Gibson ES-335
Having written last week about how people should stop doing whatever it is they have done successfully in the past before it becomes unseemly, I find that I’ve been required to give the matter a lot more thought.
I received a phone call from an old musician friend who suggested that he and I, and two other fairly aged musicians, should get together to see if anything sparks, with a view to ‘getting the band back together’. Now, having not played a paying gig in about 15 years, my first reaction was “not likely”, and the second was “you’ve only just written a column about how people shouldn’t do this”.
However, as Kevin (McNeil of 60s band The Mods amongst others) and I continued to talk the idea began to take on an unexpected appeal. Last year, as a 60th birthday present my family gave me a brand new Gibson ES335 and I play it most days – just for fun.
They kept the secret from me for six months while they brought the guitar in from Australia – and paid for it. Those of you who know will appreciate that this gift was not the equivalent of a bunch of flowers from the gas station. Have you heard of BB King the American blues player? Can you picture his guitar? It’s one of those.
Of the other two people Kevin has in mind, one is possibly the best drummer I have ever heard let alone played with, which I have – a lot, and the other is a well-known keyboard player/ vocalist from over the hill, the Kaimai Range, in this case, whom I have often seen and heard but never performed with.
So, you see the dilemma? Having told the world, well you anyway, that I think older people should stay at home and not embarrass the rest of the population with their attempts to recapture their youth, I now find myself in the position of contemplating just that.
We have been to two weddings this last week and met a wide range of characters and personalities: Some as dull as ditch water and others so full of life, wit, charm, and personality that one finds oneself wanting to be like them. These people are living life as it should be lived. The diversity of temperament and disposition to be found in humans is wide indeed. According to Pink, the American singer, the rule is “Do whatever you like, but don’t be rude, and don’t be a dick”. Makes sense to me.
My view on this subject has changed, even since last week: If a person wants to strap on a guitar and squawk about the vicissitudes of life, fair enough. Whether he or she should be permitted to do this in public, or even be paid for it, is a matter for the owner of the venue to decide. Whether anybody wants to step out of their way to sit and listen to it is, in turn, their own decision.
