I Knew Myself

photo by Jose Romelo Lagman

Well, the McFlies gig on Friday at Hugh's Room was a smashing success: between ourselves, The Magpies and the Grandmothers we packed the place to the walls and raised about $3000.00 for a very good cause in the process.

It's a real pleasure and indeed, a bit of an ego-boost to see and hear the growing group of enthusiastic fans in action. They really, really dig our stuff and it motivates us even more to stay fresh and original and energetic for them.

I've often shaken my head and laughed at myself and what I do with The McFlies. I mean, who would have predicted that one day I'd wind up, on a February evening in 2007, dressed up as Kenny Loggins at LiveAid, playing in an acoustic eighties band, to raise money to save the children of Africa from a disease we'd only just heard of when the eighties were in full swing? Nobody, least of all me.

So I thought, anyway, until a Friday evening conversation with an old family friend, who brought me a gift from my distant past. I was recollecting that his white stratocaster was the first guitar I ever played, back when we were both about 15.

He then reminded me what I said when I picked it up:

"If I had a guitar, I'd play all the time. I'd play for everybody."

I was stunned. It's like that Ian Tamblyn line that goes "I knew myself better than I know." All the time. For everybody. Damn right!

I wonder how I would have reacted to a banjo?