Reelin' in the years

Your everlasting summer
You can see it fading fast
So you grab a piece of something
That you think is gonna last
You wouldn't know a diamond
If you held it in your hand
The things you think are precious
I can't understand

  Hear a particular song and immediately memories come bubbling up like a spring in the desert. I cannot hear John Philip Sousa without thinking about the college ROTC band which practiced not far from our house when I was about 4.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFz79SBnuk8&feature=related
"The Third Man" theme always will evoke a memory of my dad in the living room acting like he was dancing.

"Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" hit its popularity the summer I stayed with Uncle Charles and his family.

The Beach Boys and surfer music marked my senior year in high school. The rebellion began.

In the early years of college, show tunes and the Beatles. Dad enjoyed embarrassing me with his rendition of "Wild Thing." Then the rebellion hit hard with Moody Blues, Led Zepplin and Janis Joplin.

Add into the mix a good size portion of country and western -- from Bob Wills to Jerry Jeff Walker, from Johnny Cash ("Ring of Fire")  to Willie Nelson. Do not forget R&B and soul or Cajun. Or Kinky Friedman or Linda Ronstadt or Emily Lou Harris.

Blues came into my life when I started working in a newsroom. What does that tell you? Gatemouth Brown, Muddy Waters and Johnny Winter. Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn, whew.

Leonard Cohen's genius for lyrics could melt a frozen heart.

Somewhere along the line I got stuck on the old stuff. I am not goofy for Lady Ga Ga. The White Stripes are OK and anything rap can take a hike.

See what I mean? Tracing my life by the music.

Ahhhhh haaaaa, Dude.

Later.