Singer-songwriter Dan Bern has been charming audiences for decades with his irrepressible wit, but listeners may know him best from work on the big screen.
Bern wrote the songs for Judd Apatow's hit comedies Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story and Get Him to the Greek, which in turn led to writing the theme song to Amazon's animated Dirty and Stinky series. Bern's songs in Walk Hard, a parody biopic of a fictional early rock 'n' roll star, in particular are hilarious, including the bullseye mid-'60s Dylan sendup "Royal Jelly."
Truth or Consequences, New Mexico-based Bern will bring his songwriting prowess, backed by a full band, Jane's Great Dane, to San Antonio on Saturday, Feb. 24 for a performance at the Rathskeller Bar inside downtown's Hermann Sons Ballroom. San Antonio singer-songwriter Thurman Love will open.
Before his cinematic successes, Bern spent years as a "road dog" songwriter-poet, an heir apparent to traveling folkies ranging from Woody Guthrie to Dylan.
Over that time on the road, Bern penned thousands of topical songs, including many with an emphasis on sports. His baseball songs, in particular, have struck a nerve and earned him invitations to perform at Cooperstown's Baseball Hall of Fame and as a frequent guest of famed sports radio personality Tony Kornheiser.
Of note for Spurs fans, Bern's recent song "Victor Wembanyama" pays tribute to the team's rookie phenom.
We spoke with Bern recently from Toronto, where he was taking a short break from his current tour.
How many shows have you played?
In my life? I dunno. Five thousand or so? How many columns have you written? We do what we do.
After so many shows, how do you find new ways into songs? Is it just about remaining open to whatever's happening?
It is. This run is pretty wild. Started out doing half a dozen shows by myself, then a run with my old band the IJBC [International Jewish Banking Conspiracy]. We made a record, New American Language, 20 years ago that was just released on vinyl. We played that whole record top to bottom three nights in a row. Immediately after [I hooked up] with another band, all the way to Texas. On this run, it's more a matter of keeping it together — not letting those transitions without transition time throw ya. In a way, not having time to think about it makes it easier. Buddy Rich famously said, "Give me a tired band. I don't want guys to be able to think."
That's what Phil Spector used to do.
Ha, yeah. It's exciting. During those pandemic years, not touring and doing other things, not sure how it would return. Now that we can hit it hard and play to folks every night, it's great. No complaints.
How long is a typical run?
This one will end up six or seven weeks. Back in the day when I had no home address and lived in my van, it was years. When I'm out, it's an every-night kind of thing. More a baseball schedule than football schedule.
Speaking of which, you've written a lot about sports.
In the last few years, I've had the chance to write many songs for The Tony Kornheiser Show. When you have a specific outlet, it gives you a reason to write a bunch.
Did you ever read that Bernard Malamud baseball book The Natural?
Yes.
It's wild how different the book is from the movie, which was made in the '80s with Robert Redford.
I was initially very resistant to the movie, but I've come around to it. But yeah, I love that book. All that great baseball writing, it made me feel it was right for songs too. In a way, that's how I came to the game. I grew up in a place in Iowa and didn't see a big league game until I was 18. It was the literature that grabbed me.
Were you into music early on?
Oh, yeah. For a while it was all Beatles. At some point, I was handed some Dylan and some Woody [Guthrie] and some Hank [Williams]. It was a flash of light! You don't need three other guys to do this. That opened the door.
Have you read Bound for Glory, Woody Guthrie's autobiography? A lot of it takes place in Pampa, Texas.
Oh yeah. The great Woody book. I've been to Pampa! On one of my early runs, I was driving across the Panhandle, saw a sign that said Pampa. I drove into town, made some inquiries, was directed to an old woman who knew about Woody. So, I knocked on her door, stammered a bunch of stuff. She thought I was a con man at first! But we became friends, and I ended up coming back for a few Woody musical activities. Pampa has always been a special place for me.
You wrote the songs for Walk Hard and Get Him to the Greek. Was writing for those films similar to the baseball show: you get an assignment and out come the songs?
Yeah. You get a script and it says, "Song here." (Laughs.) In the case of Walk Hard, I worked so hard on it, and the character became so much a part of me. [I remember] going into a meeting with Judd Apatow, Mike Viola, Jake Kasdan and John C. Reilly and coming up with a list of song titles. By day's end, all those songs would be written! And again the next day.
How many songs did you write for that movie?
Probably 200 songs. Fifteen made the soundtrack, and nine are in the movie. In my mind, there's another movie with 200 songs in it! (Laughs.)
Do you ever play them?
Occasionally, but it's odd, like I'm covering someone else's songs. Dewey Cox's songs. That movie spoofed musical biopics but also celebrated them. Everyone who did that loves all those biopics. No malice in it. We couldn't have made it without the love.
Do you ever get weird song requests?
Not enough! I was just on a sports radio show in Montreal. He had listeners calling in and suggesting topics. I'd take 15 minutes, write that song and perform it, then another and another.
$25, 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 24, Rathskeller Bar (inside Hermann Sons Ballroom), 525 S. St. Mary's St., (210) 660-1706, sahermannsons.com/bar.
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