Read A Deeper Blue for Free Online Page B
Authors: Robert Earl Hardy
and an 81 in military training.20 “In classes, we were grouped by perceived ability,” says Sharpe. “Townes wasn’t a number one. But he wasn’t bad: number two, maybe number three, that would be Townes.
But I have to say, our number ones were pretty good guys. A lot of Stanfords, a lot of Harvards.”
Townes’ grades slipped somewhat after his first semester; he would only receive one more “honor” grade (higher than 80) at Shattuck, an 85 in sociology and economics. That senior-year high point came along with a 74 in English and a 72 in trigo-nometry, among other mediocre marks. He scored 133 on the Hermon-Nelson IQ test in 1960, and 128 the following year.
Townes took the SATs in January 1962, and scored an impressive 614 on the verbal test and 556 on the math test. When he took his College Board exams in June 1961, he listed the University of Texas, the University of Colorado, and Northwestern University as his first choices for college. On a “vocational interest” test in 1960, Townes’ highest rating was for “musician (performer),”
followed by “real estate salesman.” Just below that was “artist,”
and below that, “lawyer.”
According to Townes’ brother, who attended the Academy years later for his freshman year, Townes was a popular student who had a number of mentors among the faculty, including the headmaster, who seemed to take Townes under his wing, and the football coach. Bill remembers his rebelliousness manifest-ing itself even on the wrestling team. He recalls a time that all the wrestlers decided to shave their heads. “Townes went the 28
A Deeper Blue: The Life and Music of Townes Van Zandt opposite route and grew his hair down to his shoulders. And this was before the Beatles and stuff, so it was really outland-ish,” Bill says. He adds that his brother was also interested in the dramatic arts at Shattuck, and he vividly remembers Townes being in a play, where he sang “Down in the Valley” and played a Snidely Whiplash-style villain.21
All of Townes’ classmates remember him as a good athlete.
His Shattuck records show that he played football and baseball and wrestled, as he had done since junior high school. Froker played football with Townes and recalls, “In his junior year, he was probably still developing and a little bit on the lean side.”
Luke Sharpe remembers the “tall, rangy, 147-pound or so” Van Zandt as a good, but not great, wrestler as well. “Townes was okay,” Sharpe recalls. “He was quick enough. But athletics didn’t consume him. Music was the deal, always, with Townes.”
Musburger recollects the musical environment at Shattuck at that time: “The guitar was not mainstream music. I think most of us were Miles Davis lovers and Dave Brubeck lovers. Some of the kids from the South would come in with Bo Diddley records, but this is still the time of ‘A Summer Place’ and the Lettermen and Johnny Mathis. Music had not taken off; there was just a smattering of rock getting through to us.” Marshall Froker recalls that Townes “would just play guitar a lot, and I would hang out in his room. He listened a lot to Josh White, and he liked Elvis, and a lot of whatever was going on in blues-based rock’n’roll.
He had a very good record collection.” As Townes’ roommate Luke remembers, “He had an Elvis Presley collection that was unbelievable. And he was my introduction to Leadbelly, whom I had never heard. There was a little bit of Leadbelly, and a lot of Southern blues-type stuff. Ray Charles too.…”
Froker recalls:
In fact, one of my roommates that year, he and I played around with the bongos. Townes heard us once and walked in with his guitar. As I recall, we were sitting around the room and he said “Why don’t you play along with me?” He would play some Where I Lead Me
29
stuff on the guitar, and I would sort of pick it up on the bongos, and it worked. I remember a staple for us was “I Got A Woman,” things like
But I have to say, our number ones were pretty good guys. A lot of Stanfords, a lot of Harvards.”
Townes’ grades slipped somewhat after his first semester; he would only receive one more “honor” grade (higher than 80) at Shattuck, an 85 in sociology and economics. That senior-year high point came along with a 74 in English and a 72 in trigo-nometry, among other mediocre marks. He scored 133 on the Hermon-Nelson IQ test in 1960, and 128 the following year.
Townes took the SATs in January 1962, and scored an impressive 614 on the verbal test and 556 on the math test. When he took his College Board exams in June 1961, he listed the University of Texas, the University of Colorado, and Northwestern University as his first choices for college. On a “vocational interest” test in 1960, Townes’ highest rating was for “musician (performer),”
followed by “real estate salesman.” Just below that was “artist,”
and below that, “lawyer.”
According to Townes’ brother, who attended the Academy years later for his freshman year, Townes was a popular student who had a number of mentors among the faculty, including the headmaster, who seemed to take Townes under his wing, and the football coach. Bill remembers his rebelliousness manifest-ing itself even on the wrestling team. He recalls a time that all the wrestlers decided to shave their heads. “Townes went the 28
A Deeper Blue: The Life and Music of Townes Van Zandt opposite route and grew his hair down to his shoulders. And this was before the Beatles and stuff, so it was really outland-ish,” Bill says. He adds that his brother was also interested in the dramatic arts at Shattuck, and he vividly remembers Townes being in a play, where he sang “Down in the Valley” and played a Snidely Whiplash-style villain.21
All of Townes’ classmates remember him as a good athlete.
His Shattuck records show that he played football and baseball and wrestled, as he had done since junior high school. Froker played football with Townes and recalls, “In his junior year, he was probably still developing and a little bit on the lean side.”
Luke Sharpe remembers the “tall, rangy, 147-pound or so” Van Zandt as a good, but not great, wrestler as well. “Townes was okay,” Sharpe recalls. “He was quick enough. But athletics didn’t consume him. Music was the deal, always, with Townes.”
Musburger recollects the musical environment at Shattuck at that time: “The guitar was not mainstream music. I think most of us were Miles Davis lovers and Dave Brubeck lovers. Some of the kids from the South would come in with Bo Diddley records, but this is still the time of ‘A Summer Place’ and the Lettermen and Johnny Mathis. Music had not taken off; there was just a smattering of rock getting through to us.” Marshall Froker recalls that Townes “would just play guitar a lot, and I would hang out in his room. He listened a lot to Josh White, and he liked Elvis, and a lot of whatever was going on in blues-based rock’n’roll.
He had a very good record collection.” As Townes’ roommate Luke remembers, “He had an Elvis Presley collection that was unbelievable. And he was my introduction to Leadbelly, whom I had never heard. There was a little bit of Leadbelly, and a lot of Southern blues-type stuff. Ray Charles too.…”
Froker recalls:
In fact, one of my roommates that year, he and I played around with the bongos. Townes heard us once and walked in with his guitar. As I recall, we were sitting around the room and he said “Why don’t you play along with me?” He would play some Where I Lead Me
29
stuff on the guitar, and I would sort of pick it up on the bongos, and it worked. I remember a staple for us was “I Got A Woman,” things like