I've written before about my affection and deep respect for Van Morrison and his work. A brief conversation with him in the current issue of Rolling Stone captures why.
Before we begin, some disclaimers.
Unlike Van, I am not Irish.
Unlike Van, I am not 59 years of age. (In the spirit of full disclosure, I will be 58 years of age in August.)
Like Van Morrison, I believe the blues was one of the greatest inventions in the history of humankind.
Van's latest CD, Magic Time, is his 18th in the last 20 years. (Disclosure: I own them all.) It is, how can I say this, a vintage Van Morrison collection, adding to his overall body of work like Lou Gehrig's 1,897th consecutive game added to his overall career. It is Van Morrison, through and through.
When a monumentally creative artist continues to create on a routine basis, those of us of more...more...mortal...talents, can only stand in awe. How can he possibly make those blues notes sound fresh? How could he re-interpret that melody in that way. How does he bend that phrase like that?
This is the stuff of genius: "I see what you see, but I see it in ways you cannot."
Listen to the master:
I'm basically a working musician doing the same thing as when I started out, except that I'm better and more successful. But I'm doing the same thing I've been doing for over forty years. It's what I do. It's who I am.
Before enlightenment: chopping wood, hauling water.
After enlightenment: chopping wood, hauling water.
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