moses supposes his toeses are roses

9.04.98

I sing.

This is news to most people.

My reputation is that of a non-singer, a title earned largely due to what I'll call a misunderstanding of my style. See, I don't go right for the note. I work my way into it. I pick a spot on the musical scale that's near the note and take the listener on a little journey up or a little journey down until the note is reached. It's a simple style, and I believe it provides a better view of the landscape surrounding the note, taking the scenic route, if you will, the final result being a better understanding of the song as a whole. It's a method I developed as a very young man, and, as with so many other of my prodigious talents, it went unrecognized and continues to enjoy a, shall we say "underground" status.

I have memories of road trips with "friends" who, in what must've been fits of jealousy, asked that I not sing along to a variety of camp songs and top 40 hits. I must tell you it took some real charity on my part to accept that the extent of my own vocal virtuosity could not be detected by their untrained ears - what they mistook for a lack of talent was only their own inability to appreciate my extensive use of glissando.

But instead of hiding my larynx under a bushel, I've flown in the face of mediocre ears and sung anyway.

You wouldn't know it to look at me, but I have been singing all afternoon. I bought another Sinatra album today, the one he did with Jobim. We had it in the house when I was a kid and I used to listen to it a lot, so much so that its nuances and hooks have been etched deeply into memory. Playing it today, after 30 years, I still knew every turn of phrase, every pause, every syncopated Sinatra-ism. And what a life-affirming twist of fate it was to realize that Sinatra and I have almost identical voices. I'm comfortable singing in exactly the same range he's comfortable in, so it's like we were meant to sing duets. It's uncanny, I tell you.

The recognition of this kinship I have with Mr. Sinatra has put a bounce in my step and a shine on my shoes despite the fact that I've had a sore toe and been wearing sneakers all day. That's just the kind of power the man had, I guess.

Today's Music:

"Meditation" -- Frank Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim -- FRANCIS ALBERT SINATRA & ANTONIO CARLOS JOBIM

Wisdom of the Day:

"Extraordinary how potent cheap music is."

- Noel Coward