Yee haw

When I was a lad back in Nashville, in the 1980s, the rock scene cooked, and no band cooked better than the seminal cowpunk band Jason and the Scorchers. In case you missed the whole thing, here's the video for one of their best tracks, the smokin' cover of Dylan's "Absolutely Sweet Marie."

The clip is of interest not only to music fans but also to nostalgic former denizens of the Music City like myself. The video takes place on Lower Broad, the downtown drag that now is a thriving tourist scene of great music venues and tacky Western wear stores. Back then, though, the district was seedy, even as some downtown retail outlets hung on. (They're all gone now.) Hence the shot of the old Purina store, and the one of Adult World.

But then there is Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, the storied honkytonk where the performance footage was shot. From the bugout of the "Grand Ole Opry," through the decline of the downtown and up to its revival, Tootsie's has endured. I hope it endures through much more.

At Tootsie's I once danced with a marine who then pulled a knife on a guy. Enjoy.