Old No 1

I have been listening to Guy Clark since I was in high school. In fact, I still have my copy of his first album, Old No 1. This is the album that has several of the classics: Desperados Waiting for a Train, LA Freeway, She Aint Goin Nowhere, That Old Time Feeling, Like a Coat from the Cold, and Instant Coffee Blues.

When I went to Austin College in the fall of 75, I took my record player -you may need to google that or look it up on wikipedia- and played this record all the time. This competed for air time in the dorm with everybody else's KC and the Sunshine Band.

Guy, and of course Verlon Thompson, came to a great new venue in Fort Worth Thursday. Justin treated me to a night I will never forget at the Live Oak Music Hall and Lounge .

I took Old No 1 with me and told one of the Live Oak managers that I would love to get the chance to have Guy autograph it for me. He told me that Guy usually comes out after the show and to hang around. He also said he would watch out for me. When the show ended Justin and I waited for a while. We talked to Verlon when he came out, but still had not seen Guy.

Finally, the Live Oak manager came out and saw us. He took the album and went back to the green room to check with Guy about our request. Moments later, we were escorted to the back where we met Guy. He was so gracious and quickly reached for the sharpie in his bag.

Old Friends

I like Guy Clark. You've probably figured that out by now.

He has a way of saying things that express my thoughts and feelings.

I have heard him and his "dear friend, Verlon Thompson" (as he always introduces him) sing this song several times. On one of those occasions, Verlon reflected on when he first started working with Guy:

"I met Guy when we working on his album, Old Friends ... and now we are."

The chorus of the song is:

Old Friends - they shine like diamonds
Old Friends - you can always call
Old Friends - Lord you can't buy 'em
You know - it's Old Friends after all

That pretty well sums it up doesn't it?

I am blessed to have several "old friends." As I count the blessings of these friendships, I have come to realize these qualities actually have little to do with chronological age, or the tenure of our relationship. You see "Old Friends" - regardless of age or how long we've known each other - are characterized by the qualities described in this song.

In another song - Stuff That Works - Guy describes another dimension of these friendships:

"I got a pretty good friend who’s seen me at my worst.
He can’t tell if I’m a blessing or a curse.
But he always shows up when the chips are down.
That’s the kind of stuff I like to be around."

The chorus of that song tells the vital truth about these kind of friends:

"Stuff that works, stuff that holds up
The kind of stuff you don’t hang on the wall
Stuff that’s real, stuff you feel
The kind of stuff you reach for when you fall."

Old friends, Lord you can't by them. That's the kind of stuff I like to be around.

Always Trust Your Cape

I am really out of touch these days. I rarely watch the news. I only read the paper once a week - on Sundays. Last Sunday there were several articles that caught my eye:

• An Austin College Professor was named the Texas State Historian;
• the man who was the coach at Odessa Permian when Friday Night Lights was written has returned to Permian as the head coach;
• Texas beat TCU in the first game of the super-regional series by playing “small ball” - setting an NCAA record for sacrifice bunts in a game: 7.

I actually read those articles. It took me two cups of coffee to make it through the paper. (Those are super-sized cups that are probably the equivalent of 4 regular cups. But, when you take 3 Benadryl at night, the fog is very thick in the morning.)

But the article that really grabbed my attention was the one on Wacky Warning labels. This one in particular caught my eye:

On a Halloween Batman costume: "This cape does not give the wearer the ability to fly."

This warning label was obviously attached to an inferior cape. Certainly not the kind of Cape that Guy Clark describes in his song, The Cape:

Eight years old with flour sack cape tied all around his neck He climbed up on the garage , figurin’ what the heck He screwed his courage up so tight the whole thing come unwound He got a runnin’ start and bless his heart He headed for the ground

He’s one of those who knows that life is just a leap of faith

Spread your arms and hold you breath

always trust your cape

All grown up with a flour sack cape tied all around his dream He’s full of piss and vinegar, he’s bustin’ at the seams He licked his finger and checked the wind - It’s gonna be do or die He wasn’t scared of nothin’, Boys - He was pretty sure he could fly

He’s one of those who knows that life is just a leap of faith

Spread your arms and hold you breath

Always trust your cape

Old and grey with a flour sack cape tied all around his head He’s still jumpin’ off the garage and will be till he’s dead All these years the people said: "He’s actin’ like a kid."He did not know he could not fly, So he did

He’s one of those who knows that life is just a leap of faith

Spread your arms and hold you breath Always trust your cape