Hospital Music

On two occasions in the past week, I was asked what music I wanted to hear while undergoing a scope/scan/MRI. I picked The Beatles both times; they're always a great choice. I love The Fabs from any year, but was especially pleased to hear their early material, like "From Me To You" and "Love Me Do", both of which have key harmonica parts. "Let It Be", with the soulful organ work of Billy Preston, takes on a more powerful meaning when you're in a hospital. R&B/soul/funk, along with bluegrass, classic country (Merle Haggard/Hank Williams), traditional (Doc Watson, the Carter Family), and early 60's rock, is my favorite kind of music, but listening to James Brown do "Cold Sweat" might have been too much for my time in the MRI chamber.

But here's a shout out to Mr. Brown, a cool short-short story that occurred as Susan and I were walking down one of the hospital's long corridors. Walking about ten feet in back of me, a man pulled out his cell phone and the first few notes- a glissando symphony of strings -of JB's "It's A Man's, Man's, Man's, Man's World" on a ring tone were clearly and loudly heard. I still have the 45 rpm I bought in 1965. I turned around quickly and said to the stranger, mouthing the words with JB, "This is a man's world!" As he caught up to me, he smiled, as I continued: "But it wouldn't be nothing, NOTHING". He walked past me a few steps, looked over his shoulder, smiled and finished the last line of the stanza: "Without a woman or a girl!" We both laughed. For that moment and several hours after, all the stars were beautifully aligned in the universe of Great Music.


Last night many of Jay Miller's friends and I got to see him awarded as "Citizen of the Year" by the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce. Jay is a tireless supporter of mental health and substance abuse agencies, arts programs, his church, and historic preservation. The crown jewel of all these efforts by Jay and his wife Ebeth (go to www.sharedvisions.org) is the restoration of the old Murphey School, built in 1923 and now on the National Register of Historic Places. All kinds of groups are using the place as a meeting, retreat, and performance center. Many of us were whistling and whooping it up when Jay was introduced. Some were from organizations that Jay has assisted, others were his music associates. I've seen Jay play piano, sax, flute, guitar, bass, and mandolin, all at a high level. It's way cool to see your friends do well and get recognition for their accomplishments.

You might enjoy this story I wrote for the "Chapel Hill Herald" last year about Murphey School and Jay. I organized a tour of folks, now in their late 70's and early 80's, who went to school there as long ago as 1935, then wrote about it:


http://heraldsun.com/view/full_story/9234770/article-Murphey-School-was-the-center-of-their-world?instance=main_article


Kudos to Susan for her learning so much about good nutrition and helping me gain weight in a healthy way. A registered dietitian with whom Susan spoke seemed to enjoy trading information with such a knowledgeable consumer.


Love to all- Peter K