Break time. I need to pull my head away from my lab work for a few minutes – mental sherbet if you will – and I was just listening to some Jim Croce which reminded me of an experience from my long ago childhood. I had gone with my dad to help an old man in our neighborhood move to Southern Illinois. Actually I didn’t help very much, I was to young to be of much help and the guy was a pack rat like my dad, in fact I still have his meat slicer in my basement. I digress.
On the trip down state, I was in the car with the teenagers who had a tape deck,. and they popped in a tape of Jim Croce music. On the tape, were songs I hadn’t heard before or since. The tape, one of them said, was from a studio secession, an album he was working on when he died. I can’t say weather or not this was true? But it is plausible. Song writers always have something unfinished in progress.
Fast forward several decades, and I think about a tape my brother-in-law gave me of a radio interview of Garnet Rogers where he did a really beautiful song his brother had written but never recorded because it was too emotional. (Hmmm…. Where is that tape … I should digitize it.).
And or course, I think about the live concerts I’ve been to where some unique magical mix of music happened. All through my life there have been these unique moments, and they are not just limited to music – that’s simply what I’m thinking about right now. Life is full of rare experiences. Not all good to be sure, but so many of them are.
So, I guess I’m in the enjoy the rare treasures as they flicker past frame of mind. And with that, I should get back to work.
Peace
Charles
Friday, April 20, 2012
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
12 String
It’s time again for a post and I have several topics on my mind. So, I’m not really sure where this one will go. But I will start with this: When I was a child my father had a 12-string guitar. Over time, the neck pulled away from the block because of design flaw, although we blamed it on storage at the time. Over the years, the guitar was brought to a few shops to fix. Each saying it would take more to fix than it was worth and there was no guarantee of the sound, and each doing more damage in their examination.
Eventually it was a collection of parts. And, for the last 25 years it has lain in a closet in that condition. Yesterday, I was in a blue mood. So, I knocked off work early. I gathered the pieces and a donor guitar - another dead12 string - and I began to reassemble it. I carved a new bridge, rebored the neck, added new pegs added an acoustic pick-up and equalizer, etc. I have some work still to do. But after 25 years – it is finally a guitar again.
This has me thinking about the people I have known and how differently they react to this sort of thing. For example, I had some guests over awhile back and one of them saw this beautiful antique brass swing arm lamp. She fawned over it. Asked me where I got it, even speculated on the cost. But, when I said, I found it in the alley and restored it, without missing a beat she said wrinkled her nose and said something like “well, maybe your business will pick up and you’ll be able to afford nicer things.”
On the flip side, I’ve also been accused of being overly wasteful because I bought a new flat screen when I had working TVs. (And even once for throwing out a molded peach rather than cutting out the bad part!)
Some people think I just like to tinker and fix things. But the sink in my kitchen - which I will repair or replace as soon as I get the parts - would suggest otherwise. And most recently, I was told how cool I was for being ecological and rehabilitating of old broken things.
But, the truth is I have nothing against buying new and have no grand motive for fixing old. It’s just something I do. Nice is nice even if it takes a little work. And as for the guitar, it’s sentimental. The sound may never be great, certainly not up to the sound of my Guild. But it was my father’s and working on it reminded me of him.
Peace
Charles
Eventually it was a collection of parts. And, for the last 25 years it has lain in a closet in that condition. Yesterday, I was in a blue mood. So, I knocked off work early. I gathered the pieces and a donor guitar - another dead12 string - and I began to reassemble it. I carved a new bridge, rebored the neck, added new pegs added an acoustic pick-up and equalizer, etc. I have some work still to do. But after 25 years – it is finally a guitar again.
This has me thinking about the people I have known and how differently they react to this sort of thing. For example, I had some guests over awhile back and one of them saw this beautiful antique brass swing arm lamp. She fawned over it. Asked me where I got it, even speculated on the cost. But, when I said, I found it in the alley and restored it, without missing a beat she said wrinkled her nose and said something like “well, maybe your business will pick up and you’ll be able to afford nicer things.”
On the flip side, I’ve also been accused of being overly wasteful because I bought a new flat screen when I had working TVs. (And even once for throwing out a molded peach rather than cutting out the bad part!)
Some people think I just like to tinker and fix things. But the sink in my kitchen - which I will repair or replace as soon as I get the parts - would suggest otherwise. And most recently, I was told how cool I was for being ecological and rehabilitating of old broken things.
But, the truth is I have nothing against buying new and have no grand motive for fixing old. It’s just something I do. Nice is nice even if it takes a little work. And as for the guitar, it’s sentimental. The sound may never be great, certainly not up to the sound of my Guild. But it was my father’s and working on it reminded me of him.
Peace
Charles
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