Rejoice with me: I WON something

[johniam]

I won first prize in a talent contest few months back. There's this Methodist church few blocks from my house which had a sign on its marquis that said 'Talent show' with a phone number. After seeing the sign every day for a month I called the number. Said I wanted to play 2 Beatle songs. Lady said oh, good, we don't have anybody like that. Cost me $5 to enter. I played 'I will' and 'Here, there, and everywhere'. Ran the 2 songs into each other; still took less than 5 minutes.

The prizes were for children and adults. The first prize for children was won by an 11 year old who danced to Michael Jackson's song 'Billie Jean'. Didn't wear a glove, but wore a hat and did the moonwalk. He definitely sparked the crowd. Children's 2nd was a 16 year old girl who danced to Irish jig music. If there wasn't a separate prize for adults I would have come in third, I think.

I'm not a pro musician; never have been. Socks and Suneisis could play circles around me in their sleep while multitasking. So could a lot of you I'm sure, but Richard Thomas wants me to have 2 or 3 songs ready every time we do a big fellowship. I play songs by Dean Ellenwood, Dave Lutz, and others. I'm happy to do that, but it's nice to play the old non ministry stuff, too. It's not as evil as we once thought.

What blessed me the most was that my whole family came to watch me. I wasn't really sure ANY of them would be interested. My daughter even switched with somebody at work so she could be there. One time I was watching a Grateful Dead DVD and she walked in during 'Uncle John's Band'. On the part where they say "how does the song go", she stands up and says, "How does the song go? They've been singing it for 5 minutes. They must still be on drugs" then storms out. Yeah, she can be a tough sell on music I like sometimes, but she showed support that night.

My first prize was $25, 2 restaurant coupons, and a 8x11 sheet of white paper with a blue ribbon on it saying first prize. 'I will' was on the white album sung by Paul if anybody doesn't recognize the title. If you never heard of 'here there and everywhere' then jeez you must've been in a cult or something. Oh, sorry.

[mstar1]

Congratulations----enjoy the hordes of adoring fans, and dont take the first contract offer!

I gotta tell ya--after all this time of saying how off they are, it's ironic that you just got 'so blessed' at a church that you had to tell us all-- :)

[bowtwi]

Congrats, my fellow Missourian. I love both those songs and in fact, just posted "I Will" on my facebook profile a few weeks ago. I'm a steady Beatles fan.

I'm impressed you went for that talent show. We have a couple here every year and I love my part - in the audience. If you're playing in front of people

regularly and they ask you to continue, you must be reasonably good. I'm impressed.

I have a teenage daughter and she doesn't like my 60's and 70's music either. It reminds me of my now-30 year old son when some 90's band (Tetris maybe?)

covered Signs by Five Man Electric Band and I started singing along - he said that ruined that song for him and he was really liking it til then - lol. To each

generation their own, I guess. Now he's all grown up and has confessed to liking "my" music more than he ever let on in the past...

You enjoy your 15 minutes - you earned it and it had to get some adrenaline going for ya - thanks for sharing it with us here.

[WordWolf]

Congratulations.

Especially congratulations on being able to share it with your family.

[waysider]

Kudos

[Sunesis]

That's awesome!!!! Good for you John!

Enjoy your prize

[Ham]

even a possessed Squirrel will rejoice with you..

:)

[johniam]

Thanks, all. That's too bad about him not liking 'Signs' anymore. That song was an anthem in some of my circle of friends. Came out in '71, which may have been the peak of anti hippy sentiment. That line about long haired freaky people need not apply. Our generation sure scared some of the adults, eh?

[Twinky]

Well done, John. Glad you got to share your talent.

Funny about all those "old" songs. My best friend, now 50, sometimes hears some "new" song on the car radio or TV or some such, and can sing along with it. Her mid-teenage daughter looks at her and says, "Mum, you know the words!"

"Yes, daughter," says friend. "I knew this song first time round."

This has happened quite a lot of times.

Some good stuff around in the 60s and 70s. I can't see much of today's music, rap, whatever, having the same 30 year shelf life. But then, my parents weren't convinced about "pop" music and Beatles and Rolling Stones and the rest, either.

Edited January 23, 2011 by Twinky

[socks]

Congrats dude. :) Way to go.

"On the part where they say "how does the song go", she stands up and says, "How does the song go? They've been singing it for 5 minutes. They must still be on drugs""

::biglaugh:

I saw "Phil Lesh and Friends' a few years back on a double bill with John Mayer and I think they're still trying to remember not only how the songs go but what key they're in, how to start them, end them and what to do inbetween. :P Other than that, they're locked in.

[johniam]

Thanks, Socks. I saw the Dead in 2004. It was OK, but Jerry's presence is hard to replace. They don't do space anymore, apparently. Hey, on their website I see references to a venue in SF called the Fillmore. Is that possibly referring to the Market and Van Ness location again? I remember that during closing week of Fillmore West at that address Bill Graham kept saying that a Howard Johnson's motel would be built there, but the next year (1972) there were shows there and they called it the 'Ressurection'. You live kinda in the bay area now don't you? Just curious.

[socks]

That's the one. The Fillmore opened on Fillmore and Geary and moved to the Carousel Ballroom later, around 1968. That's the S Van Ness and Market spot. It's at the Geary and Fillmore spot now. Grew up in the Bay Area and moved away in late '72. Been to a few concerts there of late since we moved back north in '89, about an hour north of S.F. Went to many many at both of them, years ago.

My neighbor worked for Graham Productions for years and worked on the reopening there, opened the American Music hall, few other places for them. Nice family. Fillmore's a nice place, although today everyone stands up for the concerts, and seating's around the side or upstairs. "Used to be" everyone sat on the floor. Not so much anymore. It's still got the same tight stairway up and down to get in and out. Smaller than it seemed way back when. Nice place overall but kinda tight. The original spot was similar but seemed roomier.

I've only seen the GD 3 times. I jammed around years ago couple times with Hart, around the second year the Dead were together. The organist in the band I was in at the time knew him Not to pop any bubbles but....he was just okay even then. I'm just not a Dead fan, past their first couple albums maybe but I know you are, have some friends who are, so hey.

Kreutzmann's the best thing to hit the Dead IMO, but I never had any contact with any of them for the most part. That same band played a couple "street" dances in the last 60's, in SF and they were on the bill along with a lot of other band. We had contacts with the Synanon organization which was (supposedly) a drug and alcohol rehablilitation kind of program and I think we brushed paths with them at one of their events. It was a great place to get lots of both but not much rehabilitation that I recall. Did a Halloween party for some of their people in Berkeley around 1968 if memory serves and it was one of the most truly strange events I've ever been a part of. Lots of things "available" one might say, and would be a weekend to remember if I could remember more of it. :)

I'm glad you did well. Good for you!