Stardust Cowboy". Acclaimed Music. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  6. ^ "Festive Fifty". BBC. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  7. ^ "Facing the music: Paul Lewis". The Guardian. 9 May 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  8. ^ Chusid 2000, p. 161.
  9. ^ a b Rob Weiner, Texas Tech University, "West Texas' Unsung Hero: the Legendary Stardust Cowboy", West Texas Historical Association, annual meeting in Fort Worth, Texas, February 27, 2010
  10. ^ "Paralyzed", in Toby Creswell, 1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time and the Artists, Stories and Secrets Behind Them (Thunder's Mouth Press, 2006; ISBN 1-56025-915-9), p. 421
  11. ^ Marc Spitz, Bowie: A Biography (Random House, 2009; ISBN 0-307-39396-8), p 177
  12. ^ BowieNet Chat Transcripts, [1] 17 January 2016
  13. ^ Bowie mentions the Legendary Stardust Cowboy in his speech in Berklee College of Music in 1999 @5:46 [2]
  14. ^ Whiteis, David. "Cotton Pickin' Smash! The Story of the Legendary Stardust Cowboy | Theater Critic's Choice". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2012-05-11.
  15. ^ "The Legendary Stardust Cowboy | The Ledge | Music & Nightlife". Metroactive.com. Retrieved 2012-05-11.
  16. ^ "Cherry Red Records - The Legendary Stardust Cowboy-For Sarah, Raquel and David ~An Anthology-Cherry Red". Cherryred.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2013-05-19. Retrieved 2013-08-26.
  17. ^ https://www.discogs.com/The-Legendary-Stardust-Cowboy-Oh-What-A-Strange-Trip-Its-Been-On-A-Gemini-Spaceship/release/8941426

References

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