Painting by Will Johnson
will johnson, “the mighty midshipman,”
from: centro-matic, love you just the same, 2003
“Reminding himself and fighting off the beasts
The easterly sun remains head strong
Held within some castle fighting off the years
Conventional hassles they are all gone
Chorus
He’s constantly caught and he’s constantly traumatized
He’s the mighty midshipman
He’s totally motorized and he’s constantly caught
Oooh oooh
So he empties out his papers counting all the coins
Telling himself to strap upon his head
Chorus”
Will Johnson has been meaningfully in about 6 bands at once. I don’t know how he pulls it off. But if you listen to his passion in “The Mighty Midshipman,” heard with his group Cento-Matic, you get a full blast of its emotional power and mystery. The single note plucked guitar intro and outro carries a poignantly caged beauty. And his electronically frayed solo. No real idea where this song has been or where it’s going. Perhaps this kind of rapture is what propels him into wearing so many skins. The bands include: Monsters of Folk, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, South San Gabriel, Molina and Johnson, The Undertow Orchestra, Funland, New Multitudes, and recently reconnected with family friend and babysitter Sheryl Crow. When does he fit in a peanut butter sandwich?
