There's always someone in your midst that was sent with the express directed mission of nurturing your passion. It may be a family member, or perhaps someone unknown. You'll sometimes only see this "person" for a few seconds to a minute and have a feeling that they are other-worldly. They may be with you for a lifetime, or perhaps at just the right epoch. For me anyway, this has been a real and very obvious feature of my life throughout. I've had many encounters, but I'll share only a few of the the music related ones here for now with a view toward making a point. It was my first cousin Julia (who is 20 years my senior) who gave me my childhood Magnus Chord Organ, my first box guitar, my first real stereo, my first good headphones... and other supporting musical artifacts at an early age that put me on this lovely addiction. Around 1970 my cousin Richy gifted me my first electric guitar, his Sears Silvertone Electric Guitar with the built-in amplifier. When I was 11 or so... I saved enough illegally waiting tables as minor to by a Les Paul knock-off and a Peavy transistor amp that sounded like fido's ass. My parents reluctantly bought me an Acetone organ with presets that all sounded the same. The incorporated rhythm ace drum machine was a trip. The 808 of 1971. Later on my Mom bought me a Hammond B3. Many other angels were sent my way during my lifetime, and in 1973 I met my wife again. We've been together since 1978. She is the center of my universe. At PW I met a partner by the name of Pancho who took me under his wing and helped me survive the prevailing corporate warfare. He guided me to my eventual long term employer who treated me like a son, and we were together until he went home. It was V that gave me inspiration and encouragement to pursue my musical passion. V was an EE and audio engineer and we had we had the world in common. We occasionally worked together to prepare sound tracks for broadway type presentations. He was master at editing reel to reel with a razor. The point I want to get to here is that I believe that we must all play the role of the aspiring angel. When you see a young talent that can use a kick-start, gift that soul a guitar, a keyboard, whatever you think might be useful to them. The results can be down-right thrilling.
