Sad!

The other day, I pulled up Facebook, and I saw a post that I had hoped was one of those hoax things that someone put up to be a smart ass. Sadly, it wasn’t…there was another one from a reputable source, that confirmed it. Keith Emerson has died at 71! I think I sat there with my mouth open for about two minutes while I read the article.  For some weird reason, I was going through some of my music earlier that day, and since I have so much, it’s a struggle at times to decide upon what genre I wanted to listen to at any given moment. It’s easy if someone comes out with a new album, but when there’s that dry period where you think “hmmmm what to listen to?”  It’s tough!  Some times I would rather have less music than I have sitting around!   As I was leafing through one of my CD portfolios, I saw ELP, and thought, ok, there’s an option for what’s on deck, haven’t really given them a good listen in a while. I had a few things sitting in my car, and thought once those were done (discs of a band that I had just purchased tickets to see) I’d play some of that.  Well as I read those words, I knew that what WAS in the CD player had to come out and ELP or something with Keith Emerson had to go in.  A little later that day, I read that Keith’s death was caused by a single gunshot wound to the head, and later it was confirmed that he DID take his own life.  That made me even sadder, wondering what would have happened to make him take his own life, then the next day I read something that his girlfriend posted, and it was because of nerve damage in his hands, and that he only had good use of about eight fingers, and it was expected to get worse… It also read that he had an event coming up, and was nervous about being able to play at his usual high standard. And, to complete the trilogy of sadness, I also read in that article that Keith was upset because of things he had read online that people had said about his recent playing, stuff saying that he’d “lost it” and he wasn’t the virtuoso he once was… Ok, NOW besides being sad, I was pissed off!

The fact that people have this incessant NEED to slam someone’s abilities online is one of the most disgusting things on the internet today!  I’ve given up reading most online forums for different activities because it’s one slam after another by someone who acts like they are an expert of any given activity!  I used to love reading Scubaboard when I was first learning how to dive, I got a lot of good information, and things to watch out for, and look for when I was going through my classes in order for me to make the most of the instruction. After a while, once I learned a few things, I started to read what people with no clue had to say, and things got really “cheap” sounding, so I decided to just stop reading that forum, other than a few areas where I had made friends. (and that’s now a private Facebook group, and we all avoid that forum)   I also liked music forums, and was an avid reader of a Rush based forum.  I stopped after hearing constant complaining about certain aspects of their music, and playing abilities.  People complained about setlists during tours, really?  Go to the show and enjoy what they play, regardless of my not being a huge fan of a particular song, it’s still one of my favorite bands playing it; you won’t like everything everyone releases…Now that Neil Peart decided that his abilities aren’t what they used to be, and that he doesn’t want to disappoint the fans, he’s decided to hang it up, and Rush is now not a touring band (although, there is a possibility that they MAY release an album in the future, but not tour in support of it)

Speaking of Rush, and regarding the act of “losing it”,  Neil Peart wrote about Ernest Hemingway having trouble responding to an invitation to some event, and being “Hemingway” he felt that he should write something poignant in his RSVP, this is what Neil wrote in the song:

The writer stares with glassy eyes
Defies the empty page
His beard is white, his face is lined
And streaked with tears of rage

Thirty years ago, how the words would flow
With passion and precision
But now his mind is dark and dulled
By sickness and indecision

And he stares out the kitchen door
Where the sun will rise no more...

Later in the song….

…Sadder still to watch it die
Than never to have known it
For you, the blind who once could see
The bell tolls for thee...

Hits home when you think of it.  A man such as Ernest Hemingway having trouble responding to an invitation, this is the man that wrote some of greatest novels of our time!  But the fact that he has “lost it” and is struggling with something as simple as a response to an invitation is just sad!

The fact that a person such as Keith Emerson, who in a lot of people’s minds is a MASTER of his craft,   and one of the most intense and proficient keyboard virtuosos to live in this century has killed himself because people were talking about him, and he felt he now wasn’t good enough! Because of some nerve damage, he was starting to not be able to play as he once had is just sad by itself, but to have people actually make comments about him losing it is pathetic and takes the definition of the word “classless” to a newer low level! One recurring theme I’ve seen as people post their tributes is from people that have actually met him. I recall an article years back about the time CD’s were first really making an impact as a medium to listen to music.  A journalist that was interviewing Keith brought him (if I recall correctly) a CD version of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, which ELP did a remarkable job of “covering”. Keith was THRILLED that this person brought the CD, and was happy when he got to hear it.  He also seemed genuinely appreciative that this person thought enough to bring him a copy of it.  People that I know that have met him over the years said that he is one of the nicest people that you would ever want to meet, which is great to know, in a world of pretentious famous losers that seem to just suck the life out of everyone for the sake of their own “self-promotion”. One such person is Jeffrey Beigel, who is one of the few classical piano performers to attempt Keith’s piece, and he does a wonderful job! (and I’m hoping that he gets some invitations to perform this around the country!)  I just watched a version he recommended off of YouTube where he performed it with the Sheboygan Symphony, and it was just amazing!  I have to find a way to get one of our local symphonies’ to learn this piece, and invite him to play!

When you listen to what Keith did through the years, and how it sounded, you can’t help to be amazed!  I had the privilege of seeing him twice over the years. The first time was with Emerson, Lake and Powell (when Carl Palmer had a commitment to ASIA, and couldn’t get away, but Keith and Greg wanted to play together again, so Keith called his friend Cozy Powell to play) which was an AMAZING show (that almost didn’t go off due to lack of tickets sales at the venue, but the band decided that it “needed the practice”).   The main highlight was the end of the concert when he did his “knives in the Hammond” act which is just a classic to see!  (Not only that, I had second row seats, and he did it right in front of me)  I think they had a great time playing because it was a low stress event (I think there were only about 2,000 seats sold)

The second time I had the privilege of seeing him was with ELP (with Palmer) while opening up for Jethro Tull (and if I remember correctly, this was a warm up for a bigger headline tour of their own, after Keith had some surgery on his arm, and didn’t want to start with two hour shows, so he just wanted to make sure he could still do it) The fact that I finally got to see “THE band” was a highlight, even though it was a shorter show. 

The night I heard he passed, I was able to sit and listen to some things online, and was amazed at a version of Tarkus that was done with his “solo” band in Moscow back in 2011 which was just off the charts!  I’m amazed I never got to hear any of that, and was glad that I had a version of that concert (on Mp3 downloaded) and was able to listen to it on a trip I needed to take this week. The whole show is great, but that version of Tarkus was just beyond amazing! (I’m planning on getting the CD version for posterity) Leaving for home from my overnighter this morning, I played a CD entitled “The Three Fates Project” which looks like a version of some of his masterpieces with him, a small ensemble, and an orchestra.  As I got on the road after picking up my coffee, the version of Fanfare for the Common Man came on, and “hit home”.  His interpretation of it is just amazing, but the poignancy of it just put me away!   I’m thinking of putting that on the list of songs to have my wife play at the beginning of MY funeral.   (she’ll be thrilled to know that)

You can see that this band had a major impact on me. If anything, it really introduced me to classical music. My mother used to open my bedroom door and look at me with this odd look in her eyes, whenever I had ELP on,  I think the first odd one was when I had the Piano Concerto playing;  “CLASSICAL MUSIC?!?! When did you get into classical?”, then the next time was when I had Pirates playing, (Summer time, the bedroom window was open and she was doing something in the flower bed under my window) and I think she admitted to liking it! (although the other side story was that my mother knew of ELP, and came into my room prior to one Christmas to see if there were any holes in my  ELP collection, so she wrote down all of the ELP titles I had in my record rack, and went to the record store…ONLY to purchase ELO albums!  So technically, my mom got me into ELO…kinda cool!)

Digressing…The fact that a major virtuoso and composer has passed is still a shock. What’s even worse is how it happened, and why it happened that way.  The day this happened affected me in the same way as the day Robin Williams passed, just true masters of their craft, driven to end their own lives because of the results of health issues, although Keith’s was a little more involved since people were criticizing him.  One thing that people need to learn, regardless of what you think about someone; PLEASE learn to not hit send!  It’s ok to write that post, or write that email if it makes YOU feel better, but just don’t hit send. The devastating loss that it may cause could be as catastrophic as a master of his craft deciding that he’s “just not good enough anymore”. I have had many posts on many forums, and emails where I just had to vent on something or someone, but deleted the post before I hit send.  The internet is just a bad place for people with opinions.

RIP Keith!  We have the memories of the live shows, and the CD’s to remember, but not having you to be here to thank is just sad!  That band in Heaven is just getting better and better all of the time!  God rest your soul!!