“Obsession”

Hello. I know, I know. It’s been such a long time since I’ve posted. As a matter of fact I can’t even remember the last time I wrote for The Real Life Corner. Can’t remember the last time I posted to Facebook or Instagram either.

Man, look. On one hand I had a couple of life events that sapped my creative spirit. Then, on the other hand, I had so many things to write about that the ideas just got stuck in a traffic jam in my head. They compounded and I didn’t know where to start. Until today Sunday September 17, 2023, for the record.

So, to get right to the point, a good bit of my creative space has been hijacked by a new and unexpected obsession. The items pictured above are an Epiphone ES 335 guitar and a BOSS Katana Artist mkII amplifier. Two of my favorite things, these musical instruments have become my obsession. My long journey here, while mostly unremarkable, is fascinating in the sense that it is where I’ve always belonged.

My first real musical instrument was a guitar that my mother bought without any solicitation from yours truly. She just came home from work one day with brand new guitar and amp in boxes and sat them on my lap. Her only words to me were, “here”. I looked around in a bit of confusion. Then I proceeded to open the boxes. Slowly and carefully. To my subdued excitement and surprise I was the owner of a new guitar and amplifier. I was 12 years old. If I only had the time and words to express how my mother changed the course of my life with this one act of kindness.

Fast forward to the December 2019. After years of (trying to) play electric bass I had not owned one for nearly a decade. Itching to get back to playing I visited a local music store and started to tell my family about my desire to play. What I did not tell them was I that I was deciding between continuing with the bass or starting new on guitar. They bought me a bass for Christmas. I was happy. Got a gig immediately in January 2020. Then the Corona Virus came calling and ceased live music performances. I was sad. And so……

Being idle leaves lots of time for creativity. It also leaves lots of time for contemplation. As I practiced bass playing and explored the social media community my interest in electric guitar started to consume my thoughts. I developed a keen interest in guitar amps in particular. I sought out notable guitarists and became fascinated by the lives and careers of the professional studio guitarists throughout history. And then I went to the music store and picked up a semi hollow body guitar. And then I demoed the Katana Artist. Then I bought ’em. And now I’m obsessed!

I can’t put this guitar down. My appetite for learning new chords is insatiable. To my surprise I’ve learned guitar basics ten times faster than I learned bass guitar. When learning new songs it’s almost as if I’ve played the changes before. It comes so much more naturally than the bass. With the guitar in my hands my whole world just feels right. I’m at total peace. I breath easier. I become who I am. I am empowered. I am home.

So. I’m obsessed. And it’s a good thing. But I am writing again. And will continue to do so as soon as I put the guitar down.