Kenny Edwards was fun, too. We'd make fun of some of the new "folk" groups and their renditions of songs. He did a great imitation of a New Lost Christy Minstrel singing "San Francisco Bay Blues" right down to the "bay-HEY" which could put you in stitches. And I would then do an upbeat recitation of the "Ballad of Reading Town Gaol" but with a bit of a high kick and spin like an Irish step dancer. So we had talent shows in the living room, too, you see.

One time we went to see the Kentucky Gentlemen, and the mandolin player picked up his mandolin to change instruments and his hands must have been sweaty and his mandolin went sailing through the air. A Gibson F-4, too. (The crowd went "oo-ooh")

Kenny also played cello. And quite well. We were visiting someone who had a cello, and Kenny asked if he could play. And the mom (as it was her cello) said sure. So Kenny settled into position, and adjusted tension on the bow, and prepared himself with a most serious classical music face and started playing "Louie Louie", which under the circumstances I thought was priceless.

I was thinking about that and how my path soon lead again to Frank Zappa and one of my musical notions that ended up on what eventually became "Freak Out" but along the way ... some very odd things happened to me, and Frank rather than selecting Kenny as cellist opted for a higher register shall we say.  ¶ 1/01/2011 05:54:00 PM