Am I A Rambling Man?
A third of the year is over today.
Huh? It’s July 16th. Don’t you mean more than half the year is over?
Well, no, because on March 17th, I started this One Hit Wonder of writing and posting a blog article to our website each day for one year. Yay me.
A quarter passed without me even noticing the date until later. A third seems more weighty. That is about 120 days. That means 240+ articles to go.
I got this.
One of the books I started reading this week, given my self-exiled existence from “screen distractions,” is called Ramblin’ Man: The Life and Times of Woody Guthrie.
I am not even a third of the way into the book, but it has already influenced and moved me.
As I read about his birth, his family, and his hometown, it struck me that 100 years have passed since he was an adolescent. Fifty years is a long time, but 100 seems like a lifetime and another world away. I recently heard J.R.R. Tolkien talk about the rapid technological change that occurred during his lifetime, and I think this applies to Woody, too.
Anyway, he grew up in Okemah, OK, which is not far from where I grew up in and around Tulsa.
In my first professional job, I had a territory that took me down to Okmulgee, Henryetta, and perhaps even Okemah. I found I was more successful in the towns down south and east in my territory than hanging around trying to get business in West Tulsa—which is funny, since it had plenty of businesses needing what I sold.
But I liked to ramble down to those little towns and interact with the charm and colorful characters in those parts. It was also a great way to “eat up the clock” in a job I hated.
Windshield time.
Thinking time.
It was on those trips that I finally became a huge David Bowie fan, and my interest in Bob Dylan was first piqued.
Interesting parallel to Woody, given his influence on Dylan, and Dylan’s influence on Bowie.
Then he moved to the Texas Panhandle—to Pampa, northeast of Amarillo. I have a fondness for the Staked Plains. I went to graduate school, the first time, in Lubbock, and my first child was born there.
I am a huge Waylon Jennings fan, and he hailed from those parts, not to mention Buddy Holly.
Another interesting parallel.
I had no idea.
When my daughter was gestating, we didn’t know the gender. Thus, we talked about boys’ and girls’ names. One name we both liked for a boy was Forrest (this was pre-Forrest Gump).
I used to say I liked it because we could nickname him “Woody,” and I was thinking of the Cheers character, not Guthrie.
Another interesting parallel.
Then, around 1933-35, Woody decided to hang a shingle out as a fortune teller.
He would sit in his living room and meet with people, hear their stories, and offer his intuitive readings about what they should do and how to go about it. There are many accounts of people who said he had a tremendously positive impact on their lives as a result of these meetings.
He only charged whatever they could afford.
Typically, he got fifty cents.
One time he got $54.
In today’s dollars, that would be about $10 per session, and the big payoff would be worth around $1,250.
It seems he started the fortune-telling business to make money, but this was a man with a big heart who cared deeply about people. Thus, he only charged what they could afford and scraped by.
I feel the same way about our music and any “wisdom” you might derive from these ramblings.
I want to move and groove you.
That is payment enough.
How was I moved by this book?
An interesting synchronicity.
A friend I met at the IASD Annual Conference in Ashland is presenting at an upcoming conference in Portland: the Northwest Tarot Symposium.
I have “tinkered” with tarot cards and have used an Osho Zen Tarot deck to help people think through issues they wanted insight on.
I did this the last time I was at Esalen, and one woman raved about how profound an experience it was for her. Next thing I knew, I had three or so other people who also wanted their “fortunes” read.
Another interesting parallel to Woody.
So, I booked my hotel room, bought a full conference ticket with meals included, and will be heading there to give it my best Dr. Steve Brule “Check It Out!” attention.
Let’s see what happens as a result, shall we?
Am I a rambling man, too?
I think so.
But I won’t lie.
Still trying to figure it out, folks.
Back with more tomorrow.