The Webb of Life

Had a wonderful time seeing legendary songwriter Jimmy Webb at City Winery with my friends David, Lynn and Lucy.

Webb, who is now 80 but still has something of a boyish look about him, treated us to a set that included "Galveston," "Up, Up and Away," "The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress," "All I Know," "Didn't We," "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," "MacArthur Park" and, of course, the incomparable "Wichita Lineman." (I still maintain that Maria McKee did the definitive version!)

He also performed several newer and lesser-known songs, with the awfully handsome singer-songwriter Pete Mancini joining him for part of the show, following an entertaining opening set.

The highlight of the evening for me wound up being the closing number, "Adios," which I fell ion love with in college when Linda Ronstadt included it on her smash album "Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind" (1989).

In addition to being one of the finest songwriters of this generation, Webb is an incredible storyteller, somehow managing to humble-brag and be self-deprecating at the same time. 

Our table had the added bonus of hearing some behind-the-scenes gossip from David, who edited Webb's book "Tunesmith: Inside the Art of Songwriting" some 30 years ago and had plenty of fun memories about the process.

My only disappointment was that he didn't perform anything from what I consider his finest work: the songs he wrote for Art Garfunkel's 1977 album "Watermark," including "Crying in My Sleep," "Saturday Suit," "Paper Chase" and "Shine It on Me," the last of which contains perhaps the most codependent romantic lyrics of all time:

I remember times when you'd touch me 

And you'd, you'd freeze my spine 

We were looking in the mirror at the time 

I got confused and thought your eyes were mine

But that's a minor complaint about an evening spent in the company of such a remarkable talent.

As it happens, I've just started reading a biography of the '80s band Prefab Sprout, and wouldn't you know it, there's an entire chapter devoted to Webb's influence on frontman Paddy McAloon. 

Apparently, McAloon first heard "Wichita Lineman" while running past a pub as a schoolboy, an experience he later described as something akin to a chemical shift. 

It's fascinating to think about the connection between two songwriters whose work I've loved for so long -- and even more fascinating that the one born in 1946 is the one still performing live! 

How about that Little Island?