Patrick Tape Fleming

We had just finished our set at the Caledonia Lounge. The place was buzzing with friends and our Athens heroes, people we looked up to and couldn’t believe we were even sharing air with, let alone a stage. After the show, our bassist Joe and I struck up a conversation with Vanessa. To us she was mythical. A living, breathing legend.

Like so many others in our orbit, we had discovered Vanessa and Pylon through the documentary Athens GA: Inside/Out. Our friend Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records (HHBTM) owner Mike Turner had showed it to us years before, a rite of passage if you want to truly know about Athens. That film introduced us to the sonic landscape of Athens in the ’80s: of course we already knew REM, the B-52s, Flat Duo Jets. But it was Pylon who stole the movie in my book. Chaotic, trebly, jarring, and somehow danceable. Southern gothic jangle with an otherworldly pulse. And at the center of it all was Vanessa, wild-eyed, sharp-banged, and the biggest smile on her face and electricity in her soul.

We were already lucky enough to see Pylon reunite at Athens Pop Fest, another dream-come-true moment thanks to Mike Turner who booked his favorite band Pylon and his not so favorite band The Poison Control Center on the same festival. So the fact that Vanessa was now at our show? That alone had us geeking out. But then she said something I’ll never forget.

She looked at us with that unmistakable Southern warmth and drawl and said.. and I quote, “I saw the Talking Heads in the ’70s... and you guys are just as good.”

I glanced at Joe. His eyes lit up like highway lights at midnight, the kind that move fast and hit straight to the heart. I could practically see his heart beating through his shirt. He was beaming. And for once, I didn’t deflect the compliment. I just stood there, dumbfounded, letting it wash over me. Letting Joe do the talking, because for maybe the first time in my life, I had no words. It was too beautiful of a moment to ruin with verbal dribble.

This week’s episode of Discograffiti patreon only podcast Don’t Bother Wearing Seatbelts means a lot to me. Not just because we got to talk with Vanessa, but because we spoke with some of the most criminally underrated and under-appreciated musicians out there: Casper & the Cookies.

Jason NeSmith, Kay Stanton and Gregory Sanders or Casper and the Cookies, are Vanessa’s backing band in the Pylon Reenactment Society. But what they do goes far beyond reenactment. Yes, they honor the past, but they also breathe new life into it, writing original songs with Vanessa that stand on their own.

The Cookies can play anything and make it sound like it’s been around forever. Plain and simple they are one of my favorite bands and some of my favorite people. They are the perfect band for Vanessa to keep PYLON a living and breathing thing. How do I know this? Well guess who the karaoke band was at Joe’s wedding. I got to sing a Nick Lowe song with them. and even did a version of a CCR song with all the members of the Poison Control Center singing along with the Cookies. They deserve to be on stage with legends. Because to me, they are legends.

One of my favorite tours ever was when Joe and I grabbed a couple of acoustic guitars and jumped in the Cookies’ van. We didn’t have to drive. Didn’t have to worry about sound checks. We just stepped onto the floor of whatever club we were in, played a few songs, and then got to sit back and watch Casper and the Cookies do what they do best. Night after night. And god, they were good.

Their song New Day Zero is one of my favorite songs of all time. I’m serious. I rank it alongside the greatest.

This episode of Don’t Bother Wearing Seatbelts had its fair share of technical hiccups, but host Rudy Fischmann worked his magic. He pulled the tape out of the fire, gave it CPR, and tucked it into bed. Huge thanks to him for bringing it to life, and to Mathew Bell for co-hosting a beautiful conversation and having me a long for the ride.

And a biugthank you to Dave Gebroe and Discograffiti for including Don’t Bother Wearing Seatbelts in the family. Join the Patreon and give it a listen. This one is special. Listen here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/212a-d-fiti-of-132006915...