I love Michael Hedges - one of the best guitar players of all time.
"I'm not trying to play guitar. I'm trying to play music. That's the difference right there."
I miss Michael Hedges. I remember the day I heard of his untimely death in 1997. I was headed to a work dinner and stopped on the way to purchase every Michael Hedges album that I did not already own. I wanted to collect as much of him and his music as I could, as if I could somehow hold him close and erase the picture of his BMW driving off the Pacific Coast Highway.
I've been listening to a lot of him lately, and I began to wonder about the source of my love of the guitar. As a teen, my Saturdays were devoted to piano and composition lessons. Between lessons, we'd eat pizza and listen to a friend play guitar in the park. This was my first real exposure to the fullness and diversity of sound created by this compact, stringed instrument. My piano was far less entertaining, and undebatably less mobile.
Anyway, around the same time, I was introduced to Michael Hedges by a dear friend. I remember the first time he played Breakfast in the Field (Hedges' first album) for me. The music was surreal and I found it unbelievable that one man could create and perform these pieces. Check out Funky Avocado, which is THE song that made me a fan for life (not the best audio ever, sorry).
I first saw him play live in college. In the years that followed, I lost track of the number of times I saw him perform, but I never missed an opportunity. I witnessed the evolution of his look and his art. I watched his hair grow from a mess of long braids to gone altogether. I watched him add to his performance with a piano, his voice, and a bouncy ball. The last time I saw him, he even performed Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky.
In addition to his own compositions (which are fabulous), I've watched him cover Hendrix, Prince, the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Madonna, the Fine Young Cannibals, and whoever it was that recorded Buffalo Stance. (If you're in the mood for just one cover, watch Hendrix's All Along the Watchtower. Two? I'm fond of Love Bizarre. Oh hell, they're all great to watch; that's why I posted them. And you're already here reading my blog, so what do you really need to do that's more imporant?)
He walked the line between yuppie and hippie, as he describes in the intro to this performance of Dirge. (OK, so we've already established you're not so busy that you can't catch a few tunes while you multitask. Start this one, watch his intro, and then go check Outlook while you listen to the song.)
So enough with the links. Sorry. Too much, I know; but for me, every one of these clips is stacked with memories, so it's difficult to choose. Imagine how much time I wasted picking them out!
Anyway, he got a little out there as his style progressed (did I mention Jabberwocky?), developing interests beyond the compositions that formed the base for this art. I suppose that's what artists do though, right? I remember the last concert I saw, thinking to myself that I hoped he would get back to his roots again in the next album or two. I would gladly pay to watch him hop around on stage or play the piano, if I could hear him again today.
I still love the guitar... and there are lots of amazing performers out there. But there was only one Michael Hedges. Youtube's great and all, and I'm happy to see so much of his music being shared there; but it's not like the real thing. I feel fortunate to have experienced his magic while I could actually feel the energy he generated in the room.
Hope you like him.
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