Air Guitar Championships

I happened to see the Fox News coverage the other day at the gym (where I get my daily news btw – from the gym tvs). The US Air Guitar Championships. Pretty awesome. I’d caught coverage of it in years past and I think there is a documentary about it somewhere. Anyhow, I always prided myself on my air guitar abilities. From an early age I could play Iron Maiden guitar solos much better on air then on a guitar (yeah I’m more of a rhythm player you know). I can also play pretty good Iron Maiden air bass guitar too. Now looking at the competitors in this thing – I’m nowhere NEAR that good. But one things for sure and that is that it certainly IS very satisfying to play air guitar. Whether you’re real guitar player or now. In fact, in the very Gold’s Gym where I saw this newsclip I can often be caught sneaking some air guitar solos in when on the stationary bike or treadmill (and air drum rolls too) Then of course there’s those of us who play mean air stereos… but that’s a story for a different day. – DJD

This “viral” email story came across my inbox this AM.

It’s about a guy who played violin in a DC Metro Station on a cold morning in 2007.

Here’s the deal:

A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist.

Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the top musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written,with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100.

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Now I can relate to this story b/c it sounds similar to playing a bar or club where you rock your heart out and no one notices (re: the “pool table” storyline in our webcomic). But in a bar people EXPECT to hear live music. I get the same thing these days sometimes when I play solo at the coffeehouse.

What’s the moral of the story?

Is it that people just don’t stop and look and listen?

No matter where they are?

If so who can blame them?

They have their own lives and agendas and things on their mind wherever you may be playing for them.

To me it’s more a lesson of realizing this “generic audience fact” as a music artist.

Of knowing that you can’t realistically expect everyone who gazes upon your mighty performance to be into it.

That usually it’s a small percentage you connect with.

No matter how hard you try.

But I’ll take that small percentage over no percentage at all.

For its the folks who you do connect with that make it all worth it.

- DJD

Just saw that Les Paul passed away today at the age of 94. Rock n Roll will forever been indebted to him for his gifts to the world. Multi-track recording, tape-delay, and of course the classic guitar that bears his name the Les Paul.

When I first started out following rock n roll bands I didn’t know who Les Paul was, I only knew that many of the lead players in my favorite bands played “Les Pauls”. Like Jimmy Page and Ace Frehley and later bands like Social D and early Green Day. I also knew they sounded awesome. Especially when plugged into a Marshall.

I played many years without owning a real Les Paul but then finally got a “Studio” version in the late 90s. Then I graduated to a ‘68 reissue in the early 2000s. Which as fate would have it – fell off it’s stand and broke the headstock off. Talk about heartbreak! I got it fixed and then it happened again! So now my Les Paul sits broken in a case in my guitar closet.

Alas, I picked up a Gibson SG last year to cover my need for humbucker pickups while recording songs for the Atomsplit series. It’s a lot easier to sit and play with an SG than a Les Paul.

But oh I do miss posing on stage with my sunburst Les Paul.

So Rest In Peace, Les. And thanks for all your contributions to music.

- DJD

Check it out at atomsplit.com

Pull the Wool (instrumental progress version)

Like a Season

It happens not all at once

But gradually

One day on one day off

One day mildly in the forth coming direction

One day mildly in the out going direction

Then a few days mildly one direction

And one day in the outgoing

Until the ratio swaps

And most days are in the new direction

And the old is almost gone

And then after awhile

The new way is engrained

Hopefully

Permanently

But this am a black cat crossed my path

On my am “huskie patrol” walk

Now it wasn’t that close to my path

But about 50 feet up the street

So I wondered to myself

What is the spacial jurisdiction

Of the black cat’s path?

How many feet ahead of you does it have to be

To fall in the “black car crossing not applicable” category?

I figured I was in the clear

Surely it has to be a close proximity crossing?

Maybe a maximum of 20 feet?

Of course timing is involved too

Did it cross in sync with you?

Was it already halfway across when you saw it?

These things I question.

I was still into Largo light metal

My cousin got into the Nu Wave thing

(which I would later do)

He went to Seminole High School

Started a band called “As Is”

Or maybe it was “Az Iz”

It was cool b/c it was taken

From my Grandpa’s car selling biz

Where all cars were “As Is”

He always had signs on the windshields

“As Is”

No guarantees

What you see is what you get

As Is the band was pretty awesome

They had an original called

Can’t Get Enough of Your Love

And played InXs covers

Won the High School Battle of the Bands

Played house parties

Had a band van with a big logo on the side

As Was

My cousin is still in an awesome band

Basic Rock Outfit

In FLA

To describe what I do

To stranger folks along the way

And so…

DJD is a Georgia based artist who delights

in writing songs of Awakening

often with Simple Observation

of the Complex Anguish of

one’s personal experiences.

Make Sense?