A Retrospect on The Snock - The Life and Times of Michael Hurley
Photo courtesy of Michele Bessett and Bob Iwasciewicz
Photo courtesy of Michele Bessett and Bob Iwasciewicz
As a music journalist, blogger, critic, or whatever the hell we do in this day and age of sound, media, and melodic misery, I didn’t give too much thought to what a world without Michael Hurley would be like. A critical constant in singer-songwriter culture, like Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, and Bill Callahan, to name a few, Hurley brought something so sacred and sophisticatedly superb to this world of atmospheric adventure and confused chaos. Whether you knew him as Elwood Snock, Doc Snock, “The Godfather of Freak-Folk,” Snockman, The Snock, or just Snock, Hurley shapeshifted in the rich, radical world of music and art like no one else before him, and certainly after him. As classic as a cold bottle of Coca-Cola on a hot summer day, or the sweet-toothed grins of happy campers under a full moon in June, their smiles reflecting the campfire light, Hurley’s music transcended the singular genre of folk and instead dwelt in the soft subconscious of the creative working-class heroes. In an electrifying effort, where the land meets the sonic sea, a profound artist, storyteller, and all-around tonal trickster broke the suffering skies with his human departure earlier this month at 83. Having first recorded his debut masterpiece for Folkways Records in 1964 at just 22, "First Songs” remains a vibrant collection of haunting harmonies so complex and cosmically compelling that at first listen, one could assume these songs were captured in a completely different century. Having been recorded on the same reel-to-reel machine that curiously captured the mighty Lead Belly's “Last Sessions,” Hurley was discovered by the legendary blues and jazz historian Frederick Ramsey the third, and sonically supported by his longtime childhood friend and founding member of The Youngbloods, Jesse Colin Young, who only passed a few weeks before to Hurley.
With tracks such as the howling hit “Tea Song,” “No, No, No, I Won't Come (Go) Down No More,” “I Like My Wine,” and“The Werewolf Song” spiraling into this vulnerable vortex of memory and melodic miracle, Hurley was already a legend outside of music as his iconic art style, which would later be betrayed on his infamous album covers, self-published comics, and magazines like the “Underground Monthly,” “The Outcry,” and “The Morning Tea,” made him a cult classic in no time. Releasing an impeccable discography that stretches across the last half century in one big silly shadow of crippling beauty, and unforgettable moments carved into the zoo-like zeitgeist of our hearts, and souls, Snock carefully crafted a rare reality filled with animated animals, crazy characters, and brave beasts that represented the people, places, and things that meant so much to him. While hundreds of songs and dozens of albums immediately come to mind for the many who loved and cherished his work, we’d like to highlight a few select titles that may not receive the full light they deserve, starting with “Back Home With Drifting Woods.”
Recorded during the same sessions as “First Songs” in the early 1960s, this was the first album I was made aware of by a dear friend, and I can still feel the wind in my hair as I rode my 1980s, colbalt blue Schwinn listening to “Pretty Girl On Rollerskates” through my headphones to and from work. Another critical classic that reminds one of a time and place wisely spent with friends, and an appropriate amount of time in skilled solitude, is 1971’s Michael Hurley & Pals’ “Armchair Boogie.” With numbers such as “Sweedeedee,” the first Hurley song I can honestly say I remember falling in love with, “Penguins,” and “Be Kind To Me,” this album is the first of many that would begin introducing his civil character like Jocko and Boone, Greenbriar Kornbread, and Mama Molasses to name a few. A brilliant staple that resonates with most of his friendly fans, Hurley debuted this album on Young’s Warner Bros. imprint Raccoon and has since been reissued on Mississippi Records in its esteemed entirety. There are so many other titles to mention, and eagerly elaborate on, but this takes away from the precious time one could utilize listening to his records, so we’ll end on this note: while we lost a hero, we gained an angel. A historical master of his craft has passed on, his artistic artifacts stay behind for the past, present, and future fans to excavate from the ethereal Earth that Hurley once occupied with his flawless feet and worldly wit. A true trailblazer in life, we already miss you, Snock. Say hi to everyone for us.
