Pat-
Thanks for the reply. I really understand where you are coming from. I
have NEVER considered myself a songwriter (although I do write), I feel like
the stuff I have written is not so hot. Most of the time I write from a very
personal level and am not willing to put them out there for the world to
chew on. I do however love to sing and play and there are so many wonderful
songs out there, well you know. I had my taste of fortune and fame as well
in Honduras from 1975 and 1983. It is probably more "big fish in small pond"
syndrome, but it was so much fun. Your name and face in the paper all the
time and people recognizing you in the street and saying hi or whatever.
Being invited to play at all the important fests and stuff. I even sang the
US National Anthem for the President of Honduras one time. It was all fun. I
played in from of crowds of 10,000 people or in bars with just a few drunks
that weren't listening anyways and I loved it all. My mom came to so many of
my shows especially the large ones and one day during a gig at an american
bar down there called the Last Chance Saloon she told me, that she thought I
gave as much in all my performances no matter who many people were there. I
use to play a little game while I was playing the club scenes. I had a knack
for being able to sing and play but still listen to peoples conversations in
the area of the stage. When I would take a break I would walk by and say hi
or something and then make a comment about something they had been talking
about, and then walk off. Out of the corner of my eye I got quite a few
shocked looks, but I also got more attention or a quieter venue to play in.
LOL. Oh thanks for taking me down memory lane. I have alway considered
myself a pretty good singer, but my guitar playing is pretty so so. It was
always more of a struggle for me than singing, but I always tried hard. I
feel like what she said about Joni I had sort of the opposite thing happen
to me with really good and talented people. I feel like they made me play
better cause I felt like I had to. My long time friend (36 years) Dan and I
had a jam yesterday from 3pm till 8:30 pm non stop. We played everythingfrom
original instrumental fusion type stuff, to Joni, to Dave, to all the
harmony groups of the 60's and 70's. I don't play out much that more but
when I do I really have fun. Now it's mostly playing for and with the kids
at home and hoping my musical taste will rub off on them like my parents did
me.
I was just in Honduras for a few days and had the chance to stop into a
club and sit in with some old friends and play some of the oldies. I just
love that.
Thanks again
Paz
NP-If I Had It All-DMB
on 3/11/01 7:53 AM, P. Henry Boland at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> hi mike,
> I'm sorry if I somehow gave the impression
> that I wrote that... no, it was probably
> written somewhere between selma and
> mongomery... maybe by the same person who wrote 'hey nelly, nelly' (same type
> of song... driving and in your face) I don't
> know who the author is but Gil Scott Heron
> put it on his 1980 album, 'Real Eyes':
> http://www.gilscottheron.com/REAL.htm (that
> is floating around on napster if you want to
> hear how he did it... I haven't heard it) and
> there is a link there to the lyrics the way
> he does it. (different from mine some)
> if you look at the joni ad in the gallery
> at:
> http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1502641&a=11682876&p=41512516&Sequence=0
> &res=high
> you can see that the next week's performer
> that december in '66 was a guy named Ron
> Coden... well, Ron was the house performer and king at the best coffeehouse
> around, the Raven and the first 'pro' folk oriented
> artist I ever met, about 2yrs before I knew
> Joni when I was just 15 and playing in my
> first coffeehouse to a bunch of college kids.
> it was Ron who taught me that song along with
> 'early mornin' rain', 'hey nelly, nelly' and
> my signature songs, 'you know my name' and 'if I had wings' as well as lots of
> others. that was me, bro... pickin' up licks from the pros... I was really a
> mockingbird who couldn't write a song to save my life... and that was my
> downfall...
> *ranting off topic now*..:
> it may sound strange but if you've ever
> stopped to wonder just why I gave up music
> when I had everything going for me, a really
> decent voice, a sufficient guitar style that
> people liked, a *recording contract with
> reprise* in the bag if I just wanted to sign
> the papers and go make a record, that just
> dropped in my lap way out in the sticks when
> I'd never so much as sent out a demo tape!
> (hell, I coulda blown away a LOT of the major
> acts that made big money & fame around that
> time!) well, you're the only one I've ever
> really explained this to but the answer to
> just what was it that cause me to give up my
> music is that *it was Joni herself*! ...like
> I said, it may sound strange... but it's
> true.
> see, I really really worked on my licks and
> my sound and my stage presence and my look
> and everything for 2 solid yrs before she
> came to town... and I was, IMO, really
> getting good... but what I was good at was
> presenting what others had created or
> arranged... and ya see, (this is hard to
> explain) Joni and I became really tight...
> and, tho I love her like crazy, it's just not
> a good idea for someone so UNcreative to get
> so close to the heat of someone like her. I
> mean, it's not a pride thing... that could
> never be an issue with her; it was just like
> 'what's the point?'... like I got better and
> better and didn't really know how far I could
> go... and then Joni came along and showed me
> undeniably just how far I *couldn't* go!
> oh geez, I hope this makes *some* sense! the
> ironic thing is that Joni really seemed to do
> all she could to encourage me, and, as you
> may have read before, I strongly suspect that
> it was a word from her that prompted that
> record contract offer... (it had to be
> something to drag this company agent so far
> off the beaten path when he coulda been in
> phily, toronto, detroit, chicago, etc, where
> there was SO much more happening... anyway,
> it was just like 'standing next to her fire'
> took all the wind out of my sails... my fault
> not hers... my head/heart was screwed up ever
> since my dad passed away when I was 12...
> anybody else would have had to flourish in
> such a lush environment... and I think a lot
> did... (Rush, Anderson, Crosby, Stills, Nash,
> Young... in fact, I might be nuts but I think
> CSNY never woulda happened were it not for
> Joni... just my opinion...) she's a muse,
> man, she's a muse! ;o)
> anyway, (wot a rant! LoL!) I really don't
> have much of a voice left anymore... I AM
> getting a mic for my puter and, if I can
> figure out how, maybe I'll do something...
> but I don't think I could ever do the Klan
> again... that one takes a *lot* of voice!
> we'll see, ok? :o)
> btw, thanks for a really encouraging ltr,
> mike... that was nice of ya... :) I mean yer
> alright! I don't CARE what kakki says about
> ya! when she starts, I just don't lissen! ;o))))
>
> cheers,
> pat
>
> NP; Refuge VHS - Woodstock (nice!)
