george winston sucks

I grew up listening to a lot of george winston. don't worry, I listened to cool music too. my first album purchase ever was paula abdul's "forever your girl", which I think I got in 1988, when I was 9 years old. I rode with my brothers to the mall and got the tape. back in the car on the way home mike made fun of me, and danny told mike to shut up as he put the tape in and we rode home. "opposites attract" and "coldhearted" started to play, and I'll never forget how it felt, hearing my new record blasting through the speakers of my brother's '79 monte carlo. I sat in the back seat, not saying a word. as a small item of personal redemption, I'll mention that my next album I remember purchasing was sting's "ten summoner's tales" which I still listen to this day.but along the way, with my elton john, U2, vertical horizon, michael jackson, indigo girls, pink floyd, ccr, paul simon, fleetwood mac records, I listened to george winston. to be honest, growing up I listened to so much music its hard to really remember. I remember devouring whatever was new (I'm still kind of like this today) so as a result, so much of what I loved at any point is now tiresome to me. and I remember making repeated attempts at jazz (I have over a hundred jazz records that I never listen to) but it never worked. jazz never moved me. it never has. and I have too much baggage with it to be able to really hear it. the home I grew up in was an eerily silent home, so as soon as I could drive, I was working as much as I could (mostly just to be free from the house), and I was spending literally all of my extra money on music. but one person I do remember from high school was george winston. of course I always loved playing piano. and winston's music always resonated with me. long, flowing lyrical pieces and melodies buried in seemingly complex piano arrangements. I remember as a teenager picking apart what he did and realizing his playing was surprisingly simple and repetitive. I dug that. and for better or worse (probably worse), the music of george winston has been a huge influence on my playing. I have spent the past 8 or 9 years trying to deconstruct that, but still, in the quiet moments when I'm pretty sure no one is listening to me play, my music sounds a lot like his. it just sort of feels like the music I have in me.so on wednesday night, when winston was playing at the carver theatre, on the north side of birmingham, I was looking forward to it. I imagined his music, which I like much less than I used to, taking me away and reminding me what he offered me 10, 15 years ago. the room was half full, and the old dingy theatre felt almost like a coffin. a relic of a city that is way past it's prime. winston is half bald, with a thick beard. he wears old, baggy jeans pulled up to his ribs. he doesn't wear shoes. his glasses are out of style. the piano is just a little out of tune. and winston gives off a vibe like he'd rather be anywhere else. drunk, perhaps, at home, alone. he takes deep breaths while he plays. and he plays stiffly, apparently unmoved by the music his fingers and locked wrists are producing.he plays the piano and the room falls quiet. and I immediately notice that the music is not there. it's somewhere else. it's like I'm watching someone else play, like he is watching himself in the mirror, in a dream. he missed countless notes. the kind of mistakes that I make at home and scream out "AHH!" out of frustration that my hands can't keep up with my mind, and then I stop, play it slower, get it right before moving on. he made huge mistakes, and never indicated that any of them bothered him. his notes, instead of being crisp and having intent, were slurred together and when combined, said nothing. beautiful melodies that should have swept me away instead were lost in the sloppiness of their execution, and what was left was a flat, lifeless soundtrack to a room already half filled with death.don't get me wrong. I loved the concert. and I got to see two old friends from high school. and it was a relaxing break from a new record I've been working really hard on. and it was good to see that george winston is still playing. and it was good to know that my music has some distinctions from george winston.and it was good to see again that music carries me, more than it carries george winston. or at least more than it was carrying him on wednesday night.