Freddie Gage - Drugs and Youth

Freddie Gage - Drugs and Youth

released on LP, no date given

Freddie Gage is a Southern Baptist preacher who seems mostly known for the cover of his album All My Friends are Dead. I have yet to see that LP in the real world. However, I did find this "gem". Back then, Freddie tried to sound hip to attract people to his way of thinking about the world. As the back cover says, Freddie is a "turned-on" preacher who is "out of sight" and "on the in to what's happening."

The reason Freddie tried to act like he was cool was because he focused on America's youth. From looking at the back cover again, apparently the public schools didn't have any problem letting Freddie (and probably others of the same ilk) come and preach at school assemblies (i.e. indoctrinate a captive audience of teenagers). The sermon on this album was recorded during a school assembly consisting of an audience of over 3,000 high school students (according to the album cover) in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Freddie preaches against the evils of LSD, pot, other drugs, and hippies, tells a few jokes that are surprising funny, and tells a few anecdotes about kids whose drug experiences end up in tragedy. Freddie is in hysteria mode most of the time as Freddie emphasizes that America's youth is in danger of becoming a bunch of junkies and by implication a bunch of smelly rebellious hippies. While not being explicit, Freddie's take-home point is that the youth of America can find peace and be upstanding citizens by not doing drugs and having the same beliefs as the "turned-on" Freddie. Like out of sight, man.

Can anyone tell me the name of the tune that the school band plays at the beginning? It's familiar, but I can't remember the title and who originally performed it.


Tracklisting:

Side 1

1. Drugs and Youth [side 1] {14:35}

Side 2

1. Drugs and Youth [side 2] {13:53}