I Love To Sing-A, About The Moon And The Stars And The Spring-A.

In Friday’s post, I mentioned my participation in a cantata of Easter music for this past Palm Sunday. Everything went OK. As a former fellow choir member used to put it, “There was hardly any sourness. It was mostly musical.” My strategy as a singer is to hit whatever I can land on. I’m more of an intuitive singer. Which I imagine is quite a problem for Steve. Steve is a guy who sits next to me in choir who obsesses on getting all the notes exactly as written. Me, as long as there is hardly any sourness and its sounds like music mostly, I’m OK. 

I will confess that I love to sing. I love to sing-a, about the moon and the stars and the spring-a. But my passion for singing is not to my mind on par with my talent. 

I’ve been told I can sing. I actually objectively understand that I can in fact carry a tune in a bucket. But I believe that bucket is rusty and full of holes. I’m like Barney Fife on the Andy Griffith Show except with a powerfully cold and harsh self-awareness. I know I need the special mike, the one that’s turned off while Gomer Pyle does the real singing from backstage. 

Maybe I’m being too hard on myself. There is nothing more cringe inducing than the sound of one’s own voice. But let me share this anecdote.

A few years ago, my company staged a talent contest to benefit the United Way. I got three women to join me as back up singers as we tore through a version of The Beatles’ “Money (That’s What I Want)”.  David & the Dots, we were called. I thought things went very well. The crowd was excited, I felt like I was in good voice. Ultimately, David & the Dots got more donations than any other act in the contest so we won the contest and raised a lot of money for a good cause.

I felt good about it.

Later, a woman was telling me how much she enjoyed our performance and really liked how I was influenced by Fred Schneider of the B-52s. 

Fred is that guy in the B-52s who doesn’t sing but instead sort of… chants? “If you see a painted sign by the side of the road…” Yeah, that guy.

It was NOT my intent to channel Fred Schneider of the B-52s. I was NOT chanting! I was  singing up there, dammit!

Then I saw the video and….

OMG! I’m the guy from the B-52s!!!!!!!!

What the hell, people?

Anyway….

I stick with church stuff which presents fewer chances to accidentally channel the guy from the B-52s. I’m even doing a solo at a service this Thursday.

“If you see a painted sign by the side of the road…”

No, I don’t think so. 

One more thing about this past Palm Sunday: we had an instrumental ensemble playing with us including a bass player from Germany. Germany? Yeah, Germany! And how German was this guy? His name was “Wolfgang”.

And yes, he pronounced it “Vulfgang”. Oh, man that was so cool. Wolfgang was very talented and very friendly. He took time to shake my hand and say hello to me.

Wolfgang! From Germany!! So! Cool!

Until next time, remember to be good to one another.