Dr. John, the New Orleans singer and piano player so mighty that he exerted his own gravitational force, died last week. I wrote his obituary for the New York Times. (The vagaries of obituary writing being what they are, I actually wrote it three years ago, but I’m thankful that he stayed around for as long as possible.)

I was reminded of an interview I did with Hugh Laurie (the actor most famous for House, but also a singer and pianist who idolized Dr. John) some years ago where he told me about Dr. John’s guest appearance on Laurie’s album. “He can be quite ornery,” Laurie said fondly, “but he was in really good form. We played for half an hour, and then he sat in the control room and told stories for a while. It was such a good day, I wanted it to end so I could have the chance to replay it in my head. Isn’t that twisted? You’re great–now get out so I can think about how great you are.”

The best way to think about the greatness of Dr. John is by playing his music, so I suggest you do that.

posted 10 June 2019 in Articles, News, Outside and tagged Dr. John, Hugh Laurie, Obituary. no comments yet