Gout from Vestigial Limbo by Bill Robison

I might be wrong, but I think this could be a Mardi Gras song. Now, to be honest, it is not exactly about Mardi Gras. But it has a funky, Mardi Gras sound to it, especially the brass by my cousin Kenny Robison, the sax by my cousin Scott, and the drums by my brother Tucker, who also did a stellar job of production. The rest, for better or worse, is me. My wife Bibbet did the art, which is in Mardi Gras colors. I think you can dance to it. Or march to it. Interested? Read on. The song is actually abut gout, a form of inflammatory arthritis that often begins in your big toe, though it can appear anywhere, when crystalized uric acid is deposited in your joints. It causes redness, swelling, and hurts like hell. So what does that have to do with Mardi Gras? Well, gout was a particular plague during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when Mardi Gras was already a well-established part of European culture. During Carnival then, as now, revelers not only dressed in outlandish costumes and temporarily turned the world upside down with cross-dressing, pauper kings, and boy bishops, they also consumed enormous quantities of pancakes, sausage, and wine. Now, if you look up the causes of gout, cured meats and wine rank pretty high. So some folks may very well find themselves with gout after all of the drinking, eating, and walking that comes with the annual bacchanal. As it happens, the lyrics are based on my own experience with gout after a severe ankle sprain unrelated to Carnival. However, all of the remedies the song mentions were actually employed (without any genuine medicinal effect) in the medieval and early modern periods except the one the lyrics attribute to the Hoodoo Woman. And the remedy she recommends has a lot to do with Mardi Gras, too!

Bill Robison is a guitarist, singer, and songwriter who has performed and recorded with Hammond, Louisiana bands Impaired Faculties, Snake Hat, and Mary’s Wish. His solo album, “Vestigial Limbo,” is an eclectic mix of original songs blending hard rock, blues, funk, punk, and power pop with smart lyrics. Guests Kenny, Scott, and Tucker Robison, Angie and Ralph Wood, and Jim Worthen. Art by Bibbet.

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