The story behind the video and the guitar.

Yesterday's video is Gary Moore performing a Roy Buchanan tune called "The Messiah Will Come Again." Unless I am mistaken he didn't play it very often likely because of the difficulty and discomfort performing material written by what he must have considered to be a legend. Roy Buchanan was one of the first masters of electric guitar, and little known outside of a small circle. He embraced Chrisitanity to deal with lifelong alcohol problems. He died drunk in a jail cell after some years of sobriety. This is something else that the two have in common. They both died drunk.

A couple of days ago I mentioned Robin Williams who used cycling to deal with cocaine addiction. It seems that I have recently been thinking about how we so easily slip into habits of distraction some more deadly than others. I had my time and ended up pacing the halls of a Veteran's hospital. And I wonder sometimes why I was so fortunate. I got sober, and found a mentor. I embraced what I call "Genisis Sobriety," or going beyond just being sober, but rather rediscovering my self and ultimately my Self. I am blown away by how good some people can play an instrument, paint, act or express themselves in so many ways, and wonder how sometimes it just isn't good enough.

And the story of the guitar. It is a 1959 Les Paul that Peter Green, the genius behind early Fleetwood Mac, sold to Gary Moore for a small sum. It apparently was wired backwards at some time, and tends to sound "out of phase," It is also reported to be difficult to play due to an oversized neck, not that this seems true in the hands of Moore who played it for years. Moore sold it shortly before his death. No one is quite sure where it is now, or who owns it. It is reportedly valued now at over Two Million, and is referred to as the "Holy Grail Guitar."

This will be the first of a series of musical "events" on this blog, just a little stroll through the music that has shaped me.