A couple of nights ago I dialed up YouTube to find some Bronco Bowl footage -- don't ask. Anyway. After rolling through a few familiar favorites, I came across something I didn't think existed: footage from Edstock, Big Bucks Burnett's first and last Mister Ed "national convention" held on July 7, 1984, at the late, great Fort Worth Avenue landmark that's now a Home Depot. There was never a second Edstock because, as Bucks put it on the 30th anniversary, "I lost $25,000 in 1980s money."
Them's some big bucks.
I didn't think any video existed from Edstock. But there it was the other night, courtesy one "B Pribs," who posted these two offerings in late February. Here's Joe Ely with fellow Lubbock legend, the Legendary Stardust Cowboy, without whom there might never have been a Ziggy Stardust:
And here's Tiny Tim & the Gloomchasers. Bucks and Tiny went way back.
I asked Bucks if there's more -- because there has to be. I mean, where's Ely's set? Or T Bone Burnett's? He provided his response as longform essay. Bucks isn't good at soundbites. Or Mister Ed conventions.
Edstock, or: The Forgotten Festival
It is hard sometimes for me to offer a comment or even a story about Edstock, or as I call it, the Forgotten Festival. The short version of the story of how it came about and how it went down, so to speak, is a long story at best. In case you missed it, I rented the Bronco Bowl for a Mr. Ed themed rock show in 1984 which featured Joe Ely, Tiny Tim, T Bone Burnett and even Wilbur Post himself from the Mr. Ed show. We even had an awards ceremony. Rock journalist Ed Ward accepted the first ever EdWard, and thanked his father, Ed Ward. T Bone presented one to Tiny Tim. I invented Oprah that night: 'And you get an award, and you get an award...'
Recently my great friend Brad Pribyl kindly posted two clips from the festival on YouTube. One by Tiny, the other by Joe Ely, who is joined onstage by The Legendary Stardust Cowboy.About 300 people saw the show, and now they can watch two of the songs. That's great, but ideally I had hoped to have a DVD out by July 2014 for the 30th anniversary.To be succinct, getting the rights to the footage (it was videotaped by three people that I know of) and the expense of all the music licensing for such a project, combined with my preoccupation with running three record outlets and the occasional museum, have continually pushed the concept of a proper release far away again and again.For me it was a very painful and scary night. I lost $20,000 in 80's money. That was the night I learned what being alone meant; no one could help me or stop the damage as it unfolded. I was landing the Hindenberg on the Titanic. And the bands kept playing, right up 'til 2 a.m.There is of course no footage from The Alamo but if there is, Phil Collins will find it. These two clips of Tiny, Joe and The Ledge (there is also footage of T Bone in his Warner Bros. heyday), for me, are the next best thing. The Bronco Bowl was my professional Alamo. I was advised to cancel a week before the show, and take a much smaller hit. I decided the show must go on. It seemed too historical and ridiculous to cancel. You can't cancel Wilbur.I've had pain of every kind for that decision. The funeral for my checking account was a somber affair. Losing a fortune while onstage can haunt a guy. But I've never had the most useless pain ever known to man. I've never regretted putting on the show. Regret is for people who think life has a rewind button.Press play instead. Listen to the dedicated passion of Tiny singing "Memories" and have a laugh if he strikes you as funny. Then watch The Cowboy lasso the universe.The footage has been unseen until now. There's about five more hours of this gathering dust as time fades away. Getting release forms signed would've been nice had I known what they were. Filming the show and giving me a copy would've been nice. One person who filmed it seems to never send it to me.It's complicated. I would love to focus on the Chinese puzzle of getting Edstock released, but I'm closing a Museum while trying to keep a record store open. And finish my e.p. with The Almost IV.
Life has no rewind button. Pause would be nice.But enjoy. I'm glad these two clips at least for the first time offer actual proof that it happened. I hope someday there's more. Remember the Forgotten Festival.Bucks BurnettApril 2015Dallas Texas