In late 2020, Steve Poltz wrote and released "Quarantine Blues," an unabashedly irreverent song that found him rhyming "coronavirus" with "Miley Cyrus," "vaccine" with "hydroxychloroquine," and "Fauci" with "grouchy."
Last month — in a case of life imitating art that he wishes had never happened — Poltz spent two weeks in quarantine after contracting COVID-19. He came down with the illness following his four indoor performances in mid-January at the annual 30A Songwriters Festival in Florida.
"I was fully vaccinated and boosted, but I let my guard down — nobody was masked and I was shaking hands and hugging people," said the former San Diego troubadour, who now lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
Poltz is currently on tour promoting his 14th solo album, the enchanting "Stardust & Satellites," which was released last week by Red House Records.
"I lost my sense of taste and smell," Poltz said, elaborating on his COVID-19 bout. "I had fever and aches and pains, and my throat was swollen almost entirely shut for six days. I gave COVID to my wife, Sharon, and to my friend, Chuck Prophet, who was performing at the 30A Festival.
"Little did I know at the time that I was suddenly 'Typhoid Mary.' I had been so careful up until then. I guess I got a little cocky because I was vaxxed and boosted, even though I read the news and knew the omicron variant was spreading in a wave. Sharon said to me: 'If we go to Florida, we'll get COVID,' and she was right."
Poltz has bounced back from adversity before.
He's been sober for the past 17 years. And he made a full recovery from the onstage stroke he suffered while performing a concert in Delaware in 2016.
On the road with Up With People
Yet, while his tone is suitably serious and forthright when discussing his first-hand experience with the pandemic, Poltz quickly sought to lighten the mood by claiming there was at least one temporary advantage from contracting COVID.
"What was cool about losing my sense of taste is that I really got into Lawrence Welk when I was quarantining" he said. "They have all these reruns of his TV show and it's aged so well. Those musicians he had were amazing!"
Welk's proudly middle-of-the-road, squeaky clean image had real resonance for the teenaged Poltz, who was born in Canada and grew up in Palm Springs, California.
When he was 18, he became a guitarist in the proudly middle-of-the-road, squeaky clean vocal ensemble Up With People. He performed in Arizona, Texas, Mexico and parts of Latin America with the group, whose albums featured such memorably titled songs as "You Can't Live Crooked And Think Straight," "Rock 'N' Roll Is Gone For Good," "Gee, I'm Looking Forward To The Future" and "The Ballad of Joan of Arc."
Poltz's new album alludes to that period, and to his high school years, with his autobiographical song "Up With People." But the picture it paints is anything but squeaky clean, as evidenced by such colorful couplets as: "I was high on Quaaludes and listening to Foreigner" and "My sister taught me how to smoke weed before she joined Up With People/ She left me with all her rolling papers so I joined Up With People, too."
Was smoking pot the exception during Poltz's year playing guitar in Up With People, or the norm?
"I was in the band that accompanied the singers, and the band members were like the 'bad kids'," he replied. "We would wear these polyester outfits that were blue and white ...
"Being in Up With People sort of whet my appetite for music. When I left them, I was really into Liza Minnelli and Barbra Streisand. And I loved Liberace and musicals like 'Oliver,' 'Hair,' 'Jesus Christ Superstar, 'Godspell' and 'Fiddler on the Roof.' I especially liked Neil Diamond's 'Hot August Nights' live album.
"I was also a huge Beatles' fan and I knew what was on the radio, bands like Styx and Foreigner. And I liked (social satirist) Tom Lehrer's 'Poisoning Pigeons in the Park' and Allan Sherman's 'Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah'."
Higher learning
Poltz's sister, Kathy, enrolled at San Diego State University. He followed her here in 1979 and enrolled at the University of San Diego, where he majored in political science and Spanish, graduating in 1985.
But music was Poltz's true calling. He played countless gigs here as a solo act and with his punky folk-rock band, The Rugburns.
Along the way, Poltz met and mentored Jewel, co-writing her chart-topping hit, "You Were Meant For Me." He toured the world as a member of her band and performed with her at the infamous 1999 Woodstock festival.
"We went on right after Elvis Costello and right before Red Hot Chili Peppers," he recalled.
"Then, all the Porta Potties at Woodstock were set on fire. So we jumped back on our tour bus, which we'd rented from Foghat, and got the hell out of there."
Poltz doesn't reference the riotous Woodstock festival on "Wrong Town," the lilting, Paul Simon-flavored opening number on his new album. But the song does serve as a musical mission statement, much like James Taylor's 1985 classic "That's Why I'm Here."
And when Poltz sings, "Well, I've played a lot of shows across this world, but tonight's the best I'll ever play," it's a testament to a tireless work ethic that — prior to the pandemic — saw him average more than 300 concerts a year.
"I wrote 'Wrong Town' a few years ago with Anthony da Costa, because I needed an opening song to play at the 2019 Telluride Bluegrass Festival," Poltz said. "And, in concert, when I sing the line: 'Mostly I'm just here to sing for you,' everybody cheers."
"Stardust & Satellites" is easily one of the most accomplished and enjoyable albums of his career. It's also a model of concision, with its 10 songs clocking in at a combined 32 minutes and 23 seconds.
Such brevity was a trademark of each album by the Ramones. It is an uncommon trait for most singer-songwriters.
"I wanted it to be between 32 and 33 minutes because people don't have a lot of time these days," said Poltz, who penned five of the songs on his own and five with co-writers.
"I never overthink it, but each song represents a different flavor. This album is another arrow in my quiver, although I never make any money from Spotify or Pandora, and I've never had a hit. Jewel had a hit that I co-wrote, but I never have.
"And, in a way, I'm grateful. Because if you do have a hit and it crosses over to pop, everything can have a fast life. Whereas my career has had a really slow build. I've always thought that if you can play your stuff live, you'll always make a living. So that's what I've done, and I sell my (recorded) wares at my shows."
Poltz will host and perform at the delayed debut edition of his outdoor BaHOOTenzie Folk Fest + SongSchool in Joshua Tree from May 17 to May 21. (The originally planned dates last October were pushed back by the pandemic.) He'll be joined by various musical pals, including Austin singer-songwriter Lindsay Lou, who is featured on his new album.
Does Poltz still perform "Quarantine Blues" now that he himself has had COVID?
"I do, and it goes over really well," he replied.
"It kind of blows people's minds, because the lyrics are so rapid-fire and it doesn't have a chorus. It's a song where I'm really channeling Bob Dylan's (1966 classic) 'Subterranean Homesick Blues.'
"When I play 'Quarantine Blues' live, it's fun to watch people's faces. I'm really grateful that my mom — who was a choir teacher — taught me to enunciate, because it really pays off in that song."
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