B-Side Guys

Green lights pierce the darkness as Johnny Marie’s “Bobby” unfolds like a fever dream, pulling listeners into a surreal narrative that defies easy categorization. The Kansas City songwriter, known for his work across multiple projects including Girl for Samson and The Real Flower Pots, has crafted a psychedelic portrait that transforms personal pronouns and perspectives with the fluid logic of a dream.

The track’s arrangement showcases the collaborative strength of its assembled musicians. Dave Storms and Jerry Riccardi’s dual drum work creates an appropriately off-kilter foundation, while Leon Kopilevich’s piano and Bill Ryan’s acoustic guitar weave through the spaces between. Chris Ruzich’s bass provides crucial grounding for Marie’s explorations of identity and transformation.

Marie’s vocals navigate the song’s surreal imagery with a matter-of-fact delivery that makes its strange narrative feel almost mundane. The titular character Bobby appears in various states – bobbing in mysterious light, wrapped in pride, compared to a walnut. These transformations create a dreamlike atmosphere where identity becomes fluid and meaning shifts like shadows.

The production maintains a delicate balance between clarity and psychedelic haze. Each instrument occupies its own space in the mix while contributing to the overall otherworldly atmosphere. The interplay between Marie’s keyboards and Kopilevich’s piano creates textural depth that supports the narrative’s strange twists.

A repeated refrain about being “six feet tall” serves as an anchor point in the song’s swirling narrative, though even this seemingly concrete detail becomes unstable in context. The height measurement appears at various crucial moments – the world’s beginning, its collapse – suggesting both constancy and transformation.

The song’s final moments introduce a new character, Tricia, with the same enigmatic approach used throughout. This late addition to the cast of characters feels less like a conclusion and more like another turn in an endless maze, leaving listeners to contemplate the nature of identity and perception.

Marie’s experience leading multiple musical projects serves him well here, as the track demonstrates confident handling of both conventional rock elements and more experimental touches. The full band arrangement provides a solid foundation for the song’s psychological explorations without diminishing their impact.

As a standalone single, “Bobby” showcases Marie’s gift for crafting songs that feel both familiar and deeply strange. It’s a track that rewards repeated listening, revealing new details and possible interpretations with each play while maintaining its essential mystery.

The song stands as a testament to Marie’s abilities as both songwriter and bandleader, bringing together a skilled group of musicians to realize a singular vision. While firmly rooted in psychedelic rock traditions, it carves out its own distinct space through its unique approach to narrative and identity.