I have a warm spot in my heart for this one. This was the first painting that got me a little reputation here in Long Beach. A couple of years ago, I would often go into record stores or coffee shops (I need to do this again…WHERE’S MY AGENT???) armed with my portfolio to try and get them to display my “art” on their walls. I remember at one big record store, the owner looked at me with disdain and said “oh, so you’re the one that did this?” in an almost accusatory fashion. He must have seen my barrage of postings on FB.
Hey, I dig Buddy Holly. I am not besmirching his legacy at all. I even own the Crickets first LP on vinyl and a Buddy Holly boxed set and I saw the Busey movie at least 20 times, so don’t be throwing down the funk all at me! Don’t be firing up The Big Huerta so early in the article.
Dig, We all love Buddy Holly and think he’s a gentleman with his gentle songs i.e. “Crying, Waiting Hoping”, “Oh Boy”, “Everyday”, “True Love Ways” but what if Chas. T. had a dark side? Who’s to say that he didn’t sit alone in the dark of his Lubbock garage and peruse the Billboard charts wishing harm upon his competition?
Oh yeah, Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis made the girls dance and swoon, with their sexy hip-based swagger and their long manes of tonsorial finery. Buddy wore glasses, knew a few dance steps, and had straight hair. Buddy wanted curly hair. Buddy always wanted curly hair. A man can do a lot with curly hair. A man can rule the pop world with curly hair! Buddy wanted long curls cascading down the front of his brow for the young teens to wrap around their adoring fingers.
Yes, this is what Buddy wanted…and Buddy was going to get this regardless of what it took. Buddy secretly wanted the heads of his competition on a stick! This is the Charles T. Hardin Holley that I know! Okay then, again, I use metallic acrylics and muted pastels to give this painting’s background a sort of 50’s feel.
I thought I would throw in some spheres and dance poles in the background to appear as if he’s on a 50’s TV dance party show and he is proving to the world that he is head and shoulders above his competition. By the way, this painting is courtesy of the Jon Melkerson collection but tees and prints can be made if public outcry is deafening.