This BLOG is sponsored
by “Misty Hollow
Carving”.
You are welcome to visit Misty Hollow and see all of my carvings.
My Web Site is a like a
Gallery – please drop in for a stroll through.
To help me promote my
Web Site please copy this URL address and email to someone today http://www.murraylincoln.com/
Simon Cowell and George’s Last
Long High Note
George was a funny young
fellow in the youth group. At least he
tried to be funny. It was painful to
watch at times.
The other kids were cool or
like to hang out with cools kids. George wasn’t too cool. And George didn’t connect with the other kids
in the youth group. They tolerated George but he could get on your nerves
easily.
His jokes were ill-timed and
at times had nothing to do with what anyone else was talking about. Hardly
anyone would laugh but many would groan or just role their eyeballs.
George was very different to
say the least. I felt sorry for him as
he tried so hard to fit in.
George could sing but he never
sang what the other teens wanted to sing.
The Youth Group we had enjoyed their guitars and piano… and “were with
it” as far as the up to date music of their times is concerned. George’s music wasn’t up to date.
You see George liked to sing
Opera – stuff that was perhaps 100s of years old. The other teens had no idea what he was
talking about when he tried to show them his talent and tried to explain why it
was fun for him to do what he did.
But at that time George didn’t
have the range with his voice that the music he liked demanded. That is a nice way to tell you that he couldn’t
hit the notes that even untrained ears KNEW IT WAS ALL WRONG! Yikes! In fact it was painful to listen to
George back then.
George was skinny and he wore
strange clothes – in comparison to the other teens around him. They came to the
Youth Group in their Jeans and Sweats – he came with a Robin’s Egg Blue suit on…
and three piece at that!... no tie just an open and sometimes frilly shirt
below… just like the other Opera Stars did – on their days off.
Why tell you about George
today?
Well George popped into my
mind when I read that Simon Cowell has suggested that Canada should have its
own “X-Factor” TV
Show and/or its own Canadian
Idol show. (See http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/1217583--simon-cowell-says-canada-deserves-its-own-x-factor
for more details.)
Simon doesn’t
know what I know – George is lurking around every corner for a chance to sing
to any of us… and that could be painful.
I have no
idea where George is today or what he is doing. He is not on Facebook yet. He
is not on LinkedIn either – or other social media connecting programs on the
Internet. But George will be there when
you least expect him.
A few years
back I was riding on the Go Train into Toronto.
The train stopped and more people climbed aboard making the train about quarter
full. And there came George looking for
a seat along with everyone else.
George
broke into a big grin when he saw me and even a bigger grin when he saw the
three empty seats with me.
In a loud
voice he exclaimed his excitement upon seeing me and loudly said, “Pastor
Lincoln, how are you! It has been awhile hasn’t it! My oh my! It is so good to
see you.”
By this
time the entire Go Train compartment knew that I was a minister and that George
was an old friend of mine. As George continued, everyone on the car found out
how George knew me and also how many people he remembered from that old Youth
Group. George’s voice was loud and he
liked to speak in dramatics of all kinds including expressions and mannerism that
kind of sounded weird.
Listening
to George was like sitting in an interview session where he wanted me to hire
him. My oh my, could he ever tell a story.
Yep he
had on a light blue colored suit and he also had on a frilly shirt sticking up
through the vest he was wearing.
YEP – and
that moment I asked the absolute WRONG QUESTION! YEP! I was stupid and
unthinking… and I regretted every syllable of my question as it slowly went out
across the Go Train.
“So
George are you still singing…?” Dang! I
should never have uttered that question!!!
George beamed
from ear to ear and said loudly, “I am so glad that you asked. I am just on my way to try out for a part in
an Opera in Toronto. Here let me sing
something for you – it will be good practice for me!”
I knew
immediately that I shouldn’t have said anything and should have never asked
that stupid question!!! I also knew
immediately that I couldn’t escape – it was a fast moving train on the way to
Toronto – with no stops due. Ahya!!!
George
then stood up in the aisle as my mouth dropped open. He did an action like he was flexing his
muscles and pumping up his chest to achieve full access to the most air
possible. Then with a gusto that I have
never seen he started to sing… loudly and longly and weirdly and I reacted with
my inner voice with, “Holy Cow I wish I was dead now!”
After his
first strains of the first line of the Italian Opera everyone on that Train was
looking at him and me. And they kept
looking with their mouths open as well… right through the next five minutes of
one very long solo part that George was practicing.
Good
Lord. The frozen smile on my face would
not go away. My mouth had shut 4 minutes
ago and now I tried to maintain that, “Sheesh George.. I didn’t know you could
sing!” look.
But as I well
knew and so did everyone else on the train … George wouldn’t likely get the
part.
His
animated arm swinging and his playing to the audience was cool… if you were on
stage… but on that Train it was too weird.
When he
belted out that last, long, higher note that he couldn’t quite reach… no one
clapped or cheered for an encore. It was
silent except for the sound of the Train whizzing along the tracks… and jaws on
people slowly closing.
George
then asked me in an excited voice (this guy was pumped), “So what do you think
Pastor Lincoln?”
I was
silent… and everyone else was listening for my response at that moment – at least
it seemed like they were…
“Well George
I don’t really know much about Opera or Italian Operas… I am kind of an Old
Rock and Roll person. I don’t know what
to say…”
That was
about all that could get out of my mouth. I had no idea what to say to poor
George.
The Train
stopped and we all left – following George down the platform.
I can
tell you that George has guts… no glory but rather guts to do what he did on
that train… and still remain positive and ready to take on the Toronto Opera
scouts that day. Guts definitely!!!
When
Simon Cowell stated what he did – he has no idea that “Canada has George”.
Oh I know
that Simon’s program is entitled the “X-Factor” in that he has no problem hitting
the X on people.
But Simon
needs to know that George will not stop until he hits that last high note –
however he can and wherever he can.
Simon
Cowell is no match for Canada’s George!
~ Murray Lincoln ~
No comments:
Post a Comment