Burt Reynolds’ star was shining very bright in 1973. He was nominated for Academy Award for his performance in the disturbing Deliverance, and he had a couple of more movies in the can (pun intended). Like most superstars with huge egos, Reynolds probably thought he could do anything. So why not make a record? The result is the painful Ask Me What I am.
My brother actually bought this collection at a used record shop as a joke, and we spent quite a bit of time listening to the tune “There’s A Slight Misunderstanding Between God and Man” and laughing our asses off. However, I don’t think Reynolds intended it to be a joke.
I think he fancies himself as a storyteller. “Childhood 1949” opens the record with a tale of the good old days gone sung by a man who sounds like he’s about to hang himself. Next is “Slow John Fairburn” where he tells us in a laughable Texas twang about some old douchebag in his tiny hometown. It just gets worse with “I Didn’t Shake the World Today,” and the Donny & Marie-infested “You Can’t Always Sing A Happy Song.” As Frank Barone would say “Holy Crap.”
Besides Reynolds inability to sing, the 11 songs were produced by Bobby Goldsboro, who had a big hit with the God-awful “Honey.” This combination is deadly and hilarious all at the same time. I have no idea how many people bought this piece of crap, but those who did also got a full length picture of Burt on the inside jacket in tight baby blue pants….….fabulous.
MP3: “There’s a Slight Misunderstanding Between God and Man”