Fw: The Key of R

From: Kitt Bradley <kittb at gte.net>
Date: Fri, 6 Jul 2001 09:58:01 -0700

Dear Filkers:

I did get a reply from Tom Payne, and the "Key of R" - related stuff is below. I have also included his "public" e-mail address...just in case anyone can talk him into coming back into at least some of the area filks!!!! Kitt  

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Here is the colorful story of the 'Key of R:'

I heard 'The Key of R' performed at an open-mike somewhere in Seattle. I was there for a 'batchelor party' for a friend (Yes, a batchelor party at an open-mike **yawn**). The band was a trio of housewives from Vashon Island called Women, Women and Song. It was my understanding that they (or one of them, the guitarist I think) wrote it. One member of the trio played guitar, one switched between guitar and mandolin and all three sang. During the 'Key of R' the one who only sang helped the mandolinist get the final chord with an extra finger. They had an eponymous cassette available shortly afterwards, but I don't have one. I was intrigued by the song, so I went to meet the band after their set. Someone else was interested too, and it turned out to be the Tacoma MIddle School teacher who had a weekly radio show as Mad Man Moskowitz on KJJJ (kind of a country version of Dr. Demento). He wanted to play the song on his show and they agreed to send him a cassette as soon as they were available. Mad Man and I talked about Filk which he had heard of, but never heard. I put together a tape of some of my favorites and sent it to him. He played a few of them over the next few weeks and I called in and talked to him during the show a couple of times. One night I asked him if he had recieved "Key of R" yet and he said it had just arrived. He played it that night and used a recording of my 'request' as an intro. So, while I didn't write the 'Key of R', I do get an on-air credit for requesting its first-ever broadcast! (I may have a recording of that broadcast somewhere). I polished my copy of the lyrics that night and began working on an arrangement. I wanted to keep that bit of business with the extra-finger on the final chord. Since I would be solo on guitar, I decided to use a modified thumb-chord that I learned from a cowboy while I was living in a covered wagon in Arizona. That final chord dictated the rest of the progression and I made-up some fingerings that seemed to fit the flow of the lyric. I have seen some musicians get cross-eyed watching me play it, but I have the ultimate excuse - its in the Key of R!

Jeanette is right, I did write 'What's Going On,' whose chorus begins "What we're having here is a filk-sing...' It does have a verse that varies based on what is happening during the performance. It can cover any combination of Bardic-Circle / Concert / Chaos and M/C or no M/C.

I now have an account at thomasppayne at home.com (note the two consecutive p's)

Tom Received on 07/06/01