Friday, September 11, 2009
I stopped a song mid way through a verse the other night, and said, "I'm sorry. I just can't sing this any more." And I paused and strummed a few aimless chords in a silent room and then began and finished Tom Paxton's "My Favorite Spring."
The song was Phil Och's "There But For Fortune", and the line was, "Show me a country where the bombs had to fall. Show me the ruins of the buildings once so tall. And I'll show you a young land with so many reasons why, that there but for fortune go you or I. You or I."
Even though it was only a few days before 9/11 and I have sung this song many times before, somehow, I just never connected the dots.
Now, I realize that we are not talking about Coventry, or Cologne or Dresden, or Tokyo, Hiroshima or Nagasaki. I know that.
But we are talking about buildings once so tall. And multi-ton aircraft aimed at them, and up until that early fall morning just a few years ago, we were a young land. At least, I would like to think we were. Perhaps this country has reached middle age.
Some might say we reached middle age when Ft. Summter was fired upon. Or when Lincoln was assasinated. Or we reached it as a nation during the Great Depression, or World War 2. When Kennedy was shot or Vietnam. Probably every generation has felt that way at sometime or another.
But when an enemy we little knew or understood killed so many innocent hearts that day, we were not as snug and secure as we assumed.
And so we had to grow. And mourn and weep and react with rage and disgust at what had been done to us, forgetting, perhaps, what had already been done to so many people, and to so many places.
Phil Ochs' body of work contains wonderful things. And, because he wrote with the mind of one wrapped in youths cloak of invincibility and a poets heart of confidence (until much later in life ,when despair robbed us of his talent) the thought of our country, insulated by oceans and protected by unseen webs of missles and air-power could ever suffer outside attack was ludicrous at best.
Here we are, eight years later. Those of us who remember must now forget the verse to one song. And remember the lines to another, tacked on to a bible verse by Pete Seeger in 1959.
"To everything. Turn, turn, turn. There is a season. Turn ,turn, turn. And a time to every purpose under heaven. A time to love and a time to hate. A time of war and a time of peace......I swear it's not too late."
I guess I can sing Phil's song again, and leave out the verse or maybe tack on something. If Pete can do it, so can I. Or maybe someone reading this can.
Peace
George
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Experience Level: Novice
Interests:
[Jamming] [Socializing]
Occupation: Curmudgeon
Gender: Male
Age: 83
My Instruments:
Dana Fligg "George Locke Model" Vega Long Neck
Yamaha acoustic/electric 12 string
Epiphone solid body electric
Washburn D10SCE
Oscar Schmidt 21 Chord Autoharp
and an odd guitar with no name that lurks quietly under the stairs.
Favorite Bands/Musicians:
Richard Thompson, Earl Scruggs, Mike Seeger, Don Reno, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Bob Seeger, Joe Pass, Django Reinhardt, Herb Ellis, Charlie Byrd, Charlie Parker, Four Freshmen, Dinah Washington, Ella Fitzgerald, Lady Day, Bessie Smith, Mel Torme, The Roches, Phil Ochs,Bob Dylan, Dave VanRonk, Toots Theilman, Art VanDamme, Chet Baker,Mose Alison, Hank Williams, Brian Setzer, The Beatles, Hank Thompson, Steve Goodman, Benny Goodman, Beethoven, Tchikovsky, Alexander Borodin, Eric Satie, Arron Copeland, The Gershwins (George and Ira), Leonard Bernstein, Steven Sondheim, Henry Mancini and so on
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Created 10/29/2008
Last Visit 7/12/2026
It was 1960 and I was fresh out of high school. I had left rock and roll behind for a while after Dave Guard and the Kingston Trio crept up to whack me with a "Tom Dooley"-stick in 1957.
Then came "The Brothers Four", "The Highway Men" and "The New Christie
." and I was hooked.
I joined the Army because Uncle Sam promised he would send me to Public Information School to learn journalism, photography and a smattering of radio broadcasting.
Hootenany was in the air. I followed my favorites, including the heart-breaking clear voice of Joan Baez to Korea while I wrote for "The Cavalier" and "The Stars and Stripe". I was a correspondent and photographer.
Then it was on to New Mexico where I found "Peter, Paul and Mary", early" Bob Dylan" and some scratchy "Jimmy Rodgers"('The Singing Brakeman').
I bought my first guitar while I was producing radio programs for "White Sands Missile Range" and learned a few chords. I recorded a few live concerts, using purloined equipment in Coffee houses through the Southwest. Places like "The Don Quixote" in El Paso, Texas. And I listened to performers, gaining knowledge along the way.
When I got out, the 60's and ?'s came hurtling at me, dressed with songs from new writers and performers.
I went to broadcasting and drama school for a season in Boston and began to listen to the likes of Dylan, Tom Rush, Dave Van Ronk, Donovan, Mark Spoelstra, Patrick Skye, Jim Kweskin and Phil Ochs. I traded my $30 red and black Stella for a Gibson and began haunting places like the "Unicorn" plus "Club 47" in Cambridge and numerous clubs in New Hampshire.
Then a group called "The Beatles" changed my view on everything.
I became lead singer and rhythm guitarist in a band called, "The Notables". I bought a more expensive Gibson and an electric 12 string. We did 'Stone's' covers and 'Lovin' Spoonful'. I plunged into James Brown. A 22 year old white kid doing James Brown. I was nothing if not audacious.
I went into commercial radio in a small market station back in NH.
I wrote news, sports, rip and read weather off the teletype and interviewed everyone from William Shatner to Eugene McCarthy.and George Gobel. I got another twelve string. I got married.
I acquired 4 children, and lost everything in the war. And I stopped playing for awhile.
Then I met my passion. The love of my life. We married. We produced 5 children together. I was writing in earnest, after I began a spriritual journey.
I started telling stories. Childrens tales, Anansi, Coyote and all the worlds mythical characters were part of a woven tapestry I still am adding to today.
A friend gave me a Martin D35. Another gave me a Yamaha acoustic/electric 12 string.
A few months back I sort of 'retired'. That's another way of saying I was let go. It was then I received my 'Dana Fligg' long neck banjo and am now writing for a local literary mag.
I sold the Martin. I bought a Washburn acoustic/electric. My wife gave me a fire-engine red solid body Epiphone electric.
I have five beautiful grandchildren.
There is much more to say and much more to sing about, but I am glad to have found this place.
