Off the Cuff: It’s All Right Now

Wednesday, November 7, 2024, early morning, New Bern, NC: It’s the first day of America’s Renewal, and man, am I a happy camper, or what! I’m still getting used to the fact that the next President of the United States will be the only person in the political universe who understands what’s been happening to America since the 1960s and is determined to fix it. Vance also understands, but he’s too young to know how the degradation began.

I went to bed on Election Day after watching a couple of episodes of Dark Winds. Willie and I don’t have and haven’t had the cable for over ten years. We don’t use social media at all, but I do occasionally watch music videos on YouTube. Anyway, when we went to bed, I had no idea how the election stood. I didn’t know that Trump had already been declared the victor in my home state, which was a harbinger, for sure.

I woke up around 4:00 to Willie getting up and leaving the room. Our three-year-old Toy Schauzer, Hanna, who sleeps between us – up close to Willie, usually – lifted her head to watch Willie leave, then went back to sleep. I just lay there, trying to mentally prepare myself for worst-case.

About fifteen minutes later, Willie came back, walked around to my side of the bed and said, “Bo, he won.”

I’m Bo to friends and family and have been since the day I was born.

I played golf yesterday with about seventy other guys in the local Christian Men’s Golf Association. We play Captain’s Choice. My foursome came in at seven under par, which wasn’t good enough for a win, but we had a great time, four guys who didn’t know one another but if laughing a lot is any indication, meshed immediately. I don’t take golf seriously (I had a 3 handicap when I was sixteen, BTW, and played that same year in the Future Masters, but those days are long gone); therefore, I enjoy it.

This morning, I got up before Willie, showered, shaved, blah, blah, blah, and then went downstairs to where Willie was listening to music in the den. I walked in as Tammy Wynette began singing one of the greatest songs ever written: “Stand By Your Man.” The thing about Tammy – one of the greatest female voices ever – is that she puts herself right in the middle of every song she sings.

Then, James Taylor singing “Handy Man,” which I fell in love with when it first came out in 1960, by Jimmy Jones. It’s since been covered by Otis Blackwell, Conway Twitty, and Del Shannon, but the James Taylor version is the winner. It’s not as good as the original, mind you, but it’s only a hair’s breadth away.

Next came Johnny Tillotson singing “Send Me the Pillow That You Dream On.” That era produced some great pop singers, most of whom are fading from cultural memory, Tillotson being one of them. Tillotson’s signature song is “Poetry In Motion,” which Janet Bixler and I danced to in 1961.

Then, Charlie Rich and “Spanish Eyes.” I’ve been a Charlie Rich fan ever since hearing Jerry Lee Lewis do a cover of his “Who Will the Next Fool Be” on what I consider to be one of the top three live albums ever recorded: The Greatest Live Show On Earth, recorded in Birmingham, Alabama, in the summer of 1963. It’s since been absorbed into an album that contains other live performances – mostly in Germany – but if share a passion for old-school rock ‘n’ roll, it’s worth listening to, believe me. In my ‘umble estimation, it’s every bit as good as Get Your Ya-Yas Out.

Then, Lee Ann Womack singing “I Hope You Dance.” OMG! I immediately went to her website to see if she was touring, but it seems I’m gonna have to wait. What a voice! Her phrasing is impeccable!

Then, Glen Campbell singing “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” written by the inimitable Jimmy Webb. Again, impeccable phrasing, which distinguishes a good singer from a fabulous singer.

And then, Alexa went back to Lee Ann and played several more of her songs for us, and Willie and I knew that everything was all right again in America.

Now, if we can just hold on to it.

Copyright 2024, John K. Rosemond