HEART

"40 Years One Time"

I’m sitting by a pretty beach in southern California on a brief break from all the hot humid insanity of Summer. Winding down. Watching the evening shadows slanting  sooner than later on these few last lovely evenings. Feeling Fall. The sweetest transitional season of all. One more chance to wear a sun hat.

And most of all I’m listening to these waves crashing and washing clean all the heat and drama of Summer.

The waves tonight crash with every sound frequency from the highest highs to the lowest lows. Washing off the sweat and dust. Soul time. The ocean sounds like the soundtrack to all the times and places i have ever lived all at once. And all the transitions getting through. Beyond black and white. Shadows and light.

There’s always been heat and drama on the rock touring experience ever since I can remember working in a touring rock band. I was 19. Now there's pictures popping up of all the eras and ages in our musical lives offered up to us like totems to the decades that we have been on during this beautiful ride.

It’s still a surprise to see myself in the MTV 80’s videos for example….I mean, HOW BIG was that hair? How much hairspray? There was so much “overgiging” then. Not a very mind expanded decade to be sure. How culturally perfect was that first MTV moment? But then how quickly uncool was that moment over night when the Seattle explosion came to rescue rock?

The earliest times of Heart are still so innocent to think about today. We were always playing guitars around summer beach fires growing up with parents grand parents aunts uncles and cousins with guitars and ukuleles.

I will always be proud of me and my sister for hitching up those wagons in the 70s and carving out a rock trail for other girls and boys and humans. Pioneers. We were such apple cheeked fresh faced optimists. Changing the whole world for the better. A world where the Beatles Zeppelin and Stevie Wonder gave us the best blended modern religious belief system ever. LOVE. EQUALITY. ETHICAL HUMANITY. POETRY.

I feel lucky I got to be there for it all. And I would not EXACTLY regret it…. ok…maybe only a few brief clumsy moments. Especially when I may have hurt anyones feelings or been a self involved dick of a diva. But not so much...

Really. I’m happy to be alive playing my guitar and singing songs with this ocean in my ears.