Music Before the Money

Someone once told me that 97% of the things we worry about never happens. In other words we carry the whole weight of the world on our shoulders for 3% odds. That’s nuts! Our minds spin a whole series of scenarios that will never happen: like producing a fantasy movie but you think it’s real.

The answer for this behavior is that the mind is either stuck watching old movies of our past or wound fast-forward to a spot that hasn’t happened yet. Because the screen is void in the future the old movies are gleaned for material, most of which is negatively based. That is the basis for our worry. Sucks, doesn’t it. I don’t mind watching the odd old movie or two - but not 24-7.

In the movie, “The Lion King,” the old baboon says to the grieving cub, “The past is the past!” Then he smacks Simba with his walking stick to drive the point home. Notice that the cub ducks the next time the baboon swings his stick.

Ken Roberts’ book “The Rich Man’s Secret: An Amazing Formula for Success,” is a wonderful accounting of how living in present time was the key to the success of his character. The fact that the work is fiction does not deter from the meaning: “Take one step, no more and no less, and follow the signs.”

It seems that every time I get some semblance of success I get the urge to go out and start something new; to leap-frog over, what I think may be, mundane steps in order to get there quicker. I want it now! This almost never works for me. However, when I follow my plan and take my steps amazing things happen: new contacts, new experiences and innovative ideas I might have missed had I not followed my path.

Plan for tomorrow, but live in the here and now.

Not only did the band guys look good in their boots and jackets, they almost always came to gigs in great cars, either owned by themselves, their friends and/or girlfriends. A dull ride never seemed to be in the cards for these boys. However, usually it was friends who had the shiny cars. These were the guys who knew a good thing when they saw it: a rolling party in new territory.

The favorite cars were: Chevy II; Chevy Malibu; Chevelle; ‘63 Impala; ‘55, ‘56 and ‘57 Chev; Ford Galaxy XL; ‘57 Dodge (like Stephen King’s “Christine”) and the ‘59 Impala. The pony cars were a year away from popularity at this time although the Mustang had been introduced.

For the friends of band guys, dances were an oasis for meeting new girls in different territories. So the band, for the most part, was spirited there by their friends who acted as roadies too. However, there was a price to be paid for playing in new lands.

To the lords of the “new territories” (which was the next town over) band guys were okay as long as they brought their own girlfriends and never messed with the local stock. Bringing friends took on a whole other meaning. So when the parking lot began to fill up with bright, shiny cars from a different town the locals became guarded. This was not to say they did not appreciate talking to the “out-of-towners” about their rides. I mean, guys love to talk cars with other guys and see what new high-performance attachments are around. So, for the most part, the dance would be a way to exchange ideas just like they did at car shows.

When the sun went down and band began shaking the old wooden building more than one dance was taking place. It usually began with one of the local girls - a girlfriend or even an imagined girlfriend of a local guy - dancing with an out-of-towner and the hostilities would begin. This show would spill out into the parking lot where three to four fights might be going on.

My older brother confided in me that this was a good time to steal beer from the local guys’ cars (most the time they were never locked) as everyones’ attention was on the fights.

Despite all the turmoil the band was deemed “neutral” and escaped any retribution. They were usually invited back and circumstances would repeat.