"Experiences and Lessons": An Interview with Ron Palmer

by Steve Gibbons

If you weren't lucky enough to see Harry live before 1975, then you missed some truly memorable songs written and performed by his lead guitarist, Ron Palmer. Often during a show, Harry would take a short break and turn the stage over to Ron for him to play some of his unique songs. Ron's dry wit and short-and-sweet style developed into songs that he called Experiences and Lessons. For anyone who missed these treasures, here's an example:

Experience #9
By Ron Palmer

Ridin' on my bicycle
Feeling free and loose
I hit a parked car
Fell on the crossbar
And I'll never reproduce.

In a recent interview I spoke with Ron Palmer to find out more about his music and what he's been doing since leaving Harry's band.

Steve: Hello, Ron, and thanks for being with us. Since you know what we're talking about, let me start out by asking you to explain to everyone what your Experiences and Lessons are.

Ron: Hi Steve. Nice to be here. The "Experiences and Lessons" were short, four or five line songs with surprise endings. Harry called them 30-second epics. They were mostly about sexual misadventures. They were "lessons" if I learned something, and they were "experiences" if I tended to repeat them...fictional, of course. The number was supposedly my age when they happened.

Steve: Were these songs something you wrote especially for performing with Harry, or were they already in your guitar case when you joined up with Harry and the guys?

Ron: I had written "Lesson number 18" quite sometime before meeting Harry. "Experience number 9" was written when we were playing our first gig at the Village Gate. Harry encouraged me to write more of them, and they eventually evolved into an integral part of our show. Harry would be my "straight man,Ó and masterfully set the tone. They were guaranteed to get laughs.

Steve: What did Harry and the guys think when you first played these for them and what was the setting?

Ron: They got quite a kick out of them. If memory serves me correctly, I did one of them in the dressing room of the Village Gate. Steve: Was there ever any discussion about including any of your songs on Harry's albums? Ron: No. Obviously, an album would have had to be "R" rated.

Steve: By my count there were about a half dozen songs. Have you written any since?

Ron: No...not that I haven't had lessons and experiences.

Steve: What have you been doing musically since you left the group?

Ron: I played for years in a three-piece bar band with a couple of longtime friends, did a lot of solo stuff, and even did a pretty neat music video once just for kicks. I released a CD of original instrumentals a few years ago...sold a couple hundred locally, but my venture on the Internet was a big flop. I still practice and do some writing, but I haven't played 'out' in two years

Ron's CD, "Pigeon Hill Suite," is available online at SongRamp.