Different Star

I'm going to go out on a limb and bet that shortly after the presidential election there's going to be an announcement that life has been discovered on Mars. Of course, it will be something less than an ameoba. Probably something that's been dead for a billion years. Have to break it to us slowly, don't you know. Make it a huge anticlimax. Don't want to freak the poor Earthbound Sheeple out.

Still, it's a big deal. And not so much. You already know we're not alone, don't you?

I bet we're some of the best musicians in the universe. Maybe that's why the aliens come here. To check out the music.

A long while ago I did an album that never got released with my friend Norman Durkee. It meant a lot to me, because I was pretty down at the time. He had all these wonderful tracks that he sent me home with, and I came up with lyrics and melodies, and a few guitar and harmonica parts. Nothing ever came of it except the fun.

Lately, Durkee has been the musical director for Teatro Zinzanni in Seattle. He is truly one of a kind, with a musical history that's rich and deep. Here's a true story about him I just saw for the first time on the web. At least I think it's true. Bloggers don't lie, do they?

"We're in the studio recording "Taking Care of Business". In the next studio is a guy working with Steve Miller. He hears the song as he's walking back and forth getting coffee. He sticks his head in and says, "That needs piano! A real boogie-woogie piano would sound cool." The he leaves. We're looking around for him, asking, "Where's that piano guy?" So Buzz Richmond, the engineer, tells us that he's working next door and he'll go get him. So he comes back, and asks us if we want piano on the song. He asks us how long the song is, and we tell him about five minutes. "Well," he says, "I only have six." He then picks up a pizza box, proceeds to write the chord progression on the cardboard box, puts it down on the piano, and plays it once. It sounds great. He then asks us to send him a check and he leaves us his card. The fellow's name is Norman Durkee. He's a musical director for Bette Midler and Barry Manilow. We credited him on the album." (www.newyorkwaste.com)

We did this one song called "Different Star Blue." It's about traveling to outer space.