Musical note

My neighbor Dez says he heard me outside last night ..singing. God, I’m such a terrible singer. I told him how sorry I was ..and said he could tell me to shut-up and it wouldn’t hurt my feelings. He says: “Oh, no no no no ..not a problem! I like to hear people sing ..makes them sound happy.” So, we chatted about music for a while. He’s a singer in a goth-rock band ..but says he prefers listening to songs by Tom Waits and Johnny Cash. I asked if that meant he likes people who sing in a ‘baritone voice’. “Ummm, well ..not only that ..I like people who sing in a ‘sonorous voice’ ” he says. OK ..(?) He goes on to tell me that that’s the reason he also likes Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson. I think I got it. I tell myself ..now here’s someone I can really learn from. But, what do I do instead ..I wrack my puny brain trying to come up with something I can tell him about music. I decide to explain my theory about how the Rolling Stones became popular. They were one of the first rock bands to introduce Moroccan and Mid Eastern rhythm to their music ..things like sitars and dulcimers. Made them sound ‘dark and intriguing’. You can really hear it in songs like ‘Paint it black’ and ‘Sympathy for the devil’ ..but not in ‘Satisfaction’ ..and you don’t hear it at all after Brian Jones died in 1969. I think he was their musical genius ..and blah blah blah. Dez stood there listening ..and nodding his head. “Interesting” ..he said. I went inside and thought ..what is the matter with me ..like I have something to tell him about music ..geeesh. I laugh it off and go in the garage to put my gardening tools away when something more frightening occurs to me ..I don’t remember singing last night.