Headlamps to Africa
I could be at The Ark tonight sitting in the audience listening to The RFD Boys. I’ve heard of them but I don’t really know their music. I guess it’s some kind of folk or bluegrass or something. Not my favorite but not the worst either. I like a rather eclectic range of music these days. Celtic, for sure. Folk on Sunday evenings. Various sorts of jazz at various times and places. Zimbabweyan mbira, especially when my cousin plays it. Native American stuff. Taiko drumming. A little klezmer sometimes. And yes, even a bit of country and bluegrass stuff. Classical. I have an interesting relationship with classical music. My favorite classical music is not the golden oldies, big orchestral or operatic works from the classic and romantic periods. Oh, I like a little of that too. But I much prefer more esoteric stuff, if you will. Solo and small ensemble works, interesting newer compositions. And I like flute music that I’ve played umpteen million times because I can finger the notes in my mind along with the recording. Heck, if when I make mistakes, nobody can hear them! The problem is that I do not like to sit through concerts. Never have. Even on the best of nights, I get twitchy when I have to sit there wedged in between all kinds of other people. When I can’t get up and walk around or work on my computer or my unfinished prodject. I just cannot sit and give my undivided attention to the stage. No matter how good the music is or how talented the performers. I get twitchy. And then I get sleepy and I have to prop my eyes up for about the second half of the show. I’m like that with plays too. I was a backstage mom in a very real sense of the phrase. As one of my favorite producers used to say, “Backstage is a play!” And it was true. There was always just as much drama going on backstage as onstage. Or more. Comedy and sometimes a bit of tragedy too. Anyway, we walked downtown for dinner at Conor O’Neil’s tonight and then the GG went to volunteer at The Ark and I walked home as the sun went down. It’s pretty hot here. The small plate I had at the restaurant has left me feeling a little leaden, even after a three mile walk home. I’m sitting here with ice cold wet washcloths around my neck wishing I could just go jump in Gitchee Gumee to cool off. Hmmm, seems like I was in this particular boat once at the beginning of the summer too.