| |
|
From Billboard Magazine, August 18, 1973
Confidence Buoys Croce's
LOS ANGELES - Jim Croce has gotten off his stool and is playing stand-up guitar with the aid of a neck strap. Of course, this has added more dynamic movement to an already energetic act. But what it really means is that Croce has finally gotten over his fears that some drunk in the audience will leap on stage and get him.
These fears were by no means irrational. Croce spent the final few years before his "Don't' Mess Around With Jim" smash by playing an endless round of beer clubs in the Pennsylvania region. "When the fights started, you wanted to be able to put down your guitar and dive behind the bar in a flash," Croce said. "Playing with a strap on slows you down too much."
Another new Croce development is his gradual improvement and a flashy lead picker. He generally practices or plays classical guitar some eight hours a day. There is nothing he would rather do after a concert than get some musicians together and jam. "Lyrics have always been the easiest part of songwriting for me," Croce said. "Now at last I feel my music is expanding too."
His Own Man
Like Bill Withers, Croce is one of the new individualists of contemporary music. Over 30 years old and with hard experience with manual labor, Croce realizes there is more to the world than the hitmaking process. His experiences range from performing on a Middle East tour for the State Department as a college folkie, to teaching black children in ghetto school.
"I quit teaching when I found that the girls could beat me up as badly as the guys," he said.
Croce has been touring constantly for the past 18 months. The idea was to establish him as a national draw by having him play every important gig two or three times. The grind took it's toll on Croce several months ago as throat strain made physicians order him to stop talking for 10 days.
Silent Jim
This was an extreme deprivation for Croce, who loves constant conversation and a running humorous commentary. "I wore out a couple of those little blackboards," he said.
According to Croce, this was the worst thing that happened to him since he found himself on a Chicago theater in the round with a revolving stage which was revolving at a speed at nearly twice the usual speed. "I barely got through my set and made it offstage before throwing up," Croce recalled.
(Writer unknown)
|
|
|
