Simon Ennis and his Big Stupid Guitar
Love is just the new natural selection…!
Simon Ennis was a cool cat, solely responsible for my enduring nickname, “The Worst R.A. in Bruce Hall.” Whenever I watch Gilligan’s Island or ponder the mental state of squirrels, I think of him.
While an R.A. at Bruce Hall, he took up a side career as an busking acoustic musician. His one-man act, Simon Ennis and his Big Stupid Guitar, was pretty popular with the geeks of Bruce. They’ve craved to hear some of his old recordings. Lucky for them I’m a pack-rat.
Below are MP3 recordings from my original casette tape. Because of the original medium, the sound will be a bit tinny, but if you are true fan you can fight through it:
Natural Selection
My Green Shirt
Safe Suburban Home
Six Million Dollar Woman
Your Mother’s Gonna Miss Me
State Employee
Male Homosexuality
Kurt Cobain in a Coma
Sleeping Pill
My Lost Cat
It’s quite remarkable I even have this tape. A friend of mine had been borrowing it, and his apartment burned down. This tape was in a box, which itself was within an armoire — that double-seal is the only thing that kept it from being nuked.
While I have these recordings, I don’t have the track names. If anyone is able to help me reconstruct them, just let me know in the comments below.
I tried to find Simon, so I might confirm it’s OK to share these files, but he’s proven quite elusive. After leaving Bruce, Simon eventually moved to the Davis/Sacramento area for his doctorate. During his time there, he continued to record with a band called St. Simon 3 (as noted here and here). Hopefully it’s OK, but don’t be surprised if I’m asked to take these down.
To paraphrase St. Simon: I don’t care what they say about you, Simon — I think you’re awesome. And you smell just fine!
Photo Credit: Kacey Close on Facebook
