Two — Mudd and Mother

 

 

Wait! We’re getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s calm down and start at the very beginning.

This may be a good time in to introduce M&M. Rickard Kurkonen; affectionately known as Mother, Big Mama, Mother Max, Twil Longhorn, amongst many monikers. Muddy calls him Mother; only guy he knows who gets phone calls and cards on Mother’s Day. Mother, the name Mudd first knew him as was a player of Scandinavian music on his accordion. He started playing pop music in the early 50’s and soon was working in local bands. That’s how Mudd met Mother.

Mudd was a drummer in a marching band as he developed hand speed and a feel for rhythm. In the fall of 1956 he was filling in with a local group and as fate would have it, Mother, was the accordion player.

It was tough back in the day as they walked through the Brille building in New York City, trying to sell their songs to record companies. They knocked on over 25 doors with one no thank you after another. Finally, an offer with a contract. They were both elated about a possible deal. They would have signed for nothing but for Mudd’s uncle, the lawyer, who flatly stated - “nothing plus nothing equals nothing!”

A few weeks back Mother calls Mudd. He asks him to get back into the music scene. Mudd concurs and sets out for New Jersey.

John E. Mudd arrives at the Chateau 54.

“Muddy, how are you?”

“Mudd is my name - music is my game.”

“Are you still hung up on being called Muddy because you’re now considered a grownup? I can call you Mudd but if I do I will expect grownup work from you. What’s it gonna be?”

“Call me Muddy.” When Mother puts it in such a nice way what can I say. Muddy… Muddy… Muddy… I can get used to Muddy.

“Mr. Mudd, how are the kids?”

“All doing pretty well. They all had a tough time when their mother passed.”

“And how about you Muddy, how have you settled in.”

“Not good. That’s why I travel around and visit the kids. Helps keep me busy.”

“Well Muddy, you will be very busy for the next few months and beyond. If this movie makes a little noise we may be living in the studio.”

“What movie? What studio? What are you talking about?”

“All in good time, Muddy, chill!”

“Okay! But I don’t want to chill too long, I might catch a cold.”

“You always had a knack for new ideas.” Mother told him. “This movie calls for imagination and resolve; let’s give it the same energy we had back when we had plenty of energy. Come on – I’ll to show you the setup.”

“I’m ready to go now,” Muddy quipped. “I haven’t played drums in many years.”

“Will that be a problem? Have you forgotten how to play the skins?”

“No! I may have to play around a while before I can put tracks down like the old days.”

They walked through a room full of instruments. The pedal steel caught Mudd’s eye. There was one guitar after another… synthesizers, a Rhodes piano and a baby grand – his head was spinning…and then came the drums.

“Wow! What a beautiful set of red Slingerland skins with three toms – just like my old set.”

“I thought you might like to start with something comfortable,” Mother, explained. “Don’t get too hung up though I want you to have an open mind about the new electronic equipment I ordered for you.”

“I will. I mean I won’t,” Mudd replied, while thinking to himself – you keep the electronic stuff, give me the real thing. Sneaky, but it’s what I like. I’ll give the new stuff a try so Mother won’t feel he wasted money buying all that sampled, dampled, rampled electronic stuff.

“You can play around later,” said Mother. “Come in the control room and check out the latest DAW and fully automated mixing board.”

Muddy stood motionless and stared at the fantastic equipment. “Wow, this is unbelievable. By the way, what’s a DAW?”

Mother stared at Muddy but didn’t answer.

Guess he doesn’t know either. Mudd thinks as he questions, “I don’t see any tape recorders.”

“We don’t use them anymore, everything is digital.”

“I thought my toes were digits,” Muddy exclaimed.

“Not digits – digital. Computer stuff. The music is converted from analog to digital format with a D/A converter like this one over here.”

“Perfect Mother, you were always the electronic guru. However, I want to get updated if I’m going to work around all this gadgetry.”

“No problem partner, by the way, a DAW is a digital audio workstation.”

He did know. All this new technology is over-whelming. “Oh! I have another question. Where are the electronic drum sounds gonna come from?”

They walked over to the far wall were a bunch of black discs with a bass drum pedal lived.

“They look like a set of drums from Mars,” Muddy remarks.

“Here, sit down and play. Think of them as your old drum set. I’ll turn on the power. Go ahead, bang away,” Mother suggests, with a sneaky look on his face.

“Wow! They sound like a real drum set.”

“Turn the large knob until the number changes. You’ll have a new set of drums or percussion or just wacky sounds to have fun with,”

“This is pretty cool.” I may even get to like them. Ha!