Few years ago now, but just found out Dutch Tilders has gone to the great gig in the sky. This video was made when the journey he was going on was after having been diagnosed with cancer. Looking damn fine for an old bloke in his last days with the dreaded spanish dancer.
A great bluesman and an inspiration, he epitomised so much of what is great about the blues. He wrote many great lines, including:
'I love livin', despite all this trouble and strife
yes you know I love livin', despite all this trouble and strife,
and I'm not afraid of death..... I'm just shit scared of losing my life'
Looks like you never lost your life Dutch
Another one of his lines: 'if there's such a thing as reincarnation, I'll play these blues the next time around'. Hope to see you next time. Travel well.
---------- Lucky Lester
Last Edited by didjcripey on Apr 19, 2016 3:47 AM
I saw Dutch a few times back in the 80s...I was so green that when he said things like 'here's one I learned from big bill broonzy' I thought he actually knew BBB personally. He used to play down here pretty regularly. Of course Melbourne was his steady turf, but I think the market for blues gigs was just bigger back then.
I saw him at Johnno's Blues Bar in Cairns. I was expecting a full band, like on the albums of his that I had played to death. Somewhat disappointed to see it was just him and a guitar, but it was one of the most entertaining shows I've seen. Besides the flawless musicianship, he projected as a really interesting and likeable larrikin which came across in his lyrics, which were both profound and funny. Knew all of his songs by heart, but he continually changed his punchlines, keeping it fresh and surprising.
