Larry Norman Tribute
“It sounds like he made stoner music for Christians.” This statement, made by a newly christened underground celebrity named Andrew Beaujon (suddenly notable for his authorship of his outsider’s perspective on Christian Rock, Body Piercing Saved My Life), stopped this editor in his tracks. He was asking questions on the phone for a well-deserved tribute piece he’d been asked to write for the Bob Guccione Jr-founded publication known as Spin Magazine. I was explaining how Larry had woven all sorts of gems, puzzles and inter-twining storylines from album to album in both lyrics and liner notes.{1} While a slightly blasphemous statement for many of his evangelical fans, it kind of hit the nail on the head as far as describing the kind of care and thoughtfulness that went into each studio project Larry Norman presented to a hungry fanbase. It was almost the perfect compliment to an artist whose vinyl still fetches small fortunes and provokes rabid discussion and gushing praise. Who else (in a Christian music industry he sort of accidentally helped pioneer) delivered iconic album covers that even bothered to compete with the Hipgnosis album cover pieces of art adorning recordings by Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd? No one before him or after him really ever came close.
One possible explanation? Larry simply got it. He wasn’t a youth pastor that grew his hair out long or purchased second-hand bell-bottom jeans to “fit in.” He was simply an artist that understood parts of his culture and attempted to communicate with it. Holding up Jesus and Christianity’s bold assertion of exclusive truth emboldened other believers with an interest in music to follow. The pages of the magazine you are now holding and all the CDs or digital audio collections of 1’s and 0’s stored on a portable device nearby would not be here if it wasn’t for this guy. Some dispute his claim, but at best the popular vote has determined that he’s the first long-haired musician to hold a guitar and loudly proclaim that “Jesus is the Rock, and He rolled my blues away.”
As skilled as he was at song composition (I mean, how many artists were assisted by George Martin for two consecutive albums in London’s Air Studios?), his penchant for great art was probably more linked to his love for great literature. He championed writers like Malcom Muggeridge, Francis Schaeffer and G.K. Chesterton. This might explain how each of the three albums of his great trilogy (Only Visiting This Planet, So Long Ago The Garden, and In Another Land) {2} ended with the last verse of the last song on each ending with the very words that made up that album’s title. Genius stuff. What’s great about Larry’s music, though, was that he didn’t stop there or put all his attention in one area. How else do you explain his willingness to record lyrics like “I don’t really have a verse to go here, so I’ll just let the band play it one time. Play it, Johnny…” (referring to his long-standing six-string sidekick, Jon Linn)? {3}
An artist has got to be confident to make moves like that. To further broaden the man’s legendary status, he did more than dabble with great music and remind the church to care for the poor. He also did scary and dangerous things, like touring and performing concerts behind the Iron Curtain. I remember getting sick while visiting St. Petersburg, Russia (the original name reverted back from Leningrad shortly after Soviet Communism’s fall) in 1991. With nothing else to do, I tried watching tv in my isolated hotel room. Besides seeing videos for “Mysterious Ways” by yet another big-time artist that’s publically acknowledged this guy’s musical influence, I turned to some state channel that just happened to be running a documentary on Larry Norman’s music and his Soviet tours. It’s hard to forget little details like that; as well as the time when I was just 9 years old and attending some sort of evangelistic rally / concert in Dallas called Explo ’72. With over 200,000 Christians of every shape and color mostly sitting down on the grass, I could see this tall singer with long, bleach-blonde hair singing a “Sweet, Sweet Song of Salvation” and flashing an iconic “One Way” salute with his index finger pointing at the sky where he now resides.
Like many of his fans, this writer could go on and on reminiscing about Larry Norman. But like his heart did about two months ago, I’ll just stop.
—Doug Van Pelt
1 - In the song “Nightmare #71” (So Long Ago The Garden, 1973) he told the story of a talking marionette that came alive and “spoke exactly 89 words.” Then, some 8 years later (1981’s Something New Under The Son), he sang the phrase “89 is really 99” in the song ironically titled “Leaving The Past Behind,” which mysteriously explained the 10 word discrepancy for those that actually took him up on his cue to “count ‘em.”
2 - “Reader’s Digest” ends with the line: “Don’t ask me, I’m only visiting this planet.” The song Nightmare #71 fades out with: “I beg your pardon / but we left it oh so long ago, the garden.” And “Hymn To The Last Generation” leaves the listener with lots of reverb in the apocalyptic yet worshipful ending of: “Stand beside us / take His hand / He will guide us / in another land.”
3 - In the infectious ‘n’ gritty blues ditty known as “Put Your Life In Into His Hands,” which sounded like it could’ve fallen off the Rolling Stones mobile studio truck around the time of the Some Girls sessions.
777 - Larry left us with a terrific catalog of tunes. While most agree that his creative peak was early 70’s, he kept showing his mad songwriting skills into the mid-80’s, like “Woman Of God” (released as a studio recording on the rare Rehearsal 4 Reality and as a live cut on the easier-to-find Stop This Flight) and the tongue-in-cheek jab at John Lennon with “God Part III” (Stranded In Babylon) in the early 90’s. Near the end of the 20th century, I was as pleased as punch when I was able to talk him into recording a cover of dcTalk’s “Jesus Freak” for HM’s The Mother Of All Tribute Albums, where I was both honored and pleased to feel that I’d somehow been able to tap into his creative process for that one. For the near future, keep your eyes peeled for future tribute albums, including from surprising sources like Frank Black of the Pixies fame, as well as those from his inner circle handling his vast musical vault.
Content provided by HM Magazine.
© 2008 HM Magazine, LLC. All rights reserved.
Return to Internet Exclusives
Comments
My fav Larry song is "I've Got To Learn To Live WIthout You." I love the emotion of it. His description of seeing an old flame is perfect: "I saw you walking down the street the other day with someone else. I turned my head and faced the wall." This one is on the latest tribute album on Arena Rock, which I thought was amazing and easily the best collection of his songs (even if Jamie Lee Rake bemoans this song or that song from missing in his upcoming review in HM).
I owe a lot to Larry Norman - his music has informed many of the artists that I listen to and has inspired me in my walk.
But truth is also important. Too often we tend to deify people in their passing, but Larry also made mistakes that need to be acknowledged and discussed, particularly for hurts to be healed.
I found the story at this web address troubling, and wonder if the Christian music community is willing to provide funding for DNA tests to set the record straight and help this young man whose father may well indeed be the late Larry Norman?
http://jennifermccallum.blogspot.com/
