Starting to fill out my Death List here. John Hiatt is for my money right near the top of a very exclusive collection of singer-songwriters, somewhere above Bruce Springsteen and somewhat below God. I love the sentiment in this one, Shredding the Document, and the relevance has only grown with the advent of the internet and the rise of social networking. Written before Facebook was a zit on Mark Zuckerberg’s ass, the protagonist in the song is a private person, somewhat appalled by the abasement people are willing to put themselves through for a shot at “the limelight”, and he has a sense of humour when he says “I’m not taking any more calls…well maybe from Larry King”.
This one I dedicate to Karl, my father, who was always willing to let the record speak for itself and had no problem hanging up on Facebook, or its equivalent, back in the day.
You know what my father said
Well I’m not going to tell you
Some words that I try to live by
It’s none of your goddamn business
John Hiatt, Shredding the Document