Rock-tober 12, 2018

One of the shows Andrea and I follow is "Supernatural". For those unfamiliar with the long running series (13 seasons and counting), it follows the adventures of two brothers crisscrossing the country hunting down ghosts, goblins, and ghouls that are wreaking havoc with non-supernatural civilians. One of the things that drew my attention to the show was the other main character, a black, 1967 Impala. It's featured heavily in the bulk of episodes as the brothers' primary ride and rolling arsenal. Of the horde of classic Detroit muscle cars to choose from, I was curious how the Chevy was selected. Originally, the Impala's role was supposed to be played by a '65 Mustang. Given the nature of the events encountered by the brothers, however, producers determined they needed something much bigger, more menacing, and "with enough trunk room for you to hide a body." As a Ford fanatic, I'd argue you could get the same results with a blacked out '73 Mach 1, but I'll concede the point. The Impala is unquestionably effective.

The other draw is the series soundtrack. Eric Kripke, the show runner, is an avowed classic rock fan, and the soundtrack for the series is interlaced with songs from my own playlists. Periodically, tunes I haven't heard in a while or, more rarely, have never heard before pop up. That was the case one particular evening when I heard a familiar voice, but I just couldn't name the tune.

Andrea reached for her phone, launched Google, and pointed the mic to the TV. Like a charm, it returned the name of the artist and track. The familiar voice was Steve Winwood, who had an incredible run of hits and two Grammy awards during the 80's. I didn't recognize the song because it was from his time with Traffic.

Traffic's heydey was from '67 to '74, and today's feature, "Dear Mr. Fantasy", is from their 1967 album, Mr. Fantasy. Wikipedia classifies Traffic's genre as psychedelic rock. It fits because in this vintage video Winwood looks like he is absolutely tripping balls. Forty years later, Winwood was joined by former Blind Faith bandmate, Old Slowhand himself, Eric Clapton, and they performed the rendition below at the 2007 Crossroads Guitar Festival.

While I thoroughly enjoy Kripke's use of classic rock to add fullness and depth to his show, I'm still a little miffed at a Mustang being passed over for such an iconic role.