Howdy,
Mid-August is finding us in a spell of genuine, bona fide upstate New York weather. That's a fancy way of saying that it's been delightfully dry and warm during the day and refreshingly cool at night. Aside from the weeds, which have gotten totally out of hand, the gardens are heading into late summer in fine form. We've had a bumper crop of Oriental lilies, so the walk around the garden is both a visual and olfactory delight!
There's been music afoot, which brings us to this month's feature, "Rock n' Roll." Play it loud, and enjoy it!
Much going on the "Happenings" department, and additional stuff on the Cirrus site, so do stop by...
Thanks for reading, and have a great month!
Yours,
Ken
PS: As always, I'm grateful to you for spreading the DadsNews to friends and fathers the world over... Thanks!
Rock 'n Roll
I've often joked that one of the things that permitted me to leave New Jersey, was that I had finally run into Bruce Springsteen, face-to-face.
I was walking into a luncheonette in Little Silver, a small town in Monmouth County, to have lunch with my buddy, Bob. I was a few minutes early, and as I approached the front door, out walked Bruce.
We had a conversation. It went something like this:
"Hi. How you doing?" I asked.
"Fine, and you?" Answered Bruce.
"Great!" I said, and walked toward the door.
It wasn't until I had stepped inside that I realized who I had spoken with. "That was Bruce Springsteen..." I said to myself, because I was certain that everyone inside knew it already.
Being the wise guy that I am, I later asked Danielle, "So, do you think Bruce went straight home and told his wife that he met me?"
She didn't answer...
This has been a summer of music. We took Cai to see his first rock 'n roll show the third week of July. John Hiatt was playing a free concert on the river in Albany on a Thursday afternoon. It seemed like too good an opportunity to pass up...
Earlier this week Danielle and I saw the Goo Goo Dolls and Counting Crows at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, and in late June we saw Bruce Springsteen.
So you may be wondering, why all this talk about rock 'n roll? Sure, we've all heard it a million times, if we've heard it once: one thing this generation has in common with its children is that they all listen to the same music. While I agree with that, that's not what I wanna talk about...
There's something that I witnessed about the two older performers that I think is noteworthy. They were both having a great time!
It's not that the others weren't enjoying themselves - I mean, we're talking about rock 'n roll. That's not the point... What really impressed me - aside for the music of course - about Bruce Springsteen and John Hiatt, who are both in their 50's, is that they seem to have no qualms about fitting into their own skin. There's a comfort level these men have on stage that says, "I'm at work, I am who I am, and I'm having the time of my life."
In a strange paradox that in and of itself seems only worthy of rock 'n roll, I believe, what struck me about the performances of Bruce Springsteen and John Hiatt is the fact that I was watching adults. Angst and rebelliousness had been replaced by a curious combination of maturity, eccentricity and grace.
Springsteen's current tour features The Seager Sessions Band, and the performance plays out like a musical Museum of gospel and social protest songs. On one hand it's a risky departure from what he's done in the past. On the other hand, taking a 14 piece band on the road to cover almost forgotten or unknown songs that were written a century ago speaks loudly and clearly of a mature decision-making process.
John Hiatt, whom I have only seen this once, played all his own music. He filled in the space in between tunes with stories of his life which, fittingly enough, had some pretty rough moments. What became increasingly clear as the late afternoon and evening wore on, was how much his life at home had influenced his music. A particularly endearing moment came when John Hiatt announced that both of his daughters were graduating this year, one from high school and one from college. His younger daughter had challenged him to finally get his high school diploma, something he had let go at the age of 15, so they could graduate together.
If Country Joe's "Fish Cheer" ("Gimme an ‘F…’ Gimme a ‘U…’” just in case you don’t remember…) represented a radical, rebellious public act for the crowd at Woodstock, Hiatt's diploma proclamation certainly belongs in a Hall of Fame somewhere...
There are surveys out there telling us that 71% of Americans aren't finding satisfaction or fulfillment in the work they're doing, even if they are paying the bills.
It would be difficult to sit through an evening with the likes of John Hiatt or Bruce Springsteen and come away thinking that they're doing anything less than enjoying themselves. Whether someone else enjoys their music or not is of no concern to me. What I find compelling is the direction in which these two men have chosen to travel. They're doing what they need to do to keep things fresh and alive for themselves. The audience, it seems, appreciates what they are doing…
My Dad retired from corporate life at 55, mostly because it just wasn’t fun anymore. A series of mergers had created a climate that was more about politics than productivity, and the work became tedious. He started his own consultancy and, as far as I could tell, had a good time with it…
At 40 I left a business – and a location - that were no longer floating my boat of satisfaction. I just wasn’t having fun anymore, and the work became tedious. I started my current business and, as far as I can tell, I’m having a good time with it…
Every day I speak with fathers - and a number of female clients, too - who want something different - because things have become tedious and it’s just not fun anymore. They want a different level of satisfaction…
While we may not all be cut from the exact same cloth as Bruce Springsteen, it’s safe to assume that, running through the warp and weft of our humanity, there are quite a few common threads. There are those who would argue that adult life is meant to be a noble struggle, and that the time we’ve been given on this Earth isn’t about having fun or feeling good. While I’m not particularly interested in spending time with those folks – in fact, I actively avoid them - I wish them well on their journey…
There’s something to be said for a performer in his 50’s – or older - who’s willing to climb up on stage, turn up the amps, be completely authentic, and let it rip. I think there are lessons to be learned there…
As the wise man said, “…It’s only rock ‘n roll… But I like it.”