Lodi was one of the first songs I ever learned how to play; not as well as John and his band but I was game. It belongs to an oddball sub-species of the road song: the breakdown tune. The narrator of the song ran out of gas and got stuck in the hick town of Lodi, California. Oh Lord…
My friend Bruce was once stuck in West Jesus, Texas for almost a week back in the ’70’s. Why? He had one of them furrin cars ats a time when few Americans did and they had to order parts for his Peugeot. At least, I think it was a Peugeot. Anyway, this one’s for everyone who ever got stuck in the middle of nowhere.
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My exwife and I broke down in Eden, Texas on our way to our supposed honeymoon. We had to spend three days waiting to get the car fixed. That place looks like they sprayed 1000 square miles with round up. What really sucked was I didn’t have a guitar with me.
Yikes. That’s a sad story. Eden? I bet it was more like hell.
Almost got stranded in Mormonville–Idaho Falls–after a rock slide wrecked my power steering. Lots of blonde people. At least in 1976
Mine happened in 1970. It was in Pigstick, Indiana, amongst the corn and black flies with a blue VW bus with a big red Superman S on the front where the VW logo had been. The locals did not look on me kindly.
And John Fogarty is a true national treasure. The music never gets old.
Eden. Yeah. Where you want to break down is about 30 miles from there, (pick a compass fraction). Better barbecue and real mechanics in Menard or Brady or Christoval. Haven’t been to Paint Rock in way too long.
(Eden’s a little dinky place 2/3 of an hour SE of San Angelo.)
Ah, the American version of Thunder Bay, Ontario.