Who Don't?

So Elvis wanted to be Dean Martin or Tony Curtis, huh? And Bobby Zimmerman? Well, he decided on Woody Guthrie only after he gave up on Little Richard it seems.

Seems we all want to be somebody until we finally become somebody.

Be careful what you wish for. That's what they say, right? Don't look too closely at your heroes. There's usually a human being under there. Practice love.

Wring Out The Sad

Maybe if we all just sing 'til we're happy it will work out. You know, kinda' like the Sufis dance and whirl. Come to think of it, we may as well dance while we're at it. Oh, I hear the music. I always hear the music. In any fair game, love will win. Remember that.

Under The Radar, Over The Rainbow

We're only here for a little while. Nearly as I can tell we only have one job. Touch as many folks as we can while we're here. Love is the only currency. That other stuff is to throw you off track. To test you. I don't get a chance to sing to tens of thousands at a time. On the other hand, I surely have done this stuff for a long time. I love you all. Believe me, I know how corny and trite that sounds. I love you.

Post Post Modern

Some folks feel the need to reinvent themselves several times over the long haul of life. For me, it's more rediscovery. I always come back to that same gawky misfit, intent on making a go of not quite fitting in. 

Funny, sometimes I feel a touch embarrassed and awkward about it and at other times I wear my differences like a royal crown. It took me a long time to figure out that I don't march in step. Keep an eye on me. I may start to skip. I don't care. I love you.

"I Don't Sound Like Nobody, Sir"

If you're old enough you remember the first time that you heard Elvis on the radio. It was like nothing that had come before. If you're old, but not that old you remember the first Beatles' song that came out of the transistor radio. It made the hair on your arm stand up. You had to hear more.

On any given day you'll get a different answer from me about my favorite record. The ones that always come to mind are the ones that sounded like nothing I had ever heard before. You know the ones:

Transfusion

Bo Diddley

Peggy Sue 

I Want To Hold Your Hand

I Walk The Line

Tutti Frutti

Sleepwalk

Heartbreak Hotel

Wake Up Little Susie

Battle Of New Orleans

Yeah, my list is a little heavy on the '56-'64 dates. You can block out any decade and put together a list. Yours will probably depend on your age and the geography of where you grew up.

I want to make records like that.

Shore To Shore

Sometimes I honestly believe that you might really hear the ocean with a seashell up to your ear. I think you can see the future in a crystal ball, too, if you know what you're looking for. It is occasionally obvious to me that all of the answers are right there. There. You don't even have to look for them. You have to keep your eyes and your ears and your heart open, though, so that you don't miss them. Love's not what you've been told it is.

Somewhere In Here

Life just doesn't fit me. You know those stories that run in the newspapers every few years? The ones where they take a homeless man, clean him up and put him in an expensive suit. Voila, GQ!

Well, I can't be "cleaned up." I've always pretended that I don't care. Maybe I do. Life's just too overwhelming for me. Too sad. The pants fall down and the shoulders sag. Some of it's too big for me. Some of it's too small. It's all too sad.

I remember the first time I played music onstage. That was it. That's what I do. Hail, hail rock'n'roll, indeed.