Notes from the Field

My new neighbor is from fricken Mars or somewhere. Somewhere entirely different from here.

To listen to the music that sometimes comes out of his windows you would think he was some toothless old goober from the movie Deliverance. But that ain’t half of it.

Because its not the goober network they are watching on cable, or some old crank around records from before CDs, no, they are making this music themselves!

I know because I got to see them close up. He invited me over to a party he was having for the 4th of July. He said the best way to make sure his party don’t irritate the neighbors is to invite them. Well I didn’t know anyone at his party except my other neighbor across the street, and besides me and this other neighbor everyone at the party brought some kind of musical instrument. I have never seen so many guitars in my life, and banjos and violins, harmonicas and I don’t know what all. Did you know there are different kinds of banjos? Do you even know what a mandolin is? I thought it was one of those melon shaped stripy things those wackos in the poofy sleeved shirts play.

And here it’s a party, so sure there is food and sure there is beer. And folks is drinking, but nobody is getting drunk. I mean nobody. (At my house we are still looking under the porch for my Uncle Larry’s gutchies he lost two parties ago.)

OK yea they are all playing that old time ago music, but its not just old coots bobbin their heads like they have a rhythm disease, there’s young kids and teenagers playing too, on fiddles and banjos and everything. All ages. Sitting around and playing together.

My neighbor has three kids, two girls and a boy, and they all play that same music. I am not much for music in any case, but this stuff, for sure, you will not hear it on the radio around here, except maybe on some weird satellite station you pay extra for. And they play that music often, not just at the party, but like on weekends on their deck out back, or even during the week sometimes in the evenings. Together. And singing too. Singing together. Singing together - on what planet do people sing together?... At my house we don’t even eat dinner together, much less talk And just forget about singing. My daughter off on her text-o-fone yakkin with her teenage friends who are ignoring their parents and so on...

No you are not going to see this music on any television I heard of. Speaking of which, they don’t have a television. Can you imagine? They have umpty ump guitars and mandolins, one of those large bass violins taller than me, and even a big ole piano, (which, he explained, they don’t even play, but have for friends that come to their parties), but no televisions. Not even one. Proof they are from Mars? I asked him where was the television and he told me, get this... he told me he didn’t un-pack it this time because they hardly ever watched it at their old house. What with all the music I suppose, and the practicing and singing and who knows what.

They are from Mars or somewhere, sure as heck not from here.