The Marching Guitars

[dejected]

I'm ashamed to say that this is the first time I heard this song (mp3 of the week on Rejected Unknown.com).

It started off and I was thinking, "what the heck?" - what was he doing? - but before it was over, I was impressed, and the strange beginnings made total sense.

My reaction to the song now is that it is kind of "profound" - you know - like an insightful characterization of something that's happening all the time but don't see it as "a repetitive phenomenon".   Then you're given this "other perspective" and you "agree" with the imagery.  Cool.

"And no one knows who they
They come from afar.
They do what they have to do
And turn into big stars."

Wow.  I'm impressed.

[Stallion]

It was my first time hearing the song also.  I agree, it's a really good song.

[notdaniel]

It was my first time hearing the song also.  I agree, it's a really good song.

Weird trivia - the True Believers' debut (and only) album on EMI Records in the late 80s (before Alejandro Escovedo went solo) includes the lyrics to The Marching Guitars on the inner sleeve. The song is not on the album, however, and to the best of my knowledge the band never recorded or performed the song - somebody just decided that the lyrics belonged on that record sleeve.

True Believer is also a Stan Lee/Marvel Comics catch phrase, and there was a letter once published in Silver Surfer comics making light of the connection. Now, can anyone tell me how and when Daniel's name ended up getting printed in an issue of a Marvel Comic?

  - Not Daniel

[dejected]

Someone ought to get brave and contact folks from True Believers -

Was Daniel identified as the writer of the lyrics on the cover?

Daniel has had several drawings (also) that he labels "Silver Surfer".

The Marvel comic connection is a question we need to ask of Daniel.

[notdaniel]

Someone ought to get brave and contact folks from True Believers -

Was Daniel identified as the writer of the lyrics on the cover?.

Of course! As an aside, I know that the Troobs were on the IRS Cutting Edge Austin music episode on MTV with Daniel in 1987, but I can't remember whether or not they had a track on the Woodshock double LP (where Dan's only released version of Marching Guitars appears). One final note - the rhythm section on the song "Baby Come Back To Me" recorded by Dan and me a few years ago, features Cindy Toth of the Reivers on bass and Keith Carnes of the early True Believers on drums. I like to call them "The Two Bereavers"...

The Marvel comic connection is a question we need to ask of Daniel.

I can partially answer my own "quiz question" if noone else cares to guess - Marvel Comics ace colorist Marie Javins, like most of the company's staffers, had her bio and mini-interview appear in one month's issues of the company's publications, on the in-house "Bullpen Bulletins" page. I don't recall the month offhand but this was in the early 1990s, I'm pretty sure). Marie got to list her fave musicians and so she raved about Daniel. Marie continues to work in the field, and continues to spread the gospel of Johnston as well.

I used to worry about all Dan's Captain America drawings being displayed and sold on the Web - being a Huge Soulless Corporation, Marvel Comics can be aggressive about enforcing the copyrights on their trademarked characters.  It was Mr. Tartarsauce, I believe, who reassured me that Marvel was totally okay with Dan using their characters in his artwork, primarily thanks to Marie.

Also, Marie got to write at least one comics story of her own for Marvel, in the Impossible Man Special, and in the background of the opening page you will find that the artist drew a wall covered in band flyers for a band with the suspiciously familiar name "Glass Eyeball".

  - Dr Strangemonde