Idiot's Delight

Vin Scelsa has "gone fishin'" on his yearly summer break, but he's left a trio of "Idiot's Delight"® episodes that only aired online (or were preempted) last winter. Looking back at a "lost" January show, Vin has a few thoughts on the film "Inside Llewyn Davis" and the true legacy of Dave Van Ronk (pictured far right with Bob Dylan and Suze Rotolo) and his other Greenwich Village folk compadres, like Odetta and Fred Neil.

Tonight on Vin Scelsa's "Idiot's Delight,"® joined in progress following WFUV's broadcast of the Clearwater Festival, Vin pays homage to the great jazz singer Jimmy Scott who passed away earlier this week at the age of 88. Scott's delicately pitched, idiosyncratic alto, the result of a lifelong struggle with Kallmann syndrome, could crack even the hardest of hearts as he tenderly explored a ballad. After a short period of early success in the '50s, Scott's artistic genius as a vocal stylist went unrecognized for decades, until he was rediscovered by a new generation in the '90s. Jimmy Scott, who was a guest on "Idiot's Delight"® in the early '90s, had a long list of fans that included Ray Charles, Doc Pomus and Lou Reed. Said Reed of Scott: "He has the voice of an angel."

On this warm summer's day, Vin Scelsa has some old-time fiddle music on his mind. On tonight's "Idiot's Delight"® at 8, Vin rounds up classic selections from the Tennesee Chocolate Drops (pictured), the Johnson Boys and more. Also, new music from Good Luck Mountain, one of Vin's favorite local bands, and a Google Maps search for the actual New Orleans intersection used as the title of a new song by The Suitcase Junket.

Why does Montgomery Clift appear so perplexed in this still from 1948's "The Search?"  Tonight on "Idiot's Deiight"® at 8, Vin Scelsa asks that very question. He also spins several tracks from The Far West's new album, Any Day Now, as well as freshly-released Kris Delmhorst and The Suitcase Junket. Expect classic Marvin Gaye, Townes Van Zandt and John Coltrane too. In a mere two hours, Vin will take listeners on a musical journey from the high seas to the high plains, from spaghetti-western Italy to the mountains of Mongolia, with a safe landing back home in New York.