James McMurtry - Choctaw Bingo

Like father like son... Singer/songwriter James McMurtry is the son of novelist and Pulitzer prize winner Larry McMurtry (Lonesome Dove, Somebody's Darling, Terms Of Endearment, The Last Picture Show and many more), and, just like his father, is an amazing storyteller. "Choctaw Bingo" may be his most famous and popular song - off his 2002 album Saint Mary Of The Woods - and is an epic song where the narrator goes on for verse after verse about a family reunion taking place at Uncle Slayton's, who's a career criminal, among other things cooking crystal meth to make a living. In this live version (from the 2009 CD/DVD release Live In Europe) it's ten minutes long, and you have to listen to the lyrics carefully, it's quite the story. This is pure American rock'n'roll, dealing in the downside of the current smalltown America and its many societal problems, as discussed in TV series like Breaking Bad and Justified and the novels and short stories of Donald Ray Pollock, Frank Bill and, especially, the awesome Daniel Woodrell. "Choctaw Bingo" is like the best short story ever written set to music. So there!

Watch and listen