Monday
Then: Anthem
Every quest needs an anthem, so whatever quest you face, I suggest you find yours.
Me? I still don’t know what made me make a special trip to Best Buy the night before the trip to Gunflint to buy a Neil Young album. Long an admirer, but never an owner of a Young album, I knew only the Harvest album by name. But this night before my trip I just knew I wanted some Neil Young. Part of my admiration stemmed from a memorable evening I’d spent with Neil’s uncle Bob many years ago when I was auto editor at Better Homes and Gardens and Bob headed PR for Chrysler Canada. Bob spent the evening spinning yarns about the whole Young clan, all musicians, and weekend gatherings to just play music. So every time I saw Neil on TV or heard a song, I smiled at how cool that must have been. By the way, after Bob Young told all the stories, he went to the piano in the hotel bar and spent another two hours playing and singing every request, even Neil Young songs, with amazing talent and skill.
So, thumbing through the Neil Young selections I instantly stopped on the title Passionate and something said: "This is the one." Something else said: "Didn't you read a review about this album months ago and told yourself then to buy it?"
The first bars of Mr. Disappointment on track two told me this was my anthem. Even though this is a song of lost love, it hits me over the head with every line about losing my good qualities over the years from laziness, the workaday world and demands as a parent. I still cringe at the memory of my wife once exhorting me after hours on a weekend with some work project saying: “Your son is up there doing nothing in the family room. He needs you to be a parent. Just go do something with him.”
I’ve now listened to Neil repeatedly for hours here at Gunflint, and all the other CDs remain unplayed.
I won’t copy the lyrics of Mr. Disappointment, but I will supply a snippet: “I’m takin the blame myself for livin life in a shell. But now I’m breakin’ out…I’d like to shake your hand, Disappointment. Looks like you win again, but this time might be the last.” ¶ 1:49 PM
Me? I still don’t know what made me make a special trip to Best Buy the night before the trip to Gunflint to buy a Neil Young album. Long an admirer, but never an owner of a Young album, I knew only the Harvest album by name. But this night before my trip I just knew I wanted some Neil Young. Part of my admiration stemmed from a memorable evening I’d spent with Neil’s uncle Bob many years ago when I was auto editor at Better Homes and Gardens and Bob headed PR for Chrysler Canada. Bob spent the evening spinning yarns about the whole Young clan, all musicians, and weekend gatherings to just play music. So every time I saw Neil on TV or heard a song, I smiled at how cool that must have been. By the way, after Bob Young told all the stories, he went to the piano in the hotel bar and spent another two hours playing and singing every request, even Neil Young songs, with amazing talent and skill.
So, thumbing through the Neil Young selections I instantly stopped on the title Passionate and something said: "This is the one." Something else said: "Didn't you read a review about this album months ago and told yourself then to buy it?"
The first bars of Mr. Disappointment on track two told me this was my anthem. Even though this is a song of lost love, it hits me over the head with every line about losing my good qualities over the years from laziness, the workaday world and demands as a parent. I still cringe at the memory of my wife once exhorting me after hours on a weekend with some work project saying: “Your son is up there doing nothing in the family room. He needs you to be a parent. Just go do something with him.”
I’ve now listened to Neil repeatedly for hours here at Gunflint, and all the other CDs remain unplayed.
I won’t copy the lyrics of Mr. Disappointment, but I will supply a snippet: “I’m takin the blame myself for livin life in a shell. But now I’m breakin’ out…I’d like to shake your hand, Disappointment. Looks like you win again, but this time might be the last.” ¶ 1:49 PM
