Well, I'll be damned - here comes your ghost again

When I think back on the all the crap I learned in high school,
It's a wonder I can think at all.
               ~ Paul Simon, "Kodachrome"

I was listening to Teddy Presberg's CD this morning. Teddy Presberg's father, Big Dog, was my mentor, major irritant, and impossible bar-setter at work until his death a couple of years ago, and Teddy's career feels like it belongs to the FHamily here: we rejoiced with Ed at every new development in Teddy's education and recording contract. That's why I happen to have the CD, after a big spread in St. Louis Magazine; but I really like the music.

Ed Presberg liked Paul Simon and James Taylor, and I have images of Ed imprinted on several of their songs that used to "belong" to me. When the British telecom company Vodafone cropped up in the news, I would start singing "Vodafooooooone" to the tune of Simon's "Kodachrome" - prompting Ed to remark on "the best first line in rock and roll." (A line which, I note with chagrin, is EDITED for radio in the current FCC environment. I can't remember what euphemism is used for "crap" - I can't get past the need to substitute ANYTHING.)

So it was coincidental that "Kodachrome" was the song iTunes selected from Party Shuffle when Teddy's CD finished. It was the time of morning when the sun is directly in my eyes, but I won't shut the blinds because I LIKE squinting in the sun; so I took a nostalgic minute to smile in the sunshine and feel unity and remembrance.

Nor did it hurt that a spider has been building her web in my window, and that same sunlight was making rainbows on the gossamer strands. Unfortunately, I have no camera here with which to capture it on Kodachrome.

It gives us those nice, bright colors,
It gives us the greens of summers,
Makes you think all the world's a sunny day, oh yeah ...

P.S. I am mentally composing my review of the Dead Symphony. Still to come. If Dominik can Wait more than a month to write up Tom Waits, I guess I can be a little lax about Dead-lines.

Comments

[Dominik]

Nice! Appreciate the Ed reminiscence and connection. And the writerly kick in the bum.

[KayO]

No hurry. I am really enjoying the Radiohead experience. It's just there was an awful drought there ...