Quote about chords

I saw this as an e-mail signature block:

"NEVER use a maj7 chord in any bar that is named after a deceased NASCAR driver, a large-calibre firearm, or an intoxicated farm animal."
-Rev. Billy C. Wirtz's Universal Chord Law

I did a google search and just found more usage of the quote, nothing about "Rev Billy". #Anyone know anything about the origins of this.

[duuuude]

Hmmmm, wonder if Rev. Billy is willin' to share some of that he's been smokin'?
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/cool.gif

[Michael H Geimer]

I once knew a whole band that refused - on the principle they all sound silly - to play any Maj7 chords.

At the same time, I was playing with a guitarist who refused -on the principle that they're too cliched - to ever play a Dom7 chord.

Ahhh ... the games people play.

[John Flynn]

A guitarist I play old-time music with jokingly refers to any chord that sounds "jazzy," "different" or "interesting" as a "Demented Seventh Chord."

My guess is the quote above is just a long-standing joke, parodying the kind of music that typically gets played in venues that have names which fit those stereotypes.

An apropos anecdote that people may find humorous: This past weekend, I saw David Grier and Mike Compton in concert. They did the expected amount of hard-core bluegrass, but they also did some of thier own compositions, many of which were very different, with a wide range of chords. Grier had just finished playing a lovely waltz he had written, with a lot of minor chords in it, when police sirens started up outside the venue. Not missing a beat, he looked up and said, "Oh oh, somebody musta called the cops and said, "That ain't bluegrass!'"

[sunburst]

Ha!
I went to college in Harrisonburg when the Rev. Billy Wertz used to hang around the Elbow Room.
He's an entertainer firstly and a musician secondly. Last I saw him, he was doing a solo act that consisted of brief flurries of blues piano and singing as punctuation to his sometimes off color, sometimes inspired comedy.
He's about 6'6" tall, has been sporting armfulls of tattoos since the mid '70's, and used to play with various blues bands in the old days before making a career of "music".

Oh, and duuuude, no first hand experience, but probably.

[Jeff Baldwin]

http://www.reverendbilly.com/ #is the web site of the man himself. #He is a great entertainer...and a pretty good piano player. He can turn a phrase...like Kinky Friedman. #Love this quote...gonna use it soon I know..

[JiminRussia]

This guy : "A guitarist I play old-time music with jokingly refers to any chord that sounds "jazzy," "different" or "interesting" as a "Demented Seventh Chord." may have also coined the phrases "strangulated third" and "herniated ninth".

[lindensensei]

The Rev is the funniest man I have ever seen. I have never (NEVER)laughed so much at anyone show in my life. A great entertainer and wild man.

[madog99]

Yep the "rev"? is for mature audience's only ! He has played the bluesfest here for the last few years , mostly comedy but very entertaining and if you ever see him , DO NOT TELL HIM YOUR NAME ! He will use it in one of his songs.

[Steve G]

I played with an old time string band and after the fifth tune I asked if we could play a tune with a minor in it. And they said, "we don't serve minors."