Artists who Inspire

I was supposed to be working on my upcoming big important project. I’d gotten my chores done, there were no appointments on my calendar, the coffee was made — nothing was in the way of knuckling down and having a really productive day. Maybe even a breakthrough to the next stage sort of day.

Then — I remembered my friend Tracy Deaton’s Kindle book “Guaranteed Great Music!” — which I’d only just finally downloaded last night. Since it’s a memoir about his time working at Musicworks in Boise in the early 80’s, and my big important project relates to music in Boise, I thought I’d just have a cup of coffee, read a little, and then get to work.

Well, there went the day.

You see for Christmas I received a little turntable so I can listen to my records, which I have continued to haul around in 37 years of moves, and Tracy mentioned so many of them — basically the soundtrack of my life from 1977 to 1981 — Providence “Ever Sense the Dawn”, Fleetwood Mac “Tusk,” and the Beach Boys to name a very few. I had to listen to them all.

He didn’t mention Patty Smith, but she was often my refuge during that time. I don’t remember making a lot of friends at Driscoll Hall listening to “Horses” (“it was as if someone had spread butter on all the fine points of the stars cuz when he looked up they started to slip”) and “Radio Ethiopia.” I do remember not really caring.

Tracy’s book is very personal and talks about a lot of people I know (Hey, A.!), knew and haven’t thought about in years (Lee!), as well as a few I will never forget and often wonder about (if you have any idea what ever became of Thom W. and his viola Panache I’d love to know).

Thanks Tracy! I feel a little wrung out from my day slipping in and out of 36 – 37 year old memories, and I didn’t actually do anything productive, but we’ll see what percolates up through.

Sometimes looking back makes it easier to see where we’re headed, to say nothing of where we are. Boise is not the same place it was back then — now it’s a Great City Guaranteed!