Good Lord, affirmations that all is not lost! A young gentleman by the name of Pokey Lafarge, has reaffirmed my inspirations for the old ragtime blues of the 20’s. Spawned by musicians in the juke joints of old trying to mimic the piano jazz rags with a guitar (the music not pokey, I imagine he was spawned by some unsuspecting woman). I first heard the thumping funk and solemn soul of ragtime blues when I happened upon a Blind Willie Mctell album in a second hand store. Forever it scarred me, cursed me with the desire to play like those men played and cry out songs like they cried. Well guitar is a motherfucker to learn for one so distracted such as me, but its people like Pokey that inspire me to fight through my lack of talent.
When I was homeless in the seafoam of santa cruz I met a travelling man who played the same style, I’d buy him a burrito to play me tunes on my lunch breaks, if I had used my better (less practical) judgement I’d have followed that man every mile he ran and pestered him to teach me to play.
Alas, I fell for the white picket fence in some ways and now I struggle…but people like Pokey…God Damn, they give my mangled fingers, my charred lungs, my lonely guitar, a voice…a tune…and a thumpin thumb beat throb. It quenches, and revives long dead tramps and drunks that call me to sit, play, and sing. Truely talented Pokey deserves your ear…
Increasingly, I find the world too modern for its own good. We’ve distracted ourselves to the extent that the true callings of our insides are dulled by devices, and decidedly divisive dogma. DAMN DUDE! Can I get a throw back? Why is the rewind button broken? We’re stuck on fast forward and play isn’t even an option anymore…
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