Behind the Music

I've always wanted to be in an R&R band. Ok, I think I wanted to be a Cowboy before that little dream materialized, but early on (mid sixties) I got the idea that Cowboys were no longer roaming the range in substantial numbers, and instead, there was this invasion of Beatles, Monkees, and Paul Revere and the Raiders, and I quickly reversed course and jumped on that dream horse. I remember lining up my brothers and sisters, assigning each an imaginary instrument, and kicking out the jams on "Can't Buy Me Love," "Steppin Stone," and "I'm a Believer." I ended up taking guitar lessons, but I never ventured out of my bedroom, plinking away to the lonely beat inside my head.

Later (late seventies) I hooked up with my cousin Michael and we used to jam away in his kitchen. These were long, intense acoustic jams fueled by beer and cannabis. We played songs like "Dead Flowers," and "You Can't Always Get What You Want." This was also the time I had a guitarist's dream job, I worked at a Hohner warehouse, where my job was to take guitars out of boxes (shipped in from Asia) tune them up, play them, looking for imperfections (loose or bad frets, buzzes and clicks). We had a friend named John who blew a mean blues harmonica, and for a time we became an acoustic trio, "Dead Midget." We never really ventured out. All of our best stuff was played in the kitchen, reverberating out over Michael's kitchen linoleum to our captive audience: a refrigerator and stove.

Later, instead of music, I ventured out into the world of theater. The Lovely Carla and I took acting classes, and I got it in my head that I could write plays. 10 years later, it seems it's true. One of our plays was called "Another Korea Revisited" (catchy title hunh?) and I decided to buy an electric guitar and compose a score. I was unable to get a group of musicians willing to commit to a six week run, (musicians are a notoriously flighty bunch) so, I did all the music myself. This was the beginning of my second great love affair with the guitar.

Which leads me to present day. The Telepaths. Finally, I am in a r&r band. We are good in our own way: rough, raucous. I'm enjoying playing with these guys immensely. We've actually got two shows this week. It's fun and inspiring. The experience has convinced me that the next theater piece should be a rock opera. Three chords and a solid backbeat...look out world!