Drunken Baker

03:15:01 - Americana

In another life, in my twenties, I managed hotels. I was like the guy in "Grand Budepest". I even studied in Europe although I don't remember much because we never spit out the wine. My favorite professor, Dr. Don Bell at UNLV said something that always stuck with me. He said, "All great bakers drink, just roll with it." Not in those exact words probably but that was the gist of it. I never forgot that piece of trivia. This story is told from the point of view of the owner of the famous (famous by way of it's spectacularly successful bakery) Hotel Brown. I am not sure where this hotel is but it feels like the mid-west so I put it in Indiana circa 1942 at the beginning of the song when the young baker who would rather bake than play football gets his first job at 10 years old. He is in his 40’s when he hits the height of his fame, and the height of his drinking problem, just about the time that the first Atkins Diet book was published. People would line up around that bakery just to have a croissant. The owner of the hotel wants the baker to stop drinking but she also wants the money to keep rolling in. Everybody really wants him to keep drinking. It’s his trademark. When he sobers up his concoctions fall apart. Oh the irony. I see this baker as a symbol of the myriad of artists, writers, painters, actors of all kinds who created under the influence and didn’t believe that they could create as well sober. The people surrounding them want the cash coming in (celebrity enablers). Who wants to watch so and so sober? I didn’t put this on my first album because I thought it was too silly but the damn story wouldn't go away so bon appétit.

Recording notes ~ Drunken Baker
We spent a lot of time on the placement and dictation of the words "Bake It". I did it. Tammy, my background singer did it. I did it slower. Tammy did it funkier. I said, "Bake it" then Tammy said "Yeah.. Bake it!". In the end we just kept the original. "Bake it" that I sang on the rough track. If you are singing along take a deep breath. This song is like Dylan’s Subterranean Homesick Blues…hard to sing all those words on stage without suffocating but I have figured it out. Bake away!

Andrea Zonn - Fiddle
John Gardner - Drums/Percussion
David Francis - Bass
Jeff Roach - Keyboards/Organ
Rob McNelley - Electric Guitars
Pat McGrath - Acoustic Guitar/Banjo/Backgrond Vocals
Steve Hinson – Dobro
Tammy Pierce - Background Vocals
Chris Heers - Vocals/Background Vocals