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Tom Russell’s release Folk Hotel has been in my music rotation for a week or so now,
and I like the album more and more each time I listen to it.
There are few songwriters whose songs send me to Wikipedia to look up references the way Tom’s does.
In fact, I was sent scurrying on the first track: “Up in the Old Hotel.”
The first reference I chased was Joseph Mitchell,
whose ghost wanders the halls of Tom’s Folk Hotel. Here’s what I found:
Joseph Mitchell and Up in the Old Hotel
(July 27, 1908 – May 24, 1996) was an American writer best known for his work in
The New Yorker. He wrote careful portraits of eccentrics and people on the fringes of society,
especially in and around New York City.
His book Up in the Old Hotel collects the best of his writing for The New Yorker.
Mitchell’s last book was Joe Gould’s Secret (1964).
From 1964 until his death in 1996, Mitchell went to work at his office daily,
but never published anything significant again.
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Dylan Thomas and the Hotel Chelsea
The second reference in the song points to the death of poet Dylan Thomas and his infamous final days:
On 3 November 1953, Thomas spent the day drinking in New York.
He returned to the Hotel Chelsea declaring,
“I’ve had 18 straight whiskies. I think that’s the record!”
Later that week, he fell gravely ill and was admitted to St. Vincent’s Hospital,
where he died on 9 November 1953 of acute alcohol-related complications.
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One Song, Countless Stories
I love that about Tom Russell’s songs. One verse can send me looking up a writer I’d never heard of, while the next leads me to a poet, a painter, or some forgotten corner of American history. His songs aren’t just stories—they’re invitations to keep exploring.
I’ll have more to say about Folk Hotel in another post, but for now I’ll leave you with Tom performing “Up in the Old Hotel.”
More Tom Russell Stories
If you’d like to read more about one of my favorite songwriters, continue with:
- Folk Monday: Old Friend Slaid Cleaves and Tom Russell – How Mesabi first entered my music rotation and led to plans for a special concert.
- Tom Russell Live at Jammin’ Java – My memories of seeing Tom and Thad Beckman perform many of these songs live in an intimate setting.